I want to buy a brand new car

mille100piedi

my ford fiesta is too old and I need to buy a new car. I am looking for a small car that doesn't cost too much, I don't know anything about cars, what should I look at? I just need a car to shop at the local market on Saturdays.
I want a car with an automatic gearbox, it is hard to get one?

Sleepy

Automatics in small cars tend to be rare enough. I'd have suggested a Dacia Sandero if this wasn't a requirement as they'd be the cheapest A to B car available new in Ireland at the moment.

What toys do you want besides the auto box? Aircon / Climate Control? Electric Windows / Mirrors? Leather seats or fabric? I think you really need to do some research tbh. Figure out what you want from the new car besides a newer reg plate.

duffman3833

i think the new Renault Clio is probably one of the nicest small hatch's in Ireland and you can get good deal on one, if you live in an area where there are plenty of dealers, shop around for best price.

bazz26

A bit hard to recommend anything without knowing what the budget is.

biko

OP, when you say "brand new" do you mean a 152 plate?
Or just a car that is new to you?

Budget?

mille100piedi

budget not more than 15000Euro, I just want a very basic car

Sleepy

An automatic isn't really a basic feature on a small car in Ireland OP. Taking a quick look the options I can see online at the most basic spec levels that I know autos are available for. Couldn't recommend any of them personally though and none would be from manufacturers I'd recommend:

Citroen C1 5 door - €14,225
Hyundai i10 - manuals start at €12,245, no price for an auto on their site
Kia Picanto is available as an auto but can't get a price on their site, manuals start at just under 12k.
Renault Twingo - manuals start at €13,990, no price for an auto on their site

Increasing your budget a little and you'd be looking at the likes of the VW Up which configures to have an auto gearbox on their site at €16,130.

You'd really be best off looking around at what you like, test-driving a few and, IMHO, re-considering the auto. At this level you're paying a high premium for it that you're unlikely to see back in re-sale costs.

duffman3833

if its only for driving to shops every so often id maybe suggest a 2nd hand car, save a few euros. im sure there is small 2nd hand automatics out there?

tuxy

Maybe something like this?

http://www.carsireland.ie/county/dublin/nissan/micra/detail.php?ad_id=1159310&r=s.php%3Fm%3D61%26o%3D521%26l%5B%5D%3D10%26g%3D0%26z%3D-8

Sleepy

I never even considered the Micra! Can't believe it's available in an auto.

bazz26

Skoda Citigo (cheaper rebadged VW Up!):
http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Skoda/Citigo/ELEGENCE-AUTO/177714364726962710/

mille100piedi

Kia Picanto has a good price and has a 7 years warranty. Is KIA a good brand? I like also the Skoda and it is cheaper but doesn't have the 7 years warranty. I am going to have a look at the cars today, I don't have a clue about cars and I am a bit embarrassed and I don't know which question to ask. I am so sad to get rid of my old ford fiesta, it was my perfect car for 17 years!

Senna

Isn't there a large (in auto terms) secondhand market of ex-rental small autos?
I know ex-rentals might have a bad name, but they are undesirable (small market) and so cheaper.

Sleepy

Do you have anyone you can bring along with you to the garage? The way you're describing your car knowledge you really sound like someone who might not get the best deal available...

I've driven a Picanto as a rental car and couldn't really fault it for what it is, a small, cheap, relatively comfortable small car. There's a new generation of them due out towards the end of this year so there may be some good discounts on offer on the current facelifted 2nd generation.

The Citigo I can't really comment on as I've never driven it.

Sleepy

An interesting read here: http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/comparison/2014/dacia-sandero-vs-kia-picanto-vs-skoda-citigo-vs-suzuki-alto-2014-review/

The author pits the Citigo against the Picanto and a couple of others at that end of the market. I find one of the last lines telling "And so, if we’re really not allowed to spend the money on a secondhand Fiesta, we must choose…"

At a very quick glance, you wouldn't have to increase the budget much, if at all, to get a 141 Fiesta, and, as you said, you loved your last one:

This is a decently spec'd one with an asking price of €16,950 so it can likely be bought for less.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-fiesta-titanium-auto/8896660?offset=3

Obviously, if you wanted to stay within budget, you might have to drop back another year but you're likely to be getting a lot more car for your money than buying new.

Idbatterim

my ford fiesta is too old and I need to buy a new car. I am looking for a small car that doesn't cost too much, I don't know anything about cars, what should I look at? I just need a car to shop at the local market on Saturdays.
I want a car with an automatic gearbox, it is hard to get one?

you realise it would be far cheaper to get a taxi there and back (assuming the drive isnt massive)? is this car to be used only once per week!?

noelf

Idbatterim wrote: »

you realise it would be far cheaper to get a taxi there and back (assuming the drive isnt massive)? is this car to be used only once per week!?

Tesco online shopping and delivery !!

mille100piedi

thank you for all your information you are a great help!I have a disability and it would be too hard for me using other type of transports, otherwise I would buy a bicycle for sure. I always shop my groceries online. I have been looking at used car but I don't want to buy very old cars because my ford fiesta has been a nightmare the last few years because I had always to keep fixing things. I saw that there are several used cars like the ones I am looking for (kia picanto, suzuki alto skoda..)but I don't find them very cheap. For example a suzuki alto 2012 can cost 7000euro and new it cost 11000. Maybe used cars are better for people that know that they are going to use the car only for a few years and they are going to re sell them? but I want a car that will last long. Unfortunately there is nobody that will come to the garage with me.

Ferris

mille100piedi wrote: »

thank you for all your information you are a great help!I have a disability and it would be too hard for me using other type of transports, otherwise I would buy a bicycle for sure. I always shop my groceries online. I have been looking at used car but I don't want to buy very old cars because my ford fiesta has been a nightmare the last few years because I had always to keep fixing things. I saw that there are several used cars like the ones I am looking for (kia picanto, suzuki alto skoda..)but I don't find them very cheap. For example a suzuki alto 2012 can cost 7000euro and new it cost 11000. Maybe used cars are better for people that know that they are going to use the car only for a few years and they are going to re sell them? but I want a car that will last long. Unfortunately there is nobody that will come to the garage with me.

With respect to your disability would you be eligible for a grant towards a new car?

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/transport_and_disability/motorised_transport_grant.html

mille100piedi

thank you Ferris, but I read that the grant is only for people the use the car in order to retain employment and it is not my case. I went to see a few garages and I am interested in the Suzuki Celeiro and the Kia Picanto. I will take a drive test soon.I would like to know if different garages sell the same cars at different price or is always the same price?

bazz26

It's like anything you buy, you shop around for the best price. Visit different dealers of the same brand and don't be afraid to let them know that you are shopping around for the best price. Don't be afraid to play them off each other a little.

One thing to remember though is that automatic small cars are not around in big numbers so a dealer may not have one in stock. Dealers normally only take stock that they know is easy to sell. You may have to order one from the factory which can take longer to arrive. You should also look at either a ex demonstration model or a pre reg model which is basically a car with little or no mileage that the dealer registers to bump up sales figures. In these cases they will still have the balance of the manufacturer's warranty on them. Again though it might be hard to find a dealer with an auto ex demonstration or pre reg model.

mille100piedi

unfortunately the automatic cars are too expensive, I have found a second hand one and I am thinking to go to the garage for a test, can anybody advise if this could be a good deal?

http://www.cbg.ie/toyota-yaris-1.0-2006-dublin-petrol-hatchback-5950

kerten

If you are planning to keep the car long term, I would look into japanese/Korean models with reliable automatic gearboxes(conventional torque converter or CVT)

Yaris you are looking at has automated manual gearbox that is not recommended for its jerky behaviour and lack of hill hold.

Here are the the latest models per their gearbox types and list prices

Toyota Yaris - 1.33 CVT - 18800 - 3000 Scrappage
Nissan Micra - 1.2 CVT - 18095 - 4000 Scrappage
Mitsubishi SpaceStar - 1.2 CVT - €16,495


Hyundai i10 1.0-1.2 Conventional - 15745
Kia Picanto 1.25 Conventinal - 14990
Suzuki Swift 1.3 Conventional - 18345


If you can leverage scrappage offer with Yaris, it would be a good buy IMHO.

Micra and i10 would be my secondary choices.

Spacestar can be a good option if you can get it less than 15K.

Don't forget that Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto are almost same cars underneath and they are smaller than other models listed here.

Vote 4 Pedro

I have only ever had cars with Automatic gearboxes due to a disability, I have had loads of them over the years, both brand new and second hand cars, we usually have a new car and a used car as my wife also likes the automatics.
I have found them very good in general, no real problems to speak of,
for reliability in the small automatics I have found
Toyota Yaris 1.3 automatic very good, very easy going type of car (standard auto box but not the Multi-mode CVT automatics)
Also found the Honda Civic and Honda Jazz to be very good, a decent second hand Jazz would last years if well maintained.
I would stay away from the Fiat Punto auto,
In general any automatic that uses CVT as it is not very good at all, although they do vary.
The Suzuki automatic box is good but the Suzuki Alto is to small and would not fair well in any accident, the Suzuki Swift would be a better car altogether, I used to work in a Suzuki garage workshop and they were always in for the routine stuff like service and they never seemed troublesome.

We (me and the wife) have had over 40 Automatic's over the years and owned have everything from top of the range to bottom of the barrel and have found no major issues with the small automatics, as with most cars it's down to how it's been looked after, good service history and the type of automatic gearbox,