Second car for school/kids/local duties - £8kish

[ITR1]

My wife's 55 plate polo is getting a bit old and needy and despite only having 55,000 on the clock, she'd like something newer.

So we are looking for something which she can lug two under 11s around in, not a diesel as it will do lots of local, short journeys (couple of miles here, couple of miles there, etc.) and which is going to be pretty hassle free and can be just a reliable run around. Mix of town driving and some country lanes, but nothing a polo on winter tyres hasn't been able to cope with (so 4 x 4, Chelsea tractor SUV isn't essential).

Budget is around £7k - £9k. She really likes the look of minis and those little fiat things, but not the supersized versions of each.

Suggestions welcome please!

edit: When it comes to mini and the fiats I have no knowledge of the engines, trim levels, known issues etc so any help gratefully received. Also open to suggested other cars though.

[Tyre Smoke]

Won't be long before someone says BMW or Merc.

[giantdefy]

I suggest a BMW or a Merc

[BoRED S2upid]

Mini over the Fiat f it’s the 500. She is not going to get 2 11 yr olds and any bags in a Fiat. Mini has a decent enough boot the newer ones are anything but mini.

[ITR1]

giantdefy said:

I suggest a BMW or a Merc

I guess the mini is a BMW! Our main car is a G20 so not really looking for another BMW
Nice username, I have the same bike.

[Tyre Smoke]

Has she considered another Polo?

[ITR1]

Tyre Smoke said:

Has she considered another Polo?

Tbh, as obvious as that is, no! Not a bad shout. I think they are pretty solid cars.

[SL22]

A Toyota Yaris is something that might suit, but is often overlooked. Probably a post 2017 facelift in a 1.5 non-hybrid. 5-year warranty as standard, that can be extended to 10 years if serviced by Toyota.

[ninjag]

Suzuki Swift might just be big enough in the back if you get a five door and it's a fun car to drive. We've had one for a long time now and nothing has gone wrong other than a new battery.

Honda Civic might be worth a look.

[georgeyboy12345]

I have picked you out some cars a size up from the Polo and with 5 doors as your under 11 year olds will soon grow! Minis and Fiat 500s don't sound like such a wise move to be honest, they have so little room in the back!


Mini Cooper 1.5 5-Door
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107145...


Alfa Romeo 1.4 TB
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108186...


Seat Leon 1.2 TSI
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106224...


VW Golf 1.4 TSI
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107235...


Ford Focus 1.0 Ecoboost
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107195...


Honda Civic 1.4 i-VTEC S
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108096...


Mazda 3 2.0 SE
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108065...


Hyundai i30 1.4 SE
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108085...


Kia Ceed 1.4 SR7
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107235...

Edited by georgeyboy12345 on Thursday 19th August 18:49

[ZX10R NIN]

1.0T Kia Rio in First Edition spec would make a great second car, along with 3 years of warranty left too. It's almost a no brainer:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108116...

2 Spec:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102269...

Older Gen 1.4 in 4 spec:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108035...

[Mo28]

The posher brother of the polo, the Audi A1?

[ITR1]

Thanks all, some great suggestions I hadn't thought of. Kia with warranty balance is a good shout.

[Pistonheader101]

Size up to golf for sure. Kids grow.

[ChattingWham]

Do you have the space/facility to charge an electric car? You could get a decent 2013/14/15 Nissan Leaf or Renault Zoe for that budget. I know it's not very PH in some ways but if this car is only doing a couple of miles here and there electric seems like a sensible suggestion.

Toyota Yaris or Auris hybrid if you can't do the full electric thing.

[Over over under steer]

Lexus RX400h. Get one in very great shape for that.

[ITR1]

ChattingWham said:

Do you have the space/facility to charge an electric car? You could get a decent 2013/14/15 Nissan Leaf or Renault Zoe for that budget. I know it's not very PH in some ways but if this car is only doing a couple of miles here and there electric seems like a sensible suggestion.

Toyota Yaris or Auris hybrid if you can't do the full electric thing.

Yes we do, really hadn't considered electric as didn't think it would be in budget. Are there any known reliability issues around EV of that age?

[Tyre Smoke]

Range won't be great, and will diminish as it gets older. But apart from that, the Polo isn't exactly racking up the miles is it?

[ZX10R NIN]

ITR1 said:

Thanks all, some great suggestions I hadn't thought of. Kia with warranty balance is a good shout.

As I said it's almost a no brainer, you can get Kia Ceeds with a similar level of warranty left if you fancy something Focus sized.

[Summit_Detailing]

Renault Zoe sounds perfect for your journey profiles and was the first thing to spring to mind.

Cheers,

Chris