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Second vote for the Venga/ix20 . My sister runs one of these, boring as hell , but totally functional , practical and reliable. Only downside, being an auto, not particularly good on fuel .
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Unless your list is based only on what is nearby, I'm a bit baffled by it. Not so much what is in it, but by what isn't?.
You have one representation (albeit 3 examples of) from the small family car class in the Astra, but no equivalent cars from other makes?. Most of which are at least as good as the Astra and (assuming no DSG gearbox) at least as reliable. Ford Focus and Kia Rio for starters given both makes are already included.
You have one small, tall MPV represented by the Kia Venga, but no sign of the Hyundai ix20 which, barring badges, some minor styling and trim differences, is the same car. But again, no contenders from other makes (of which a late first gen Nisan Note 1.6 auto immediately springs to mind).
And you have only two different models of supermini with the Corsa and Fiesta. Now first, as this is to be used mainly in town, if you can get away with a supermini sized car, why get anything bigger?. If parking on the roadside, for a new driver, surely the smaller the better?. And while the Corsa and Fiesta of the ages you are looking at are both fine, you could/should also be looking at the Toyota Yaris(*), Honda Jazz(*) Mazda 2, Suzuki Swift, Kia Rio, and Hyundai i20 just for starters.
*avoiding the automated manual gearboxes used at various times. On the Honda, this was labelled i-shift and used on the pre-facelft 2nd gen cars (2008-2011) after which they reverted back to the CVT. On the Yaris, this was labelled MMT and (AFAIK) was used on all 2nd gen cars (2005-2011), 1st gen cars used a t/c auto and 3rd gen cars used a CVT)
Going back to your own choices. First, all of them have low mileage for their age (so none should be discounted based on mileage), but very low miles is not necessarily a good thing as most wear and tear on an engine occurs when it is cold (hard to imagine the engine on that 18k mile Venga has ever been properly warmed up!).
The Astra's?, well for intended use, I'd favour the lower spec exclusiv trim. It has everything you need, but the steel wheels will fair better in kerbing situations and the higher profile tyres will both give a better ride and be cheaper to replace than those on an Elite or SRI. The Astra also has a 6 speed auto (all the others on your list have 4 speed) which, along with being lower and more aerodynamic, would make it the best choice if you do envisage going further afield in it.
The Corsa?, nothing at all wrong with it assuming usual checks and condition assessment doesn't throw up any alarm bells. Not particularly good at anything, but not bad at anything either.
Kia Venga? way taller than any of your other choices, so if that appeals there isn't much point in looking at 'lower' cars. At this age though, you are looking at the pre facelift 4 speed auto, so this isn't going to be great at motorway speeds with high revs and poor economy. Lots of space inside and a very capacious boot for its size (only a little longer than a Corsa) is the benefit of being tall.
Fiesta?, the pre facelift 7th gen cars (2008-2013 used a t/c auto mated to the n/a 1.4, after this they used a n/a 1.6 with the Powershift DCT, so the one you are looking at is fine!. And while this may not be a factor at all, the Fiesta will be much happier on a twisty road than any of your other choices.
As I have hinted at, there are many other possible candidates you could be looking at. But given your requirements and the inclusion of the Venga, I'll make a point in suggesting the Suzuki Splash and Vauxhall Agila (like the Venga/ix20, these are essentially the same car. I'm talking about the 2nd gen in the case of the Agila). Almost as tall as a Venga but around a foot shorter (so very easy to park!). Very reliable, and very spacious for its size (the benefits of being tall again), but the boot is pretty small.
Edited by badbusdriver on 09/10/2022 at 10:48
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Thanks for your detailed reply.
Many other brands and models I have avoided because of these reasons:
1) They are not fully automatic i.e cvt, powershift, duoshift etc.
2) They are not located within 50 miles from myself, so I can't physically look at them
3) They have high mileage or out of my budget
So after spending about a month looking at reviews and feedback on different cars which were within my budget of £7000, I had shortlisted the above cars which fulfil most of my criteria.
Now the reason why I chose Kia Venga is because I've physically inspected the car and had a test drive in it. Although it looks clean inside out and drove well, I noticed a few things about it which I would like suggestions about:
1) It's last MOT was done in JUN 2022 and it had only one advisory:
'' Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened ''
I asked the seller if the brakes/disks will need a replacement soon and he said no they will be fine for the forseeable future but I'm doubtful considering he refuses to provide a new MOT on the car.
Any idea how much it will cost to replace the brakes/disks in the future?
2) I was able to check MOTs for this car as far back as APR 2014, 9 passes and no fails. But it was last serviced at 29000 miles which was more than 2 years ago and has only done 3000 miles since then. From the looks of it, it was not driven much in the past 3-6 months as it had a few cobwebs on the side mirrors, door handles and the engine bay. When I started the car, it had water coming out of it's exhaust and the smoke was quite thick and visible.
Considering he won't go for a new MOT or get it newly serviced, is this concering? He is giving a 3 months warranty from a third party which covers the engine, gearbox, suspension etc.
Thanks
Edited by sens0r on 09/10/2022 at 14:50
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Don't forget that other makes (still) do traditional torque converter (TC) auto gearboxes and CVTs, such as Mazda (TC, avoid diesels and rotary engines), Honda (CVT, avoiding the cars with the i-Shift box), Subaru (avoiding the more flashy turbocharged/diesel models) and Toyota. They all appear to be reliable.
My Mazda3 1.6 petrol TS2 (a [then] mid-spec model with climate control), which I've owned from new, is coming up to its 17th birthday and has performed excellently over that time - very reliable, just one or two minor issues and the usual wear and tear/age-related things that affect all cars as they get older. No major issues to report.
For your budget, I would go by condition and service history. Certain items like A/C are a useful thing to have, higher spec items like heated seats, built-in sat navs, sunroofs, etc are nice-to-haves that just bump up the price.
I should also note (apologies as I regularly say this) that lower spec cars will mostly (though not always - Ford Fiestas from the last 15 years being a 'good' example) shod on smaller alloy wheels and higher sidewall, narrower tyres. Both represent a long-term cost saving via better mpg, longer life (that includes lower suceptibility to damage) and often a much lower replacement cost, as well as a smoother ride with only a small detriment to handling in comparison.
Cars shod on very common tyre size combos are also far cheaper than less popular ones for obvious reasons. Many tyre fitter websites will give which tyres are the most popular - you can compare the prices there as well.
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Second vote for the Venga/ix20 . My sister runs one of these, boring as hell , but totally functional , practical and reliable. Only downside, being an auto, not particularly good on fuel .
It will be used within the city most of the time by my wife, so hoping to get atleast 30-35 mpg out of it. Any idea how much MPG your sister is getting from her Venga?
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I have a 2012 Venga 3. Around town (ie: journeys of less than 3 miles from home to supermarket to shop to shop type of travel) I get 23 -25mpg. The Venga 4 speed auto is notoriously thirsty around town. The later 6 speed auto was better and could probably manage 30mpg urban but you'd be looking at 2015 onwards which is out of your budget due to the current skewed market. On a steady run, it will do 35mpg to 40mpg or more ie:I once had it up to 45mpg on a steady run, fully loaded between the Midlands and Norfolk on the A52 / A17 / A47.
However, if you can live with the low mpg around town then it is a supremely practical mini MPV which is generally very reliable.
Edited by VengaPete on 10/10/2022 at 20:55
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Personally, I would go for Option 5. You could also look at the Hyundai ix20, which is the same thing.
Presumably, the Ford are all the 'Powershift' auto, which is somewhat infamous.
I don't know about Vauxhall autos, but I just don't like Vauxhalls (and I have one...)
Couldn't find a Hyundai ix20 within 50 miles of my location and I'm not willing to get it delivered without having a look at the car first. Secondly, the ones I found on AT have much higher mileage yet £1000 more than the Option 5 Kia Venga above.
Correctly pointed out about ford fiesta and the many other brands and models I have avoided because:
1) They are not fully automatic i.e cvt, powershift, duoshift etc.
2) They are not located within 50 miles from myself, so I can't physically look at them
3) They have high mileage or out of my budget
Care to share what's wrong with vauxhalls? From what I've read and heard they are pretty reliable cars.
Edited by sens0r on 09/10/2022 at 13:55
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I'm not sure there's anything actually wrong with Vauxhalls. To my mind, they look and feel cheap.
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How I see it, Venga 2 is lacking a lot of features which the Vaxhaull Astra Elite in Option 1 has for only an additional £680 such as:
LOWER MILEAGE ( 28,150 )
LEATHER ELEC HEATED SEATS
NEW TYRES
LEATHER HEATED SEATS
BLUETOOTH PHONE CONNECTIVITY
CRUISE CONTROL
ELECTRIC WINDOWS X 4
And a few other things, so isn't it a better overall package than the Kia Venga 2 or am I missing something here? I know it will be more to tax and insure the Astra but I think since it's a smaller car it will be easier to drive and park by my wife.
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How I see it, Venga 2 is lacking a lot of features which the Vaxhaull Astra Elite in Option 1 has for only an additional £680 such as:
LOWER MILEAGE ( 28,150 )
You need to stop fixating on mileage!. It is (within reason) irrelevant and much less important than the actual condition of the car, the service history and the MOT history. If I was looking at a 10 year old car, I'd set the maximum mileage as 80k, but I'd be happy enough to take something with 100k depending on condition and price.
LEATHER ELEC HEATED SEATS
Leather is only a plus point if you find a desirable option, I don't. Electric adjustment?, nice to have but hardly necessary, and ultimately more to go wrong.
NEW TYRES
This is only a plus point if the tyres are of a decent quality from a brand I recognise and approve of. I'd far rather have a set of 50% worn Michelin's than a brand new set of cheap Chinese 'ditchfinders'.
BLUETOOTH PHONE CONNECTIVITY
You can buy a Bluetooth transmitter off Amazon or Ebay which plugs into the cigarette lighter socket for £15 or less.
CRUISE CONTROL
Must admit I do like cruise control. But as this car is to be used by your wife, mainly in town, does it matter?.
ELECTRIC WINDOWS X 4
The Venga has front elec windows, is having rear ones that important?
I know it will be more to tax and insure the Astra but I think since it's a smaller car it will be easier to drive and park by my wife.
The Astra is 351mm longer and 49mm wider than the Venga. On top of that the Venga also has a much higher seating position, so it should be much easier to navigate urban roads and park than the Astra.
Edited by badbusdriver on 09/10/2022 at 16:25
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Excellent advice there, BBD.
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Adampr may have a point about Vauxhall interiors not living up to the quality feel of some rivals, but in my experience, they are well screwed together, durable (you mention family use) and remain rattle free.
Personally I think you are being swayed by the extra bells and whistles and low mileage of option 1. Option 3 would be my favourite (subject to service/MoT history) as the mileage is still low and the SRi is still well equipped. A major attraction of the Astra is reliable engine and transmission and anywhere can repair them with spares easily obtained.
One other thought. You mention low depreciation. Who knows what the market will be like in 3 or so years time. Second hand prices are still high but pre pandemic, your budget would have just got you into an Astra K.
Edited by Chris M on 09/10/2022 at 16:40
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Adampr may have a point about Vauxhall interiors not living up to the quality feel of some rivals, but in my experience, they are well screwed together, durable (you mention family use) and remain rattle free.
I find the term 'quality feel' problematic when it comes to car interiors. By far the majority of the time it just means that it feels nicer. But that doesn't mean it is of a high quality, and it doesn't mean it will last or be rattle free. Using the term quality on its own, should mean that it is going to last, it is well put together and doesn't rattle.
We had a Meriva new back in 2011 and while there were things about it I didn't like, the dashboard and controls looked and felt a step up from the usual (if not quite up to VAG at the time). Bit of a button fest compared to current cars, but everything always worked (including the EPB) and there was never any rattles during the three years we had it. Front seats were also very comfortable.
Fast forward to now and we find that in their current line up, Vauxhall are keeping physical controls for the heating and ventilation, hallelujah!.
So while the interiors of some Vauxhalls may lack the glitz and glamour of some, IMO, that is a good thing. The driver should be focussing on driving!
Personally I think you are being swayed by the extra bells and whistles and low mileage of option 1. Option 3 would be my favourite (subject to service/MoT history) as the mileage is still low and the SRi is still well equipped.
As I said earlier, I'd prefer the lower spec Exclusiv over the Elite or SRI. It has all the equipment I want (a/c, cruise, elec front windows) along with the more practical (especially for an urban runabout) steel wheels and taller tyres. And lets face it, as reliable as the Astra is, nothing lasts forever, all those extra gadgets are just more things which may go wrong!.
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