New to me car

rachie87

Hi all,

on the market for a new car - my 05 micra head gasket is going.

looking for a small enough car like micra fiesta etc that requires the bare minimum upkeep but reliable at the same time

drive around 30km a day into dublin and back and then spend the wknd ferrying kids to football matches.

Looking to spend 8-10k

seen what I think is a good deal for 2019 sandero- any thoughts on these?

thanks

Lewis_Benson

There is no car that requires the "bare minimum" upkeep.

You need to keep on top of car maintenance.

Sounds like you need an EV.

hoodie6029

Would you chance €20 on a bottle of K Seal to solve your head gasket issue? I put some on my Golf 6 or 7 years ago and not a leak since.

Parkers.co.uk is great for reviews. I don’t have any experience of Sanderos.

With your mileage, I’d avoid diesel. Petrol or hybrid would be better bets for you.

bazz26

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121725948#Comment_121725948

It has nothing to do with where they are manufactured. Insurance companies load premiums on many Japanese imported models because they are popular with thieves and joyriders here. Some Japanese used imports have little or no security meaning they are very easy to steal.

Bargain_Hound

Piggy backing on the back of this thread, but do VW jap imports also fall under difficult to insure category? I’m looking at JP import Tourans (2016-2017)at the moment but hadn’t considered insurance.

listermint

Head gasket on a micra. I'd put money the coolant has been bone dry for a long time. OP whatever you buy. Make sure service it regularly. No car is no minimal maintenance. All cars need regular service intervals.

LIGHTNING

Lets keep this on track folks.

User1998

Yeah, MOST have push button starts. But the one you mentioned (Vitz) does not. It only comes as standard on the highest spec model. Same with Demio, March, Aqua etc. Also the body parts are slightly different so can’t really be repaired properly by an insurance company.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121726235#Comment_121726235

They shouldn’t. They are identical to an Irish model and come with all the security features as standard. Obviously check with your insurance first tho.

LIGHTNING

@[Deleted User] Do not post in this thread again.

rachie87

It was my fault. I had topped up the oil and water that week but had put the water in the overflow rather than main water tank. My error means I need a new car 😭😭😭

Hotblack Desiato

We've owned an '04 Corolla since 2007 and it's only had oil and filters, tyres, wiper blades, 1 set of brake pads which it didn't really need, a couple of bulbs, and a flasher unit. That's about as bare minimum as it gets.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121727171#Comment_121727171

?? Both are linked together. The radiator itself and the expansion tank both need to be filled to at least the minimum level. If coolant was being lost then either it was a dodgy hose or head gasket, coolant should rarely if ever need to be topped up as there should be nowhere for it to go.

rachie87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121727362#Comment_121727362

That’s what I was told in the garage when I brought it in because the orange engine light came on

hoodie6029

It’s a near 20 year old Micra at this stage, crash safety and comfort has moved on a lot in that time. No harm to change.

Fiesta is one of my favorites. Hard to go wrong with one and cheap to run and service. Won’t be as new as the Sandero for your budget though.

I see a couple of newer shape Suzuki Swifts in your budget too. Worth a look too.

Bargain_Hound

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121726430#Comment_121726430

To close the loop on this, I rang my insurance and got a quote for the Touran I’m looking at. The quote came in substantially lower than what I am paying now on an Irish Yaris!

rachie87

Out of curiosity how do you know if a car is a jap import?

have two fiestas I’m going to look at tmrw or Thursday

one is 2013 with 54,000km

one is 2014 with 133,000km

is the lower km one automatically better even though a year older? Both cars have a decent service history as the dealer said

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121732151#Comment_121732151

Pretty much anything petrol automatic is Japanese these days. You just have to ask whoever is selling it or do a history check.

I would be much more inclined to go with the one with lower mileage. But it depends on price, spec, condition, warranty etc.