Car for mum, up to £2k. Fabia/Ibiza/307/Focus/S60 ?
Discussion
Wondering if you guys have any thoughts to help me help my mum pick a car to replace her ageing Mazda 323.
Sort of narrowed it down to Fabia/Ibiza/307/Focus. Open to other ideas though, and doesn't have to be hatchback. Reliability is the primary concern whilst not being too dated or too expensive to run. No modern Toyotas in budget I don't think, and I'm not sure our/her mechanic has a liking for Asian stuff.
I'm looking at petrol cars to keep the mechanics more straightfoward (IMO), and also since I don't think she's ever encountered anything else.
On paper the Ibiza looks under par, 1.4/75bhp. Looks sort of "last generation".
Fabia looks bland, but might be a good bet. There's a 100bhp model possibly at £1,500 - £2k. Build quality is perhaps at least reasonable. Parts costs though? Any feedback?
307 I think looks great value. 1.6 petrol, 110bhp. What's the reliability/build quality like though?
S60 looks fab, and the mechanic she uses is a Volvo expert, but, they're a 2 litre turbo. Way over powered and little high on fuel costs I think. Such a shame.
Focus.. A 1.6 Focus might be a good choice. I can't help thinking they look a bit boring, especially with the >2006 model looking so much better, but the 2006 model is over budget.
At the end of the day, it's my mum and she just pootles around locally. Very little motorway driving, and she says she doesn't care what it looks like. She does like to attach flower-power stickers to her cars though and I can't help letting my own feelings about dullness and niceness get in the way of things.
Sort of narrowed it down to Fabia/Ibiza/307/Focus. Open to other ideas though, and doesn't have to be hatchback. Reliability is the primary concern whilst not being too dated or too expensive to run. No modern Toyotas in budget I don't think, and I'm not sure our/her mechanic has a liking for Asian stuff.
I'm looking at petrol cars to keep the mechanics more straightfoward (IMO), and also since I don't think she's ever encountered anything else.
On paper the Ibiza looks under par, 1.4/75bhp. Looks sort of "last generation".
Fabia looks bland, but might be a good bet. There's a 100bhp model possibly at £1,500 - £2k. Build quality is perhaps at least reasonable. Parts costs though? Any feedback?
307 I think looks great value. 1.6 petrol, 110bhp. What's the reliability/build quality like though?
S60 looks fab, and the mechanic she uses is a Volvo expert, but, they're a 2 litre turbo. Way over powered and little high on fuel costs I think. Such a shame.
Focus.. A 1.6 Focus might be a good choice. I can't help thinking they look a bit boring, especially with the >2006 model looking so much better, but the 2006 model is over budget.
At the end of the day, it's my mum and she just pootles around locally. Very little motorway driving, and she says she doesn't care what it looks like. She does like to attach flower-power stickers to her cars though and I can't help letting my own feelings about dullness and niceness get in the way of things.
Edited by carl0s on Tuesday 10th January 22:19
Friend bought a new 307 and has had no end of problems with it. Best avoided imo.
Ford Focus was best in class at the time, still handles great, and my old one was as reliable as anything without any issues upto when I sold it at 114k miles.
As said above, you can get a special edition with heated leather seats (Edge I think it was called) for bugger all. Being a Ford, it'll also be cheap to fix and get parts for should anything need doing.
Ford Focus was best in class at the time, still handles great, and my old one was as reliable as anything without any issues upto when I sold it at 114k miles.
As said above, you can get a special edition with heated leather seats (Edge I think it was called) for bugger all. Being a Ford, it'll also be cheap to fix and get parts for should anything need doing.
Focus anyday. Had one in the family for 7 years and all it ever needed was an alternator belt. I had it for 2 years and it was just a brilliant car. Great and very easy to drive. It was almost impossible to stall for some reason.
Don't go for a 307. I had one of them too and although it was okay it was nothing compared to the Focus.
Don't go for a 307. I had one of them too and although it was okay it was nothing compared to the Focus.
carl0s said:
Reliability is the primary concern whilst not being too dated or too expensive to run.
In that case buy a decent on condition and service history with a mechanic to check the car out rather than just focusing on one particular model. Edited by carl0s on Tuesday 10th January 22:19
Focus still not a bad bet. What about S40 if you like the Volvo idea? Still decent but not as thirsty.
Might be worth going Japanese if the main concern is reliability, since generally they make more reliable cars (though always exceptions of course). Usual suspects: Honda Civic (old shape), Honda Jazz (it is for your mum remember) or even Mitsubishi Lancer/Colt. Mitsubishis don't hold their value as well and there's a fair few tidy low mileage examples for under £4k.
OK, I've put the idea of an MX5 to her (on the off chance), and told her that it's looking like a Focus, followed by an S40.
The S40 isn't quite as dashing to look at (inside or out) as the S60, but it ticks all the other boxes. I'd have to ask the Volvo man what his thinks of them.
Thanks for your help.
Carl
The S40 isn't quite as dashing to look at (inside or out) as the S60, but it ticks all the other boxes. I'd have to ask the Volvo man what his thinks of them.
Thanks for your help.
Carl
She's liking the MX-5 idea "as long as granddad can get in it". I forgot about that.. she takes him shopping once a week and he's partially disabled. He managed OK in my V8 RX7, although getting out was a bit of an effort.
Hmmmm. I guess an MX5 would be much the same as an RX7 to get out of? My ex-gf had a mk2, but I can't quite remember how low they are. I suppose it is really close to a convertible RX7 though, so perhaps it might be a stretch to recommend it.
Hmmmm. I guess an MX5 would be much the same as an RX7 to get out of? My ex-gf had a mk2, but I can't quite remember how low they are. I suppose it is really close to a convertible RX7 though, so perhaps it might be a stretch to recommend it.
If she goes MX5, which she seems really keen on, then I don't need to ask about cambelts. Not on the 1.8 anyway, I'd have to check on the 1.6
but what about the Focus? Is it a job you'd have done as a matter of course on a used buy, and is it particularly difficult or easy?
I'm fairly handy with my tools but it takes me a little while to become familiar with a car and so I tend not to get involved in cars other than my own.
but what about the Focus? Is it a job you'd have done as a matter of course on a used buy, and is it particularly difficult or easy?
I'm fairly handy with my tools but it takes me a little while to become familiar with a car and so I tend not to get involved in cars other than my own.
carl0s said:
On paper the Ibiza looks under par, 1.4/75bhp. Looks sort of "last generation".
No experience but I'm fairly sure they're the same as the Fabia & Polo?carl0s said:
Fabia looks bland, but might be a good bet. There's a 100bhp model possibly at £1,500 - £2k. Build quality is perhaps at least reasonable. Parts costs though? Any feedback?
My dad's one's been near-faultless in over 50,000 miles in two years. Only thing that's needed to be replaced outside of routine servicing is the front suspension bushes - a common fault and a cheap fix. Build quality is good as well, feels screwed together well. Mechanically he services it bang on schedule but inside it gets some abuse, and has taken it well. 
Ridiculously economical too, although his is the 1.9tdi.carl0s said:
307 I think looks great value. 1.6 petrol, 110bhp. What's the reliability/build quality like though?
Learned to drive in a couple of these, bloody awful. Had a hire one once with barely 4-figure mileage on as well once which was falling apart, bits of trim coming off everywhere. One of my instructor's ones had the cambelt tensioner let go within the interval, and the other (1.6 petrol) was a never-ending s
tstream of electrical problems. Expensive parts and complicated too from what I make out - indicator self-cancel stopped working, but need to replace a whole module (Concept 3000? Something like that) to fix it at a total cost of over £300. Etc.carl0s said:
S60 looks fab, and the mechanic she uses is a Volvo expert, but, they're a 2 litre turbo. Way over powered and little high on fuel costs I think. Such a shame.
No experience with the S60 but have a friend with an S40 on well over 200,000 with no problems I know of, looks like it's done a quarter of the miles carl0s said:
Focus.. A 1.6 Focus might be a good choice. I can't help thinking they look a bit boring, especially with the >2006 model looking so much better, but the 2006 model is over budget.
Someone above mentioned a mk1 special edition (Ink, Grey, Black etc); you get all the kit with those, so probably worth looking for one. My mum's got a 1.4 mk1, hateful engine but the rest of the car's faultless, very reliable, and cheap to fix anything that has gone wrong (on 130,000 so a few wear-and-tear bits and bobs, nothing major at all though and never broken down). Probably makes the most sense IMO 
followed by the Fabia, which I would also reckon to be worth a look in Have you ever considered a Honda Jazz? Seems to tick all the right boxes.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
NadiR said:
Have you ever considered a Honda Jazz? Seems to tick all the right boxes.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
I think (I should know this) she's only in her early fifties. I wouldn't put her in a Jazz.http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Generally speaking, when you have a low budget (under £3-4K) you buy on condition and not spec/make/model surely??
The range of cars available 'around £2K' is enormous but from a dealer you'll get FAR FAR less than you would privately so you really need to hit the local classifieds (no point wasting money travelling, is there?), pick the best of those and go looksee!?
Locking yourself into certain makes/models/engines/colours is just going to make the job harder and dealer cars will be pretty tatty at that pricepoint...
The range of cars available 'around £2K' is enormous but from a dealer you'll get FAR FAR less than you would privately so you really need to hit the local classifieds (no point wasting money travelling, is there?), pick the best of those and go looksee!?
Locking yourself into certain makes/models/engines/colours is just going to make the job harder and dealer cars will be pretty tatty at that pricepoint...
vit4 said:
Someone above mentioned a mk1 special edition (Ink, Grey, Black etc); you get all the kit with those, so probably worth looking for one. My mum's got a 1.4 mk1, hateful engine but the rest of the car's faultless, very reliable, and cheap to fix anything that has gone wrong (on 130,000 so a few wear-and-tear bits and bobs, nothing major at all though and never broken down). Probably makes the most sense IMO followed by the Fabia, which I would also reckon to be worth a look in
Thanks. The Focus, and S40 do sound like good options. I'm not taken with the idea of the Fabia, or anything VAG at all really. I just find them really uninspiring. I know it's not for me, but... followed by the Fabia, which I would also reckon to be worth a look in Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff