Car buying help- anyone had experiences of these cars?

[Mrog88]

Hi all,

I’m helping my parents (late 50s) find a new car to replace their beloved 16 year old Toyota Corolla with very low miles. They are looking for something that will hopefully be nearly as reliable!

We have been looking at cars 2015 onwards for around £7-9,000. The Mazda 2, Fiesta and Auris have been shortlisted so far. They did consider the Yaris but the interior is a bit cheap looking so discounted it.

Has anybody had experiences with any of these cars or any recommendations? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[LuS1fer]

The Fiesta is going to be reliable and cheap to service.
I only have experience of the ST and I'm on my second Mk 7 ST which, if it is of any interest to your parents, is pretty cheap on insurance.
The seats are narrow though but hell, I'm 59. Being an ST, you get more toys but only 2 doors.
I initially went to buy a 1.0 Ecoboost but after driving the ST, it lost its allure.
Just check any recalls have been done on earlier models.

Probably worth adding the Civic and Jazz to the list. Not tried either but always thought the Civic looked good.

[Countdown]

Mrog88 said:

Hi all,

I’m helping my parents (late 50s) find a new car to replace their beloved 16 year old Toyota Corolla with very low miles. They are looking for something that will hopefully be nearly as reliable!

We have been looking at cars 2015 onwards for around £7-9,000. The Mazda 2, Fiesta and Auris have been shortlisted so far. They did consider the Yaris but the interior is a bit cheap looking so discounted it.

Has anybody had experiences with any of these cars or any recommendations? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Agreed that the Toyota interiors feel a bit low-rent compared to Fords. However, if your parents are the type to keep a car for a long time I would definitely recommend either a Yaris or an Auris. Ownership experience is painless and (IME) elderly parents prefer that far more than driving enjoyment or interior quality.

[AmitG]

Countdown said:

Agreed that the Toyota interiors feel a bit low-rent compared to Fords. However, if your parents are the type to keep a car for a long time I would definitely recommend either a Yaris or an Auris. Ownership experience is painless and (IME) elderly parents prefer that far more than driving enjoyment or interior quality.

+1

The Toyota interiors do look a bit cheap compared to the competition, but they are very solid and reliable, and should last for years.

I would go for a Yaris or Auris, ideally a hybrid version if you can get one within budget (and if your parents are OK with an auto).

[Mo28]

Was in a similar situation a year ago for my mother (mid 50's) and ended up going with a 2016 Yaris Hybrid. She only fills it once a month and gets around 300 miles of range out of it. Very easy car to drive and comes with a 5 year warranty for peace of mind, which is what swayed her into getting it. The only gripe I have with the car is that the turning radius isn't that great but that could have something to do with the bigger wheels (16's as opposed to the usual 15's) the car came with.

To add, my father also has a 2017 Yaris hybrid which he uses for driving instructing. It's just ticked over 57k miles and he has had no issues with the car in the 2 years he's had it.

[AmitG]

The other good thing about the hybrids is that they work well for infrequent use, or lots of short journeys. In my experience, that tends to be what many elderly drivers do.

[rayyan171]

I'd recommend a Yaris Hybrid too, the interior wasn't as cheap looking as I thought it would be, more good materials than you think. Very modern, drive rather well too.

[Summit_Detailing]

All you've mentioned should provide durable and reliable ownership, I found the Fiesta to have a noticable blind spot caused by the A-pillar when looking to pull out of T-junctions. This of course may not be an issue for all as we all have differing driving positions.

A Renault Zoe would also fit the bill in terms of size, and if they do so little miles range is never going to be a consideration.
Also just like the Yaris the seating position is ever so slightly higher up than equivalent sized cars which helps with access/egress.

cheers,

Chris

[ZX10R NIN]

Mrog88 said:

Hi all,

I’m helping my parents (late 50s) find a new car to replace their beloved 16 year old Toyota Corolla with very low miles. They are looking for something that will hopefully be nearly as reliable!

We have been looking at cars 2015 onwards for around £7-9,000. The Mazda 2, Fiesta and Auris have been shortlisted so far. They did consider the Yaris but the interior is a bit cheap looking so discounted it.

Has anybody had experiences with any of these cars or any recommendations? Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

I'd say a Kia Ceed:

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

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

1.6 N/A Astra Elite

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

[Mrog88]

Thanks for all the help!
They are considering the Yaris hybrid now after looking at some of the higher spec versions. The Auris and Mazda are still contenders too.

Anybody know much about the Mazda 2s?