Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Recommend me a small car please ?

[phoenix n max]

Time for my lad to change his first car. Please don't laugh but it's a Metro!
Actually it's been very good but for the fact that it cost £400 to have a new front floor put in it last year
So it's going and i've no idea what to look for really.
He doesn't want a boy racer big bore with full ICE etc - nahh - something simple, cheap to insure and with a good reputation for less than £1000

Choices thus far
106
Corsa
Saxo
Seicento
Ka

Good and bad points please ? Would prefer something that doesn't resemble an extra from the flintstones next time I take it for an mot!

[skidlids]

Lin if your considering a Seicento or even one of the smaller engined Puntos have a word with Senna3 first as he runs his own Fiat & Alfa specialists so can tell you what to look for, which models are best and which ones are best avoided.

[Martinp]

If it was me then i would be buying a corsa or KA you can pick up a corsa for less than £700 and a KA for around a 1K.

[webbyc]

Ask Charlotte about the Smart car, that's small, in fact very small!!!

[KeefyB]

Less that a grand?
I would suggest a Ford Fiesta.Millions of them around,cheap as chips and very reliable.

[doogalman]

Micra, they go on and on.

[mogwai]

Dinky....?

[satanspawn]

Jase might be a bit overgrown in a 106, my advice, look at a 306, i've had 2 and they were excellent. Dodgy electrics to look out for (windows mainly) but galvanised bodywork means you very rarely see a rusty pug 306. Downside is that the basic model is a 1.4 (which shouldn't matter much as insurance shouldn't be too high)......

In fact there is a very nice one for sale if you drive through Salford Priors at the moment and out towards the Norton Grange, its parked up on 'Scotts corner' where i lobbed the zx9 in the ditch!

I had a 1.9Turbo diesel and 1.6 petrol and insurance was the same but the TD did about 50mpg and got thrashed everywhere! ....106's are good, but pedals are off set in the weirdest way possible, and i couldn't drive it properly! drive before you seriously take them into consideration.

Saxo's in essence are a Peugeot with a different shell on. 1.5 diesel engines come from 106 and the 1.6 VTR comes from the 1.6 petrol.

For Ka, very nice, lovely drive, and reliable...........although friends might take the **** out of him (i certainly will!! haha) however.....not as much **** as i'd take if he bought a corsa! hhhhhhhhhahahahhaha

Seicento...urm..Italian...and we all know they break and cost loads to service

You really can't fault a Ford Fiesta either........you should be able to get a newer round shape P/R reg for £1000.....same for the KA.....try and sneak a KA2 or a KA3 as these have air con and CD player and shouldn't go for much more.
As someone rightly said up there as well, Micra's will last forever! Japanese ya see! .....L reg ones look like bubble cars and are a bit gay.....

I gotta be honest and although i loved my 306's and had no problems with them................i'd go for a Ford Fiesta.

If you ever need boring to death more or help give me a shout

[sye73]

VW Polo..... Best car for that kind of money by a long way

[Loz]

Seat Arosa. Like a Polo, but cheaper!

Get a 1.4 though, the 1.0 I have is, uh, a little slow, shall we say?