Advice needed.

Sir Galahad

Daughter is buying a car. So we've done the "surf the net" and shortlist is.........

Mini

Fiat 500

VW Beetle.

My input has been less than 100,000 Kms and top price of €5.5K. She plays golf (big bag of clubs) and Hockey ((car full of girls ). I'm looking for input on dependability & any common known issues etc etc. So fill yer boots and comment away.

PS. I saw this and thought it's a nice clean Audi with low KM's and owner so any comments are also welcome on this https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-a3-sportback-1-6/24514770

Atlantic Dawn

What I don't like about the Beetle is the footprint of the car is rather big, similar to the Passat yet practicality is compromised by tiny boot and little rear seat space, I'd forget about that from the 3.

Mini is a very nice driving experience, there's a potential power steering issue with petrol models from 2001-2007 that's dangerous and can cost about a grand to fix...
https://whatconsumer.co.uk/forum/threads/bbc-watchdog-mini-power-steering-failures.3374/

No experience of the Fiat 500 but they look good value.

corks finest

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

What I don't like about the Beetle is the footprint of the car is rather big, similar to the Passat yet practicality is compromised by tiny boot and little rear seat space, I'd forget about that from the 3.

Mini is a very nice driving experience, there's a potential power steering issue with petrol models from 2001-2007 that's dangerous and can cost about a grand to fix...
https://whatconsumer.co.uk/forum/threads/bbc-watchdog-mini-power-steering-failures.3374/

No experience of the Fiat 500 but they look good value.

Honda fit hybrid

F34

Golf clubs and any of those cars you have short listed ain’t going to be fun.

I’d more be looking for a Ford Focus or Golf and along those lines.

The Audi is along the lines of what you should be looking at.

Edit: a Mini Clubman May actually fit a set of clubs.

As said none of the shortlist suit the requirements.
Looks almost like a p1sstake to be honest.

Sir Galahad

Ah lads :rolleyes:. Have any of you got kids ? She has shortlisted the cars above so we don’t need recommendation on other makes etc. Those of you with grown up kids will know what they are like. She will take her clubs with her as she views the cars.
So back on topic...................

teediddlyeye

At that budget I'm guessing the beetles you're looking at are the "new beetle" 2000-2012 ish. I think.

Don't do it, they're just awful. Hate working on them, pretty sure every vw mech I know hates them.

I'd actually got a big rant typed out but I could go on forever.

Yeah, not a fan!

david

None of those boots will work for golf clubs, not even diagonally out of the bag. she'll have the fairway woods/driver riding shotgun.

ustari

Sounds like she will have to find out herself that none of those cars will allow her to have golf clubs in the boot. Maybe for the best that she figures it out herself.

Sir Galahad

Sir Galahad wrote: »

.......... and Hockey ((car full of girls ). .............

david wrote: »

None of those boots will work for golf clubs, not even diagonally out of the bag. she'll have the fairway woods/driver riding shotgun.

And unless a car full doesn't mean 3 and herself none of them are much good for taking 4 people and their training/match gear either. Mini boots are non existent really as the interior space is decent.

Sir Galahad

teediddlyeye wrote: »

At that budget I'm guessing the beetles you're looking at are the "new beetle" 2000-2012 ish. I think.

Don't do it, they're just awful. Hate working on them, pretty sure every vw mech I know hates them.

I'd actually got a big rant typed out but I could go on forever.

Yeah, not a fan!

david wrote: »

None of those boots will work for golf clubs, not even diagonally out of the bag. she'll have the fairway woods/driver riding shotgun.

ustari wrote: »

Sounds like she will have to find out herself that none of those cars will allow her to have golf clubs in the boot. Maybe for the best that she figures it out herself.

Guys. This is really simple. We are not looking for your opinions on any other car than the three listed. She can carry the clubs in the passenger seat reclined. She has listed the three above "Only" so please I'm looking for comments and issues about these cars only. She knows the issues on boots etc etc.

This is what I said in my first post. "I'm looking for input on dependability & any common known issues etc etc."

Sir Galahad

Sir Galahad wrote: »

...........

This is what I said in my first post. "I'm looking for input on dependability & any common known issues etc etc."

To be fair after you mentioned

Sir Galahad wrote: »

............. She plays golf (big bag of clubs) and Hockey ((car full of girls ). I'm looking for input on dependability & any common known issues etc etc. So fill yer boots and comment away.
...................

.............. surely you can't be surprised at folk pointing out the limitations of the shortlist to the critera.

scooby77

Wife had an 08 mini cooper 1.6 petrol from 2010 to 2016. Did around 35,000 miles in that time. Was low mileage when I brought it in from UK

Pros
Great fun to drive, easy to park/drive in city, fairly reliable- bar calipers, reasonably economical and cheap tyres. Held value pretty well.
Cons
Boot useless, the boot in current MX5 far better and that's saying something. Rear passenger space also poor. Went through few sets of rear brake calipers and windscreens, more than would be expected.
Some of the petrol models around that time had the BMW timing chain issues. We didn't, but had small mileage. Seemingly a faint rattle audible at idle with bonnet open an early symtom ,but I'm not a mechanic so dont take that as gospel!

teediddlyeye

Sir Galahad wrote: »

This is what I said in my first post. "I'm looking for input on dependability & any common known issues etc etc."

"New Beetles" are a heap of ****e.

Can't comment on the other 2. Could be she's picked 3 heaps of ****e.

david

If she has her mind made up on those 3 I'd probably pick the Fiat 500, cool little car, forget about the practicality for Hockey & Golf, she'll learn the hard way.

It'll get the Instagram likes and some street cred with her mates

kanuseeme

just looking on auto trader uk, maybe same could be got here but a honda insight hybrid, 1.3 l should do 45-50 mpg or a little better depending on how she drives it, cheaper on insurance and tax also.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202001106019735?postcode=cv92pz&advertising-location=at_cars&make=HONDA&fuel-type=Hybrid%20%E2%80%93%20Petrol%2FElectric&radius=1500&year-from=2009&sort=price-asc&maximum-mileage=60000&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&model=INSIGHT&page=1

Had one, good car, only thing was middle back seat was uncomfortable.

Heres Johnny

3 of the most impractical cars on the road and you mentioned requirements for space in boot and in car. None of the 3 match up. Trendy looking cars like that are made trendy at the expense of practicality.

If she wants style over substance and it seems like she does, I'd go

Mini
Fiat
Beetle

In that order.

Casati

Heres Johnny wrote: »

3 of the most impractical cars on the road and you mentioned requirements for space in boot and in car. None of the 3 match up. Trendy looking cars like that are made trendy at the expense of practicality.

If she wants style over substance and it seems like she does, I'd go

Mini
Fiat
Beetle

In that order.

If it’s only her and a friend playing golf you will fit two sets with the seats folded in any of these cars. The mini has a 50:50 folding seat so you might get three pasengers.

I’d go for the Fiat myself as it will be cheaper to fix than the Mini and you’ll get into a newer car. She might have issues insuring a perfectly fine but older car like that A3

Sir Galahad

david wrote: »

It'll get the Instagram likes and some street cred with her mates

This is the voice of someone that understands my daughters generation . David is on the button. My daughter doesn't care about mpg or practicality :rolleyes: etc
her generation "Insta everything" (their words). She has a good career and money. She certainly does not want a Honda Hybrid. So it's looking like a Fiat 500 Lounge Edition 2011 one owner. Dealer asking €5,250. So the next step is the price.....................

DrSpongeBobz

Go with the Beetle. Best looking girls car imo.Fun to see one on the road.

kanuseeme

Yea sorry about that, I was just looking at the Audi, 1.6 petrol would be hard on running costs,insurance and plus kinda ugly, I though the Honda insight looked nice in black.

I see a pink one, more expensive but hey its image that counts https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2010-fiat-500-1-2-automatic-dualogic/24770541

Kilboor

Can we please add to your shortlist. If so then I'd highly recommend:

-Hyundai i30 2012+
-Kia Ceed/Pro Ceed 2013+

Economical, not too slow, plenty of space, not bad looking, and extremely reliable.

Probably outside the budget but even the older Kia Ceeds pre 2013 are grand cars.

Marcusm

Sir Galahad wrote: »

Guys. This is really simple. We are not looking for your opinions on any other car than the three listed. She can carry the clubs in the passenger seat reclined. She has listed the three above "Only" so please I'm looking for comments and issues about these cars only. She knows the issues on boots etc etc.

This is what I said in my first post. "I'm looking for input on dependability & any common known issues etc etc."

Ah, that’s important information. I’ll always vote for the Mini as I’m on my 3rd one and, as a huge person (6’5” and more stones than your daughter likely has years), I’ll tell you that it can easily hold the three friends she’ll likely drive around too.

I love the look of the 500 but it narrows significantly at the roofline which can make it claustrophobic. Not sure if that might impact on the golf clubs. 500 has lots of painted metal on the interior which might chip/ding with the clubs.

Beetle is my least favourite as I just find that it promises more than it delivers and, particularly, has no peppy engines.