I hope no-one will start trying to talk me out of an Agila, because it's taken us a while to get this far, and it does look to me like a very good VFM kind of car. The high seats and the easy loading boot appeal to me, and I've looked at the Car by Car Breakdown and searched the discussion forums without being put off.
So specifically, the local dealer is offering:
1. Pre-registered but basically new bottom of the range Agilas for £5395: 1.0 litre engine, radio only and not even a parcel shelf! I think they'd have a 54 plate. Failed to ask if they had ABS. They have them in dark blue or Postman Pat red: hmmmm, a hard choice ... They bought a load in at the end of the year to meet their quota and are now offloading them cheap, says the salesman.
2. A 52 plate 1.2 Enjoy, comes with roof bars fitted, radio/cassette, parcel shelf. 16,000 miles, silver, £5295. Again forgot to ask about the brakes.
3. An 02 plate 1.2 Enjoy, with roofbars, radio-cassette, parcel shelf. 33,000 miles, bright blue I think (it was dark when I saw it!), £4795. Brakes were completely out of my head at the time ...
Now I have never had a brand new car before, and I can't say I'm that keen to start now, think I would prefer a slightly higher spec. But please could someone advise whether it is worth spending that extra £500 for the car with much lower mileage?
And if we go for the cheapest option, is there anything scary we should know about an Agila that's done 33,000 miles?
And how far down should we try to go in any case? Haggling isn't our strong point, but I could offer NOT to insist on trading in our Saab, which they do NOT want to take!
We expect to do about 10,000 miles per year, mostly in and around town, usually no more than 2 of us in the car but occasionally need to squeeze 3 tall teenagers in the back ...
Thanks for any help, people.
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Have a look at a suzuki wagon r before you decide. 1.3l engine might be better with 5 aboard. Comes with roof bars, and the 3 seat belts in the back you may need for those tall teenagers - isn't the agila a 4 seater?
54 reg with 10 on clock and CD player available for £6,000 on autotrader.
I have done 16,000 in mine and whilst it is not a comfort vehicle it is a sound round town kid wagon/wheelbarrow.
I'm not talking you out of an agila - i'm talking you into a wagon.
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At the end of the day the agila/wagon R is virtually the same vehicle so if you like the one the other should be ok too
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suzuki is a better car 5999 for brand new wagon r gl is possible
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I agree with Huw - the Wagon R is almost identical to the Agila. Don't necessarily be confined to your local dealer - try www.autotrader.co.uk and you should have a good choice of both Agilas and Wagon Rs.
I'd always go for the bigger engine - more performance and little or no loss of economy (as you'd be working the smaller engine harder to keep going). Beware of very low mileages, as this could mean that the car has been doing short journeys and bever got properly warmed up. However 16,000 isn't too low. I just think your dealer sounds expensive - although going to a Vauxhall dealer gives you the advantage of the Network Q scheme.
Good luck!
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Anyone confirm the agila is only a 4 seater? Wagon has only been a 5 seater from 03.
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In terms of value for money, the new one seems by far the best deal. 3 year warranty, probably 3 years breakdown cover, brand new tyres, brakes, exhaust etc, and you know it hasn't been abused. According to the vauxhall web site, the bottom of the range model (Expression) does have ABS.
Re the radio, you can buy a fascia adaptor and a cd/radio for less than £100. For example, see here for fascia adaptors: www.clarionworld.co.uk/install/vauxhall.asp . So I don't think that's really a factor. And how much can a parcel shelf be? £50 tops?
The engine is the big difference - on paper the 1.2 looks a *lot* more powerful (79 bhp vs a paltry 57 for the 1.0). But then if it's mostly town work, it won't really make much difference. I find with these small engines the paper stats don't really tell the whole story - your best bet may be to try driving both the 1.0 and the 1.2 and see if the difference is significant for you.
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pre-reg may have been registered the day before abs became compulsory, lots of cars were pre-regd for that very reason
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suzuki would have cd player etc, better spec, free servicing deal is also possible although not sure at what price point
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Is the 'Enjoy' badge on the back some sort of cheap joke?
£4795 seems an absolutely exortionate amount of money for a 3 year old example of a car like an Agila. Mind you, perhaps not as bad as I originally thought, just checked the new price and its over £8000! For a small box with a 1.2 litre engine.
Surely a used Yaris would be a better choice?
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www.sycamores.co.uk has a 53 plate 1.2 Enjoy with 6,200 miles on it for £4,995, which seems like a good compromise between age and specification. It's a Vauxhall Network Q car too.
However, please tell me you've looked at and dismissed the Kia Picanto, Hyundai Getz and above all, the Fiat Panda (as you want the height) before chosing the Agila?
You can get a new, reasonably well equipped example of all three for under £6,000 (although not the Getz 5 door, but it does come with a year's insurance and a 5 year, unlimited mileage to make up for the few hundred extra it costs.)
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If it's any help, my old English teacher had a Wagon R then got a brand new Agila.
He then got rid of the Agila and got another Wagon R....
--
Adam
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However, please tell me you've looked at and dismissed the Kia Picanto, Hyundai Getz and above all, the Fiat Panda (as you want the height) before chosing the Agila?
I haven't had a lot of time to go round garages since first posting, but I have read HJ's car by car breakdowns and roadtests. It seems I am too old for a Kia Picanto, and too young for a Hyundai Getz ...
As for the Panda, the 50/50 rear seat split is I think a valid factor against. We are downsizing from a CAVERNOUS boot and I suspect we will need to use a 40/60 split a lot more than we do at the moment.
I've also kept my beady eye open while walking around: if you spot a lady of a certain age walking around cars like the above, you'll know why ...
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I ran a 2000 Suzuki Wagon R for 24,000miles until my wife murdered it. Looked at the Agila but didn't buy for the following reasons.
1. Its a Vauxhall and every Vx dealer has treated me like dirt.
2. This was my 3 Suzuki and the local dealer is brilliant.
3. No Auto option on the Agila which I wanted.
4. I negotiated between 2 dealers and got a good deal which was £ 9,140 on the road for a 1.3 Auto with A/C.
A/C is a dealer fit £ 1,200 option.
5. Its a Vauxhall and if you run an Agila you're running the bottom of the range car in the Vx range whereas it's middling in the Suzuki range.
6. I'd always been treated very well at the Suzuki dealers regarding Warranty etc.
7. The Suzuki 1.3 is excellent the Vx 1.2 is naff!
Ran it for 28 months before the wife dumped it into a ditch and got £ 5,900 from the insurance Co. Consumption was around 36-40 MPG driven very hard.
And before anyone knocks it drive one, most of my mates took the pee, then rode or drove it. Several said I now see the point"
Jim
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Thanks for all your comments chaps, will continue to ponder ... and hopefully persuade t'other half to put decision off until AFTER our holiday next week: he's keen to get it sorted, I'd rather get it right as long as it happens before we have to re-tax the Saab ...
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Bought my mother a Suzuki Wagon R+ Special Auto (what a mouthful!).
Great car. Main complaint is the ride is jittery, but the engine is very good and it is simple to drive and get into/out of. Excellent for a little runabout for around town, especially for those who are less mobile on their feet or with bad backs.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Would someone PLEEEEEEEEEZE sugest Sue looks at the new Panda!!
She doesn't believe me, when I point her in that direction !!
VB
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Personally I would rather have a Panda, Picanto or especially a Getz, not that there's anything wrong with the Wagon R/Vx Agila but they are getting on a bit now and the inside is second class, even to the Koreans cars.
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OK, I give in, I will LOOK at a Panda, although what I've seen from HJ's car by car breakdown hasn't yet won me over. Am I meant to be looking at the 2005 model (4 x 4, about which not a lot is said) or the 2003-2004 model?
(It's an emotional thing, like the Mint credit card adverts: I was emotionally scarred by close contact with other people's Pandas ... and that word 'underpowered' in his test drive report didn't help any, having come close to death several times as a passenger in an underpowered Panda trying to pull out from a slip road onto the A3 a few times.)
I will also look at what HJ says about those others you're all so insistent about. And we will definitely look at a Wagon R - although the Which guide says it is a foot shorter than the Agila? Is that right? Does the load space compare?
And I will definitely check that any Agila we buy has 3 seats in the back. New one definitely does.
The good news is that whereas t'other half wanted to make a definite decision and put a deposit down NOW (or preferably yesterday) he has agreed that as we haven't yet been in the same city during the hours of daylight any day this week it's not going to happen!
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The 1.0 Agila (60 bhp, 0-60 in 16.7) is underpowered, though the 1.2 is surprisingly quick (0-60 in 12.2) though the brick like aerodynamics limit it to 100 mph. Whilst you probably don't want to do 100 mph very often, if ever, it does imply it won't be too happy cruising at 80 but, never having driven one, I could be wrong. The quick acceleration but low top speed could also imply short gearing, meaning poor fuel economy.
In comparison, the 1.1 Panda does 0-60 in 14.7 and the 1.2 manages it in 13.7, which is probably where you would expect a basic small car to be. At that sort of performance level, it will keep up with traffic, if not win races. The 1.3 diesel shaves off a further second 0-60.
Any of these cars will need to be worked hard to join a motorway safely but, if you do so, anything with a sub-15 second 0-60 time can keep up, if you plan ahead and aren't scared of leaving it in third past 50.
For comparison purposes, the 1.1 Getz only manages 0-60 in 15.7 and the Picanto 1.1 in 14.8.
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You shouldn't compare the original Panda to the new one, the latest one is technically several generations better. If the Panda is underpowered perhaps you should check the 0-60 of the Agila 1.0 as it?s slower. Personally I would buy a Getz Pre-reg for £5500 with 3 years free servicing (one of the top cars in a recent Which? reliability survey).
The Agila and Wagon R bodies are identical just the engines and equipment that changes.
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You shouldn't compare the original Panda to the new one, the latest one is technically several generations better. If the Panda is underpowered perhaps you should check the 0-60 of the Agila 1.0 as it?s slower. Personally I would buy a Getz Pre-reg for £5500 with 3 years free servicing (one of the top cars in a recent Which? reliability survey).
No, I know I shouldn't compare the original to the new Panda, but I find it really hard not to. I am also aware that the Pandas I knew and loathed were driven by neurotic females who thought 50mph was fast. I'm not (neurotic) and I don't (think 50 mph is fast). My first car was a Renault 6, and I think it only had a 750 cc engine, and I didn't have many problems getting off slip roads and onto motorways.
Anyway, thanks to everyone for continued hints and tips!
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Wagon R & Agila are built on the same shell, so no same size. Different Mechanics though. I think both built in Hungary or Poland, certainly lots of GM/Hungary labels on th bits in the Suzy.
1.3 deffo not under powered, used to do the Chatham-Bracknell 75 mile commute in mine in the early days and it was fine. Probably choose the manual for that rather than the Auto, but originally only doing 15 mile commute.
Slow definitely not, used to regularly hassle BMWs & Mondeos out of their stupor & the outside lane generally at 80+ indicated..... Most I ever saw was 100MPH but that was down hill and ... abroad.
Massive amount of space in all 4 seats had a 6ft 1" guy in the back of mine and 4 big built guys & all of our boating kit from Dover to Eastbourne and although it killed the top speed & fuel economy no problems.
The 1.0 is the 4 cylinder (I think) engine which we had in the Alto and that was great, could be the 3 cylinder which was in the Swift and that is mega torquey & surprisingly quick. Driven hard everywhere ours did 46MPG and again didn't get overtaken often. Most Suzuki dealers are relatively small family co's who are determined to please and thats why I ran them.
Although I run an Alfa now most the the Fiat/Alfa dealerships haven't impressed me. Mine is now maintained in an Alfa/Merc dealership.
Jim
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