Most reliable?

Author
Discussion

9Pirate9

Original Poster:

11 posts

11 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
quotequote all
Looking for some advice?

The last 3 years I've been driving a Mazda 2 but it's not going to be cost effective to fix after an MOT failure. I had been thinking about changing a few months back and was looking at the Skoda Yeti. However they seem to hold their value well. Ideally I'm looking to spend 7k max. I also wouldn't rule out the option of a brand new car and spending more. Over the last week I started to look at the Up/Citigo/Aygo. I realised for the same money I could get a Panda or Sandero Stepway. I wouldn't mind a Panda 4x4 either.

I mainly work from home but that could change so if it did it would be 150 miles extra per week. The car mostly sits at the door other than short local trips but I normally do about a one off 800 mile trip once per month. 12,000 miles per year max.

I'm not bothered about comfort driving. Ideally just looking for something cheap to run but reliable. Quirky would be a bonus.

stevemcs

8,987 posts

100 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
quotequote all
Go with the vw up, or if it’s £500 or less get the Mazda through the mot.

BenS94

2,590 posts

31 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
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As long as you maintain it with regular servicing etc, anything can be reliable - better to focus on pointers of what you want a car to be other than reliable -size, petrol or diesel, manual or auto, and budget. Look hard enough and you'll find comments on every single car ever on either side of the fence.

magpie215

4,587 posts

196 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
quotequote all
9Pirate9 said:
Looking for some advice?

I'm not bothered about comfort driving. Ideally just looking for something cheap to run but reliable. Quirky would be a bonus.
Nissan cube?

bennno

12,704 posts

276 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
quotequote all

Aygo has 10 year warranty if serviced at Toyota.

Bonefish Blues

29,372 posts

230 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
quotequote all
Panda 4x4 is a lovely little thing. Multijet the better choice over the TA. We love ours and prefer it to the XC70 unless we're doing a holiday-type journey. Fiat Forum has loads of buying advice, but legislate for dmf and clutch by about 100k at significant cost (not far short of a grand, more if all your bolts are fused (ask me how I know!). The rest is pretty cheap.

Slowboathome

4,460 posts

51 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
quotequote all
This will give you an idea of the relative reliability of the cars you're considering.

https://www.whatcar.com/news/reliability-survey-mo...

stevemcs

8,987 posts

100 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
quotequote all
Bonefish Blues said:
Panda 4x4 is a lovely little thing. Multijet the better choice over the TA. We love ours and prefer it to the XC70 unless we're doing a holiday-type journey. Fiat Forum has loads of buying advice, but legislate for dmf and clutch by about 100k at significant cost (not far short of a grand, more if all your bolts are fused (ask me how I know!). The rest is pretty cheap.
Don’t forget the exhaust, the front flexi fails and they don’t like going back together when you remove the gearbox.

Bonefish Blues

29,372 posts

230 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
quotequote all
stevemcs said:
Bonefish Blues said:
Panda 4x4 is a lovely little thing. Multijet the better choice over the TA. We love ours and prefer it to the XC70 unless we're doing a holiday-type journey. Fiat Forum has loads of buying advice, but legislate for dmf and clutch by about 100k at significant cost (not far short of a grand, more if all your bolts are fused (ask me how I know!). The rest is pretty cheap.
Don’t forget the exhaust, the front flexi fails and they don’t like going back together when you remove the gearbox.
Forum colleagues take them to Indy exhaust specialists to cut and replace the section and report small bills, not the £800+ Fiat demands for an entire system.

_Rodders_

585 posts

26 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
quotequote all
Don't discount the Dacia's, worth having a poke around to see if they're your thing.

Unfortunately the price differentials to some other brands are not quite what they were but still worth checking out.

Heaveho

5,645 posts

181 months

Tuesday 26th December 2023
quotequote all
bennno said:
Aygo has 10 year warranty if serviced at Toyota.
This, all day, every day.

9Pirate9

Original Poster:

11 posts

11 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
stevemcs said:
Go with the vw up, or if it’s £500 or less get the Mazda through the mot.
Mazda is over £1000 unfortunately. VW Up always liked them.

9Pirate9

Original Poster:

11 posts

11 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
magpie215 said:
Nissan cube?
I love them but don't tend to find newer ones.

9Pirate9

Original Poster:

11 posts

11 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
Bonefish Blues said:
Panda 4x4 is a lovely little thing. Multijet the better choice over the TA. We love ours and prefer it to the XC70 unless we're doing a holiday-type journey. Fiat Forum has loads of buying advice, but legislate for dmf and clutch by about 100k at significant cost (not far short of a grand, more if all your bolts are fused (ask me how I know!). The rest is pretty cheap.
Does the dmf effect all models? I had seen a few reasonably priced standard non 4x4 1.2 Pandas?

9Pirate9

Original Poster:

11 posts

11 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
_Rodders_ said:
Don't discount the Dacia's, worth having a poke around to see if they're your thing.

Unfortunately the price differentials to some other brands are not quite what they were but still worth checking out.
Seen a few Sandero Stepways around about 2015/2016 plates.

Bonefish Blues

29,372 posts

230 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
9Pirate9 said:
Bonefish Blues said:
Panda 4x4 is a lovely little thing. Multijet the better choice over the TA. We love ours and prefer it to the XC70 unless we're doing a holiday-type journey. Fiat Forum has loads of buying advice, but legislate for dmf and clutch by about 100k at significant cost (not far short of a grand, more if all your bolts are fused (ask me how I know!). The rest is pretty cheap.
Does the dmf effect all models? I had seen a few reasonably priced standard non 4x4 1.2 Pandas?
1.2 is solid flywheel I believe, so no.

Pica-Pica

14,450 posts

91 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
We have a 10 year old Škoda Fabia, lovely 1.2TSi 4 pot, 5 speed manual. Utterly practical, roomy and very reliable. I drove a Honda Jazz petrol Hybrid (1.5 I MMD). I was quite impressed, an interesting concept.
https://www.honda.co.uk/cars/world-of-honda/presen...

bearman68

4,794 posts

139 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
OP specifically asks about reliability.

Answer.
Suzuki Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota. Honda.

Least reliable.
Audi Seat etc etc etc.

Same as it always was, and will be for a while.

As a mechanic that runs a fleet of 100 odd cars, I would avoid the Germans (inc Skoda) like an infected puss filled boil, and simply always buy the Toyota.
Toyota have been building solid, reliable, bomb proof cars for decades, and very little can touch them.
Meanwhile, the Germans in particular seem to be trying their best to shoot themselves in the foot, as often and as painfully as possible.

And people will pop up just now saying 'I ran a Mk17 Golf for 3 gazillion miles, and I didn't even put fuel in it' But it's worth remembering this is not statistically valid (even if it is true). JD power survey etc etc, goes some way towards that, and Toyota is always top 5.
My experience - the 35 odd Toyotas we have, are bomb proof reliable, and very solid, on everything, except possibly rust (but most are getting on for 20 years old).

Bonefish Blues

29,372 posts

230 months

Wednesday 27th December 2023
quotequote all
Low quirk quotient though!

OP if you like the higher stance of the 4x4 then you also get that with the FWD Panda Trekking too.