Automatic 1st Car for my Niece £6k max - Page 1 - Car Buying

Tuesday 8th June 2021

My Niece has just passed her test so i've been tasked with the job of helping her find her first Car

She has a pretty big budget for a first car (up to £6k) but she passed in an Auto so car will have to be automatic
she'll be city driving mostly with the occasional motorway trip.

REQUIREMENTS
- Automatic
- reliable, especially the gearbox
- £4 to 6k budget.
- insurance group of up to 10

correct me if I'm wrong...
- Fiesta seems a good choice but i'm hearing bad things about their "powershift" Gearbox. Toyota Yaris same again not hearing great things about their "multimode" box

- VW polo which she really likes will be DSG though and I know these can be expensive to repair should they break.
- Nissan Micra (cvt) & Hyundai I10 are off the table (for now) she doesn't like the look (she hasn't quite realized yet that she's not in a position to be picky)

what else is worth considering? Automatic Aygo or Corsa worth a look?

Thanks

MattyD803

2,392 posts

93 months

Tuesday 8th June 2021

Depending on what you value most (i.e. reliability for me), then i'd probably go for a Suzuki Swift.....Perhaps a Yaris.

Something with a bit more style, possibly Seat Ibiza 1.2 TSi DSG? (Reliability unlikely to be quite as good).

anonymous-user

82 months

Tuesday 8th June 2021

Honda Jazz, tons of choice in that budget and very reliable.

8,841 posts

170 months

Tuesday 8th June 2021

Fiat 500 automatic coming in around budget. all the young girls love a 500!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106083...

25k miles. Bargain!

Pica-Pica

16,482 posts

112 months

Tuesday 8th June 2021

charltjr said:

Honda Jazz.

^^^ yes.

8,841 posts

170 months

Tuesday 8th June 2021

Pica-Pica said:

charltjr said:

Honda Jazz.

^^^ yes.

That poor girl.

Why would you wish that on anyone?

MattyD803

2,392 posts

93 months

Tuesday 8th June 2021

charltjr said:

Honda Jazz, tons of choice in that budget and very reliable.

Your not wrong, and its a truly excellent car (for the money), except for the auto boxes (CVT) on these which are nothing short of horrendous.

ZX10R NIN

30,467 posts

153 months

Tuesday 8th June 2021

eleveneleven said:

My Niece has just passed her test so i've been tasked with the job of helping her find her first Car

She has a pretty big budget for a first car (up to £6k) but she passed in an Auto so car will have to be automatic
she'll be city driving mostly with the occasional motorway trip.

REQUIREMENTS
- Automatic
- reliable, especially the gearbox
- £4 to 6k budget.
- insurance group of up to 10

correct me if I'm wrong...
- Fiesta seems a good choice but i'm hearing bad things about their "powershift" Gearbox. Toyota Yaris same again not hearing great things about their "multimode" box

- VW polo which she really likes will be DSG though and I know these can be expensive to repair should they break.
- Nissan Micra (cvt) & Hyundai I10 are off the table (for now) she doesn't like the look (she hasn't quite realized yet that she's not in a position to be picky)

what else is worth considering? Automatic Aygo or Corsa worth a look?

Thanks

DodgyGeezer

48,614 posts

218 months

Tuesday 8th June 2021

I'd give the Mini a miss - I quite enjoyed mine (Clubman Cooper S) but the autobox really didn't suit it

PH User

22,154 posts

136 months

Tuesday 8th June 2021

Pixelpeep Z4 said:

Pica-Pica said:

charltjr said:

Honda Jazz.

^^^ yes.

That poor girl.

Why would you wish that on anyone?

They arent thinking about what they would have wanted when they were young.

eleveneleven

Original Poster

163 posts

63 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021

Thanks guys

Insurance on the the Suzuki Swift is comin in at 3.5k with a black box! I showed her the Honda Jazz prior to posting this and she laughed at me so thats out.

The Fiat 500 is an interesting option though. Never liked Fiat personally had 2 Puntos when I was younger both were s

te reliability wise.

8,841 posts

170 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021

eleveneleven said:

The Fiat 500 is an interesting option though. Never liked Fiat personally had 2 Puntos when I was younger both were s

te reliability wise.

it will look stylish so ticks that box, they've sold millions of the things - a number of female work colleagues run them and never heard one complaint. One girl even sold her one, to buy a newer one of the same car (never understood that!)

Deffo a winner.

Speaking of winner... what do i get? smile

Pistonheader101

2,206 posts

135 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021

Don’t get a Honda jazz the cat will get stolen

8,841 posts

170 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021

Pistonheader101 said:

Don’t get a Honda jazz, she'll get bullied and typecast as a dithering old duffer that pisses themselves every time they have to go above 17mph

fixed that for you.

Pica-Pica

16,482 posts

112 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021

Pixelpeep Z4 said:

Pistonheader101 said:

Don’t get a Honda jazz, she'll get bullied and typecast as a dithering old duffer that pisses themselves every time they have to go above 17mph

fixed that for you.

A rather ironic posting about typecasting?

PistonBroker

2,707 posts

254 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021

DodgyGeezer said:

I'd give the Mini a miss - I quite enjoyed mine (Clubman Cooper S) but the autobox really didn't suit it

Agreed.

We landed up with M-i-L's '06 Cooper a few years back. It's been totally reliable, but I can't help but think it would be a much nicer thing to drive if it wasn't saddled with a CVT.

Having said that, a new female driver is unlikely to notice.

My 14yo wants a MINI as her first car and was relieved to discover they do them with a manual as well. She thought she was going to have to get an auto!

8,841 posts

170 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021

Pica-Pica said:

Pixelpeep Z4 said:

Pistonheader101 said:

Don’t get a Honda jazz, she'll get bullied and typecast as a dithering old duffer that pisses themselves every time they have to go above 17mph

fixed that for you.

A rather ironic posting about typecasting?

i'm glad the irony wasn't lost on you smile

Stereotypes are funny because they're usually true smile

mikeyr

3,382 posts

221 months

Wednesday 9th June 2021

If big distances aren't going to be a worry then maybe a Renault Zoe - city driving seems to be ideal for it. Presume cheap to run too but don't know huge amount about them other than perhaps have to lease battery on some?

DodgyGeezer

48,614 posts

218 months