Most practical and reliable car under 5k

Skommando

Hi,

Looking for you opinions on the most practical, reliable, petrol car for less than 5k

I need :

very good reliability
petrol
hatchback
sliding rear seat
suitable for elderly passengers
not too low to the ground
fairly decent boot room

I was thinking about an small/medium mpv style ?

thanks for suggestions

gerfmurphy

I have owned a honda crv since 07. It has cost me just about nothing over the years. And apart for a weak battery gives no trouble. Its big comfortable and has easy access with a very large boot.
Its 2.0lt so expensive for tax (710) and a petrol about 8.5lt/100

marklazarcovic

Honda frv is another

Skommando

cheers, good options, forgot about the FRV, little bit wide for parking etc, does anything else spring to mind ?

bazz26

Nissan Note:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Nissan/Note/1.4-SPORT/5333985243762866393/

selectamatic

Corolla verso 1.6

The_Honeybadger

selectamatic wrote: »

Corolla verso 1.6

Was going to suggest this too, ticks every box

bazz26

Cannot see a Corolla Verso being any easier to park than a FRV though which the OP says might be an issue.

Skommando

bazz26 wrote: »

Cannot see a Corolla Verso being any easier to park than a FRV though which the OP says might be an issue.

Parking is not the problem, ease of the elderly passengers getting in and out when parked in tight spaces is. FRV seems wider to me, and I don't need seats 3 abreast.

pm.

Some good value on the Mazda 5, we had one for a good few years and it was trouble free

Bigus

Everything inc high seating, except the sliding seat = Prius

kupus

How about something like a kangoo/berlingo,
if its for elderly the space in back is good, and the back doors slide so NO problem getting in and out in tight spaces.
But then we come to reliability, so hmm.
You can also have a think about the Kia Soul or Skoda Roomster.

grogi

Skommando wrote: »

Hi,

Looking for you opinions on the most practical, reliable, petrol car for less than 5k

I need :

very good reliability
petrol
hatchback
sliding rear seat
suitable for elderly passengers
not too low to the ground
fairly decent boot room

I was thinking about an small/medium mpv style ?

thanks for suggestions

Jazzzzzz. Honda Jazz

Captain Pancake

Skommando wrote: »

Hi,

Looking for you opinions on the most practical, reliable, petrol car for less than 5k

I need :

very good reliability
petrol
hatchback
sliding rear seat
suitable for elderly passengers
not too low to the ground
fairly decent boot room

I was thinking about an small/medium mpv style ?

thanks for suggestions

Check out the 2000 to 2005 Toyota Yaris Verso. If possible, look for a 2004 or 2005 as they had the facelift.

very good reliability: It's a Toyota. It's a Yaris. It's second only to the Corolla for reliability (also known as the Cockroach as they'll be around after the apocalypse). And, if something goes wrong, then it won't cost a lot of fix and parts are very easy to get.

petrol: It is a 1.3-litre petrol.

hatchback: It's more of a tall, boxy (with curved edges), hatchback/small MPV.

sliding rear seat: Now, I do not remember the Yaris Verso as having sliding seats. However, the seating position is fairly upright. And, if my memory serves me well, I remember the rear seats can recline slightly.

suitable for elderly passengers: The rear is easy to get into and out of as you barely step-up to the platform, and you have the headroom so it's no different than sitting at the dinner table. You have to try it. Also, it's not a wide car, so opening the doors to get in and out is less of a problem.

not too low to the ground: If the height off the ground for getting in an our of the car is the issue, then definitely give the Yaris Verso a try. If the ride height is for questionable roads, well now, I've driven this car on some rough roads here in West Cork, and sure it was grand.

fairly decent boot room: Boxy and airy, with surprisingly plenty of room. If you fold the rear seats completely or partially, then you'll have a flat surface. The cargo space for the size of the car is very practical.

The pictures in this ad shows the rear seating area and the boot. https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-yaris-verso-t3-1-3-petrol-silver-2004/12774729

Here is one in Mayo: http://www.adverts.ie/car/toyota/yaris-verso/toyota-yaris-verso-2000/11024930

And here is the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Yaris_Verso

There are several of these on Done Deal: https://www.donedeal.ie/cars/Toyota/Yaris?words=Yaris%20Verso

And there are more to be found in the UK: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/toyota/yaris-verso

Good luck.

Skommando

The yaris verso looks very well designed and thought out. Not too big and not too small.
Good layout inside, good boot room, and excellent reliability as you say.

One problem though, they are absolutely awful looking on the outside.

Maybe it's pretty hard to get a reliable, very practical and useful car, that looks not too bad on the outside.

Every car is a compromise in some areas I suppose.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Perhaps one of the problems is there is too much choice, and no one car hits the spot exactly.

colm_mcm

Skommando wrote: »

Parking is not the problem, ease of the elderly passengers getting in and out when parked in tight spaces is. FRV seems wider to me, and I don't need seats 3 abreast.

Rear door on verso is very long.

Mazda5 might actually suit better. Sliding doors and bigger outer seats. Middle seat useless but not needed in your case.

The FR-V is only 3cm wider than a corolla verso. I think it should be considered. You can slide the middle seats out of the way.

ptyloch

colm_mcm wrote: »

Rear door on verso is very long.

Mazda5 might actually suit better. Sliding doors and bigger outer seats. Middle seat useless but not needed in your case.

The FR-V is only 3cm wider than a corolla verso. I think it should be considered. You can slide the middle seats out of the way.

Mazda 5 is great for getting in and out of with the rear sliding doors, no parking space is too tight. When the 2 extra seats are folded down the boot is massive.

Reliability is superb on the petrol model. We have one the last 5 years and it's been really good.

Skommando

Anyone have any personal experience of petrol zaferias, are they very unreliable ? is the 1.6 very slow ?

colm_mcm

They're a bit patchy reliability wise. Corolla Verso does everything better.

bazz26

And spontaneously combust.

chicorytip

Skommando wrote:

very good reliability petrol hatchback sliding rear seat suitable for elderly passengers not too low to the ground fairly decent boot room

The Toyota Yaris (not the Verso) standard model meets all of those criteria.

colm_mcm

Have you seen the boot in a Yaris?