Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations

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Fri 21 Apr 2017 19:27
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - RaineMan

I was asked for advice on buying a small four door car today. The last time I ran a small car was 1985 (a Mk II Escort although I still have one as a SORN’d project) so I do not really feel able to advise. The lady is recently retired and looks after her 2 year old grandson three days a week. She currently runs an old shape Ka but finds reaching into the back to do up (and undo) the child seatbelts difficult as she has a back problem. So, she is after a small four door car with reasonable luggage space. Her budget is £5000 - £6000 and reliability is paramount. Any suggestions?

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Fri 21 Apr 2017 20:15
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - badbusdriver

Honda jazz or toyota yaris.

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Fri 21 Apr 2017 20:33
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - Doc

Hyundai i10

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Fri 21 Apr 2017 21:04
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - gordonbennet

I agree with Yaris as a good bet, but if she wants an auto don't let her buy a MMT automated manual.

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Fri 21 Apr 2017 23:24
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - glidermania

Renault Twingo. 65 reg cars can be had for around 6 grand. Wife has a Dynamique S TCE. It 4 door with a tailgate and I love it.

Wife gets all her weekly shopping of half a dozen large bags in the boot space and that's without folding the rear seats.

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Sat 22 Apr 2017 00:25
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - Big John

Small 5 door car with great luggage space, good rear legroom (much easier to load child seat) and good reliability :-

1) Honda Jazz (those magic rear seats are amazing)

2) Nissan Note (previous model best pre 63 reg)

3) Hyundai ix20

Last time I looked the Toyota Yaris and Hyundai i10 had very small boots athough both are good cars

Edited by Big John on 22/04/2017 at 00:30

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Mon 22 May 2017 12:55
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - RaineMan

Sometimes we are left wondering what car a person buys after asking advice. Anyway, the sun was shining yesterday and the lady popped to the Ford main dealers (she has previously brought two Fiestas and two KAs – the Fiestas from independents and the KAs from main dealers). Well she has come back with a 2014 4 door Fiesta EcoBoost which she collects in a few days. She has asked me if it is worth taking out an extended warranty – my gut feeling is yes as it is a main dealer and there is quite a bit of technology there. Would you take out the extended warranty?

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Mon 22 May 2017 13:51
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - RobJP

Depends on the price, and what it does (or, more importantly, does not) cover.

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Mon 22 May 2017 14:28
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - SLO76
With the reputation this engine has I'd tell her to get on to the garage and cancel the order and instead swap it for the Yamaha engined 1.2. It's a far more robust engine and there'll be little need for an extended warranty. If she insists on continuing with the now notorious Ecoboost then yes I'd take out an extended warranty but only a Ford approved one, the bulk of aftermarket warranties aren't worth the paper they're written on. The Ecoboost Fiesta is a lovely thing to drive but there's loads of cases of engine failure on this motor, though mostly in the Focus. It's not something I'd buy or recommend unless it was new or nearly new and you intended on offloading before the comprehensive manufacturer warranty ran out. The Yamaha designed Zetec SE unit is however very long lived.
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Mon 22 May 2017 16:26
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - joegrundy

TBH, at this sort of budget I'd recommend a new or nearly new Dacia Sandero. (But the Ambience, not the basic one).

My son has a 1.2 Ambience and I have been incredibly impressed with it. Like the Skodas (2) I bought new in the late 90s (Felicias) they were good on space and easy to get in and out of.- the seat height and door opening width was good.

I run a Jag X type, and getting my grand-daughters into and out of their seats is a lot harder than the Sandero. And, I notice, the occasional older person I give lifts to is not all that appreciative of the Jag's low-slung position.

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Mon 22 May 2017 20:09
Any Make - Small Four Door Car Recommendations - RaineMan

As said years ago - "The lady is not for turning". She liked both the drive and the colour with the added bonus of zero rate tax. Someone has suggested that is may be exempt from the conestion charge - she travels into the centre of London in peak times fairly regularly. I have posted seperately about this.

She has asked the saleman for a copy of the warranty before commiting to anything. He has not emailed it as promised but started to try and sell insurance. He might wish he had kept his promise tomorrow as she is a determined lady!

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Choosing a child seat can be a quite baffling experience – there are so many sizes, types, brands and price points available that you might not know where to start.

How to choose the right child seat