Adam M

hi all.

fun car is a 500bhp evo 6. no range no fuel economy - great fun.

current every day car is a 270bhp TT roadster.

I do enjoy the roof down, but it isnt a requirement.

ok. so I am thinking it is silly to have two gas guzzlers. In my recent trip to italy I managed about 400 miles on £20 of diesel in a new punto and I liked it, a lot!

So I am thinking my everyday car should be the other extreme to the evo, very efficient for the daily haul to work and back and general running around.

I consider a VRs, but have decided that it is too much of a sporty economy compromise. I think it doesn't lean far enough towards the economy side.

I must resist the urge to chip.

I have consider a 1.0 107 petrol, £40 tax, 65mpg apparently, but I hear they are just too slow, at least the diesels can still feel nippy, so diesel it is (maybe a smart petrol of some kind?).

Other considerations.

TT is worth 13k ish, I would like to take some money out of the second car, so maybe a max price of 8k. Also, we have a first baby on the way. Debra has a 5 door golf as her main car, but I am thinking it might be worth the second car being capable of carrying all of us and probably the next child which will hopefully be less than two years away.

Suggestions?


I am already considering

fiesta 1.6tdci - nice looking under 120g CO2 so £50 tax, very decent economy but seems to be not less than £10k

polo/ibiza/golf/leon/fabia range of tdis. They are all I think in the higher tax bracket and am not convinced they arent geared more towards performance.

Am really at a loss, any help, discussion, experience would be appreciated.

The Chief

Thinking of the same thing myself - what about a Toyota Aygo 6k brand new and 60mpg

Reffro

Have a look for a used C3 1.4 16v 92hp Diesel or the later 1.6HDi. They are huge inside, especially in the front, well equipped and very economical. I ran a 70hp HDi C3 for 18months, it averaged 54mpg driving in central London, 65mpg everywhere else. my best on a whole tank was 72mpg. The 92hp versions are said to be slightly more economical as they have more torque to keep things rolling along. Don't be put off by the 'It's French its unreliable' guff, mine never needed anything doing except the annual service.

The interior is huge for the class, and the boot will take a lot of stuff. The C3 is all air-bagged up, with a Passenger front airbag isolation switch if you want a rear facing seat up front. They are also best in class for security. But they have no style or image to speak of, but as a cheap car I don't know of anything to beat it. Aygo, C1 and 107 will use less fuel, but they will not carry anything like as much baby paraphernalia, as they are only city cars, not supermini's.

Jonathan Davies

If you're seriously thinking of using it to cart 2 kids around, I'd suggest a bigger car than the supermini versions there. Not convinced about the maths either - cheap tax and insurance are lovely, but you could pay for a good lot of tax, insurance and petrol by spending 4/5k on a 3yo bog family car (primera/corolla/octavia or summat) instead of a newer little hatch. Even a full tax car costs you, what, £150 more pa - if you're spending 3/4 grand less that's well covered. Also depreciation should be lower.

But if you fancy a newer car then fair enough. On purely financial grounds though, just getting a cheaper car seems to me the senible option...

Edit - although a s/h renault or citroen that's depreciated to bits already would also be good value, I agree.

Adam M

For clarificatiom, this is not intended to be the main 2 kid carrier, that is already the wifes golf, but for any reason should it happen, it would be convenient to have the option to be able to carry at least one kid and stuff needed. Carrying two kids in my car instead of the golf is highly unlikely, as it would likely be anticipated in which case we would swap cars.

I am not necessarily looking at new cars by any means. More than happy with older bigger cars, and I take the point about only £100 extra per annum. Ultimately it wouldn't bother me, but my main concern is cheap all round since it is hard to justify having three cars to my self and to others, expecially the wife.

so, old or new, mine or larger, just want low costs and to not be embarassed driving it.

Great help so far, hadn't looked at the C3.

BTW. must have air con! forgot that.

lightning101

The new model polo comes in at 7495 on the road and is the size of the mark 3 golf. I bought one for my partner and it is solid, barely depreciates, looks great and gets 50mpg. It isn't remotely fast, but then thats not what you are looking for.

Duck_Pond

You sound like me, to a degree... a couple of years ago I decided that the running costs of the Scooby were just too ridiculous, and as I didn't want to get rid of it, a 2nd car was the option.

"Economy! That's what I need"... I thought, "something cheap and cheerful."

So I bought a 1997 Rover 420Di, which always did 53mpg, regardless of how I drove it. However, like you I enjoy a bit of performance, and despite my original intentions of having a mega economical car for daily use, the boredom factor eventually won over. Believe me, you really start to miss the performance when you have a dull car!

I sold it, and bought a Fabia vRS, which I'm not modding, as the Scooby is still there for that. If (and that's a big word) I drive it sensibly, it returns 50mpg, or higher (60+) on long runs, which is great... but it also has a decent turn of speed to make it enjoyable to drive daily.

So before you go out and buy a car that will do a zillion mpg, have a think about whether it'll satisfy your cravings... Even with a heavy foot, the vRS averages 45mpg, so it's not bad!

Adam M

I dont think I want not bad, I think I really want the two extremes.


My plans is if I have cravngs for performance I drive the evo. The TT gives me too much of what the evo does (despite being unrewarding), squeeze the throttle and it leaves nealry everythng behind on my run to work each day. I don't want that. I want to feel like the second car is paying for itself over time by not costing me what the evo would if I drove it to work. Plus it makes driving the evo feel more special as it is driven for enjoyment not for commuting.

so mpg is and low price is key. I am sticking with diesel as they can feel spritely whilst still returning the mpg. I think I would get angry with the lethargy of the 1.0 petrol 107.

Petem95

Another vote for the vRS here.

Reasons?

- Well 50mpg+, bit of fun when you want it - and performance to overtake.
- Smart looks understated, respectable image
- Excellent value rentention. Amazes me how many people buy cars on the MPG, when the main cost is often depreciation
- Great build quality, and nice cabin with quite good space in the rear too.

If you really dont want sporty, then I'd go for a regular Fabia!

Duck_Pond

So long as you don't become so mean (like me) that when the cravings take over, and you use the performance car, you start regretting it at the petrol pump, when you have to stick £40 in after 150 miles!

I think the less powerful Fabia diesels are pretty good - our elderly accountant has a 1.9TDi which she's had for over a year, and only filled it up about 4 times in that period! She seems to get 60+ mpg all the time.

Adam M

am thinking therefore the skoda or perhaps a polo with a low power 1.9 diesel, my thinking being that the smaller light body will reduce fuel consumption.

I like the vrs but they seem to start at 10k second hand! Plus they are more about performance. the fiesta has classs leading economy and is damn quick due to its icredible road holding without being fast in a straight line.

Jamescsti

03 plate MOndeo TDCi, should pick one up for around 4k, loads of space inside, won't really depreciate much, 50mpg should be easy.
I've got a 52 plate one I bought for £2500, with 85k on the clock, costs me nothing to run as it's an ex rep mobile, so all brakes were replaced at 80k.
All it cost's me is diesel, and a new set of tires soon, cheapest car i've ever owned

Deep Singh

Did you sell the 22B then?

chiark

Deep, where have u been ? Yes, that's long gone.

Adam, the mondeo suggestion looks good to me for around 3k. For a bit more, the fabia vrs would get my vote. Only bad thing is the grey interior, which'll show poo and chocalate faster than you can say, er, "poo and chocolate".

Adam M

it is only a maybe as far as having kids in it ever,

also I get that funly interior trim treatment on all my cars done for practically nothing as my friend works in a dealership.

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Adam, we found the Golf too small for 1 child, let alone 2. Its fine at the start but there's not enough luggage space for a family holiday and all the baby gear. Also, once they get over 9 months and next size babyseat is needed, legroom is not adequate for the front passenger. This was a Mk4 golf BTW.

Andy M3

Get a smart roadster !

chiark

...hang on, 2 kids?

2?

2!

Andy M3

I have 3 kids and an Audi A6 as well as my roadster. We work round it no problem

Duck_Pond

Hmm - when I was a lad, my parents coped with firstly an Austin Maxi and then an Austin MG Metro, and there were 4 of us kids! How can cars be so small these days?

That said, safety has become more of an issue these days I guess.

Brendan Hughes

More importantly, did you get counselling for having parents with such a taste in cars?

Duck_Pond

Dad's never been bothered about cars - as long as they go and are reasonably economical, he doesn't mind. The Maxi was one of the most comfortable cars I've ever been in. And the MG Metro was okay... until I learned to drive, and crashed it

Diablo

Adam,

Get a second hand Picasso. Cheap, cheerful, versitile, plenty of space in a resonably small overall package.

2 Kids planned- didn't realise you'd even had one....?

hybwrx2002

My clio trophy £11,6. 35mpg

KiwiGTI

I'll second a Picasso, rented one if France and actually really enjoyed it. The 1.6 Diesel is meant to be reasonable spirited too. Very roomy inside.