Reliable hatch up to £4500

[Jimjimhim]

I'm looking for a car for a friend, she has up to £4500 to spend and needs a 5 door small to medium sized hatch that's cheap to run and reliable. The car will mostly be used for shortish journeys for her and her young daughter.

I'm thinking a 2016> Vauxhall Astra with either the 1.0turbo petrol or the 1.4turbo petrol. Any thoughts on these cars?

Any other options?

Thanks

[Jimjimhim]

Yes I looked at the Dacia, but they look a little more basic than the Astra for the cash?

[Jimjimhim]

Is it the 1.0 Ford engine that's meant to be unreliable?

[Jimjimhim]

blue_haddock said:

Vauxhalls really arent reliable.

For me I'd be looking at korean or japanese so the Kia Ceed, Hyundai I30, Toyota Auris etc.

Much more likely than a vauxhall to just run and run.

The MK7 looks to be no worse than many other cars? A few issues I suppose but what car doesn't?

[Jimjimhim]

ZX10R NIN said:

blue_haddock said:

Vauxhalls really arent reliable.

For me I'd be looking at korean or japanese so the Kia Ceed, Hyundai I30, Toyota Auris etc.

Much more likely than a vauxhall to just run and run.

Have to disagree with this they're no worse than any turbo car.

OP with your friends budget in mind I'd also consider the 1.6 N/A unit as well:

1.6 Limited Edition:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406060...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405199...

1.4T:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406251...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406110...


1.6 Elite:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406190...

That's how I was thinking too, niggles but nothing worse than others. I was hoping she could get the newer model, the reviews are really good.

[Jimjimhim]

CubanShirtEnthusiast said:

My vote would be for a 2010-2017 Suzuki Swift. I used to have one and it was almost entirely trouble free, cheap to run and a lot more practical than its small boot might suggest. It was really well-equipped as well with air con, reversing sensors, cruise control and sat nav.

I say "almost entirely trouble free" because my ownership ended in a fairly spectacular manner. Turns out the dealership falsified the service history and the previous owner, who had it from new, never serviced the thing. I changed the oil several times in my ~1 year of ownership but couldn't save it - the engine started using loads of oil before completely letting go.

Long story short, buy one with full service history - £4.5k should get you a good 2014/2015 car.

The swift is a cool little car, but possibly a bit too small maybe.

[Jimjimhim]

I think the newer one is worth stretching the budget for, it's a lot of car for the money, or thats how it seems to me.

[Jimjimhim]

bearman68 said:

Yaris, Yaris, Auris, or a Yaris.

Honda Jazz, or a Yaris.


Toyota have always been streets ahead in reliability stakes, and still are. Never know a bad petrol engine in one.

I know I said small to medium, but I think the Yaris and Jazz are probably a bit too small for her. The Auris is quite an old car at her budget so I'm not too sure about that either tbh

[Jimjimhim]

Not a bad shout, I missed them because I set the tax to <£200

[Jimjimhim]

Thanks but I won't be suggesting the Auris to her, obviously purely for vanity reasons.....

[Jimjimhim]

Om said:

One other thought - at that price/age would a Nissan Leaf be an option? Something like - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407021...

Would be cheap to run and reliable. Limited range isn't an issue and they can be found with 11/12 bars of battery life easily at that age. All assumes charging at home is possible really.

Not a bad option, whats the real world range like on these things? I'm guessing not much given the 24kw battery. Cheap to run and she could charge at home with an outdoor socket fitted.

[Jimjimhim]

Wheel Turned Out said:

Jimjimhim said:

Om said:

One other thought - at that price/age would a Nissan Leaf be an option? Something like - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407021...

Would be cheap to run and reliable. Limited range isn't an issue and they can be found with 11/12 bars of battery life easily at that age. All assumes charging at home is possible really.

Not a bad option, whats the real world range like on these things? I'm guessing not much given the 24kw battery. Cheap to run and she could charge at home with an outdoor socket fitted.

Real world, probably 80 miles with strong battery health. Maybe as low as sub-60 in the depths of winter.

Ah ok, I think that will probably rule it out then.