Economic Hatchback

[feb 47]

I am looking for an economic hatchback for my wife.

 

She will be commuting 75 miles a day (round trip) so it needs to be economic and have space for a dog with the seats down.

 

Reliability is a must.

 

Budget around £4,500 but could extend up to £6,500 for the right car.

 

What would you recommend?

 

I am thinking of a Suzuki Swift (do the GTis have good fuel economy?) or a BMW 1 series (116 petrol or 118 diesel).

 

Prices of them start at £6,500 but if it is a realiable, trust worthy and economic car that needs minimal maintenance it would make sense in the long term.

 

 

[Cameron 16]

Ford Focus. End of discussion.

[harryskid 193]

Honda Jazz !

[hcmini1989 16]

106 diesel well in price range amazing on fuel and pretty reliable provided you get a good one.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

1 series - 118d

 

Quiet, economical, safe & nicer than a Golf!

[feb 47]

The Jazz came first to my mind but she doesn't like it.

 

A 106 diesel will most probably need work doing every now and then due to age and mileage I suspect.

 

This car needs to start on the key and just servicing needed, no messing about with replacing worn/broken parts.

 

I'll check Focuses and 118d, thanks for the suggestions guys and keep them coming.

 

Are there any common faults with the latter two?

 

What about a Yaris? Much cheaper than a 1-series, only a few years old and with low mileage.

Edited January 8, 2013 by feb

[welshpug 1,657]

Good call, but if you're looking at the older first gen (pre 2005) then the C1/107/Aygo is worth considering, I believe it was based on the mk1 yaris running gear, shares Japanese and french engines built in a Czech factory co owned by PSA and Toyota, the Citroen variant is a cheaper.

[Anulfo 22]

kia ceed.My dad has a diesel one on a 58plate!!Jokes aside its actually a pretty decent car and could easily live with some of the more prestigious marques out there and due to the stigma of the kia badge you could find one in your price bracket.

[welshpug 1,657]

my brother in law had one whilst waiting for tthe written off MK2 octavia to be replaced, it was so uncomfortable he hated it and gave it death, now replaced by a 308SW which has been faultless for 18 months and 40k miles.

 

it also handles well and pretty comfy

[ScoobyJawa 23]

Focus - no brainer.

 

Cheap parts, cheap service etc.

[Cameron 16]

+111111111.

Honestly, I'm not just saying that out of obligation to "The Man", but a Focus is definitely where you get your money's worth. Kia may be coming on in leaps and bounds but they're still very limited in terms of quality, whereas the Focus is absolutely rock solid and very cost effective to run and maintain. Also, as there's so bloody many of them around, they're very reasonably priced second hand!

[S@m 156]

Good call, but if you're looking at the older first gen (pre 2005) then the C1/107/Aygo is worth considering, I believe it was based on the mk1 yaris running gear, shares Japanese and french engines built in a Czech factory co owned by PSA and Toyota, the Citroen variant is a cheaper.

 

The C1/107/aygo is a great car, with just one flaw - it leaks water like a sieve. Door seals, window seals, centre brake light - you name it; it leaks!

 

The Swift you mentioned is a good car, a friend has a '08 plate and its a great run around - would be on my shortlist along with the Jazz.

 

Sam

[Anthony 1,003]

A few points worth considering...

 

75 miles a day, 5 days a week, for say 48 weeks a year is 18000 miles before you've done any other driving, and thus it's probably reasonable to assume that she'll be doing significantly North of 20k miles a year. Do you really want to be doing that sort of mileage in the likes of a 107/C1/Aygo out of choice?

 

Worth looking into the "real world" economy of any prospective cars, as often it's very different from the claimed economy that the official tests (and thus manufacturers figures) suggest. Also, if it's going to be mostly motorway/autobahn miles, the difference in economy between a small and large engine model often isn't particularly noteworthy.

 

The sort of price point that you're looking at is likely to put you in the "danger" zone for diesels, the uncomfortable point where they're not cheap enough that you can justify writing them off in the event of a costly, major failure, but old enough that they're long since out of warranty and getting to the age/mileage where many of the common diesel failure points are increasingly likely to rear their ugly heads - DPF, DMF, injectors and turbos are all timebombs on many modern diesels, and all likely to general four figure repair bills once you factor in labour. Yes, it will probably be fine, but petrol is, IMO at least, a much safer option at the sort of age and price point you're considering if you don't want to run the risk of large unexpected bills.

[ScoobyJawa 23]

As above, though diesel should be ok with those mileages. Its only lots of short trips that really stuff the DPF's, if you do regular motorway runs they get the chances they need to regenerate. I guess it depends on what sort of driving it is.

[Cameron 16]

+1 for petrol, I get 40mpg on average out of my Clio Cup.

[Rock Lobster 28]

+1 for the focus, I have had two first generation 1.6 petrols now and can't fault either of them, cheap to insure, run and repair and my current one has run without fault for over 100k miles and still going strong!

[S@m 156]

+1 for the focus, I have had two first generation 1.6 petrols now and can't fault either of them, cheap to insure, run and repair and my current one has run without fault for over 100k miles and still going strong!

 

Whilst i can agree that the mk1 focus is a good car - my mother has had one from new and is on 150k now- its a pleasure to service and isn't too bad to work on.One thing to note is that its only a '52 plate and its showing quite alarming signs of rust - pretty much all arches, along the top edge of the windscreen and the subframe.

 

So whilst it was been near 100% reliable in 10 years, make sure you check such things on earlier models.

Edited January 11, 2013 by Sam306

[feb 47]

What about a Micra?

A friend has had a 1.4 one since new (it must be around 9-10 years old now), has done around 80k miles, has been totally reliable and cheap as chips to run.

Nothing can beat japanese reliability IMHO.

 

Edit: how much should I budget for a cambelt and waterpump change in a Micra?

Edited January 29, 2013 by feb

[glenwah 20]

207 hdi 1.4, I have one as my daily 55mpg and £30 a year to tax, £250 a year to insure me and the wife, how much cheaper do you want? Slow as s*it but solidly built for a peugeot.

[feb 47]

207 hdi 1.4, I have one as my daily 55mpg and £30 a year to tax, £250 a year to insure me and the wife, how much cheaper do you want? Slow as s*it but solidly built for a peugeot.

 

How much can these behad for? I'll take a look on Autotrader now.

I don't want mega moon miles

 

Are they reliable or do they need constant tinkering?

 

I think I prefer a Micra, cheaper and 1/3 of the miles.

Edited January 29, 2013 by feb

[Batfink 201]

I've done the long commute and although basic cars are cheap to run / buy, they are seriously boring to drive.

You want toys and comfort.

I ran a BMW 325 TDS and was able to get 55 mpg out of it cruising up the motorway. I'll not recommend it as its old, but german cars tend to have nicer interiors (focus is horrible in anything but the top models)

I now run an Audi A4 TDi Estate and get 45 - 55 mpg out of it so a smaller and lighter car (Polo, A3, Ibiza, Leon) should easily get much better. I sit in comfortable seats. Interior is generally pleasant and I have a nice Bose sound system.

 

I'd be looking at the BMW 1 series. They have some of the most economical diesel engines on the market.

[kyepan 291]

A good mate has an audi A2, it's a 3 cylinder 1.2 turbo diesel, and is very aerodynamic.

 

 

The Audi A2 1.2 TDI had the lowest drag coefficient of any car in the world at the time of its launch.^[20] It was also one of the most economical and least polluting, only emitting 81 g/km (German emission standard D4) to 86 g/km (D3 emission standard) CO2 emissions. The Audi A2 3L reuses the engine and special gearbox developed for the equally efficient Volkswagen Lupo 1.2 TDI 3L.

Two versions of the car were available in Germany during its production run. The D4 version, which used only 3 l/100 km (94 mpg_-imp; 78 mpg_-US), was "standard." It had no power steering, climate control or other extras, with the only optional extra being body coloured door handles and wing mirrors. There were no optional extras because optional equipment adds weight and loses economy^{[clarification needed]}. It had a fixed rear seat cushion. The tested fuel economy was 2.88 l/100 km.

The second version, which was at least available in Germany, was a D3 version which was still capable of 3.0 l/100 km. This version had options for climate control, a winter pack, and a comfort pack, but was not available in all markets. Ordering these packs ensured power steeering or spot lamps as part of a package. The OSS system was not available at all on the 3L.

Both versions had thinner glass, lighter seats,^[21] and 14" Magnesium alloy wheels. The standard tyre fitment was 145/80 R14 T76 Bridgestone Ecopias or Continental Winter Tyres using very flat wheel covers to minimize turbulence. The engine block was also made from a light alloy, so even though it was a diesel, it weighed just 100 kg (220 lb).

The rear spoiler was reshaped, moved and extended through wind tunnel testing, and additional underbody panels were added to minimize drag to achieve a 0.25 cd figure.^[22] The car had an automated manual transmission with a Tiptronic mode on the selector. The car also had an ECO mode. When engaged it limited the power to 41 bhp (31 kW; 42 PS) (excluding kick down) and programmed the transmission to change up at the most economical point. ECO mode also activated the start/stop function, a feature that was new to European cars at the time.^[23] In ECO mode, the clutch was disengaged when the accelerator pedal was released for maximum economy, so the car freewheels as much as possible, with the clutch re-engaging as soon as the accelerator pedal or brake pedal is touched. The 3L also has only 4 wheel bolts and finned alloy brake drums at the rear, along with many aluminum suspension components.^[24] An internal presentation from Audi appears to indicate that the complete shell of a 3L A2 weighs around 15 kg (33 lb) less than that of a "normal" A2. The 3L has been noted on the Autobahn under non-scientific conditions to be faster at top speed than the standard A2, mainly as a result of the extremely long 5th gear ratio and the excellent aerodynamics.^{[citation needed]}

A total of 6450^[5] 1.2 TDI models were built.

 

 

He went to scotland and back (from the south of england) plus another load of stuff on one tank.. so it's about as fuel efficent as you can get.

 

also check out www.ecomodder.com

[minimaniacwhyard 17]

205 diesel. Enough said

[glenwah 20]

I paid 5k 2 years ago for my 2008 207 hdi so fairly cheap to buy, done 30k miles in it with no problems so far, voted most reliable car a year or so ago, well worth a look.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

I've done the long commute and although basic cars are cheap to run / buy, they are seriously boring to drive.

You want toys and comfort.

I ran a BMW 325 TDS and was able to get 55 mpg out of it cruising up the motorway. I'll not recommend it as its old, but german cars tend to have nicer interiors (focus is horrible in anything but the top models)

I now run an Audi A4 TDi Estate and get 45 - 55 mpg out of it so a smaller and lighter car (Polo, A3, Ibiza, Leon) should easily get much better. I sit in comfortable seats. Interior is generally pleasant and I have a nice Bose sound system.

 

I'd be looking at the BMW 1 series. They have some of the most economical diesel engines on the market.

 

Seats are comfortable, it will be quiet and refined and therefore she'll be in a good mood when she gets home.