Good small cars?

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Sun 14 Nov 2010 18:47
Good small cars? - P3t3r

Do they exist?

I'm trying to find one that will fit in my garage without struggling. My garage has a 2m opening, once it's inside I still need to be able to open the door, although the garage is a little wider (maybe 1ft) inside. This makes my choice of cars very limited. A Honda Jazz won't even fit, with the mirrors it's wider than the opening, and a Grande Punto would leave me with 3cm of space each side.

At the top of my list is the Fiat 500 TwinAir. Performance is probably ok, if I can get used to the turbo lag, and I need to check about the fuel consumption. The 500 is a big compromise though. The Panda is much more practical, but you can't get the TwinAir engine or many of the extras.

The Hyundai i10 is ok to to drive, but felt VERY cheap, was too bouncy and I've heard about people having problems with paint/rust. The Smart car was pretty awful. I didn't like the handling of the C1/107/Aygo. I tried sitting in a Mazda MX5, which was a struggle, and I couldn't get into a position where I would be able to drive the car. The Skoda Fabia (1.2 Turbo) is a possibility, but it's very ugly, very heavy, a bit wider, longer than I would like (I'll need to rearrange my garage), and I'm not sure about the fuel consumption.

Does anybody know if there are any cars that will be suitable for me? btw my previous car was an 899cc Fiat Seicento and did everything I need. It was very small, very practical, fun, and could get almost 60mpg.

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Sun 14 Nov 2010 19:38
Good small cars? - daveyjp

There aren't that many - some you may not have considered

Toyota IQ - You need to decide is it's worth much more than an Aygo.

Ford Ka

Suzuki Alto

Subaru Justy - same as Alto

Chevrolet Spark

Twingo

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Sun 14 Nov 2010 19:47
Good small cars? - Vitesse6

Chevrolet Matiz - cheap as chips and very narrow. Quite a high driving position and so easy to get in and out of. 1 litre engine quite nippy round town if a little tiresome at motorway speeds.

Bought the wife one 3 years ago and in 20,000 miles the only warranty work needed was to adjust the handbrake.

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Sun 14 Nov 2010 21:40
Good small cars? - P3t3r

There aren't that many - some you may not have considered

Toyota IQ - You need to decide is it's worth much more than an Aygo.

Ford Ka

Suzuki Alto

Subaru Justy - same as Alto

Chevrolet Spark

Twingo

Ford KA is very similar to the 500, does look as good, and is significantly wider. IQ is a similar width to the KA, it's ugly on the inside, ugly on the outside, expensive, and I bet it's as bad as the Aygo to drive. The Spark and Twingo are also a similar width. The boot is too narrow on the Alto.

I think I may need to get a 500. Unlike most small cars, you can get xenon lights, leather seats, a good hi-fi system, sat nav, and Fiat's blu-and-me with eco-drive.

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Sun 14 Nov 2010 22:02
Good small cars? - colinh

It's not the width of the car that is the problem, it's the configuration of the doors, i.e., a four door is better than a 2 door because the door leaf is shorter. In theory a Mondeo can get through a 2m opening, but you won't be able to open the doors. Unfortunately manufacturers' literarature can be misleading, and it's best to physically check

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Sun 14 Nov 2010 22:21
Good small cars? - Pat L

Do you really need to put the car in a garage? If not, why let this determine what car you buy?

I've got a garage and neither of our cars are housed there (I've turned the garage into a home gym!) - no apparent deterioration of the cars parked on the drive.

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Sun 14 Nov 2010 22:34
Good small cars? - P3t3r

Do you really need to put the car in a garage? If not, why let this determine what car you buy?

I could never go back to parking outside. Seriously, it seems like madness after having a garage. During the next few months you will probably be standing outside scraping ice off your car. I will get into a clear, and warmer car. Even the engine will be happier with the extra warmth. In the summer the car remains much cooler and doesn't get covered in dust as quickly. Not to mention the damage that may happen outside.

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Mon 15 Nov 2010 18:07
Good small cars? - jonny1

Do you really need to put the car in a garage? If not, why let this determine what car you buy?

I could never go back to parking outside. Seriously, it seems like madness after having a garage. During the next few months you will probably be standing outside scraping ice off your car. I will get into a clear, and warmer car. Even the engine will be happier with the extra warmth. In the summer the car remains much cooler and doesn't get covered in dust as quickly. Not to mention the damage that may happen outside.

I agree.Dont see the point leaving car costing £1000s outside when you have a garage.I think a lot of people leave cars out on street because either they are to lazy to open and close garage or it is already full with £10s worth of broken bikes and other junk.Also i wonder if on insurance proposal it has been declared that they spend overnight on the street or in a locked garage.

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Sun 14 Nov 2010 22:29
Good small cars? - P3t3r

It's not the width of the car that is the problem, it's the configuration of the doors, i.e., a four door is better than a 2 door because the door leaf is shorter. In theory a Mondeo can get through a 2m opening, but you won't be able to open the doors. Unfortunately manufacturers' literarature can be misleading, and it's best to physically check

It's the size including mirrors that I'm looking at. Whether the doors can be opened is another problem. My current car (Fiat Panda) is narrower than all of these cars, but it can be difficult to get out unless I park very close to the wall. This is also a 5 door car. The 500 is a 3 door car. I've parked one in my garage before and it was considerably harder than my Panda IIRC.

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Mon 15 Nov 2010 07:18
Good small cars? - AndyT
There is the Peugeot 1007, which is 1.66M wide, with sliding doors. Judging by the Honest John review, it was only made between 2005-2008.

Wouldn't be my first choice, but if the shoe fits...
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Mon 15 Nov 2010 09:16
Good small cars? - injection doc

"I didn't like the handling of the C1/107/Aygo"
are you sure ? were the tyres OK ? wher did you drive it ? and were you trying to do 100+ round a sharp bend ?

amoungst our family fleet we have two and between the four of us its always the prefferd choice of transport, excellent fun and nippy and 60+mpg and I have never had an issue with iether on handelling! fantastic for going round bends because the wheels are in all four corners and sometimes I have pushed it on well more than everage!

far far better than my daughters seicento, and in fact she got rid of hers & purchased a C1 herself as she would never drive the fiat with hard brakes and heavey clutch and and full of rattles and so noisey!

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Mon 15 Nov 2010 17:43
Good small cars? - P3t3r

"I didn't like the handling of the C1/107/Aygo"
are you sure ? were the tyres OK ? wher did you drive it ? and were you trying to do 100+ round a sharp bend ?

amoungst our family fleet we have two and between the four of us its always the prefferd choice of transport, excellent fun and nippy and 60+mpg and I have never had an issue with iether on handelling! fantastic for going round bends because the wheels are in all four corners and sometimes I have pushed it on well more than everage!

far far better than my daughters seicento, and in fact she got rid of hers & purchased a C1 herself as she would never drive the fiat with hard brakes and heavey clutch and and full of rattles and so noisey!

A lot of people seem to think that they handle well.

The first one I drove was an Aygo, and it was awful. Performance was dull, handling was almost scary, it was too bouncy on some surfaces and the visibility was poor. It was the worst car I have ever driven (I've found some which are worse now).

The second one was the 107. I thought this was great, on the country roads I found it very enjoyable, performance was fun and it absorbed the bumps pretty well.

The last one was the C1. This was dissapointing again. This drive was mostly in town, and I really didn't like the feel of it in corners. Maybe it's just slow, tight turns that I don't like in it? Performance didn't feel as good either.

I don't know whether I should try to get a longer test drive? The other thing that I didn't like was the fact that there were no centre air vents in the car.

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Mon 15 Nov 2010 17:52
Good small cars? - madf

Do they exist?

I'm trying to find one that will fit in my garage without struggling. My garage has a 2m opening, once it's inside I still need to be able to open the door, although the garage is a little wider (maybe 1ft) inside. This makes my choice of cars very limited. A Honda Jazz won't even fit, with the mirrors it's wider than the opening, and a Grande Punto would leave me with 3cm of space each side.

that will be suitable for me? btw my previous car was an 899cc Fiat Seicento and did everything I need. It was very small, very practical, fun, and could get almost 60mpg.

Unwanted, unloved, narrow, 5 metre turning circle and lots of internal space (more than an Aygo)... we bought..a Chevrolet Matiz 1.0.

Read the HJ review.

My wife wanted a narrow car for parking: piece of cake and very easy to drive...

Edited by madf on 15/11/2010 at 17:52

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Mon 15 Nov 2010 18:13
Good small cars? - mlj

I'll just throw in the Daihatsu Sirion for consideration. Good kit levels, cheap and 1.92 m wide, including mirrors. Excellent reputation as far as I am aware.

Father in law had one and it was an archetypal 'I just put petrol in and that's it' for six years until he traded it in.

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Mon 15 Nov 2010 18:15
Good small cars? - P3t3r

I'll just throw in the Daihatsu Sirion for consideration. Good kit levels, cheap and 1.92 m wide, including mirrors. Excellent reputation as far as I am aware.

Father in law had one and it was an archetypal 'I just put petrol in and that's it' for six years until he traded it in.

No chance, Daihatsu have gone! I wanted to try a Copen, but they don't sell new cars in the UK now.

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Mon 15 Nov 2010 18:14
Good small cars? - P3t3r

Unwanted, unloved, narrow, 5 metre turning circle and lots of internal space (more than an Aygo)... we bought..a Chevrolet Matiz 1.0.

Just been to the Chevrolet website and can't see them there. I suppose it's been replaced with the (much larger) Spark?

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Mon 15 Nov 2010 23:10
Good small cars? - Avant

P3t3r - it looks like a 500 or - if a five-door would be easier to get in and out of in your narrow garage - another Panda, an Aygo/C1/107 or perhaps a Toyota iQ.

I can't believe that (given that they are all made in the same factory) the handling of the Aygo/C1/107 can be different: maybe they came on different tyres?

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Tue 16 Nov 2010 09:13
Good small cars? - injection doc
I agree Avant, Im confused over the handling difference of an Aygo, C1 and 107 being as they are all the same car ! and as for the C1 being unresponsive, what a lively 3 cyl engine, go like the clappers for what they are. Ours are even great on the motorway and holds its own at 80+ and no engine noise at all!
I wondered whether he read about them rather than driven them
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