Renault Wind. Should I?
Discussion
Having "forced" my Good Lady to sell her sensible Ibiza commute car and buy a thoroughly unsuitable diesel 4x4 that will tow the caravan, I am mindful of getting something more suitable for her (rather than me!)
As it will be an extra car, there's not much budget. (C £3000)
As Sumner approaches (!) thoughts of a soft top are coming.
She has a 4 mile commute.
She won't be bothered about heavy or complex soft tops.
She won't be unduly worried about performance or handling.
Obvious choice is MX5...but I know it may be too thirsty for her.
Likewise MGF is thirsty and possibly unreliable.
Eos roof mechanism frighten me - too many stories!
So the Wind.....
Marmite looks
Farty name
Small turbo Clio engine
Fast and seemingly "simple" roof mech.
Poor rear view
Plastic interior
French
Am I foolish for even looking???
As it will be an extra car, there's not much budget. (C £3000)
As Sumner approaches (!) thoughts of a soft top are coming.
She has a 4 mile commute.
She won't be bothered about heavy or complex soft tops.
She won't be unduly worried about performance or handling.
Obvious choice is MX5...but I know it may be too thirsty for her.
Likewise MGF is thirsty and possibly unreliable.
Eos roof mechanism frighten me - too many stories!
So the Wind.....
Marmite looks
Farty name
Small turbo Clio engine
Fast and seemingly "simple" roof mech.
Poor rear view
Plastic interior
French
Am I foolish for even looking???
A 4 miles commute each way is 2,000 miles a year, car would only need filling up every six to eight weeks. Hard to see how the cost of fuel is going to be a significant factor in the cost of ownership here, unless there's some other mileage going on.
Worth considering a Toyota MR-2 - they're very light, so I think more frugal than an MX-5 and don't oxidise quite as quickly.
Other small and quirky open-top possibilities are the Ford StreetKa, Smart Roadster, and Daihatsu Copen - the latter two are 0.7L turbo so should be fairly frugal. From the sound of it, it's best for your wife to pick the one she most likes the look of.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Vauxhall Tigra offers a similar experience but with easier availability of parts and more cars to choose from when buying. Also look at Mitsubishi Colt CZC and Micra C+C for reliability.
Tigra and CZC maybe....Micra I couldn't face to sit in one unfortunately, and my son would never speak to me again!!samoht said:
A 4 miles commute each way is 2,000 miles a year, car would only need filling up every six to eight weeks. Hard to see how the cost of fuel is going to be a significant factor in the cost of ownership here, unless there's some other mileage going on.
Worth considering a Toyota MR-2 - they're very light, so I think more frugal than an MX-5 and don't oxidise quite as quickly.
Other small and quirky open-top possibilities are the Ford StreetKa, Smart Roadster, and Daihatsu Copen - the latter two are 0.7L turbo so should be fairly frugal. From the sound of it, it's best for your wife to pick the one she most likes the look of.
Please leave my wife out of the equation - she's not getting another car 😀Worth considering a Toyota MR-2 - they're very light, so I think more frugal than an MX-5 and don't oxidise quite as quickly.
Other small and quirky open-top possibilities are the Ford StreetKa, Smart Roadster, and Daihatsu Copen - the latter two are 0.7L turbo so should be fairly frugal. From the sound of it, it's best for your wife to pick the one she most likes the look of.
Fuel cost is very subjective to the Good Lady.
Coming from a high 40's petrol to a low 30's diesel has been a shock for her, especially the first £80 refuel!
On the great scale of things, it's relatively little, I know.
May take a look at MR2's but I think they may hold more value as they are a better car - I'll be buying a lot older for the same money.
AlwynMike said:
Please leave my wife out of the equation - she's not getting another car ??
Fuel cost is very subjective to the Good Lady.
Coming from a high 40's petrol to a low 30's diesel has been a shock for her, especially the first £80 refuel!
On the great scale of things, it's relatively little, I know.
May take a look at MR2's but I think they may hold more value as they are a better car - I'll be buying a lot older for the same money.
Small petrol turbos aren't always as economical as you'd think. A real mpg site says 38mpg for 1.2T Wind, vs 35mpg for a 1.8 mk3 MX-5.Fuel cost is very subjective to the Good Lady.
Coming from a high 40's petrol to a low 30's diesel has been a shock for her, especially the first £80 refuel!
On the great scale of things, it's relatively little, I know.
May take a look at MR2's but I think they may hold more value as they are a better car - I'll be buying a lot older for the same money.
AlwynMike said:
Tigra and CZC maybe....Micra I couldn't face to sit in one unfortunately, and my son would never speak to me again!!
Going for the 1.6 may be the better buy they're very similar on fuel real world.https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109057...
But I think personally I'd go for the Tigra:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112150...
What about a CRX as a leftfield:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109057...
If you can stretch the budget to 4k or get lucky a Honda CR-Z is available for about 4k maybe less on gumtree or ebay. You wouldn't have a convertible, but that saves on fuel, it's £20 vs £210 on VED. It will be ultra reliable and the good on fuel, 46mpg to maybe 60. No turbo to go wrong etc and dosen't look like a tadpole on steroids.
Wife has one, and has had it for 6 years and keeps debating changing it but she loves it.
1.6 VVT Dynamique S
its had 2 failures in that time, MAP Sensor and a coilpack which cost less than £50 combined.
She averages low 30's mpg and it is really picky on wiper blades, no matter what blades i try it squeaks and judders.
Rear visibility is crap, the mirrors are small and awkwardly set, the parking sensors panic all the time.
Its not something you want to drive for long distances or if there are a lot of speedbumps or bad roads near you but its fun to drive, predictable open topped and has a massive boot compared to any rival. Leather, heated seats, bluetooth, cruise control, aux in means theyre all pretty well equipped.
If you can live with ride and refinement then go for it
1.6 VVT Dynamique S
its had 2 failures in that time, MAP Sensor and a coilpack which cost less than £50 combined.
She averages low 30's mpg and it is really picky on wiper blades, no matter what blades i try it squeaks and judders.
Rear visibility is crap, the mirrors are small and awkwardly set, the parking sensors panic all the time.
Its not something you want to drive for long distances or if there are a lot of speedbumps or bad roads near you but its fun to drive, predictable open topped and has a massive boot compared to any rival. Leather, heated seats, bluetooth, cruise control, aux in means theyre all pretty well equipped.
If you can live with ride and refinement then go for it
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