A retired couple I know have asked me for advice. They only drive automatics and the lane they live on goes uphill and joins a fast main road again going uphill. They describe their 1 litre auto metro as a liability as it is so slow to accelerate that they have had a few close ones joining the main road. Does anyone know of a small car (metro/fiesta size) that is automatic but has good low down pickup/acceleration, preferably under £2K. I thought of the Peugeot 106/205 diesels/turbodiesels but am unsure if they are available in auto.
thanks
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There are plenty, Ian, but it strikes me the problem will be getting a decent one under £2000. Very few small auto diesels at that money. I recall the ZX Citroen Diesel did come with auto optoion and they're old enough to be priced under £2k, but pretty rare now. There was a 205 auto with, I believe, a 1.6 petrol engine, but again, not many about.
It's the auto part of the requirement that's the sticking point - they are so few and far between at that price in that size of car.
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you could get a 'bubble shape' nissan micra, £2000 should get you a 1994 L, in a good colour (dont go for green, as its an unlucky colour for a small car), also these cars are very reliable, have timing chains not belts, and are geordie built.
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it only snaps if you dont look after the car.
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And the liklihood of gettinga new shape auto micra for less than £2k is, Lada's......? Yes you're right - not very great!
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have a search on autotrader.co.uk and you will see that £2000 WILL buy a bubble micra.
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if you search the entire country on the autotrader website, you will find a 1996 N, nissan micra 1.3, with 51000 miles, red in colour, three door, and only £1695 ono.
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and of course its an auto box.
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ITS GOT TO BE AN AUTO. LADA'S, AN *AUTOTOMTIC* you know, no gear lever that you move to change gear with. A_U_T_O_M_A_T_I_C........... And there aren't many about Lada's. NOT MANY ABOUT at less than TWO THOUSAND POUNDS.
KB
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if you read the part about the 1996 micra, you will see that the car is an AUTOMATIC.
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Sorry, I give up Ian. I have nothing further to add. But if you give your retired friends the web address of 'Lada's are whatever', I'm sure they'll get some sensible, practical advice based on the experience of a seasoned professional.
As you can see.......
Regards,
KB.
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Ian,
My good lady wife has a Renault 1.4 (petrol) Clio RT auto; the original version.
It's got plenty of go, and the four speed gearbox has a sport mode which gives holds the gears a bit longer giving more acceleration. It would do the sprint out of their country lane very well.
The RT has power steering (very useful for older people, and large Geordies like me), remote locking, electric windows, etc.
They seem to hold their value well, but I've not checked the prices for a while; they seemed high when we got ours, but it's been an excellent car, so perhaps worth the extra. I would highly recommend one.
Just a thought - if you're not spending much money, I'm not sure you'd get a decent Diesel auto for under £2k - someone mentioned a ZX XUD auto, and as much as I liked mine (manual), I'm not sure it'd do the lane sprint in an auto version.
Good Luck,
Lee.
PS - if you don't fancy a Renault, someone will recommend something else soon! :-)
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Peugeot 205 1.6 petrol - fairly nippy & cheap
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I agree Peugeot 205 auto is best bet for a big engine in a smallish car for the low-down speed required. I don't think any of the small Far Eastern cars (Nissan/Suzuki/Hyundai) can hope to compete, simply because the engines are generally too small. I had a Ford Fiesta 1.25 auto which went very well but prices have still to drop below £2K on these later Yamaha-designed engined cars. I can't comment on the earlier CVT Fiestas. The Renault Clio sounds great but I would look at HJ's guide for comments on Renault autos. The Renault 5, which would certainly be well under £2K for an auto, has some form of electrical control and it is totally uneconomical to consider trying to repair when one goes wrong.
The Peugeot 205, which I have seen recently for around £800, might stand up better to being shifted manually and held in the lower gears while joining fast moving traffic. Others with experience might comment on that.
Even rarer than a diesel auto would be a Lancia Beta coupe or HPE auto, but if there are any good ones left would be ideal for this particular requirement. I had a 2-litre coupe with the specially designed AP autobox with sports ratios. Sadly, of course, the marque has other failings.
David
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If they could cope with moving up a size, a Rover 216GSi automatic would be an excellent choice, and much easier to find. Power steering, nice interior and good fuel economy. It's a Honda engine, so it won't break. And not really that much bigger than a Renault Clio when you look at it.
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Agreed on every point - excellent car. My problem is deciding on a replacement which will fit in my garage!
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A few suggestions
-Punto Selecta L/M/N plate.
-Corsa 1.4 Auto ,again L/M plates.
To get an idea of what £ 2000 will buy, try www.autotrader.co.uk with 'automatic' in the keywords.
Good luck
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KB: There is no definite requirement that the car MUST be under £2000.
Also, LAS did say that the particular Micra he was pointing to was in fact an AUTO. !!
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Indeed you're right in what you say, G Hall, but I find it irritating that every time you try and reply to someone with, what you hope is, a helpful and constructive response, you find Lada's popping up with, what is usually a soppy and frivolous one liner that's no good to man nor beast.
I didn't/don't think that a decent £2000 CVT micra would be something that Ian's retired friends would find easy to source. To be nippy, it would need to be the 1.3 and the liklihood of them finding one of those for that sort of money is, I think, doubtful. But if I'm wrong, then so be it.
As it happens, I still think they're better off trying to find a clean Peugeot 1.6 Auto.
But I expect Lada's will be able to top that idea with one of his usual intelligent dispatches.
Thanks for pointing that out though, G, and I hope Ian's friends get sorted with something suitable.
Regards,
KB
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the micra that i found was a 1.3, also the peugeot 205 will not be the cheap tax group, and the 205 is in a higher insurance group because of the bigger engine, and because its related to the 1.6 GTI.
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I don't know why I'm bothering to reply, but Ian's post was entitled 'Need a small car with good acceleration'. It didn't say 'Need a car in a low insurance group'. It went on to describe need for such a request. I gave it some consideration before replying, and the rest is history, as they say.
But, as I said earlier - you know best, so I'll leave it to you in future.
KB.
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thanks, i am glad you see sense in letting me reply instead of you.
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Now, now boys - why don't you all kiss and make-up.
Rita
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