Buying a new small car – what would you recommend? | Ask Honest John

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Buying a new small car – what would you recommend?

I am looking to buy a new small car. I am a 24 year old male. My car is only really used for commuting to work. Mostly on town roads and the city centre with very little or no motorway driving.

Ideally I am looking for a three-door car which is comfortable and reliable. I have £15k to spend and it must have a manual gearbox.

I've shortlisted the following:

Ford Fiesta
Volkswagen polo
Suzuki Swift

Could you please recommend some cars or alternatives in this range?

Asked on 3 March 2016 by Neov2

Answered by Honest John

A Suzuki Swift is good fun with better handling than an R56 MINI. A Mazda 3 1.3TS2 is a good compromise, also offering a lot of fun but a fairly hard ride. Polos and Golfs aren't as reliable as they are cracked up to be. The 140PS Fiesta you mention is a bit spacial and rare. A 125PS version is enough and also plenty of fun, but they have had some driveline issues.

Tags: buying a new car small cars

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