Reliable Automatic £3.5-4k *Dilemma!*

[Sufyaan]

Hello all,

In need of some advice (getting kind of urgent) please. Having gone through problems with a Golf Plus (DSG) and a B180 (CVT), I'm being extra cautious with the next auto. And due to our budget, a German auto may not be such a good idea (?).

The car is for my father and due to his age, he needs something with a slightly higher seating position. Looking to spend around £3-4k, may be able to convince him to go to £4500 (he really doesn't like spending much on cars!).

I have heard good things about Japanese/Korean autos, but also bad points too. For example, avoiding the Toyota Multimode boxes and other semi-autos. Apparently the Rav4 autos are to be avoided too. Is that information accurate re. the Multimode and the Rav4?

On Autotrader, I have seen several options:

Nissan Note 08 onwards.
Suzuki Swift, SX4
Kia Cee'd
Hyundai i30
Honda Jazz 08 onwards, FRV

Which of the above would be a reliable option? Would also consider other marques too so fire away

Many thanks!

[SidewaysSi]

I went through this exact problem very recently with my wife. I didn't want a CVT and the car had to be reasonably small.

I did want a Japanese car for reliability reasons and was put off the Toyota as I heard they had gearbox issues. Also I wanted to be able to disengage the passenger airbag which meant I steered away from Hondas.

Ended up with a low mile 2009 Nissan Note Accenta for about £4k. And it is perfect.

Very spacious for the size, easy to drive, proper auto, should be reliable etc. A decent choice at this price point to be honest.

[Scrump]

Nissan Note 1.6 petrol auto. Conventional torque converter box.
Very reliable cars, Mrs Scrump has had hers for almost 10 years and it just keeps going. When I have mentioned this before on PH others have said the same about their 1.6 auto notes. The Tekna comes with a reasonable amount of kit.

[Benbay001]

It will be high mileage, but how about a prius?

[rayny]

The DSG box in my Skoda Roomster 1.2 Litre petrol has given no trouble in the 2 years that I have had it.

An alternative that I would consider is a Kia Soul.

- I know that I really should hand in my Pistonhead card.

[kieranblenk]

My default suggestion on these threads is always the Nissan Micra/Note and Suzuki Swift/Splash.

[imck]

Original model Ceed reliability is good and conventional Auto.
My Dad (70's) struggled a bit getting in and out of my 2008 Hatch

Something a bit higher probably better.

Kia/Hyundai 1.6 Petrol/Diesel pretty good Engines. Some problems with the 1.4 Petrol I believe.

[ZX10R NIN]

Go for the Cee'd they have a normal auto box & don't really go wrong, another good shout is the Vauxhall Astra it's also the best VFM option.

Also if it's for your dad look for a three door as it gives better access than a five door, I've found older people find these easier to enter & exit.

Cee'd

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Pro Cee'd

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Astra Elite (1.6 N/A with a conventional & the newer model, there's not a lot not to like)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

SRI

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[Sufyaan]

Thanks for the swift replies chaps. Ironically, the Note was considered before the VW but as always, someone managed to sway my father's choice!
Definitely seems like a good bet and ticks many boxes, and looks much better than some of the other options.

Will also take a look at the others mentioned above.

Thanks again

[ninjag]

Honda CRV 2.0 petrol auto could be an option.

Quite and refined engine, smooth and reliable auto box (exceptionally easy to change the ATF btw) and seating position is such that you neither climb up or have to sink down - it's level with your arse as you go to sit and this is apparently one of the reasons it's so popular in America. In fact isn't it the best selling SUV in the USA for the last two decades or something? Has to be a reason for that.

[Toed64]

My mother has a Subaru Forester petrol auto. It's given almost no trouble in the 7 years she's had it and she likes it so much that she has forbidden me to replace it...even though it's 10 years old now.

[Sufyaan]

Missed a very good Note today! Plenty more to pick from though. Presuming they're ok with the stop-start city runs? And are they still as reliable past 80-90k?

Saw a CRV today too. Thought it was potentially a good option but dad wasn't too keen on it :|

[LarsG]

Kia's have transferable 7 year warranties so you might find one with a few years left on it.

[Cap2018]

Just been through the exact same situation .. my girlfriend has had 2 mini coopers in 2 years, both auto and both given us unrelenting trouble. I could go on for hours about the issues we had but long story short .. we won't be buying an automatic mini cooper again. The first was CVT and that was appalling, lasted 2 months and ended up refunding for the full amount thanks to the very decent owner of the garage from which we purchased it. The second a DSG and again, 11 months of non stop problems until it eventually started cutting out whilst driving. P/ex for a replacement and took the hit on value.

I did hours and hours of research into the matter of reliable autos and, with a budget of £6k, we ended up going with a Suzuki Swift sz4 4 speed torque converter auto. The general consensus tended towards Japanese/ Korean autos with convential torque converter transmissions. The fewer speeds the fewer problems was also widely agreed upon.

Wouldn't touch another CVT with a barge pole but that's purely based on my experience with the mini .. my mum has a Nissan Qashqai CVT and hasn't had a single problem in 2 years. The Qashqai being 5 years old in total. Probably a slightly ugraded gearbox compared to the 2002 mini CVT but regardless, I shudder at the mere sound of the letters CVT.

Read far too many negative reviews and articles on DSG gearboxes to buy one with confidence, particularly given how expensive they are to repair. The updated 6 or 7 speed wet gearboxes do seem to be an improvement on the awful dry DSGs but for under £5k you might struggle to find one with reasonable mileage. Most DSGs will need a transmission fluid change at approx 50,000 miles so be careful in making sure this has been done because if not you may be in for some serious (and expensive) repairs down the line.

Currently very happy with the Swift but as other have said .. the older Kia Ceed and Hyundai i30 have the traditional torque converters, as do the Mazda 2 and 3 if I am remembering correctly.

I myself have a manual 2013 Hyundai i30 1.6 CRDi blue drive edition and love the thing. Sadly I believe these have been changed to dual clutch transmissions in the autos and so I wouldn't be considering one if I wanted auto for myself.