How I Bought An Iq When I Didn't Even Know I Wanted One...

[rturner]

Hi all, I signed up to the forum yesterday and have read back through every page of posts back to the beginning to pick up whatever info I can about my imminent arrival. I thought I'd make this post a story about how I ended up with a brand new iQ when this time last week I didn't even know I wanted one.

On Saturday morning my girlfriend and I remembered that our ageing (12 year old) 1.4 Polo was due an MOT that it would definitely not pass. The Polo is our run-about that I'm supposed to use to keep the mileage off (and fuel out of) our Impreza, but it's such a shed that I never want to use it. After contemplating the thought/horror of spending several hundred pounds to keep a rusty old non-power steering base model VW on the road for another year, we decided to have a look around for the cheapest car that the scrappage allowance could buy. I decided to go for low tax, high mpg, function over form, as cheap to buy as possible and total sensible in every way. And so the search commenced:

Candidate one - Kia Picanto.

Grrrr, sexy! But we decided maybe we'd spend a little more for something that didn't look quite so terrible. Next candidate, Hyundai i10. It even has a 5 year warranty, so it's even more sensible than the Picanto, but looks a lot better:

...oh, hang on, the jaunty camera angle fooled me. I don't think I want to be seen dead in that either. Hmmm, not doing so well. Try looking at a few more cheapy alternatives:

Suzuki Alto:

Daewoo / "Chevvy" Matiz:

G-wiz...

...maybe not:

Oh dear, this still isn't good and I'd still rather cut out my eyes with a rusty spoon than pay money for any of those. So the budget was upped a little and we drew up a shortlist of:

Fiat Panda

VW Fox

Toyota Aygo/C1/107

Renault Twingo

And after looking at the depreciation after three years, discounted the Panda without driving it. So on Sunday we decided to go and test drive the Twingo, Fox and Aygo, starting with the Aygo. The Toyota salesman was unusually helpful for a car salesman and gave us the keys to an Aygo and told us to take it as far as we liked, try going on the motorway and country roads and bring it back when we were ready. So we had a really good 45 minute test drive on all sorts of roads. I liked it better than I thought I was going to, but wasn't mad keen on the basic interior of the base model.

We got back to the showroom ready to dump the keys and head down to Renault but the salesman came out and said that he was struggling to get hold of a basic Aygo within 12 weeks but that he thought he could sell us an iQ for close to Aygo money. I said that this was highly unlikely but he persuaded us to take an iQ out, and again told us to take as long as we liked. So off we went again, with me saying 'well, it's very nice but we're not having one because like every car salesman he's lying through his teeth and there'll be a catch and it'll be far too expensive'.

When we returned the guy gave us some figures that were similar to Aygo prices, but only if we took a fully spec'd up Aygo, which I had made it clear was not what we were looking for. I said 'thanks but no thanks' and prepared to leave and he came back saying that they'd knock £500 off the price if we took one of the three that they had in stock by the end of the month. Starting to get a bit more interested I said that we'd think about it.

So we went and tested the Twingo, discovered that it was appallingly slow (it certainly felt slower than the iQ and struggled to get up a hill on the M1 at more than 55mph) and headed back to the Toyota dealer and put a deposit down on a lovely white iQ!

Talk about an impulse buy.

Four days ago I hadn't even considered getting a car, let alone a brand new one, let alone a fairly expensive one and I'd barely even heard of the iQ! I've got to hand it to that salesman for doing a good job on us.

Anyway, we pick it up tomorrow evening and I can't believe I'm actually excited about buying a 1.0 67bhp car and putting the Subaru (and it's raging thirst for unleaded) in the garage for a bit. I'm so pleased that we spent a little extra and got a car with so many more little luxuries than originally planned. I also think the iQ isn't bad value at all for what it is. If I had specified an Aygo or any of the aforementioned little cars up to iQ levels of equipment, it would have come to more or less the same price, but with much more basic overall interior and probably worse depreciation. I was genuinely amazed about the amount of kit that came with the base car as standard.

Apologies for the excessively long first post, but I have to get it off my chest as it feels like xmas come early and I won't be able to sleep properly tonight and work will drag tomorrow. I'm sure a few people here who have recently bought and iQ will know how I feel!

Rhys

[Faye]

Nice impulse buy! Toyota did a similarly good job on me with the test drive etc. Our little IQ was due in December, but we've been told its ready for us now, so like you am very excited at the moment!!!

Get some photos up when you've got chance :)

[Ruud-from-Holland]

Well done, with your right choice, welcome to the forum.

[justin7]

great post!

[markyf]

My second car is an RX7 with 400bhp under my right foot, but my little IQ2 is as much fun in it's own way and always puts a smile on my face ;-)

Don't be at all surprised if you hardly ever get the Scooby out of the garage.

Enjoy....................

When is that darned K&N Induction kit coming out??

[MccLtd]

My last car was a brand new M3 hard top convertible with DMG, adjustable suspension the full works.

Dont miss it at all now when all I do is plod to and from work 10 miles each way in heavy traffic.

IQ is a lot more fun, draws loads of attention and look at the pennies u save.

My wife just wishes I bought a sensible car years ago. Took me till I was 40 to realise how much money I was throwing away on cars.

The only thing I do miss is coming down acceleration lanes to join a dual carriage way and out accelerating everything allready on it , now I have to think hmmmm do I brake or dont I.

Oh and yes

When is that darned K&N Induction kit coming out??

[SallyIQ]

I have an IQ2 and am also insured on my partners Impreza and yeh the Impreza is fast n fun, but i love the IQ just as much!

It is nice to have the Impreza there for when you do wanna have a bit more power to play with though!

[kennyboy]

i had a similar tale i wanted to buy a fiat 500 and saw one at the toyota garage in kilmarnock it was on a ramp and looking well. i was in my mazda mx5 with the top down and went to test the fiat...on entering the showroom i saw this lovely wee car it was the first time i had seen an iq in the showroom.. it blew me and the fiat away ... i am now the proud owner of an iq2 little budda his name and it one of the best purchases ever. i love it and i have had great cars in the past one being a nissan 200 turbo touring coupe... but took little budda today to glencoe in scotland and he did me proud .to anyone who has an iq you will get an iq... cheers kennyboy

[rturner]

Really encouraging to see that there are a few more people who have (or have had) powerful cars who are enjoying their iQ's. Finally picked it up after waiting a whole three days for it. Toyota said they had put half a tank of petrol in, so I took it to the nearest garage to brim it and they weren't lying. I got 16 litres in, which I think is just about half a tank? I've decided to religiously track the fuel consumption in order to encourage myself not to drive around pedal to the metal. I've signed up to Fuelly.com which I notice a couple of other people using on this forum.

Nice picture by the way Kennyboy.

Due to a severe lack of mountains between Sheffield and Barnsley, I've only been able to take a couple in the garage:

Okay, so it's just a standard iQ (with 27 miles on the clock!), but I have made one important modification:

Pretty nifty idea I thought, considering the almost total lack of storage in the car!

[Faye]

That's pretty cool acually, is that a standard toyota thing?

I'm sure you'll enjoy your scoob all the more now you don't have to think about how much fuel its drinking. We're the same with our Supras (although one is in the bad books for deciding now is a good time for new suspension - she's now staying in the garage for a bit!!)

[iq-ownersclub.com]

cracking first post mate!

welcome :)

[rturner]

That's pretty cool acually, is that a standard toyota thing?

Nope, I just spotted it in Halfords for a tenner. Look on eBay though, they're only a couple of quid!