Car for daughter
Discussion
I'm sure theres been a ton of threads like this but the forum search is poor and i'm lazy.
Daughter needs car to commute 30 miles on A / B roads to uni, she's been offered her mums Citroën C4 at a cut price (cut way too much for my liking) but really wants something smaller.
Budget £4k for small car, must be insurance group 4 or lower... my intuitive preference is a the VW Up, Aygo or a Renault Twingo, but its been years and years since i've driven a really small car let alone a selection. Think she's quite fond of the Fiat 500 but the MOT histories on one's in this price range reveal quite a lot of rusting suspension components and brake lines, not the end of the world but I don't fancy immediately being drafted in to the support mechanic role.
Other options, Vauxhall's Adam and Corsa, C1, Aug 106, Smart twofour etc...
Any advice?
Daughter needs car to commute 30 miles on A / B roads to uni, she's been offered her mums Citroën C4 at a cut price (cut way too much for my liking) but really wants something smaller.
Budget £4k for small car, must be insurance group 4 or lower... my intuitive preference is a the VW Up, Aygo or a Renault Twingo, but its been years and years since i've driven a really small car let alone a selection. Think she's quite fond of the Fiat 500 but the MOT histories on one's in this price range reveal quite a lot of rusting suspension components and brake lines, not the end of the world but I don't fancy immediately being drafted in to the support mechanic role.
Other options, Vauxhall's Adam and Corsa, C1, Aug 106, Smart twofour etc...
Any advice?
There that many 500's about that it's probably a case of just finding the right one. The Aygo and it's counterparts are alright. The Up! and it's counterparts are good cars but not popular with the ladies. Probably a looks thing.
If she likes the 500 then look for one. They're decent enough cars and relatively cheap to repair if needs be. Dealers should have them in spades to get you some manner of warranty. I wouldn't worry about corrosion on things like arms and springs. At your budget it's probable, and what's corroded to one tester is ignored by the next. On the body and subframes I would think twice. It's not an hour's job to sort that out.
If she likes the 500 then look for one. They're decent enough cars and relatively cheap to repair if needs be. Dealers should have them in spades to get you some manner of warranty. I wouldn't worry about corrosion on things like arms and springs. At your budget it's probable, and what's corroded to one tester is ignored by the next. On the body and subframes I would think twice. It's not an hour's job to sort that out.
Have a look at a Skoda Citigo / Seat Mii, they're just a badge engineered Up! and usually available for less.
My kids both learned to drive in a Citigo and for the 3 years we've had it it hasn't missed a beat.
Cheap (ish) to inspire, £20 rfl and an easy 50mpg on a run.
We looked at Aygos but the Skoda just felt a bit more substantial.
My kids both learned to drive in a Citigo and for the 3 years we've had it it hasn't missed a beat.
Cheap (ish) to inspire, £20 rfl and an easy 50mpg on a run.
We looked at Aygos but the Skoda just felt a bit more substantial.
Yep, find a nice one and a 500 is a good 1st car, our daughter has one which she loves. She even took it to Leeds Festival with a friend and was surprised at the amount of stuff that could be packed in.
The 1.2 is the best one, old but simple and easy to work on. Main pain points specific to the 500 are the rear subframe can rust, door handles can snap (easy diy), wires coming through the tailgate can break (replacements are cheap) and apart from that general stuff that's not FIAT specific, like rust, etc.
Pop is base trim, Lounge is top, with a myriad of special editions in between. It's good to drive in a slow car, flat out everywhere vibe.
The 1.2 is the best one, old but simple and easy to work on. Main pain points specific to the 500 are the rear subframe can rust, door handles can snap (easy diy), wires coming through the tailgate can break (replacements are cheap) and apart from that general stuff that's not FIAT specific, like rust, etc.
Pop is base trim, Lounge is top, with a myriad of special editions in between. It's good to drive in a slow car, flat out everywhere vibe.
Deerfoot said:
Have a look at a Skoda Citigo / Seat Mii, they're just a badge engineered Up! and usually available for less.
My kids both learned to drive in a Citigo and for the 3 years we've had it it hasn't missed a beat.
Cheap (ish) to inspire, £20 rfl and an easy 50mpg on a run.
We looked at Aygos but the Skoda just felt a bit more substantial.
Three similar in the family for many years, and same, nothing other than servicing.My kids both learned to drive in a Citigo and for the 3 years we've had it it hasn't missed a beat.
Cheap (ish) to inspire, £20 rfl and an easy 50mpg on a run.
We looked at Aygos but the Skoda just felt a bit more substantial.
ColinsCornflakes said:
I'm sure theres been a ton of threads like this but the forum search is poor and i'm lazy.
Daughter needs car to commute 30 miles on A / B roads to uni, she's been offered her mums Citroën C4 at a cut price (cut way too much for my liking) but really wants something smaller.
Budget £4k for small car, must be insurance group 4 or lower... my intuitive preference is a the VW Up, Aygo or a Renault Twingo, but its been years and years since i've driven a really small car let alone a selection. Think she's quite fond of the Fiat 500 but the MOT histories on one's in this price range reveal quite a lot of rusting suspension components and brake lines, not the end of the world but I don't fancy immediately being drafted in to the support mechanic role.
Other options, Vauxhall's Adam and Corsa, C1, Aug 106, Smart twofour etc...
Any advice?
If you know the C4 and it’s a good well maintained car, then I would be inclined to make her take it. After all she’s a student, so wouldn’t have too many options. Daughter needs car to commute 30 miles on A / B roads to uni, she's been offered her mums Citroën C4 at a cut price (cut way too much for my liking) but really wants something smaller.
Budget £4k for small car, must be insurance group 4 or lower... my intuitive preference is a the VW Up, Aygo or a Renault Twingo, but its been years and years since i've driven a really small car let alone a selection. Think she's quite fond of the Fiat 500 but the MOT histories on one's in this price range reveal quite a lot of rusting suspension components and brake lines, not the end of the world but I don't fancy immediately being drafted in to the support mechanic role.
Other options, Vauxhall's Adam and Corsa, C1, Aug 106, Smart twofour etc...
Any advice?
My daughter from age 17 to 20 had an Alfa Mito that we’d owned from 3 years old and had an impeccable history. My parents had a 17 plate VW Up at the time that they were suggesting would make a good car for her.
Whilst I wouldn’t of got it for her, as I thought it was too small, any suggestion that came from others of buying the Up were met with absolute horror (quite rightly) from my daughter. Apparently in young people car circles an Up and Seat or Skoda equivalents are viewed as seriously uncool.
We did a few months ago replace the Alfa with a 23 plate approved used Polo. Whilst she wanted a Mini, I thought the Polo was a more practical choice with lower maintenance costs. Dad is paying for the car and maintenance at the moment, so she couldn’t really complain too much.
If your daughter won’t take the C4, than a Fiat 500 would make an excellent choice.
We bought a 1.0 Smart ForFour as a first car for a family member that they loved.
You can get a sensible mileage one with service history for your budget, and it was cheap to fuel, insure and tax. They are significantly more roomy than a 500 too.
Unfortunately it got written off when parked by a speeding muppet so we replaced it with a Twingo with the 0.9 TCE engine that’s usefully quicker.
There’s not a huge amount to choose between them though it’s slightly easier to find higher trim levels in the Smart with sunroof and satnav.
My partner has had a Twingo with the same engine since new and after 11 years the only thing it’s needed outside of scheduled maintenance was a replacement exhaust and a sensor.
You can get a sensible mileage one with service history for your budget, and it was cheap to fuel, insure and tax. They are significantly more roomy than a 500 too.
Unfortunately it got written off when parked by a speeding muppet so we replaced it with a Twingo with the 0.9 TCE engine that’s usefully quicker.
There’s not a huge amount to choose between them though it’s slightly easier to find higher trim levels in the Smart with sunroof and satnav.
My partner has had a Twingo with the same engine since new and after 11 years the only thing it’s needed outside of scheduled maintenance was a replacement exhaust and a sensor.
Deerfoot said:
Have a look at a Skoda Citigo / Seat Mii, they're just a badge engineered Up! and usually available for less.
My kids both learned to drive in a Citigo and for the 3 years we've had it it hasn't missed a beat.
Cheap (ish) to inspire, £20 rfl and an easy 50mpg on a run.
We looked at Aygos but the Skoda just felt a bit more substantial.
Would agree with this - The Claphamettes have a Mii - it's been awesomeMy kids both learned to drive in a Citigo and for the 3 years we've had it it hasn't missed a beat.
Cheap (ish) to inspire, £20 rfl and an easy 50mpg on a run.
We looked at Aygos but the Skoda just felt a bit more substantial.
Aygo, C1, 107 are all the same car and pretty good as a first car. My daughter had an Aygo, and I currently have a C1. They are cheap to buy and run. I get 55mpg around town, and 65mpg on a run.
They are chain driven and pretty reliable, the only issue is they tend to use oil at higher mileages. Both mine and my daughters cars would need topping up every 1000 miles.
They are chain driven and pretty reliable, the only issue is they tend to use oil at higher mileages. Both mine and my daughters cars would need topping up every 1000 miles.
Bought a Citigo 4 years ago, 80k on the clock, got 115k on it now. It got new tyres soon after I bought it and they're half worn now despite me giving it as much stick as you can. It's had a couple of oil changes and I replaced the rear brake assembly because they were binding if you left it in the damp air for a few days - they don't clear the brake dust properly and I think the hand brake cable stretched too, but I suspect that's down to my wife rather than Skoda. Apart from that it does 50mpg, costs £1.75 a month to tax and £15 a month to insure. I paid £3k for it, it'll sell for £2k now I guess. So that's £50 a month all-in and 13p per mile. So so cheap to run and absolutely no bother at all, every home should have at least one.
Another vote for a Citigo, ours is now just over 10 yrs old and 75k miles serviced every year, apart from tyres nothing has gone wrong, bought new so we spec’d the ASG (auto) gearbox and every option apart from sunroof, served my wife well for the first 5 years, and now my daughters use it, also capable of doing long journeys with ease, once did 500 miles in a day, no problem. Avarage mpg over 75k is 49mpg.
If she wants a 500 then get her a 500... There are so many of them around that you'll find a good one in the right budget eventually. They're driven by a lot of learners / new drivers and you still see heaps of them around, so in my mind they can really take a beating.
On another note however, Mini's from 2015 onwards are great and may creep into budget. I bought a 1.5 Cooper as my daily 2 years ago and cant fault it. 45mpg, cheap insurance and tax (depending on year) and it's not really put a foot wrong. I've enjoyed it enough that my next car is likely going to be a Clubman or Countryman JCW. (I do miss having a bigger boot and also a bit more poke)
On another note however, Mini's from 2015 onwards are great and may creep into budget. I bought a 1.5 Cooper as my daily 2 years ago and cant fault it. 45mpg, cheap insurance and tax (depending on year) and it's not really put a foot wrong. I've enjoyed it enough that my next car is likely going to be a Clubman or Countryman JCW. (I do miss having a bigger boot and also a bit more poke)
As per MammaSaid, I'd go with a Fiat 500.
We bought one for my daughter a year ago, 1.2 Colour Therapy in grey, gets white door mirror covers, air con and crazy expensive wheel trims!
I looked at a few before finding a nice one, there are a lot to choose from, personal advice would be a 1.2 engine, solid proven workhorse.
I was keen to get my daughter into an Up but she hated the looks, she also wasn't keen on the Aygo/C1/106.... It was more a case of what colour Fiat 500...
Personally I'd go for a Lounge with the fixed sunroof and alloys.
I had to replace a door handle, £7 part and an hour of cursing got it sorted...
Good luck.
We bought one for my daughter a year ago, 1.2 Colour Therapy in grey, gets white door mirror covers, air con and crazy expensive wheel trims!
I looked at a few before finding a nice one, there are a lot to choose from, personal advice would be a 1.2 engine, solid proven workhorse.
I was keen to get my daughter into an Up but she hated the looks, she also wasn't keen on the Aygo/C1/106.... It was more a case of what colour Fiat 500...
Personally I'd go for a Lounge with the fixed sunroof and alloys.
I had to replace a door handle, £7 part and an hour of cursing got it sorted...
Good luck.
My daughters never liked 500's, too cliche for them. We bought a 3 year old Mii 6 years ago and they both learned in it and then shared it. Utterly reliable, economical, cheap to maintain & insure. The whole family got use of it and I sold it in minutes a couple of months ago for £200 less than I paid for it.
Next door neighbour's daughter has had a 500 for a while and the head gasket went on it on the M27 a few weeks ago, don't know if that is a regular occurrence.
Next door neighbour's daughter has had a 500 for a while and the head gasket went on it on the M27 a few weeks ago, don't know if that is a regular occurrence.
Edited by Speed 3 on Thursday 15th October 12:10
Deerfoot said:
Rob 131 Sport said:
Apparently in young people car circles an Up and Seat or Skoda equivalents are viewed as seriously uncool.
Luckily my kids are grounded enough not to give a Donald Duck what others may view as being cool..I’ve obviously failed with all 3 children as the older 2 (non students) drive a BMW 320i M Sport and Mercedes C Class Cabriolet AMG Line respectively.
To tie up the loose end we picked up this today, bottom rung spec, (60Bhp, non central key in door locks, manual windows, no a/c) buts it's pretty mint, has matching tyres and is a little hoot to drive, we're both pleased.
Saw and drove a least 6 Fiat 500s and just couldn't find anything private or on forecourts that seemed right, either mechanically or condition.
Saw and drove a least 6 Fiat 500s and just couldn't find anything private or on forecourts that seemed right, either mechanically or condition.
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