Looking For....

[Snoopy®]

Evening all, thought I'd join the forums to get some information of the Aygos, and possible other small Toyotas.

I'm on the look out for a new run-about. My criteria is:

Small city car

Cheap to run (although this isn't important)

Cheapish insurance

Petrol

Character

3 Door

Budget of about £6000

So far I have seen:

Toyota Aygo

Toyota Yaris

Renault Clio

Suzuki Swift

VW Lupo

Nissan Micra

All these fall under the £6000 apart from the Swift but i'm sure that they can be found.

A few questions if I may, what are the pros and cons of the Aygo, and just looking through the forum I have noticed a few problems.

I wouldn't be getting a new Aygo so I wouldn't be able to get it sorted under warranty. How much roughly would it cost to sort out a few of their common problems. I accept that not all Aygos will suffer but any help is greatly appreciated.

Ta,

Snoopy :)

[IrishRob]

Evening all, thought I'd join the forums to get some information of the Aygos, and possible other small Toyotas.

I'm on the look out for a new run-about. My criteria is:

Small city car

Cheap to run (although this isn't important)

Cheapish insurance

Petrol

Character

3 Door

Budget of about £6000

So far I have seen:

Toyota Aygo

Toyota Yaris

Renault Clio

Suzuki Swift

VW Lupo

Nissan Micra

All these fall under the £6000 apart from the Swift but i'm sure that they can be found.

A few questions if I may, what are the pros and cons of the Aygo, and just looking through the forum I have noticed a few problems.

I wouldn't be getting a new Aygo so I wouldn't be able to get it sorted under warranty. How much roughly would it cost to sort out a few of their common problems. I accept that not all Aygos will suffer but any help is greatly appreciated.

Ta,

Snoopy :)

Welcome dude, Having driven all your options exept the swift for a bit gotta say I think the Aygo is the most fun, just my own opinion please nobody shoot me! As for the problems with the Aygo couldnt comment on the cost to fix as I caught my locks at the end of the warranty and touch wood my seals and water pump are holding up fine. Appart from that all I can tell you is it is a lovable car and please dont let the faults reported here put you off to much. if you keep the car clean and tidy it is funky looking so will turn a few heads. Have a drive in them all see what fits you best, cars are a personal thing after all.

Good luck mate hope to see you round.

[Snoopy®]

Thanks for the quick reply. A few of my friends have Aygos and they seem right enough. What are their common faults, and do their French counterparts have the same problems. Aren't they assembled in the same factory?

What did you think of the rest of the cars?

[elisetype25]

The problem with most small cars today is that they aren't small.

I love small front wheel drive cars, they're fun. I don't like medium and large front wheel drive cars.

So personally I would go for the Lupo or Aygo, without researching to confirm I would expect these to be cheaper to run than the others you mention. Most superminis are the same size as medium sized family cars were a few years ago (compare the new fiesta with the original focus and there's nothing in it, park one next to an original fiesta and it looks like a barge!). I'm not sure what Lupo residual prices are like, VWs tend to be expensive second hand, so it's worth factoring the age of the car you can afford into the equation, that said Aygo residuals are excellent so it might not be such a disadvantage for the VW.

For fear of stating the obvious, I would really suggest you go and drive as many as you can, they will be very different. French cars can be fun to drive, but I find the suspension and seats too soft, the Micra is reliable, I haven't driven the swift but it does get good reviews.

The Aygo is cheap and fun, but it is small and basic. It is probably the cheapest car to run available today, but it is compromise. The larger cars will still be cheap to run, but wil be considerably more than the Aygo/Lupo.

Trust me, go and drive as many of the models you have shortlisted, and price up the running costs, this will help you decide what matters to you. You'll soon know which car is right for you.

Regards, Neil

[reece]

Yaris

[AYGOgummy]

Evening all, thought I'd join the forums to get some information of the Aygos, and possible other small Toyotas.

I'm on the look out for a new run-about. My criteria is:

Small city car

Cheap to run (although this isn't important)

Cheapish insurance

Petrol

Character

3 Door

Budget of about £6000

So far I have seen:

Toyota Aygo

Toyota Yaris

Renault Clio

Suzuki Swift

VW Lupo

Nissan Micra

All these fall under the £6000 apart from the Swift but i'm sure that they can be found.

A few questions if I may, what are the pros and cons of the Aygo, and just looking through the forum I have noticed a few problems.

I wouldn't be getting a new Aygo so I wouldn't be able to get it sorted under warranty. How much roughly would it cost to sort out a few of their common problems. I accept that not all Aygos will suffer but any help is greatly appreciated.

Ta,

Snoopy :)

I'd go for the Aygo. Maybe I'm biased as an Aygo owner, but having looked at the options you mentioned, I reckon it's the best value for under £6,000. Fantastic fun to drive - it's not what you'd call fast, but it's sprightly enough and very chuckable. My Aygo wasn't new, bought it from a franchised Toyota dealer and got a 1 Year Toyota Warranty, 1 Year RAC cover and a year's membership with Club Toyota (various offers etc). Great deal. I haven't encountered any of the notorious leak problems you've no doubt come across through looking on this forum, I guess the best thing is to check the car thoroughly. I've had my Aygo for almost three months now, and so far it's proving to be very economical and cheap to run, the insurance is great, it's got heaps of character (especially that engine note!) and it gets admired by everyone who gets in and realises just how much space there is (although mine's a 5 door).

So I'd thoroughly recommend the Aygo. Let us know what you go for :) and if you do buy an Aygo, this site is very handy indeed for tips and advice.

[Snoopy®]

Thank you for your replies!! I'll have to nicely ask a mate if he'll let me take his for a spin. Don't worry lol I have the insurance and the license. Also know someone with a Polo the gti one apparently, I'll ask him too.

Again thanks for the replies, I'll let you know how it goes.

*Edit* wasn't a lupo.

[AygoFast]

Personally I think I'd go with the Suzuki Swift, but going by your figure I'd go for something cheaper and set a bit aside for insurance. If you honestly considered an Aygo, I'd say go for the Yaris. The cost difference is minimal on both running and insurance and it's a nicer looking car. :P

Also, there's no denying the reliability of the Micra, so they would be worth considering.

[Chris81]

What's the oldest car you'd consider purchasing? 3 years?

[another_pleb]

I know that your post states 3-door cars only but would you consider a Fiat Panda; a very comfortable car with an excellent reliability record, (yes really)

I also notice that you are considering a Renault Clio but not a Twingo and a VW Lupo (out of production for a few years) but not a VW Fox. You need to compare like for like. E.g. a Yaris is bigger than an Aygo but a lot heavier and it also looks a bit "mumsy" for my tastes.

My advice is to test as many cars as the dealers will let you and then come to your own decision.