What car do you consider to be reliable..........?

Question

Could you help me? I need a reliable, cheap to run small car, nothing too expensive to buy I have a budget of £2000 and that doesn't include car insurance. I have kids, so a car that has reliability and fuel economy would be better. Nissan micra/ ford fiesta/ renault clio.........What do you think?

Answer 1

Reliability and cost you mention, but what of the other factors, size, comfort, insurance cost / availability - - I suggest you invest in a reference booklet such as 'What Car' - it will offer summaries of good and bad points, reliability, mpg, and cost per year / model.
In general, Japanese and German cars tend to be most reliable - - motoring surveys have found a consistent trend of owner satisfaction with Skoda's (but make sure they are post-1998) - as they will then be owned / made by Volkswagan, but are much less expensive - i have one, it's my poor man's passat lol. It is however very reliable, and servicing is a lot less expensive than for V W or any other German make.

Answer 2

It is more about horses for courses than which is best.
All the cars in this category are cramped and uncomfortable, but usually the low spec small engine versions are more comfortable because they have soft springs and dont have low profile tyres.
Big question is service history, with a Cambelt change being £ 400 at some garages that can blow a big hole in your budget and if it breaks, well it aint going to be worth repairing. So you want 50 000 miles with the belt changed ideally, remember its usually 5 or 6 years a well as mileage, so a 6 year old 10 000 miler probably needs a belt, useful bargaining tool.
The Ford has the big advantage that most mechanics know about them and some older ones dont even have a cambelt, using a rattly old pushrod engine but these are probably too old for you to consider. The classic pre BMW Mini was the last of the cheap to maintain small cars with no cambelt etc but these are almost collectors items now especially the last ones.
Diesels in your price range will be pretty nasty, narrow power band, poor starters etc but more economical, so if you "need" this size of car it really is a case of comparing individual cars rather than generalising, do you have a friend what knows about motors? The bloke in the pub with dirt under his fingernails and grubby wrists where his goves dont reach ,what whiffs of oil is probably the best bloke to have as a friend at this time.
If you dont nescessarily have to buy this size of car look at a Rover 45 Diesel, cheap at the moment. Dont get a (K series) petrol though.

Answer 3

its a hard one. i would say for that money, and what you want it for, you have too sensible buys. either a vw polo. a very good car reliable but not so cheap if they do go wrong, although if you look around you should find a half decent 1 for that money. or you go for a fiesta, for the same money you could buy 1 a few years newer than the polo and the newer fiestas are a pretty good car. they are cheaper to fix than the polo as well. i wouldn't go for a corsa or clio as they are both rust buckets and your money doesn't really stretch to a decent jap car as they've only really got there game together on small cars in the last couple of years.there is the ka as well but personally i think they're ugly

Answer 4

I drive a VW Jetta it is an awesome car. It is very reliable gets good gas milage and is a nice looking car. They have some great safety features too. Like side air bags! If you forget the car is running and you turn your key it does not make loud noises and mess with the starter nothing happens. They back seats fold down so there is tons of room for stuff. It has latch belt system for car seats and child locks. It has a good stereo when you buy it also.

Answer 5

If you have £2000 don't buy German. Too expensive to replace parts and you won't find a relaible enough german car for £2000 anyway. Buy Japanese. Toyotas, Nissan, Honda are all amazingly reliable, even if they are relitively old.

Answer 6

I think that most cars are pretty reliable these days,go for a small engined one or better still a diesel for economy,have the car checked independantly to make sure it is o.k.,mechanicaly and safe,best of luck.

Answer 7

Toyota Corolla.

Answer 8

i have a 92 toyota corrolla with 210,000 miles on it.it still runs like a new one,and i havent had any repairs.just the main thing i can stress to u is do preventive maintenance,that is change the oil regularly.it is the life blood of your engine.good luck

Answer 9

Toyota are more reliable than anything - Yaris 5dr or Corolla - They're more expensive second hand because they're simply so good (in a dull way!!)

Answer 10

any hybrid vehicle is fuel efficient, but I agree with the last poster-a Toyota Corolla is great, reliable-and the parts are not too expensive or hard to find.