Best small engine car 1.0-1.4

MuppetCheck

geneyuss wrote: »

the 500 in particular looks like a childs toy, according to some reviews it feels cheap, clunky and badly made, a mini cooper would be a way better buy if that's your kinda car,

i would suggest the Skoda Fabia as a possibility to the OP also

Firstly a mini Cooper is a lot more expensive. It's a relatively cheap car but I wouldn't call the interior low rent by any means.

geneyuss

haribos wrote: »

Never judge on a predecessor, Had a carina E,absolute tank of a thing.....sold it for a 2ltr Avensis.......Oh god pure and utter hassle

up until about 7 years ago i had a Carina E also,(my dad had it before that from one year old) a 96 1.6 petrol, i bet its still going today while i have gone through a host of different makes and models,
my uncle had three of those Avensis that came after them, he bought them quiet new for hackneys, all 2.0 diesels, all gave alot of gearbox/clutch problems, but they were driven hard.

haribos

geneyuss wrote: »

up until about 7 years ago i had a Carina E also,(my dad had it before that from one year old) a 96 1.6 petrol, i bet its still going today while i have gone through a host of different makes and models,
my uncle had three of those Avensis that came after them, he bought them quiet new for hackneys, all 2.0 diesels, all gave alot of gearbox/clutch problems, but they were driven hard.

Carina e had 320,000 miles on it when I sold it...... they were beast's

geneyuss

haribos wrote: »

Carina e had 320,000 miles on it when I sold it...... they were beast's

good god,,, that's nearly to the moon and back,,, Toyota's rock

geneyuss

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Firstly a mini Cooper is a lot more expensive.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3618957
still within the OP's budget , as we try and stay on topic :rolleyes:

MuppetCheck

I meant new since you were speaking about some reviews which usually happen when new.

And that car is older and nearly three times the mileage in a private sale without warranty. Find a 2009 mini Cooper from a dealer with similar mileage for 9k and ill admit to defeat on that;)

geneyuss

MuppetCheck wrote: »

I meant new since you were speaking about some reviews which usually happen when new.

And that car is older and nearly three times the mileage in a private sale without warranty. Find a 2009 mini Cooper from a dealer with similar mileage for 9k and ill admit to defeat on that;)

yes,,,sure a review can be 5/6 years old,,,it never changes
and why from a dealer? I never by from a dealer and never will, anyhow its a 2007, with low milage for under E7000, probably get it for E6k
OPs budget is E7500 btw, so im trying to keep within that, im sure if i went for his upper end id find one

mgn

OPEL CORSA 1,2

John_Rambo

colm_mcm wrote: »

Panda 100hp

Where can I get one of these (second hand)?

colm_mcm

There were a few of them knocking around a few months ago , don't see any now

MuppetCheck

mgn wrote: »

OPEL CORSA 1,2

Ugh.

mgn

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Ugh.

What's wrong with an 07-08 corsa?

haribos

mgn wrote: »

What's wrong with an 07-08 corsa?

May as well drive a 206....... or a toyota Starlet !!:p

166man

captainspeed wrote: »

There is so much wrong with this post it's hard to know where to start.

I know the Auris gets slated on here but it's not that bad a car... The 1.4D4D engine is excellent and I like the interior design even if the materials are a bit below par.

I think they're a decent enough car and would like to hear why it's apparently so bad.

haribos

166man wrote: »

I know the Auris gets slated on here but it's not that bad a car... The 1.4D4D engine is excellent and I like the interior design even if the materials are a bit below par.

I think they're a decent enough car and would like to hear why it's apparently so bad.

Read back

Leonard Hofstadter

mgn wrote: »

What's wrong with an 07-08 corsa?

I don't know what the petrols are like, but the diesel is just awful to drive, no throttle response, very unsmooth, no feel through the steering wheel and the world's most annoying indicators. Apart from the engine side of things, the Corsa is fine car, so I suspect with a petrol engine it is a lot nicer to drive.

As the others have mentioned, the Auris is just a terrible car.

The Paddy spec versions have nothing as standard (not even a/c - shocking for a 2012 car), the interior is absolutely mank, they're slow, noisy, they don't ride or handle well, uncomfortable and they're no more reliable than any other car out there. The only good thing about the Auris is the safety, and that only applies to the earlier versions. Now it is outclassed since they do not come with ESP as standard, while the vast majority of its competitors do.

Modern Toyota reliability is absolutely nothing to write home about, they're by no means the worst car out there, but ever since they stopped building them in Japan the build quality and reliability has suffered. Just compare the Jap built Corollas from 98-02 (the saloons) to the British built models (the liftbacks) and you'll see that many British build cars with rust whereas the Jap built ones are perfect.

Also Toyota will be using BMW diesel engines from next year, which will be great - while they're under warranty, but afterwards will be ticking timebombs, since BMW can't even make crankshafts and timing chains properly in their diesel engines these days:rolleyes:.

haribos

captainspeed......Toyota Hater:p:p

geneyuss

captainspeed wrote: »

I don't know what the petrols are like, but the diesel is just awful to drive, no throttle response, very unsmooth, no feel through the steering wheel and the world's most annoying indicators. Apart from the engine side of things, the Corsa is fine car, so I suspect with a petrol engine it is a lot nicer to drive.

As the others have mentioned, the Auris is just a terrible car.

The Paddy spec versions have nothing as standard (not even a/c - shocking for a 2012 car), the interior is absolutely mank, they're slow, noisy, they don't ride or handle well, uncomfortable and they're no more reliable than any other car out there. The only good thing about the Auris is the safety, and that only applies to the earlier versions. Now it is outclassed since they do not come with ESP as standard, while the vast majority of its competitors do.

Modern Toyota reliability is absolutely nothing to write home about, they're by no means the worst car out there, but ever since they stopped building them in Japan the build quality and reliability has suffered. Just compare the Jap built Corollas from 98-02 (the saloons) to the British built models (the liftbacks) and you'll see that many British build cars with rust whereas the Jap built ones are perfect.

Also Toyota will be using BMW diesel engines from next year, which will be great - while they're under warranty, but afterwards will be ticking timebombs, since BMW can't even make crankshafts and timing chains properly in their diesel engines these days:rolleyes:.

who are these others you speak of ?? i think you have lost the meaning of this thread,,, maybe you should start an "i hate everything except poxy boy racer hatchbacks" ? or "before i buy, im bringing this car to a race track to check its handling and stuff" ?

haribos

Just thinking about Opels, I hate corsa's but what about the Astra hatchback, 2004 on, have no experience of them. Seems to be a lot of them out there though, any thoughts on them, they would be in the specified price range and that and dont look too bad either?

166man

captainspeed wrote: »

As the others have mentioned, the Auris is just a terrible car.

The Paddy spec versions have nothing as standard (not even a/c - shocking for a 2012 car), the interior is absolutely mank, they're slow, noisy, they don't ride or handle well, uncomfortable and they're no more reliable than any other car out there. The only good thing about the Auris is the safety, and that only applies to the earlier versions. Now it is outclassed since they do not come with ESP as standard, while the vast majority of its competitors do.

I'm sorry, it just isn't a terrible car. A CityRover is a terrible car, but not an Auris. For me a good car has to meet the needs and criteria of it's target market. I reckon 90% of people who buy an Auris diesel don't really care about how it handles because in a 1.4 diesel hatchback, handling is not the most important thing about it!

Supple suspension, a responsive throttle pedal and fast direct steering are important in a sports car but the Auris isn't a sports car so it's not fair to slate the handling of them.

They're also not that slow actually. The 1.4 petrol is roughly the same power wise as it's rivals and the 1.4 diesel is a nippy yoke. I think they are also quite comfortable and as said the interior is well designed but it feels like the materials are a bit cheap though.

Even still, for the type of people that buy that car, it does everything they need it too, they don't need sports suspension and a fast engine or a pluck luxury interior. They want reliability, good fuel economy and something that can take a bit of abuse and not have to worry about it. I think the Auris actually does all that and as such makes it a good car.

Still wouldn't buy one though. :pac:

haribos

Regret of the day, toss up between trying Nandos Spicy sauce which should be renamed as HELLA HOT and F**cking recommending a Toyota Auris on this thread...........

John_Rambo

haribos wrote: »

hot hatches whatever they're called these days are all in and around the same... Nothing amazing has come out in years

Are you out of you're vulcan mind? ST, GTi, RS, Clio Sport, Clio V6, R26.R, vRS, Cooper S, Cupra, Type-R GT, Impreza Sti, Golf R, Giulietta, Brera.

martyc5674

haribos wrote: »

mgn wrote: »

What's wrong with an 07-08 corsa?

May as well drive a 206....... or a toyota Starlet !!:p

Be much better off with a starlet... They go like a rocket and give zero trouble. Had 2 and drove the bejayaus out of em for 15 years.
In the same time my old lad had two corsas... Sedate driving...and only did 3k a year and they both gave considerable trouble, admittedly his 97 one only gave trouble at the end(last year) with only 52 k on the clock, his 09 one is constantly in the garage. Neither of my starlets gave any trouble over 300k miles of abuse and a lack of maintenance. And did I say... They are quick!!!
Marty.

Crann na Beatha

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MuppetCheck

Aquila wrote: »

Whats wrong with an Ibiza or a Fabia?

Nothing major really, but the standard 1.2 is a little ahsmatic and the standard specification is lacking. A higher spec and better engined variant would make a good car of them.

colm_mcm

Agreed, I rented out an 09 Ibiza 1.9 TDI with all the gear in Spain back in 09. It was a smashing car, sadly the 1.2 3 cylinder engines are rotten and spec is pretty miserly.

haribos

John_Rambo wrote: »

haribos wrote: »

hot hatches whatever they're called these days are all in and around the same... Nothing amazing has come out in years

Are you out of you're vulcan mind? ST, GTi, RS, Clio Sport, Clio V6, R26.R, vRS, Cooper S, Cupra, Type-R GT, Impreza Sti, Golf R, Giulietta, Brera.

Yes, these are all sensible family cars alright..........

MuppetCheck

haribos wrote: »

Yes, these are all sensible family cars alright..........

Most of those are perfectly sercvicable family wagons tbh. They are based on normal family cars for the most part and bar fuel economy will be just as usable.

haribos

MuppetCheck wrote: »

haribos wrote: »

Yes, these are all sensible family cars alright..........

Most of those are perfectly sercvicable family wagons tbh. They are based on normal family cars for the most part and bar fuel economy will be just as usable.

Sorry, totally disagree. Family cars, come on seriously... Comes a time in your life when you have children that you leave your boy racer behind.

delthedriver

Aquila wrote: »

Heres a question whats the best small engine car that is cheap to tax and insure,easy to maintain,delivers a decent MPG for small to average commute roughly 40 km per day and also a run around.looking for a year 2008+
Answers on a postcard please:pac:

Hi Aquila,

Are you any wiser following all our comments?

Which car interests you most now?

Crann na Beatha

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delthedriver

Aquila wrote: »

Im a bit tbh, I want something reliable,thats economical and parts not too expensive

I thought so!
May I suggest looking at Carzone, identify 5 cars which meet your needs, preferences, engine size , budget etc. List same in your next post and see if we can get more objective feedback.

Best Regards

David09

What about a ford fiesta?

The Bishop Basher

martyc5674 wrote: »

Be much better off with a starlet... They go like a rocket and give zero trouble.

Great car for its class I agree but it's no rocket.

John_Rambo

haribos wrote: »

hot hatches whatever they're called these days are all in and around the same... Nothing amazing has come out in years, bought a Vw Scirocco there in 2010, think its still maybe the best looking hatch back, but too expensive

haribos wrote: »

Yes, these are all sensible family cars alright..........

Hold on, you just moaned the fact that Hot-Hatches are all the same and there's nothing amazing. I supply you with a generous list of amazing Hot-Hatches and you complain that they are boy-racer cars and not family orientated?

MuppetCheck

haribos wrote: »

Sorry, totally disagree. Family cars, come on seriously... Comes a time in your life when you have children that you leave your boy racer behind.

In what way does having a bit of power stop it from being a family car? In what way is a GTI less of a family car than any other golf? They can both do the school run, the shopping etc.

As for the boy racer bit your barstool is mighty high.

Crann na Beatha

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Crann na Beatha

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Stheno

Aquila wrote: »

anyone?

It was one of the recommendations on page one.

They are not bad little cars, tend to hold their value well too.

Mola1

I'm going to second the Toyota auris. I have had mines just over a year now and I can't fault it, don't know why they get a bad name on here! It's comfortable,reliable and economical. What more do you want?

David09

Stheno wrote: »

It was one of the recommendations on page one.

They are not bad little cars, tend to hold their value well too.

Fiesta would be my default choice. I've had a few fords and I've never had or heard of any expensive issues. Parts and servicing are rock bottom cheap. I'd recommend one.

Crann na Beatha

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Stheno

Aquila wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3601758
What do ye reckon?

Look for details of the service history and check that anything that needs doing has been done.

Don't buy it without an NCT

If you want to be more sure, have a mechanic you know check it for you.

And if you do buy, remove those hideous seat covers, and the religious medals!

Crann na Beatha

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Stheno

Aquila wrote: »

lol ah i know,they are tacky arent they

They are, but sometimes buying a car is like buying a house, just redocorate it in your head.

Looks a nice enough car though, mileage if anything for an 8 (almost 9) year old diesel is a bit low, which would make me check the service history (when I drove a diesel I was doing 20 - 25k miles a year) but that's possibly me being old school.

Did you drive it or even go and see it?

Crann na Beatha

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Stheno

Aquila wrote: »

Lads which is the better engine on the fiesta the diesel or petrol?

The 1.25 petrol is considered to be a great engine, pretty much every small car thread you see on here recommends it.

I don't know much about the diesel, but diesels do tend to need a little bit more looking after in terms of servicing, doing constant short runs and no long drives on them are not good for them.

That's my experience from 10 years ago, I had a diesel as I did a min. of 600 miles a week over 100 miles a day.

Depends on how you are going to use it. At the end of the day, the Fiesta is a good car. Should be reliable, economical, and easy to maintain, so check all of that.

Have you seen a 1.25 petrol you like?

Leonard Hofstadter

Petrol without a doubt for the 'Feshty'. They're much more tolerant of not being maintained at the appropriate intervals (there is far less to go expensively wrong in the petrol models), and while Irish people are pretty bad for car maintenance in general, it goes totally out of proportion with a small car like a Fiesta - at this end people just tax them and fuel them and only spend money on their cars 'to get it through the NCT'.

I wouldn't get my hopes up about finding any supermini with FSH in Ireland - whereas in every other normal country it's seen as a selling point that a car has service history and people pay more accordingly for it! In Ireland it's all about age and mileage.

166man

captainspeed wrote: »

I wouldn't get my hopes up about finding any supermini with FSH in Ireland - whereas in every other normal country it's seen as a selling point that a car has service history and people pay more accordingly for it!

If you're being serious that just isn't true. There are plenty of supermini's out there with FSH. It's a pretty ridiculous statement to say there aren't and the cars with FSH in Ireland do hold their value more! :P

MuppetCheck

166man wrote: »

If you're being serious that just isn't true. There are plenty of supermini's out there with FSH. It's a pretty ridiculous statement to say there aren't and the cars with FSH in Ireland do hold their value more! :P

It's his usual sensationalism...