Please help me choose my first car

[SAM.BAILEY1976]

Hi

I have just passed my test at the ripe old age of 40 (don't laugh)

I will now be getting car allowance from work and I need to choose a new car from the lease scheme and I am baffled

My requirements are:

Needs to be automatic (I've done the auto only test)
Needs to be comfy as I will be driving for work eventually
Needs to be easy to drive and park
Needs to be safe
I'd really like it to have that zippy little self park feature but that's not essential.
I have a small child so a 5 door would be good but again not essential
I'd like petrol not diesel
I'd love a DAB radio and a bit of nice tech (obviously not essential but really nice to have)
Good fuel economy and low emissions would be good financially.

I was looking at a Citroen Cactus as that seemed to tick a lot of boxes but I read that it's not a proper automatic and that put me off along with some bad reviews from people who have had issues with the car mechanically. Plus my husband said French cars are not reliable.

I looked at the really little cars like the Aygo but with long drives for work on the horizon thought it might not be good on the motorway.

I do like the Juke but the models with the bells and whistles come out very expensive on the company scheme, ditto Focus and Fiesta for some reason.

I know nothing about cars so any advice would be really appreciated

Thanks

[Captain Smerc]

Jeep Renegade | Small 4x4 SUV | Jeep UK
http://www.jeep.co.uk/renegade/?&campaignid=20...

I got one of these , it's good !

[SAM.BAILEY1976]

That looks great - thank you - does it come fully automatic and is it easy to drive for a novice?

[Captain Smerc]

Yeah , full auto is available . Have some test drives in the cars you like , you're find something you enjoy . Have fun !

Edited by Captain Smerc on Wednesday 24th May 13:38

[imahuman118]

While its true that old french cars are unreliable that is no longer the case, plus french cars are so much cheaper to repair than their German rivals.
The aygo is a fantastic city car and gets fantastic mpg on the motorway, however i will point out that the wind actually rattles the car from right to left and when storm Doris hit the car actually started sliding at 60 on the motorway. 1 more thing to point out is that underneath the aygo is a Peugeot 108 (a french car).
The cactus is a better car, but its big. I'd say take one for a test drive, see if you can live with the size and the bumpy auto.
If you can afford one try looking at the mini one 5dr

[SAM.BAILEY1976]

Both the mini and the Jeep are out of my price range sadly

I'm now looking at a Seat Ibiza - are they any good?

[HTP99]

Love it, your husband says French cars are un-reliable (which is rubbish), so you are looking at an Aygo and a Juke, wonder if he would have an issue if you were looking at a 108/C1 or a Captur.

[SAM.BAILEY1976]

That is why I have come on here rather than listening to him (whilst smiling and nodding when he tells me what to get)

[ANJ91]

SAM.BAILEY1976 said:

Both the mini and the Jeep are out of my price range sadly

I'm now looking at a Seat Ibiza - are they any good?

What is your price range?

[SAM.BAILEY1976]

Well the work scheme is odd - some stuff is insanely expensive (Hyundai I20 coming out at over £500 a month!)

It's my only option as I don't have great credit and there's no credit check on this scheme

I'm looking at cars around the £15 - £17k mark as these seem to come out around the £400 mark on the scheme which is my budget

[joshcowin]

Astra?

Skoda Fabia?

Honda civic?

[ChrisR99]

Something like a Citroen C3 Auto? 1.2 turbo petrol is a great little engine and the car has a more comfortable set up than other cars in it's class that may suit you.

It seems to be a proper auto unlike the semi auto in the Cactus.

[ZX10R NIN]

Renault Megane/Nissan Pulsar (same car) in GT Line/Tekna Spec

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

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Clio Dynamique S

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

See how the above come out price wise on your scheme.

[SAM.BAILEY1976]

Cool thank you - some good ideas - I'll see what they come out like on the scheme

[Willy Nilly]

Go and have a look at the cars on the lease scheme and ideally test drive the ones you think you can afford. All of the cars on there will be comfy and safe and the reliability should be good enough being new, if they do break it won't be your problem anyway.

Some of the things like comfort and ease of parking will come down to personal preference.

[InitialDave]

What sort of driving will you be doing for work?

Around town every now and then?

Long treks to clients/sites?

Delivery work?

If you only needed to commute, I'd quite seriously suggest trying a Renault Zoe, but they're not a good fit outside of certain specific usage patterns.

[tonyb1968]

The Cactus has a fully auto version available to it with the EAT 6 Automatic gearbox, comes in around 17k but you can barter that down or look what the special offers are on it
Look at the Peugeot 208 or the 2008 (though they start at around 19k new), the 308 is coming up for a face lift so you may get a bargain one out there, auto's are rare in them though so it may not be easy to find one.

[SAM.BAILEY1976]

The Cactus I can get on the scheme said it was automatic but then it says "ETG" gear box

As I say I know nothing about cars but from googling, does that mean it's not a full auto?

[ZX10R NIN]

Are any of the cars I listed workable on your scheme?

[HTP99]

SAM.BAILEY1976 said:

The Cactus I can get on the scheme said it was automatic but then it says "ETG" gear box

As I say I know nothing about cars but from googling, does that mean it's not a full auto?

It is an automatic but it is effectively an automated manual, these type of gearboxes are atrocious, they are slow and very jerky; avoid!