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A few other suggestions.
Mazda 2. Known to be very reliable with a smooth t/c auto and compact dimensions. These are a little taller than a Fiesta but I'm not sure if that translates in to a taller or easier to access seating position. Also, be aware the rear seats are about the least spacious in its class and the boot is nothing to write home about either, so not the most practical.
Suzuki Swift. Also very reliable and should be easy to get in and out of. Not sure the £10k budget would bag a low miles 1.0 Boosterjet (turbo), but a 1.2 Dualjet should suit their needs fine. As with the Mazda, boot isn't too big though rear seat accommodation (IMO and experience) is fine.
Mitsubishi Mirage is a bit of a wild card. Why?, well if you take heed of the motoring press, they'd have you believe it to be about the worst car you can buy full stop! (SLO doesn't like them either). But having looked extensively into owners reviews, what I found out is that by far the majority absolutely love them, raving about the comfort, reliability (in the USA they come with a 10 year warranty!) and low running costs. They are of a similar size to a Swift, so slightly smaller than typical for a supermini, narrower than usual and with very good steering lock (very easy to thread through narrow streets and to park). Well equipped too with heated seats, power fold mirrors, cruise control and DAB radio. Couple of possible downsides are that the auto, while smooth and reliable, is a CVT. Also, Mitsubishi are no longer officially sold in the UK. This has only just happened though, so there definitely won't be any issues getting parts while the most recently sold cars are going to be under warranty (I think UK cars had 5 years). Even after then, I can't see there being any problems getting anything other than some body parts, where you may have a wait getting them sent to the UK.
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Thankyou for your efforts, BBD. I spent some time with my neighbours yesterday, got them a WeBuyAnyCar quote for the existing car, and showed them how to use Autotrader and check MOT histories. They've gone away to have a think about it. I'm hoping that they will buy a laptop before going much further.
Other cars, which may have a torque convertor box, came up in conversation. They include Vauxhall Meriva and Mokka.
I'm sorry that cars like the Peugeot Rifter have been moved into the Vans section of the Reviews on here as it makes them harder to search for. It also seems to have eliminated earlier versions of the Citroen Berlingo car.
The issue of a Nissan Note arose because they saw one, liked the easy access and TC gearbox, but were put off by the high mileage. Access is definitely a fundamental requirement.
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Thankyou for your efforts, BBD. I spent some time with my neighbours yesterday, got them a WeBuyAnyCar quote for the existing car, and showed them how to use Autotrader and check MOT histories. They've gone away to have a think about it. I'm hoping that they will buy a laptop before going much further.
Other cars, which may have a torque convertor box, came up in conversation. They include Vauxhall Meriva and Mokka.
I'm sorry that cars like the Peugeot Rifter have been moved into the Vans section of the Reviews on here as it makes them harder to search for. It also seems to have eliminated earlier versions of the Citroen Berlingo car.
The issue of a Nissan Note arose because they saw one, liked the easy access and TC gearbox, but were put off by the high mileage. Access is definitely a fundamental requirement.
The Mokka is generally regarded as being reliable (low mileage diesels apart), but it is supposed to have a pretty poor ride. This was supposedly addressed on the 2016 facelift when it became the Mokka X, but anecdotal evidence suggests it is still pretty poor.
As for the Meriva, we used to have an early 2nd gen car (a 1.7CDTI with a manual box) and it was comfy enough and spacious. The issues I had with it were that the clutch was quite heavy (not applicable here), there was more road noise than I expected (if your couple don't do a lot of miles, probably not that big a problem) and the rail system between the front seats extended too far back into the rear, meaning a centre rear passenger would have their legs uncomfortably splayed either side of it. But having looked at pictures of cars for sale, I think this must have been sorted when it was facelifted in 2014.
As for the Rifter and its kissing cousins, the Berlingo, Combo Life and (Toyota) Pro-Ace City, there is no way you'd get into a current shape turbo petrol with an auto box for £10K (but they are great cars). The auto on the previous shape is an automated manual like the Toyota they don't like.
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As for the Rifter and its kissing cousins, the Berlingo, Combo Life and (Toyota) Pro-Ace City, there is no way you'd get into a current shape turbo petrol with an auto box for £10K (but they are great cars). The auto on the previous shape is an automated manual like the Toyota they don't like.
Yes, we established that yesterday on Autotrader - not many available at all, regardless of the £10K limit. They had the Auris box repaired some time ago, but it still refuses to go into gear at unfortunate moments. Such a shame as it's otherwise faultless and has sailed through every MOT.
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As for the Rifter and its kissing cousins, the Berlingo, Combo Life and (Toyota) Pro-Ace City, there is no way you'd get into a current shape turbo petrol with an auto box for £10K (but they are great cars). The auto on the previous shape is an automated manual like the Toyota they don't like.
Yes, we established that yesterday on Autotrader - not many available at all, regardless of the £10K limit. They had the Auris box repaired some time ago, but it still refuses to go into gear at unfortunate moments. Such a shame as it's otherwise faultless and has sailed through every MOT.
Yes, well I am also in the position of having an automated manual (AGS in this case) spoil what is otherwise a fantastic wee car, our Suzuki Ignis. Had your couple's budget been high enough to get into a facelfted Ignis auto (which changed to a CVT), I'd have suggested one of them. My dislike of it (thankfully) does not include it refusing to go into gear (though admittedly on occasion it is reluctant to engage reverse) I wouldn't recommend the AGS. It is just such a clumsy and ham fisted device if left in drive, not too bad if you use manual mode but that defeats the point!.
Going by what you have said, my gut instinct is that the Venga/ix20 would suit their needs best. But of course they need to actually like it too!.
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Going by what you have said, my gut instinct is that the Venga/ix20 would suit their needs best. But of course they need to actually like it too!.
Having sat in one, it's my gut instinct too, BBD. Fortunately, there's one for sale nearby which they can take a look at.
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I think the only negative to do with a venga/ ix20 is that the auto is known for doing poor mpg around town.
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BBD - do you know who is supplying Suzuki with the CVT? I am hoping not JATCO. In my experience they are smoother than Aisin CVTs but as we all know, much less reliable.
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BBD - do you know who is supplying Suzuki with the CVT? I am hoping not JATCO. In my experience they are smoother than Aisin CVTs but as we all know, much less reliable.
Yes it's a jatco box the same one used in Nissan's infact my Nissan qashqai had a jatco CVT box and once again like all my car's not a problem, I find if you follow the maintenance schedule and have even a small degree of mechanical sympathy they tend to not just exploded on you
Edited by dan86 on 03/07/2022 at 18:23
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Always good to hear of positive experiences, what is the service schedule for the cvt?
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Always good to hear of positive experiences, what is the service schedule for the cvt?
Can't remember off the top of my head but I got a suspicion it was 30000 miles or 3 years. I've gone back to a manual car ow for the time being
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“ Mitsubishi Mirage is a bit of a wild card. Why?, well if you take heed of the motoring press, they'd have you believe it to be about the worst car you can buy full stop! (SLO doesn't like them either). But having looked extensively into owners reviews, what I found out is that by far the majority absolutely love them, raving about the comfort, reliability (in the USA they come with a 10 year warranty!) and low running costs.”
I hate them. I used to sell their predecessors, the Mitsubishi Colt, of various generations and the difference in quality between them and the horrid Mirage is incredible. It’s a cheaply made car designed and built by a bankrupt manufacturer and largely intended for the third world. Will it be reliable? Yes, I believe it will, there’s not much to go wrong. But I can’t recommend one as they’re rubbish in every other regard. I’m probably more hostile than others against the wee car as I remember Mitsubishi’s 80’s and 90’s high quality offerings with much fondness. The Mirage is the last dregs of a once great car company.
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“ Mitsubishi Mirage is a bit of a wild card. Why?, well if you take heed of the motoring press, they'd have you believe it to be about the worst car you can buy full stop! (SLO doesn't like them either). But having looked extensively into owners reviews, what I found out is that by far the majority absolutely love them, raving about the comfort, reliability (in the USA they come with a 10 year warranty!) and low running costs.”
I hate them. I used to sell their predecessors, the Mitsubishi Colt, of various generations and the difference in quality between them and the horrid Mirage is incredible. It’s a cheaply made car designed and built by a bankrupt manufacturer and largely intended for the third world. Will it be reliable? Yes, I believe it will, there’s not much to go wrong. But I can’t recommend one as they’re rubbish in every other regard. I’m probably more hostile than others against the wee car as I remember Mitsubishi’s 80’s and 90’s high quality offerings with much fondness. The Mirage is the last dregs of a once great car company.
I guess I can understand that SLO, but I feel you may be in danger of putting your own animosity towards the Mirage before the requirements of the person looking for a car.
There is no way I'd suggest a Mirage to someone looking for a car that is fun to drive for example, or someone who may have otherwise been thinking about an Audi A1. But for someone just looking for reliable transport, something small, well equipped and easy to use, I would have no qualms recommending a (2016 facelift onwards) Mirage, especially so if the person wanted an auto.
Will it be reliable? Yes, I believe it will, there’s not much to go wrong. But I can’t recommend one as they’re rubbish in every other regard.
As a counterpoint to this sweeping statement, here is an owners review from Autotrader:
I used to own the Mitsu i-car, which I loved. I test drove the Mirage launch model and I was disappointed. The steering and handling were indeed terrible as reported in other reviews. I went ahead and bought another car, which I hated. I now own the Mirage Juro, and I love it. The new Juro model seems to have addressed the much reported steering and handling problems. The fuel economy is better than any other car that I've ever owned, and compares well against the stated figures. The seat is very comfortable, unlike in so many other small cars. The driving position is excellent, with my clutch foot resting in the same position as my accelerator foot. The automatic gearbox is brilliant, the ratio changes are flawlessly smooth. Grip is better than I had expected. Ride comfort is good, and engine/road/wind noise is acceptable for a modern small car. The lack of rolling resistance makes it feel a bit like a rollercoaster, which adds a little bit of fun factor along with the engine growl when driven hard. And it looks really smart in atlantic grey! Overall this is a car for my head _and_ my heart: the build quality, the quality of the Mitsu switchgear, the high equipment spec, the ergonomics, the comfort, the economy are all excellent. The only downside I would say is the boot is not very practical, and that the interior trim materials are less good than in the i-car. If you want a good small automatic car I would look at this one. It compares very well against the Yaris Hybrid, and its a lot cheaper.
Edited by badbusdriver on 01/07/2022 at 09:51
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You’ll find positive reviews about almost every car, no matter how bad it is. I remember people locally who swore by Lada’s and my old driving instructor who loved his God awful Hyundai Pony - it was so bad that I refused to drive it and used my old MG Metro instead despite its tendency to break down.
It’s often said that there are no genuinely bad cars these days, but the two which come closest to this are the Mitsubishi Mirage and the Ford Ecosport. At least the former will be reliable though.
Edited by SLO76 on 01/07/2022 at 12:51
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What's an mm box?
Think it was short for Multi Mode, but essentially an automated manual (I think they were all single clutch)
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Think it was short for Multi Mode, but essentially an automated manual (I think they were all single clutch)
Correct on both accounts and abandoned by Toyota as it was costing them too much in warranty claims.
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What's an mm box?
Think it was short for Multi Mode, but essentially an automated manual (I think they were all single clutch)
Thanks
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Adampr suggested "Suzuki Splash"
I've got the Vauxhall version, an Agila B. He's driven it and likes it, but I think they regard it as slightly too small. That's why Venga/ix20 are obvious suggestions.
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They ended up buying an Agila B - exactly like mine, but a year younger (2010) and very low mileage. The one my daughter owns (2008) has just hit 77K miles and needed a new wheel bearing - the only out-of-the-ordinary replacement it has needed.
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Do I win a prize for getting closest? My mum had an original Agila. It was red, so she looked like Postman Pat in it, albeit a little slower
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