1.0 Urban 3dr Hatchback

Excellent learner car for beginners.

I bought this car from a private seller following a lot of Internet research, most of which said DO NOT BUY. I liked the styling, the economy and the running costs; it just appealed to me as a first car for a 17 year old daughter. I do all my own servicing and mechanic work so wasn’t daunted by spending £1900 on a car with only 45000 miles on the clock. This one is almost immaculate and looks well maintained, although first thing I did was an oil and air filter change and front brake pads - such a simple job to do. I drove it home after the sale and was impressed by how nippy it was for a one litre engine; although quite noisy at times with a vague gearchange it drove well with an excellent turning circle. The interior although all plastic is well laid out with lots of storage space and a power outlet for mobile phones or other electronic items; the CD player is quite good and the level of instrumentation - although lacking a temperature gauge - is good with warnings for headlights, fog lamps and even seat belts. All round vision is excellent and you know where the edges of the car are for parking or tight squeezes. £40 petrol filled it and 300 miles later it’s only down to half full.
So overall I’m still impressed. A lot of Internet comments are about how poor it is; a lot of my mechanic or Driving Instructor friends are commenting on how good they are.
Pros: good fuel economy, cheap to buy and run, everything is so accessible for the home mechanic and cheap to work on or replace. It’s well equipped for such a basic car.
Cons: noisy at times when driving, mostly from the rear; no temperature gauge although almost anything can be added from better-equipped versions found in the sc***yard; vague gear change.
A good small car, cheap to run, for short city trips or learners where speed isn’t important but nippiness and ease of parking are a priority. Don’t buy one for a family of four then complain about the lack of power and boot space; instead, buy one for a teenage girl to learn to drive in and listen to her talk about it incessantly.
Don’t believe the rot posted by others here about the costs; reviews claiming £500 for front brakes and £600 for an exhaust are exaggerated to say the least. A full exhaust is £60 and front discs £40.

Report as offensive