Shock Horror: Pensioner Fed Up With Honda Jazz

[anonymous-user]

My mum (in her early 70s) is fed up with her 2010 Honda Jazz and wants something a bit nippier.

My first instinct would be to steer her towards something like an Audi A1 / Polo / Seat / Skoda and away from anything small and French but I realise there may be some small-car gems that might be overlooked due to my personal tastes.

I'm not really up to speed with what are considered good, small, second-hand car purchases. Budget would be around £5-6k, manual and petrol.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

[DaveH23]

Not sure how small but the Toyota Aygo is small and cheap to run.

Should run forever as well.

Plenty sub 20k mile examples for under £6,000 as well.

[J8 SVG]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

I had a 1.4 before my RS and it was a joy to throw down a little country lane - the 1.6 ought to be a nippy little engine and I quite like the GT body kits - ruddy cheap too

[oop north]

Suzuki Swift?

[mac96]

Does she actually want a smaller car?
My father at the age of 90 decided that his Jazz felt too much like a small car, and he bought a Golf. Actually not much bigger, but feels larger and more planted.
Also it is more like the cars from 20-30 years ago, which might also appeal to an older driver, rather than the minivan shape of a Jazz.

[anonymous-user]

mac96 said:

Does she actually want a smaller car?
My father at the age of 90 decided that his Jazz felt too much like a small car, and he bought a Golf. Actually not much bigger, but feels larger and more planted.
Also it is more like the cars from 20-30 years ago, which might also appeal to an older driver, rather than the minivan shape of a Jazz.

She definitely doesn't want smaller. I think the Aygo and it's ilk aren't really her cup of tea.

A Golf-sized car is probably as much car as she would ever need. She'd be the only driver and rarely has passengers or tons of luggage.

[anonymous-user]

oop north said:

Suzuki Swift?

Good call.

[Efbe]

audi TT
350Z
MR2

why not something more fun?
Not sure why the only cars being suggested for a pensioner are all boring shopping trolleys designed for teenagers?

[anonymous-user]

Efbe said:

audi TT
350Z
MR2

why not something more fun?

If her creaking bones would let climb in and out of low-slung cars she probably would. In her youth in the 60s she used to drive E-Type Jags and Austin Healy 3000s so she's had her fun.

[FidoGoRetroGo]

I drove past a Honda dealership yesterday. Jazz after Jazz, all spotlessly clean.

It was only when I reached the main entrance did I realise it was a garden centre.

[J8 SVG]

DrSteveBrule said:

If her creaking bones would let climb in and out of low-slung cars she probably would. In her youth in the 60s she used to drive E-Type Jags and Austin Healy 3000s so she's had her fun.

Mini Cooper? Door handles can be a pain (Fixed in the latest models) as they're quite hard to open - I know my Gran could never open them on my mum's car

[IIIRestorerIII]

Friend of mine tried Swifts and Yaris' at a similar price when his wife first passed her test. They went with the Swift as the auto Yaris was too nippy. He tells me he tried three of them as well.

[williredale]

My in-laws (mid 70s) are currently looking at Jazzes. The father in law drove me at the weekend... He's careful and aware but bloody hell he's so slow!

[Willy Nilly]

How does your mum drive it? Being a Honda, you have to rev them, sure they're not a fast car, but if you use the engine as Honda designed it and rev it, it will pick its skirt up and get a shift on. I can't see any of the other 100hp cars of the same size having a vastly different performance.

[ZX10R NIN]

Clio 197 not low slung (a lot of people say the seats to high) a decent size & definitely nippy get her a hot hatch so she can have some fun.



2008 30k FSH

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

2007 Focus ST 45k FSH

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

[ZX10R NIN]

My grandad is 80 & drives an M3 with an eisenmann exhaust ACS springs (soon to be changed for the F Series version) he enjoys driving just because he's old it doesn't mean he's given up enjoying life, my Nan 74 sold her 3 Series & now has a MK2 R32 Golf, if I tried showing either of them a Jazz or the like I'd get a clip round the ear.

[FN2TypeR]

DrSteveBrule said:

oop north said:

Suzuki Swift?

Good call.

The Sport is ace, it'll be nippy enough to keep her happy and won't break the bank in terms of running costs.

Great cars.

[AndStilliRise]

Think I better change my car.

To be fair, for London it is awesome.

[anonymous-user]

Willy Nilly said:

How does your mum drive it? Being a Honda, you have to rev them, sure they're not a fast car, but if you use the engine as Honda designed it and rev it, it will pick its skirt up and get a shift on. I can't see any of the other 100hp cars of the same size having a vastly different performance.

There lies the problem. She's doesn't want to be one of these typical Jazz-driving dawdlers but I don't think she realises the Jazz will go faster if you rev it more. She's mechanically sympathetic towards her cars. Perhaps I need to take her out and show her that raving an engine to 5-6000k won't kill it. Before the 2 Jazz's she's owned she had a 1987 Civic GTI - quite a rare car. That was only about 110bhp but as it was made of foil it had a fair pace to it.

I drove the Jazz from Stoke (the dealer) to my mum's in Norfolk and I didn't think it was particularly bad. I think she wants a car that will kick up it's heels without having to thrash it - that's her notion of thrashing.

I'll certainly suggest looking at the Swifts and I've always fancied a go in one as well. I've only ever heard good things about them.

[Deerfoot]

DrSteveBrule said:

There lies the problem. She's doesn't want to be one of these typical Jazz-driving dawdlers but I don't think she realises the Jazz will go faster if you rev it more.

My wife is the same. Previously she had a Polo GT TDI with the 130bhp/236 lb ft 1.9 unit in it. It went reasonably well as it had a decent wedge of torque for a car the size of a Polo.

She refuses to rev her Jazz, instead she tries to rely on torque that it just doesn`t have at low rpm. I`ve told her that she needs to thrash the Jazz a bit more but she just will not, instead moaning that it`s slow...

I`ve offered to swap it but she can`t decide what she wants so we`re in a never ending cycle.