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Fri 12 Jun 2020 18:33

Any - Good second hand car advice - up north

Looking for a car with a budget of around £7k low mileage, 3 year old, to last a few years.

So below are a few with decent reviews . ..

Skoda Citigo 5 door Colour Edition March 2018 ex fleet less than 12k miles available 6.5 to 7k.

Suzuki Swift and Baleno with 1.0 boosterjet engine just over 7k for 2017 with 20k

Hyundai i10 1.2 premium 2017 just over £7k

Any thoughts would be most welcome!

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Fri 12 Jun 2020 18:46

Any - Good second hand car advice - Avant

Add the Toyota Yaris to your shortlist. 1.3 or 1,5 better than 1.0. You should be able to get one with some of the 5-year warranty remaining if it has a full Toyota service history, and they have an excellent reputation for reliability.

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Fri 12 Jun 2020 18:53

Any - Good second hand car advice - nellyjak

As above...definitely add the Yaris to your list if you are looking for reliability.My wife is on her 4th consecutive Yaris...none have been a scrap of trouble requiring only routine services etc.

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Fri 12 Jun 2020 19:38

Any - Good second hand car advice - daveyjp

Our 3 year old 20,000 mile Yaris 1.5 is probably around that value.

Only expense over and above annual service is two punctures within weeks of each other!

Edited by daveyjp on 12/06/2020 at 19:39

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Fri 12 Jun 2020 20:07

Any - Good second hand car advice - badbusdriver

There is a fair variety in sizes of the cars you mention from the Citigo, which is a strictly 4 seat city car with a pretty small boot, to the Baleno, which is somewhere between a supermini (Polo) and a small family hatchback (Golf) with a fairly generous boot capacity (for its size). Do you have any particular space requirements?, kids, dogs, etc?. If not, i'd be happy enough to go with any of them.

Though to an extent, that does depend a little on what kind of useage you plan. The two Suzuki's are going to be much more comfortable at motorway speeds due to the combination of good power output and light weight. The Baleno, as i hinted at earlier, is the most spacious of the lot, with the Swift not too far behind, followed by the i10 (which is, for a city car, fairly spacious and has 5 seatbelts) and the Citigo last, though still reasonably spacious (within the limitations of having 4 seats).

As for alternatives, while the Yaris (as mentioned) is a great choice, and you'd struggle to find a more reliable option, that does mean that you will have a very limited choice if you want a 3 year old car for £7k. Even upping the budget to £7.5k, there are only six 3 year old Yaris' on Autotrader (excluding the basic 1.0, and insurance write-offs).

Regarding the Citigo, while they are decent enough little cars, be aware that there are two engine options, a 60bhp or 75bhp (both 1.0). I'd probably try to avoid the lower powered version unless most journeys will be in town

The Hyundai is a good shout, very reliable and very well equipped in premium trim. But you might as well also look at the i10's sister car, the Kia Picanto. This has the same running gear but came with a 7 year warranty (the i10 has 5). Also, the next size up for both Hyundai (i20) and Kia (Rio) are worth a look.

Mazda 2 and Honda Jazz are both great little cars and exceptionally reliable, but, like the Yaris, choice is going to be very limited/non existent regarding getting a 3 year old example for £7-7.5k.

Edited by badbusdriver on 12/06/2020 at 20:12

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Mon 15 Jun 2020 09:43

Any - Good second hand car advice - up north

Probably average mileage each year and agree with your helpful advice, thank you. Owned a late 16 plate Mazda 2 1.5 SEL and it was awful due to wind noise. Great mpg and low tax, but not great to drive. Bought with 19k and sold within 6 months. Interestingly a family member has a 2007 Mazda 2 1.6 capella, their version of the Ford Fusion, I actually prefered driving that!

Yaris would be nice, but as you say more pricey. Have had new Fiesta both petrol and diesel but don't fancy another, so guess I just want any mentioned that comes up as a bargain. Suzuki seem reliable and 1ltr boosterjet sounds great, if proven, as now replaced, I believe.

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Mon 15 Jun 2020 11:27

Any - Good second hand car advice - Engineer Andy

Are you sure that the problem with the Mazda2 was wind noise? I drove the same version in SE spec as a courtesy car for a day and had no issues whilst at speed?

Whilst Mazdas have been known for a firm ride over the years (but not as much as the German makes), a set of worn tyres or ones notorious for noise have been known to be fitted - my Mazda3 (2005 vintage) was factory fitted with Bridgestone ER30s, which were considered poor tyres generally and were absolutely terrible on road noise.

Whilst I've been a fan of Mazdas (except the diesels) for a good while, I've not been impressed with their selection of OEM tyres. They have often gone for Bridgestones, which used to be brilliant up to the mid 2000s, then took a big downturn until quite recently, and are still IMHO behind the pack in terms of premium and even mid-range brands.

Their more recent cars (of the SkyActiv type) have been either fitted with Bridgestone Turanza ER300 (OK at best), Dunlop Ecosaves (no idea about them usage-wise because they are almost impossible to source in the UK) & SportMaxx RT (upper models on 18in rims, good on dry grip, ok-ish on everything else except wear [very poor], expensive/hard to source in Europe), Toyo NanoEnergy R38 or 2 (OK-ish, much better in the dry) and a few others.

From reading Mazda owners' forums, owners change out the OEMs as quickly as they can afford to because they often come with not so good wet handling, average life and...poor noise. I also suspect that yours may have had either the OEM Dunlop Ecosaves or a replacement set of tyres if you bought it second hand, and one other thing (up until very recently) Mazdas were not good on was sound-proofing - not so bad if you have a brand new or decent set of tyres that aren't inherrantly noisy, not so good for noisier or budget tyres.

Whatever you choose, make sure you get a good length test drive in across a range of different road types and speeds, including on the rougher surfaced roads, not just smooth tarmac at 30-40mph. A set of poor (or good) tyres can all the difference to ride quality, handling and comfort (including noise) on many occasions.

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Mon 15 Jun 2020 18:38

Any - Good second hand car advice - up north

According to Mazda it was, and their head Mechanic said he'd never heard a noise like it and tested others and told me they were similar. See my review as an owner on Honestjohn. The car is noted as being lacking in sound proof and wind noise being bad from rear pillar. It was sorted in the 2020 facelift. The car was ok but by no means fun or great to drive, unless I had a bad one! Drove a 75bhp and again nothing great. I took the dealers word that it was severe wilndnoise after they had it twice for two weeks. So sold it as unbearable. Bought from a dealer and just under the 3 year warranty. I liked it on the first drives and put cross climates on, so no noise from tyres. Thanks again.

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Tue 16 Jun 2020 11:44

Any - Good second hand car advice - Engineer Andy

Interesting. I just hope it was the exception rather than the rule. The one I had as a courtesy car was back in 2017/18 if I recall and was also the low-powered version. I'll keep an eye on that sort of issue when I am on the lookout for a replacement of my Mazda3.

Mazda still seem to have some quality control issues compared to Toyota - I know there also was a problem with the AC condensers with the 2 and realted CX-3 of the same vintage.

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Fri 12 Jun 2020 23:48

Any - Good second hand car advice - SLO76

All good cars, but I’d add the Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2 to the list. To be fair, I doubt a good well cared for example of any of them would be a problem but try them out and buy the one you like.

The wee Hyundai is hard to fault as a budget buy especially an approved used example with a full dealer history and some of that lovely 5yr warranty left. Remember that if it doesn’t have a full main dealer history the warranty is effectively void despite what the salesman tells you. Walk away and pay extra for one that does. The Yaris also comes with a 5yr warranty again if you maintain a dealer history.

If you want fun and you enjoy driving however it’s the Mazda 2 or the Suzuki Swift you’ll want to be in. Both are a hoot to pilot and offer excellent reliability and low running costs too.

Edited by SLO76 on 12/06/2020 at 23:51

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Mon 15 Jun 2020 09:46

Any - Good second hand car advice - up north

Many thanks, see reply above re Mazda 2, but agree about the Hyundai and Suzuki.

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Mon 15 Jun 2020 10:06

Any - Good second hand car advice - SLO76

Many thanks, see reply above re Mazda 2, but agree about the Hyundai and Suzuki.

Very surprised you’d say that, you’re the first person I’ve heard criticise the Mazda 2 as being unpleasant to drive. I very much disagree but it’s all down to personal opinion and both the Hyundai and Suzuki would be excellent options. I’d advise taking decent test drives in each however as both aren’t particularly quiet at speed and if you found the Mazda poor I suspect you would find the same here. Possibly there was a problem with a door seal on the car you had.

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Mon 15 Jun 2020 16:06

Any - Good second hand car advice - badbusdriver

Interestingly a family member has a 2007 Mazda 2 1.6 capella, their version of the Ford Fusion, I actually prefered driving that!

We actually had a Fusion in 2005 and i thought it was a brilliant, highly underrated car, so i understand where you are coming from.

Owned a late 16 plate Mazda 2 1.5 SEL and it was awful due to wind noise. Great mpg and low tax, but not great to drive. Bought with 19k and sold within 6 months.

As to the Mazda 2, like others, i am very surprised at your comments. While i have not driven one myself, i have read plenty of road tests and owners reviews with pretty much entirely positive opinions. As SLO says, possibly a door seal problem, or indeed the alignment of the door itself.

I'd also agree with SLO that test drives, including motorway speeds, need to be done to see how you find any new car. In my original reply i mentioned the Suzuki's good performance due to the decent power of the Boosterjet engine in combination with light weight. The light weight is achieved, at least in part, through less insulation than rivals. So while the Swift may be great fun to drive, and pretty quick, refinement is not a word you'd associated with it!.

Suzuki seem reliable and 1ltr boosterjet sounds great, if proven, as now replaced, I believe

As far as i am aware, the Boosterjet has not been replaced, nor are there any plans to. The Baleno, at least in this country, is no longer offered due to poor sales, is this what you are thinking about?.

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Mon 15 Jun 2020 18:53

Any - Good second hand car advice - up north

'1.0-litre no longer on sale

Previously, the Swift was available with a 1.0-litre turbocharged engine, referred to as Boosterjet. These engines have 111hp and boast a 0-62mph time of 10.6 seconds with a'

The above is from Parker's, so not sure. May have been replaced with the 1.4 boosterjet., but at least it is in the ones up to three years old.

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Mon 15 Jun 2020 18:41

Any - Good second hand car advice - up north

As I say I can only speak as an owner, see above and review on Honestjohn....maybe I just had a bad one, it happens, so I accept your view, thanks

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