Choosing the right car - a pain in the arse!

The One Doctor

Hi all,

I'm in the middle of looking for a smallish family car and frankly it's proving a bit of a pain in the arse. It's got to have a big enough boot to hold newborn baby stuff (travel system, other baby bits, shopping etc), be fairly small and most importantly, be automatic. I'm looking to spending between €4k-€6k and the only bit that's non-negotiable is the need for an automatic.

So far I've looked at the most obvious choices, i.e, the Jazz and Yaris. VWs are out because of the horrible reliability record their DSG boxes have. The Jazz seems to get a bit unreliable after 7-8 years, which is smack bang in my price range. The Yaris seems to have been cursed with a semiauto transmission that doesn't have a creep mode.

Frankly I'm a bit stuck. I need a new car in the next 3 months (i.e, before the baby is born). Any opinions on the above cars or any suggestions I haven't thought of? Ideally I'd love an Octavia (nearly infinite boot space), but the DSG really, really puts me off.

Any ideas?

colm_mcm

Have you looked at a Prius?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-prius/7353945

Or a honda Civic hybrid

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-civic-ima-hybrid/7188538

pablo128

Do you mind me asking why it has to be a small car? My missus has an '06 Yaris, and even with the rear seats slid forward, you won't get all of the baby stuff in there. You would be lucky to get a large buggy in. You certainly won't get a buggy, travel cot, steriliser, bouncer, walker, luggage in there if you want to go for a weekend break with the little one. I've been there, and I had an Avensis saloon at the time!:eek:

So far you have a need for -
1 - Hatchback.
2 - Automatic.
3 - A price range.

Fire that info into Donedeal and see what you come up with. Maybe decide on an engine size too, let's say 1.4 for example.

pablo128

Im not sure what the boot is like in these, but it ticks a lot of your boxes.
Mitsubishi Colt.http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mitsubishi-colt-1-3-litre-petrol/7241480

bazz26

Nissan Note:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Nissan/Note/1.6-SE,/31113560151757270/

colm_mcm

Japanese import?

The One Doctor

pablo128 wrote: »

Do you mind me asking why it has to be a small car? My missus has an '06 Yaris, and even with the rear seats slid forward, you won't get all of the baby stuff in there. You would be lucky to get a large buggy in. You certainly won't get a buggy, travel cot, steriliser, bouncer, walker, luggage in there if you want to go for a weekend break with the little one.

Actually I'v just been corrected on that by my girlfriend - she defines 'big' as 'bigger than an Octavia'. So I'm now looking for a medium size family car.

With regards to the Colt, I just ignored the Mitsubishis for some reason, although the reviews seem to indicate that it's actually a very good car.

colm_mcm

Do you need bigger than an Octavia?

The One Doctor

pablo128 wrote: »

Im not sure what the boot is like in these, but it ticks a lot of your boxes.
Mitsubishi Colt.http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mitsubishi-colt-1-3-litre-petrol/7241480

colm_mcm wrote: »

Do you need bigger than an Octavia?

Nope, Octavia size or smaller will do nicely. Ideally Jazz sized but a bit bigger apparently won't be a problem.

viewer

I have a 2006 Octavia diesel DSG from new with 146,000 km currently on the clock with absolutely no problems with the gear box and I wouldn't go back to a manual. So don't discount the Octavia.

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote: »

Japanese import?

Looks like a UK import to me as it has a dual speedo, think the Jap imports were 1.5 litre as opposed to 1.6 litre.

pablo128

I'm not a big Ford fan, but this might suit you. Below budget too.
Focus. http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-focus-auto-nct-04-16-tax-10-14-ju/7355480

quenching

colm_mcm wrote: »

Have you looked at a Prius?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-prius/7353945

Or a honda Civic hybrid

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-civic-ima-hybrid/7188538

The Prius is the one to go for, almost the perfect choice for the majority of people who don't have any real interest in cars, I have one as family transport and can't fault it.

The One Doctor

quenching wrote: »

The Prius is the one to go for, almost the perfect choice for the majority of people who don't have any real interest in cars, I have one as family transport and can't fault it.

I never realised that the Prius boot is so big. Another one to add to my list. Apparently the Colt doesn't have great boot space but ticks every other box.

The One Doctor

Does anyone know of a good online buyers guide for the Prius 2nd gen? There aren't many out there and the ones that do exist seem a bit skimpy. It is because very little goes wrong with the cars or something?

Bigus

The One Doctor wrote: »

Does anyone know of a good online buyers guide for the Prius 2nd gen? There aren't many out there and the ones that do exist seem a bit skimpy. It is because very little goes wrong with the cars or something?

Very little goes wrong, priuschat.com will keep you reading for a few months on the positives, don't be afraid of a high mileage one check out, " million km Prius "

quenching

The One Doctor wrote: »

Does anyone know of a good online buyers guide for the Prius 2nd gen? There aren't many out there and the ones that do exist seem a bit skimpy. It is because very little goes wrong with the cars or something?

Head on over to http://priuschat.com and have a poke around, don't know if there's a specific buyers guide but you'll find LOTS of info, probably way too much. But you're correct in asking is it because very little goes, as very little goes wrong with them. In fact, the Priuschat forums can give the wrong impression that they have lots of problems, they don't. The http://www.reliabilityindex.com website rates them as way above average for reliability and I think it was AutoExpress that listed them as the 6th most economical car to run - out of all cars not just its class size.

My advice, if you want peace of mind and are planning to keep it a few years, is to buy one from a Toyota main dealer with a full Toyota service history. You'll usually get a full years warranty and a well maintained car. Or failing that from a reputable garage or privately, but again with a full, verifiable, Toyota service history - and actually ring the garage thats listed as doing the services and check. Don't be tempted by ones that appear to be a bargain as there's ALWAYS a reason for that, usually one that will cost you money later.

I've had an 05 one for almost 2 years and its had zero problems - and hopefully stays that way

The One Doctor

quenching wrote: »

Don't be tempted by ones that appear to be a bargain as there's ALWAYS a reason for that, usually one that will cost you money later.

Thanks, I was tempted by an indie dealer 2007 Prius that was about €1500 cheaper than the nearest private seller, but I'll steer clear. Good advice about everything else too, I'll read up and take my time.

quenching

The One Doctor wrote: »

Thanks, I was tempted by an indie dealer 2007 Prius that was about €1500 cheaper than the nearest private seller, but I'll steer clear. Good advice about everything else too, I'll read up and take my time.

Of course this applies to all cars really, not just a Prius. If its cheaper than everything else then check VERY carefully indeed, it may be that elusive bargain we'd all like to find but generally its cheap to make someone rush a decision and not be as careful as they might normally be.

Bigus

The One Doctor wrote: »

Thanks, I was tempted by an indie dealer 2007 Prius that was about €1500 cheaper than the nearest private seller, but I'll steer clear. Good advice about everything else too, I'll read up and take my time.

I think for 1500 euro discount it's worth a look and a history check, after all the consensus and experience is they don't go wrong.

The One Doctor

Thanks to everyone who replied, just closed the deal on a 2005 Prius, 142k miles, well minded, €3700, very happy.

beauf

I've love to hear how you get on with it, in a few months, or even weeks.

The One Doctor

beauf wrote: »

I've love to hear how you get on with it, in a few months, or even weeks.

Well it's just over two weeks later, and after €100 or so spent on an oil and filter change, a transmission fluid change and a few more bits and pieces the Prius is delivering an average of 55.1mpg over 440 miles. It's smooth, quiet enough as long as you don't accelerate too hard and has plenty of space. Well worth the money. Still have to fix a few niggles, the front driver seat rocks slightly and the exhaust is blowing fairly loudly, but overall I'm happy with it. One final niggle is that the engine coolant is dropping very slowly (maybe 20-30ml per day), still haven't pinned that one down but there's no engine codes, no gunk under the oil cap and no overheat so I'm reasonably confident that it isn't a HG issue. the water pumps are know for going on these cars but even with a WP change the car is still a bargain.

Edit: The coolant loss is definitely from the water pump. They're not known for failing suddenly, thank feck.

pablo128

Great stuff. Try to have the coolant issue looked at soon. It would be a shame to have a good engine ruined for the sake of a water pump or leaking rad. Best of luck with it.

quenching

The One Doctor wrote: »

Well it's just over two weeks later, and after €100 or so spent on an oil and filter change, a transmission fluid change and a few more bits and pieces the Prius is delivering an average of 55.1mpg over 440 miles. It's smooth, quiet enough as long as you don't accelerate too hard and has plenty of space. Well worth the money. Still have to fix a few niggles, the front driver seat rocks slightly and the exhaust is blowing fairly loudly, but overall I'm happy with it. One final niggle is that the engine coolant is dropping very slowly (maybe 20-30ml per day), still haven't pinned that one down but there's no engine codes, no gunk under the oil cap and no overheat so I'm reasonably confident that it isn't a HG issue. the water pumps are know for going on these cars but even with a WP change the car is still a bargain.

Edit: The coolant loss is definitely from the water pump. They're not known for failing suddenly, thank feck.

There was a recall for water pump issues, in 2012 I think. Might be worth checking with Toyota to see if your car was done or is still eligible. Best of luck with your purchase

Bluefoam

Apparently you can't have children these days without a Range Rover... anything else is just too small!

The world has gone mad! My mother used to drive two of us babbies around in an original mini, in later years we developed our muscles by pushing it most of the time... good times

beauf

We didn't have a car we used to enjoy watching the rich kids pushing their mini around.

quenching

Bluefoam wrote: »

Apparently you can't have children these days without a Range Rover... anything else is just too small!

The world has gone mad! My mother used to drive two of us babbies around in an original mini, in later years we developed our muscles by pushing it most of the time... good times

Fiat 500 for us, missing the front passenger seat for some reason, and without rear seat belts it made for an unexpected trip into the front footwell with sharp braking.

In my day....

The One Doctor

quenching wrote: »

There was a recall for water pump issues, in 2012 I think. Might be worth checking with Toyota to see if your car was done or is still eligible. Best of luck with your purchase

The Prius has 3 water pumps, the recall was for the inverter water pump. Already done.