In need of a new car, advice needed on what to go for

[austenw90]

Hello

Just wanted to get some advice from anyone willing to give some...

My stepmum is asking advice from me on a new car. She is looking for a used car no older than 3 years old and has a budget around £8,000. I know whatever I suggest will be wrong if anything goes wrong and wasn't all too sure what to suggest.

She currently has a really really unreliable Sh*troen C3 1.4 petrol on a 53 plate. It has only 43,000 miles on to give you some idea of the low mileage she does. Over the last 6 months or so the car has had no end of problems and still doesn't seem right. It seems a waste of money to keep maintaining a c**p car that is also unreliable (and also looks horrendous in my opinion).

Anyone here are a few options being considered:

• Ford Fiesta 1.4 Zetec
• Mazda 2 1.4 TS or similar
• Fiat Punto 1.4 16v

Which is the best choice? I see quite a few faults with to GP and Evo's on here and wondered if they are generally reliable and could be recommended over a Fiesta?


Any help would be appreciated.


Cheers

 

[wotnowarninglight]

I suppose from the Fiat stable Panda or GP, but depends what size of car is required.

From VAG stable, latest Polo is very good but expensive (from courtesy car experience) and Ibiza / Fabia for the alternate but more reasonably priced 'flavours'.

For value for money, warranty etc... how about Korean Mazda 2 - the Hyundai i20? Friend has just bought one and is chuffed to bits with it.

 

[colin79666]

I went from Grande Puntos to a new Fiesta (well had a Bravo for a few months in between).
From a driving perspective the Fiesta is fantastic, brilliant handling with nice responsive steering. The 1.4 96ps petrol engine is great though I have heard good things about the 1.2 82ps as well.
Interior built quality isn't much of a step up from the Puntos though with lots of slightly rattly plastic.

For both the Fiesta and Grande Punto/Punto Evo there are lots about in the 2-3 year old range so you can search about for a good example. A 1.2 82ps Zetec Fiesta on a 10 plate with 15k miles should be under £8000.

 

[Didge3]

Dare I recommend the Vauxhall Corsa? They are extremely comfortable on rough roads and quiet at motorway speeds, not that fun to drive but they turn well enough for them to be safe. Tendency to be reliable and cheapish.
Avoid the 1.0L versions as they are as slow as a cat with no legs. The 1.2 should be suitable.