2nd car £5k

[E17KRY]

So my Mrs has decided that we need a second car as we are expecting our first child at the end of this month. We currently have a 2017 BMW 530e that I use for my 20 mile a day commute to and from work we have an EV charger at home so this is costing me sod all to run. However, we have decided that on the days when she needs to go to baby meetings or coffees with other mums etc she will take that. We don't imagine it will be more than twice a week so that means I'll only be putting 40ish miles a week on the second car if that.

In terms of what I'm looking for as long as the tax is less than £300, it is ULEZ compliant and it's not too slow I'm pretty easy going. The only car the Mrs has vetoed is an Abarth 500.

These are the cars that have jumped out at me but I'm wondering if anyone has any other ideas or any knowledge/recommendations on the following.

Mini Cooper S (2.0 I feel like I’ve heard horror stories about the previous 1.6 but I might be wrong)


https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202509056...

A normal cooper might also fit the bill with the benefit of £20 instead of £200

BMW i3

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202509286...

Ford Fiesta ST

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510127...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510036...

Peugeot 208 GTI

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510036...

This second one seems be incredibly cheap...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510147...

I also looked briefly at E89 BMW Z4's but I want to avoid anything that might throw up a big bill with a baby on the way!

Cheers

[Burny16v]

I've either owned, driven or considered a lot of cars in this price range (and on your list), so here are my thoughts:

Mini: I've owned two of that generation (F56) in both Cooper S and JCW form and loved them. Very reliable in my ownership and way more reliable than older ones either way, I think one would be a pretty good choice. The older ones with the 1.6 are much more of a gamble, however there was an upgraded version of the engine fitted to the Cooper S sometime around 2010 I believe, which is much more reliable so wouldn't rule out a later version of the 1.6 if you find a really good one. They're good value even for well looked after ones right now.

Fiesta ST: I owned one from new and loved it, kind of wish I hadn't sold it so soon. I don't really know if the 1.6 suffers from similar problems to some of the other smaller engined EcoBoost engines, but I've not heard them to be a particular problem. Only thing to note is they are quite sporty in feel, in terms of a firm ride and tight Recaro's. I loved it, but depends how sporty you want it to feel!

208 GTI: These have the same 1.6 engine as the Mini's and I don't know enough about them to know if they're the same upgraded version the Mini's got or not. Worth doing a bit of research perhaps, but I've heard mixed reports of reliability. They are excellent value though if you get a good one!

I don't know anything about i3's but I'm sure they're probably the more 'sensible' choice. Otherwise, I'd say the Mini should be first choice followed by the Fiesta if she doesn't mind something with a bit of a livelier hot hatch feel.

[E17KRY]

Thanks for the advice! I took it on board and bought myself an F56 Cooper S this weekend.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202510097...

Paid £4150 just need to look at tidying up a few pieces (changing bulbs,wipers and a phone mount) and i'll be good to go!

Thanks again for your help!

Edited by E17KRY on Monday 20th October 10:21

[Burny16v]

Awesome! Advert says it's gone (presumably because you've bought it!) but I'm sure it's a good one - stick a few photos up when you get it. I'm still considering getting back into a Mini in some shape or form, and the F56's are dropping into a good price range now. Enjoy!

[Blue_star]

Congrats!