most reliable small car? £3k

[skinny]

hello PH massive, my O/H has a mk5 golf fsi.
I'm not that impressed, fuel economy isn't great and now something keeps draining the battery if she leaves it for a few weeks.

So she's looking for something small, simple and reliable, and easy to maintain. Doesn't need to be great fun to drive, but not a dynamic disaster.

What are Fiesta's like (probably looking at the older one with the big lights rather than the sleeker new one)?

[skinny]

thanks all, looks like i was optimistic on the budget, she is looking more like £1500.
Jazz is definitely a potential, seemed to do well in JD power surveys

she paid £200 for a specialist to not be able to diagnose the fault.

Edited by skinny on Friday 25th July 13:17

[skinny]

yeah she took it to her local mechanic, they couldn't find any problem, so she asked them to take it a specialist. he had it for a week, couldn't find any problem either.

it seems intermittent, and sometime between 2-4 weeks it'll suddenly go. battery was replaced and no change.

it's looking like something 10 years old for her £1500... there's enough jazz / yaris / fabia / focus around - as you say, it's more just luck of the draw

[skinny]

she got one of those solar power battery top-up things you leave in the windscreen and plug in to the ciggy lighter. doesn't seem to help.

she's hoping for a £2k saving just based on selling and purchase price of the golf and its replacement. it's a 56 plate on low miles so should be £4k once i've polished the paint scuffs out.

In no rush as so we'll be able to have a proper look around for a good car. Not sure whether to try and go private and find someone who's looked after it, or go dealer and get a 1 year warranty.

[skinny]

i would have thought a modern car can go for a good month or two without being used with no issue? Is that really to be expected, flat in 3 weeks!?

the fuel economy i saw was on a long trip for a weekend away, the average trip finished on about 38mpg. (obviously she has no idea of MPG, never brims the tank and keeps the display on miles to empty!)
My 260bhp Seat Leon Cupra R gets the same on a long trip.

[skinny]

i'm inclined to think it's an issue as it was fine with this sort of usage say last year - i think some electronic gremlin has appeared.

now we're thinking mk1 Focus (1.8 zetec).

[skinny]

yeah i do get that... but first off, the O/H won't want to drop another load of money on it just for someone else not to be able to fix it. she also wants to free up a grand or two to re-do her bathroom