First car, thinking of buying a hatchback.. not sure how reliable they are

Sn@kebite

I should finish my degree in summer and may need a car for work (if there are any by then)

The hatchbacks im interested in are


VW Polo
VW Golf
Renault Clio/Megane
Mazda3
Toyota (various)
My budget would be be 4-5,000

I'm looking for a make/model that is reliable and has a lot of parts to repair or parts I can work on with a Haynes Manual.

The VW's are the nicest and I would guess reliable but they are quite expensive I know.

How do people find hatchbacks? I love the idea of fitting a bicycle in the back of a small car also. My sister owned Fiat puntos for years but she said they are unreliable.

Anything I need to be aware of? I was looking at website and I see can save from private but would be very nervous of trusting any private sellers (not that dealers are any more reliable!)

colm_mcm

I’d take the Polo out of the list first. At that price level they’re just not worth it. They’re a nice enough car but the 1.2 engine is a weak point in them.

Hatchbacks are just a body style so aren’t inherently more or less reliable than any other body style.

I’d also look at the Kia Ceed and ProCeed as well as the Hyundai i30. They have a great little 1.4 petrol engine in them that’s also very reliable.

For buying private vs a dealer, most dealers in this price bracket are not going to give you the gold plated service you might expect. The most important thing here is buying a good car, so get someone to check over whatever car you pick.

Sn@kebite

colm_mcm wrote: »

I’d take the Polo out of the list first. At that price level they’re just not worth it. They’re a nice enough car but the 1.2 engine is a weak point in them.

That's a good point. I have driven other peoples cars and the opel corsa 1.2 (2012 i think) was lame, but the polo I drove someone home in (their car) did seem to have a bit more bite than the corsa but may still be a problem on hills or needing to get out fast on a busy roundabout, weak engines can cause accidents as too powerful ones can.

colm_mcm

It’s not that it’s especially down on power, mechanically they can be troublesome, and you’re at the end of the market where that matters.

Look at the Suzuki Swift too.

bazz26

Have a look at the Hyundai i20 also:

https://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=2723719&r=s.php%3Fm%5B%5D%3D34%26o%5B%5D%3D1412%26f%3D1%26yn%3D2011%26yx%3D2013%26pp%3D50%26g%3D0

gipi

Before you commit to buy anything, make sure you can get it insured. The age of the car and engine size will play a part in any insurance quotes, as well as your age and driving experience.

Lantus

Can't go to wrong with a yaris.

AMKC

Mazda 3s are prone to rust.

Renault Clio 1.2 are great little cars and any Megane from MK3 on are good cars.
The Fiat Punto is a good car too and easy to work on so I have heard.
Seat Ibiza is another you could look at.

.anon.

This:

Lantus wrote: »

Can't go to wrong with a yaris.

They're a bit expensive, but absolutely bullet-proof.

PsychoPete

I'd add a Suzuki Swift and Ford Fiesta onto that list

Notch000

Sn@kebite wrote: »

How do people find hatchbacks? I love the idea of fitting a bicycle in the back of a small car also. My sister owned Fiat puntos for years but she said they are unreliable.

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Hatchbacks are great, saloon cars are for boggers. Estates are better if you need to carryu all the family and a dog and bicycles but for a singleton hatchbacks are the buisness.

Th type of car and reliability (HB/Saloon) are not related

selectamatic

Sn@kebite wrote: »

[
I'm looking for a make/model that is reliable and has a lot of parts to repair or parts I can work on with a Haynes Manual.

Fiat Pandas are nice and simple to work on and pretty reliable too.
You'd only need a fraction of your budget to pick up a 2010 or 2011

Something like this.
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/fiat-panda-2010-nct-2022-mint-condition/26660036

Pmoylan

AMKC wrote: »

Mazda 3s are prone to rust.

Renault Clio 1.2 are great little cars and any Megane from MK3 on are good cars.
The Fiat Punto is a good car too and easy to work on so I have heard.
Seat Ibiza is another you could look at.

A €4000-5000 Mazda 3 will get you a second gen one, if it's in decent shape when you check it out it should be fine rust wise. DON'T Buy the Diesel ones. The petrol ones are very reliable cars. I've owned 2.

Sn@kebite

AMKC wrote: »

Mazda 3s are prone to rust.

Renault Clio 1.2 are great little cars and any Megane from MK3 on are good cars.
The Fiat Punto is a good car too and easy to work on so I have heard.
Seat Ibiza is another you could look at.

I like the clios but worry about power on busy roundabouts/junctions. The punto my sister has owned 2 and run great whewn they work but they are always breaking according to her. A mechanic told her FIAT means "Fix it again tomorrow"

PsychoPete wrote: »

I'd add a Suzuki Swift and Ford Fiesta onto that list

Not looked at the swift yet. Thanks. Ford fiesta might be a good idea or maybe a focus if I can afford. My sister has a 141 Focus runs well.

selectamatic wrote: »

Fiat Pandas are nice and simple to work on and pretty reliable too.
You'd only need a fraction of your budget to pick up a 2010 or 2011

Something like this.
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/fiat-panda-2010-nct-2022-mint-condition/26660036

The pandas worry me somewhat like puntos. Also the power issue. My sister told me to look for a 1.4L as a low end. 1.0 - 1.2L is a bit dodgy especially with passengers. The Opel Corsas (2012) I drove were a bit of a joke iirc. I'm sure they were 1.2L

Pmoylan wrote: »

A €4000-5000 Mazda 3 will get you a second gen one, if it's in decent shape when you check it out it should be fine rust wise. DON'T Buy the Diesel ones. The petrol ones are very reliable cars. I've owned 2.

Do you mean a Mazda2 or a mazda3 second gen? What years would I be looking at?

It's a good point about diesel, I'm not sure to go diesel or not, a lot of these hatchbacks seem to be a mix of diesel and petrol variants. As well as power ranges, just makes it a bit more complicated for me.

I'm also considering Seat Leon as a possibility, anyone any experience on that? It comes in 1.2L and higher.

pajosjunkbox

Petrol Honda Civic. Bullet proof, big boot, magic back seats that disappear when folded down. Great little car

appledrop

I wouldnt touch a fiat if you paid me.

Maybe they have magically improved but fix it again tomorrow was common in my day. One of my friends had one in college + it was always a joke to see of car would start that day.

My first car was an opel corsa + I can safetly say it was worse car I ever owned. I brought it from proper garage so it wasn't that old but I had nothing but trouble from it and eventually head gasket blew.

I'd go for Ford. I had fiesta + focus over the years + both very reliable. Fiesta was struggling a bit and had to change it but thats because I was now doing huge mileage and just not up to job.

colm_mcm

The Fiat Panda is generally well regarded. Came 8th in Top Gear driver survey of 2006.

selectamatic

Ya the panda is generally a reliable little car. Totally different from a reliability perspective compared to the mk1 punto/bravo days. Good little cars to drive too.

OP if you're after something bigger/more powerful I'd be looking at a cheap tax 1.8 civic or a 1.6 valvematic auris if you can find one.

But be sure to check insurance quotes before going down this route you could be in for a rude awakening.

Opel Astra decent car too.

boombang

I think the Panda is a great first car. Make sure to go for the 1.2 petrol rather than the 1.1. While I think it's a great car, it's certainly smaller/lighter than the other on the list.

I like the Mazda 3 too. My brother in law just sold his. Great car, but rusty alright.

Pmoylan

Sn@kebite wrote: »

Do you mean a Mazda2 or a mazda3 second gen? What years would I be looking at?

It's a good point about diesel, I'm not sure to go diesel or not, a lot of these hatchbacks seem to be a mix of diesel and petrol variants. As well as power ranges, just makes it a bit more complicated for me.

I'm also considering Seat Leon as a possibility, anyone any experience on that? It comes in 1.2L and higher.

The Mazda3, which is similar in size to Focus/Golf. The Mazda2 would be fiesta/polo size. You'd be looking at 2009-2013 for second gen models.

I was just talking about the Mazda diesels from that era, other manufacturers may not have the same issues.

Sn@kebite

It seems the panda has the best cost. Ill admit its not the nicest looking but version3 is quite nice. As reliability is most important though it the strongest contender.

The honda civics are really nice as weel as the mazda. Im not sure if renault brand is good, their megane is nice but doesnt seem very popular.

Would it be accurate to say the most popular cars are the reliable ones? From a motorcycle perspective, yamaha ybr125cc are everywhere as starter bikes and they are bulletproof bikes. So if i see a ton of fiat pandas (which i do) (as well as civic/yaris) i hope its similar.

lordts

pajosjunkbox wrote: »

Petrol Honda Civic. Bullet proof, big boot, magic back seats that disappear when folded down. Great little car

What about the hybrid one? (2007-2008) Still reliable or not worth it?

James Bond Junior

I knew two girls with Suzuki Swifts and they LOVED them.

kirving

Sn@kebite wrote: »

I love the idea of fitting a bicycle in the back of a small car also.

To fit in a bike, you're really looking at a Golf/Focus/Corolla size car as opposed to the segment below. In my own experience, you might have to take both wheels off in the hatchback models, and just the front wheel in the saloon version.

My advice would be to buy a car with a recent NCT, that you like the look and feel of, and has been checked by a mechanic. You could buy a car you don't really want, in the hope of it being reliable, but at the end of the day you're buying a second hard car. You will almost certainly have some problem or other with it.

More than likely it will be something small, and something common with that model. Put a few quid away for a repair, and sleep easy.

Within every brand, there are models which are more or less reliable than others for a variety of reasons, and after that it's down to the individual car. It's more likely that a 10yo Toyota is more reliable than a 10yo Fiat, but it's not a certainly by any means. You need to have the individual car checked by a mechanic really.

Generally speaking, if you're told to avoid an entire car brand, I'd take the advice with a pinch of salt.