Realistic Alternatives To The Iq?

[APS]

I've clearly missed an important announcement.

Are they discontinuing the IQ and if so - when?

Sent from my iPhone using Toyota OC

[FROSTYBALLS]

Toyota are ceasing exports of the IQ into the UK. See http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/157399-iq-discontinued/

[Darth IQ73]

Don't know how relevant it is for this thread, but I really don't see the point of getting another car.

If, and hopefully it's an if, the production does stop. Why would I want to look for something else?

I bought my IQ 1 for several reasons... many of which you all seem to have covered elsewhere on this forum.

1) I wanted a small car to take me to and from the station with the odd journey here and there (ticked off - and in spades)

2) I wanted a reliable/economical car (ticked off again, as they are, as we know 'Bulletproof')

3) I wanted a cool looking car that wasn't on every street like the Fiat 500, Mini or Smarts are/were (ticked off daily in spades !!)

I've taken out an extended service with my local Mr T - Hills of Letchworth (formerly North Herts Toyota) and have never been so re-assured by a car in a long, long time. Plus their service is very good, with the added bonus of the lovely Teri there, another bonus ;)

I used to have loads of bangers and secondhand cars that would last a few years here and there and it would go round and round..... I was SO relieved when I got my IQ that it felt like a huge weight was off my shoulders - I had (sorry, HAVE) it all in this car.

It's a cracking little head turner, its more reliable than anything I have ever owned, plus, with very decent, helpful people like Tarquin on here (I had to say a public thank you for your Blue Light mod David - Thanks again !!) to tweak and make perfection even more perfectiony (????) why would you (anyone) want to look elsewhere ?!??!

I, for one, am and will be keeping my little treasure, even if more are not destined for these shores.

I love it and truly think it is one of the best looking cars on these roads.

What with the promise of upgrading my cloth seats to leather ones, and possibly changing the outside paint job to a nice vinyl Matt wrap - theres a bountiful list of upgrades to do to even think of ever changing.

Here's looking to the future and many happy years together !!

[sweet-dentist]

So... when you are in a "total" ... or it's economically better to "write it off" .... or it's too old (next 10 years?)...

Then..

What will you buy??? That's the question...

I myself will also ride this gem to the shreds... hopefully an other 10 years or so... My Smart is from 2002....so it has to be possible.. :-)

Also very glad with this small car....but my former Toyota Previa is for today standards a "guzzler" but when I had it, I did not want anything else and I was rich as a King having that... Soo much space..soo much luxery ... (aut/leather/rearcamera/navigation/phoneconnected/sunroofs(2)/electric side doors)....

But then my work stopped.... so no more commuting ... so it was "overcomplete" ...

But for myself looking at "the next car" ... I would be thinking of something small and electric..

Maybe the government comes with some "plan" .... Maybe gas/petrol becomes unpayable.. We can not look in the future...

Maybe I will be glad in some years with an electric bike and public transportation... who knows.... :-)

Just saying...

[sweet-dentist]

And what about the new Smart... ?

Here:

[FROSTYBALLS]

Uses a shortened platform from the forthcoming Smart ForFour/Renault Twingo.

[Raistlin]

It still looks like a toy

[FROSTYBALLS]

Think I'd prefer something with a little more go .....

[Blue Kingfisher]

Not a VW Up!

My partner has had a new UP! for one month and says it's the biggest car buying mistake they have made.

Compared to the IQ it is noisy, less responsive and has to work harder to gain acceleration.

It has now been traded in for an Audi A1 1.6 - bring it on!!

[Raistlin]

Whats.. Up

[FROSTYBALLS]

We recently had a Skoda Citigo Elegance for a few days - found the stop/start system coupled to the 3 cylinder engine quite crude and noisy.

[bobkneale]

Think I'd prefer something with a little more go .....

Believe it or not I used to own one of the orgiinal Isetta (bubble cars) cars with single cylinder BMW engine (if i remember correctly) in the 1960"s !

[sweet-dentist]

Wow.... God was still wearing shorts .... that's long ago Bob ... :-)

Think I was 11 then... and had NO car .... maybe a bike... :-D

[FROSTYBALLS]

Amazing how BMW went from this

To this

[bobkneale]

Wow.... God was still wearing shorts .... that's long ago Bob ... :-)

Think I was 11 then... and had NO car .... maybe a bike... :-D

I'm an old timer !

[bobkneale]

Amazing how BMW went from this

To this

The great thing about those little Isetta's is that if you rolled it over it often used to end up back on it's wheels and you could just drive off again !

[bobkneale]

You see i bought the iQ because it can carry 3.5 people and it made by Toyota and i wanted it the size it is. So for me there is no replacement

David

100% agree ! No replacement and no second hand alternitive for me that costs less than £5000 with zero UK road tax and 60+MPG I cannot see any other car that matches these requirements, perhaps I am missing something ?

[tarquin]

Also, i pulled up outside a fish and chip shop 2 days ago and there was a guy waiting out side it and as i got out he said, and i kid you not, "i have seen you going up and round here. Do you want to sell it? He then says "i'll give you £10,000 for it"

Tempting, not really, i wouldn't sell it. To me its irreplaceable. A lot of work and fun has been put into my car. Just couldn't sell it

David

[bobkneale]

I recon that after all new IQ's have been sold in UK it will become a desirable second hand car purchase in UK for some people because there is no current cost effective alternitive.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

lol I dunno about that :)

It depends on the area where they sold too I think. There are loads around Harrogate, and I mean loads. Yet when we drove to London in our IQ we saw 2 in the whole week we were there. We really would have expected to have seen many more.

[tarquin]

i live just outside london and i see at least 1 a day but 5 regulars each week strange though have never seen a Red or Blue one on the road mainly silver white and black

David

[bobkneale]

I live in North Wales (very rural) yet I know of at least 2 other IQ's within 5 miles of me. !