Hi Guys
Quite a while since I last posted, nice to see DW and a few of the others are still around.
Anyway I am after a bit of advice, a young lady friend has enlisted my help in selecting a new supermini for her.
She quite fancies a Citroen Saxo and the current £5995 offer has taken her eye.
However I feel that there are probably better deals or motors to be had for this sort of money especially as the Saxo is at the end of its run.
Any suggestions as to what you might chase for this sort of money, there no PX or anything involved it will be a cash deal, I am tempted to get her to look at a Yaris or a Seat, what do you think?
as ever
Mark
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You could perhaps find a facelifted (but not the latest) Seat Ibiza. The handling may be a little less than the now high class average, but the interior build is impeccable.
I had to find something for myself last year on a similar-ish budget and bought a Ford Ka: they're a great drive, look modern, cheap to run and insure, and they perhaps define the Sub-B market in a way that the 106 and Saxo can't, and in the way they're more spacious and driveable than the Arosa and Lupo.
I certainly haven't regretted my decision.
And to reiterate, the Seat Ibiza is a well-spec'd car if you find the right one with aircon, alloys, and it's stylish.
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Current thinking is that Yaris v Fabia for top slot is spot on.
HOWEVER, at the discount price, I would consider a Saxo for my daughter.
Knowing how she (and most young girls) drive (as in end of world if she scratched it), the extra driveability you get for the extra money
may well make the run-out price for the Saxo the winner.
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"I had to find something for myself last year on a similar-ish budget and bought a Ford Ka."
- I love 'em too *but* you do have to a) Put up with a 90mph top speed. b) Be prepared to do the valve clearences every 10k.
Those who love using the feeler gauge should love owning one!
Nice n cheap too!
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I used my Ka on a weekend journey to Sunderland from Portsmouth and back. It was far more comfortable than the Saxo hire car I'd used for the job interview and the same journey.
A base model Saxo is also in the short-list then a 90mph top-speed shouldn't be too much of an issue. And anyway, I've heard the Ka will get up to an indicated 95 - maybe even a tonne. . .
There is rarely an opportunity anyway to even approach the National Speed Limit on the motorways today, let alone exceed it. Which no-one would advocate.
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Go for the yaris rather than the Ka with its ancient engine , you get what you pay for.
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My mum-in-law went from a Ka to a Yaris: the extra doors were a help for a child-seat in the back.
In terms of driveability, Gloria found the Ka's basic engine more usable than that in the Yaris.
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Mark,
If the young lady can afford a new car then part of the pleasure is having what she fancies, even if it isn't the Back Room best buy.
If I had to buy in such a price bracket I would look hard at Yaris and Ka. Either in a nice colour with a CD player will be fine. That Ka engine will be OK (as long as the oil changes are carried out at sensible mileages). After all it must be more refined than a diesel!
;-)
David
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Thanks David
I agree she probably will go for what she likes, she has booked a Saxo test drive for Weds.
I will in the meantime take her to a supermarket site so she can compare all the small cars in this bracket in the course of an afternoon in case she changes her mind.
looking through the web both the Ka and Punto can be found for less than £5995 brand new although it will come down though to the rest of the deal at the end of the day.
Anyway keep the suggestions coming
as ever
Mark
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Dont pay more than £5,250 for a new Ka. If you can't find one for that, don't buy one at all. Absolutely no point in buying a specced up Ka if all they're ever going to put under the bonnet is that ancient lump of Valencia iron.
HJ
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Hey Neil - I'm not slagging of your car!
I love em, I think they're great.
However I doubt this girlie will want to be whipping the rocker cover off every few thousand miles to adjust her clearences.
I imagine she'd rather have a nice modern OHC engine with self adjusting hydrolic tappets.
I'm reliably informed Ka owners can see 100mph on the clock!
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Dont buy a Saxo.
I drive the worst of the worse of them [non turbo diesel] and its a slug, and its small, and the driving position is awful i cant get myself comfy.
[Driving instructor is looking at getting a Focus :-)]
Anything else is better than these.
Kev
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I, er, bought an almost fully-spec'd Ka from new. Well, I got a CD player, the aircon was thrown in, and the insurance deal saved me a substantial amount of money.
Saying that, I don't use the Ka as a runaround: I've had to use it for 8 hour journeys where the combination of a nice environment and a selection of music made the A3/M25/M1/A1/A19 (and the M40/M42 permutation) pass that much more quickly.
If you are buying new then the clearances at every 10k would be done by a dealer - at least for the first couple of years.
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My mother swears by the 106 which is the same car...
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Does it have the strange offset driving position?
Kev
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yaris
yaris
yaris
yaris
yaris
.................................
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Saxo does badly in crash tests too. Not in the same league as modern VAG small cars or a Yaris. That £5995 would indeed buy an awfully nice nearly new Ibiza with all the kit.
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"Does it have the strange offset driving position?"
Never driven it! It's a womans car!
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What then is the mans car you drive?
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Where can you find a new Ka for £5250 please?
Just out of interest.
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Fiat Punto is a much more modern and better value alternative to either Saxo or Ka. I Have driven one and it is surprisingly good.
Try one out - Motorpoint have a large choice for £ 5495.
Marcus
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Absolutely right - as long as you never need to go to a dealer
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"If you are buying new then the clearances at every 10k would be done by a dealer - at least for the first couple of years."
Whereas if you get a car where they adjust themsleves constantly you can do the oil changes yourself and save 3-6 hundred quid over three years ownership...
Even better you could double up on oil changes and have a car that will last longer than a dealer serviced car.
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Neil, you seem very sensitive. If you like your Ka then that great. I've got a mate who loves them too! They look distinctive and have loads of head room. The mags reckon the corner very well too.
Some journalists/people prefer the Yaris. That's ok too.
Why do people jump onto the defensive where cars are concerned? Most people + journalists slag of my bike (Divvy 600). The bike is ideal for my purposes and I don't mind what anyone else thinks.
That said if I come up behind a sports bike on the road I always ride harder to get past him - that must show insecurity of some kind...
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It isn't sensitivity: it's passion!
And, as I'd gone through the process of having 5-7000 pound to spend, and then realising insurance would be a killer, and then wondering what car do I go for, I thought I was qualified to answer.
Also, not only had I driven a selection of small cars, I'd gone the distance and paid for one with hard cash money. I paid for the one which best met my needs and criteria. Therefore, if someone comes up with a minus point in the logic behind buying the Ka - such as "it can only do 95mph, therefore try something else" - then my response has to point out that a) the Ka can exceed an indicated 100mph, b) how often in the real world do you want to drive around at over 95mph?, and therefore c) the person who raised 95mph as a negative point isn't aware of the car's capabilities or the demands of real-world driving, and their opion should perhaps be held in less esteem than that of others. . . No offence.
In all seriousness (the above was a joke), I do like my Ka. I like my wife's Golf more, though. However if steering people with a similar budget towards the Ka will allow them to have as much fun as I do then I'd be doing the world a great disservice if I didn't promote the best sub-B class car on the market.
As for the biking: I ride a 1981 XV750 (a TR1 with a 750 engine) so I'm not going to criticise any other bike, not even a Diversion.
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A Ka is around £5,250 from Trade Sales, Motorpoint, etc. That's what Quentin Willson pays for his, anyway.
HJ
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It's worth remembering that Trade Sales/Motorpoint/&c prices may not include Road Tax, Number Plates, 3 year/60000 mile warranty, and any insurance and 0% finance offers. I considered Trade Sales, Motorpoint, internet, second-hand, and a main dealer.
Once you've added up the costs and benefits of each deal, then make a decision. For me, the insurance and 0% finance was worth 1500 pounds and this was coupled with a 1000 pound discount off the MRP from a Ford main dealer.
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Thanks lads some good points here and I have tried to impress upon her that it is the whole deal that is important not just the screen price.
Anyway she tried the Saxo and was'nt too impressed although the car was not too bad it was the dealer that finally put her off. As primed she asked what the dealer would do as she was a cash buyer and the response was take it or leave it at the screen price. He didnt even take her phone number to see if she might have come round in day or two.
Still we are now off to a supermarket site to look at all the options in this group and then back to trawling the web for deals.
Will let you know how this pans out.
thanks again
as ever
Mark
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