Help me choose a car for the wife, - weak left foot.

[Custerdome]

I'm scratching my head a little over this one, I'm sure someone more up to speed will have a better idea.

We've always had a contract hire arrangement for the wife's car, the current one expires next month, she's now retired and I'm not far off so we're keen to buy second hand and try and save a few bob.

Due to some health problems over the years she has a pretty weak left leg, and the last couple of hires have been autos, - she does less than 3k a year and no dual carriageways, so a small car is the best choice. The current hire is a Fiat 500 and I can only describe the auto box as appalling, we don't want to go there again.

So I think what we're after is:

Small car
Auto
Easy to climb into
Petrol and ULEZ compliant
Budget around 4K

It's the combination of small car and auto box that makes it a bit tricky, that and the fact that my knowledge of small/city cars is minimal. Any help and suggestions greatly appreciated, Apart from the mental ones, obviously.

[andburg]

Yaris or a Jazz?

wont get a modern hybrid though it seems

Edited by andburg on Monday 13th March 14:29

edit:

4k just about gets her into an early leaf, could be interesting

Edited by andburg on Monday 13th March 14:32

[sunnyb13]

Better off getting another PCP. Low monthlies

[Scrump]

Small cheap EV would suit those use requirements, are any of them within your lease monthly cost budget?

[Custerdome]

An EV would definitely do the job, we've off street parking too, so that's in an EV's favour. No EVs have popped up on the searches I've done within our price range, - we live inside the M25 and I'm guessing that EVs are in demand for cab/Uber drivers.

Current contract lease plans seem very expensive now, - I haven't seen anything even close to our current contract.

Hmmm.

[anonymous-user]

Custerdome said:

Small car
Auto
Easy to climb into
Petrol and ULEZ compliant
Budget around 4K

An auto, small, petrol, cheap, ULEZ compliant car has to be the most in demand car possible at the moment. Autos seem to go for double the manual equivalent, so I think you are really going to struggle to find anything at all in your budget.

It took me months to find a decent petrol, manual ULEZ compliant car for £4K, I think finding the equivalent auto would be impossible.

[maz8062]

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303085...

Not likely but worth a try

[RemarkLima]

maz8062 said:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303085...

Not likely but worth a try

Good god! The I shift is terrible in those! The Fiat 500 has to be better.

[anonymous-user]

RemarkLima said:

Good god! The I shift is terrible in those! The Fiat 500 has to be better.

Exactly, ideally you want an old school torque converter slush box. I might consider a CVT, but I would exclude and sort of DSG or robotised manual.

[QuartzDad]

Custerdome said:

So I think what we're after is:

Small car
Auto
Easy to climb into
Petrol and ULEZ compliant
Budget around 4K

Nissan Note. Proper auto, not a CVT https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302264...

Get a Teckna and it comes with climate too.

We ran one an 08 one for several years, was reliable.

[ZX10R NIN]

+1 to the Note.

[CG2020UK]

What about leasing a Renault Zoe for roughly £220 a month?

https://www.selectcarleasing.co.uk/car-leasing/ren...

Pretty cheap motoring being electric and under warranty so no expensive bills unexpectedly popping up

[georgeyboy12345]

Alfa Romeo Mito has a TCT dual clutch gearbox that is much better than the crappy automated manual you get in a Fiat 500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303115...


I think these have conventional torque converter autos so are also smooth (if a bit slow)

Nissan Micra 1.2
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303135...


Renault Clio 1.6 VVT
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302023...


Suzuki Swift 1.5 GLX
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303064...

[Custerdome]

Many thanks for the suggestions, - the Alfa is within walking distance so I'll pop down and have a look at that one.
An EV does sound like it would be perfect, and a few years ago I'm sure we'd go for that, we're just not sure of making a 3 or 4 year commitment right now.
It does sound like we may have got our timing wrong...

[GreatGranny]

OP, I'm tentatively looking for a first car for my daughter who is learning in an auto and have similar (slightly lower) budget to yourself.

I agree it's slim pickings and we aren't even restricted by ULEZ being in Lincolnshire.

Prices are definitely 'robust' with high mileage rough examples going for £3k+.

In her case I think leasing would make sense more than yourselves.

Good luck.

[Harleyboy]

I've just bought an Approved Used MINI Electric level 2 from a main MINI dealer. 2 years old, 7k miles and paying £260 a month on a 48month PCP. I think that's a great deal.

My wife does about 6k miles a year and rarely any journey is over 60 miles.

I was going to buy a 3/4 year old Petrol Cooper but this was considerably less for a newer car due to a low (for current market) APR rate. £1k deposit.

I appreciate this is a finance commitment but once you've reached the half way point you can voluntary terminate? It's no risk from an RV perspective and currently zero VED and very little servicing costs. Could this be an option?

Edited by Harleyboy on Tuesday 14th March 13:42

[Custerdome]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I bought a 2005 Yaris in the end, - low mileage and FSH. A few scuffs on the corners which I'm thinking about getting repaired, but it looks like it'll do the job. I set up an Autotrader search with 'Private Sale' being one of the filters, and I think this worked well, at least at this price range.