My Downgrade

[Demonic Angel]

I must admit to sometimes wondering why I have an Aygo.... taking out the obvious reasons - the fact they're cute and cheap to run in all respects, the choice to downgrade from a slightly larger, more expensive, more technological, slightly faster car may seem to some to be, well, slightly mentalistic!

But then I realised.... technology has spoilt cars. Technology equals more expense. Speed supposedly kills and you can't legally drive faster than 70mph on public roads anyway. The Celica I originally wanted would never have gotten any chance to really open up, plus it would have dented my purse in petrol, tax & insurance....

And so, I come to my Aygo. Most people upgrade a car, except ohhh no, I have to be different, I have to downgrade! But what can I say, I fell in love and love makes me act on impulse. This is a car that wowed me over a Gen 7 Celica, over a Mk2 Yaris, over pretty much every other affordable car out there - and what was the clincher, the one thing that made me want the Aygo above all others?

The Blue Dials

Yep! We went into a showroom, I saw the blue dials and that was me hooked!

So, almost 2 weeks and over 350 miles later, how's it going? Well I'm not going to get all technical about it, there are plenty of technical reviews on here, but for me, I absolutely love it!

Do I miss my Yaris - of course I do, she was special, she was my little buddy. But my Aygo feels so much more different and yet so similar in many respects. I love the slightly firmer ride you get in the Aygo, its not a sporty car but it feels like it is, the speed is deceptive. The engine has a great little raspy sound to it, it corners so much better than the Yaris, maybe because its lower to the ground? Well if it isnt, it sure feels like it is! The body roll in the Yaris was god awful, it's much better in the Aygo and you feel like you can take corners with delightful ease.

Of course its only done 350 miles and I'm breaking him in slowly, but he's already starting to open up a lot more and the 1.0 3-cylinder engine is absolutely perfect for the car (unlike the Mk2 Yaris, which really suffers with this engine). Admittedly it doesnt have the initial pep that the 1.3 Yaris engine does, but this is a car built for agility rather than speed. Nipping inbetween traffic is easy, the wing mirrors are much larger than the Yaris meaning you can see more of the road either side and all you need to do is drop down a gear and go for it!

The bluetooth connection is easy to use and I've only just realised it's voice activated - how cool! I havent had a chance to try it all out yet but I simply love the iPod connection. Spec-wise it has less technology than the Yaris, being used to the T-Spirit spec I had a lot of really cool gadgets at my disposal, but with a car like the Aygo you realise just how much you didnt use the electric wing mirrors or the sunroof. In fact the only gadget I really do miss is the remote stereo controls on the steering wheel, but even then I'm getting used to not having them.... its just a case of moving my lazy arm to the left slightly and pressing a button - it's not hard and it gives my left arm a good workout :P

Are all these missing gadgets a detriment to the car? Not at all, because a car is for driving, not for faffing about with technology. This little car is going back to basics, but that's what's so endearing about it. It has everything I could need - air con, CD player, iPod connection, bluetooth, seats, a steering wheel and an engine.... it's simple, basic but its really a hell of a lot of fun. Yes it has a few niggles, as do most cars. The seats have no memory (but then, my Yaris seats were shoddy too!) and the boot is non-existent but to be fair, my boot is normally packed full of junk anyway and the Aygo boot is currently no exception!

As cars go, its not perfect and I can agree with many of fellow owners negatives about the car, however you have to take the Aygo for what it is - it's not a sports car, its not a luxury saloon, it's a small, affordable little hatch. Yes it's missing some things, but to be fair, it's a cheap small car. It's like booking a room at the Holiday Inn expecting the Ritz. If you take it for what it is, it's actually a really good little car - I'm certainly not complaining for my £7995! Not to mention I got the Style Pack thrown in for free ;)

A lot of people seemed slightly shocked at my decision to get an Aygo above any other car on the planet and even I was surprised to fall for an Aygo! I've since found out my Yaris has found a lovely new home, I miss her to bits and she'll never be replaced. I don't class my Aygo as a replacement, more of an addition to my little Toyota family.

[feldman]

Think you've got the whole point of the Aygo spot on there ;)

Cheap and cheerful motoring.

My plan was always to have mine for about 2 or 3 years then upgrade to something bigger in both size and engine but the way things are going in the UK I might not bother.

Petrol's getting dearer all the time, you get taxed more on your carbon emissions, the roads are congested, parking spaces are at a premium in towns and cities- the Aygo's perfect for all those and I might just keep mine for the long haul!

Glad you like yours so much

[T V O R]

It sounds like you are trying to convince "yourself".

upgrades are good, upgrades are better

[Demonic Angel]

It sounds like you are trying to convince "yourself".

upgrades are good, upgrades are better

Not at all, I'm perfectly happy with my choice and to take a quote from the Yaris forum regarding my advice to someone wanting a Yaris is totally out of context really James ;)

Plus this is a "review" forum.... for owners to "review" their cars... so I did my own "review", like duh!

P1 or P2 - go for the P2

Yaris or Aygo - my choice is blatantly obvious :D

[Red Yaris 54]

"the 1.0 3-cylinder engine is absolutely perfect for the car (unlike the Mk2 Yaris, which really suffers with this engine)"

I must dissagree with you there Em.......................My Mk2 Yaris has the 3 cylinder 1.0 engine and has much greater low down torque than the previous 1.0 engine.

The Mk2 Yaris with the 3 cylinder 1.0 shares the Aygos rasping exhaust note (which I really like), but might just miss out on top speed to the Aygo as it is a heavier car.........(but as you have said, you can only legally do 70MPH on public roads)

The other thing of course is that I do not get the £35 a year road tax that you do in your Aygo, despite it having the same engine :( ;)

I think you have made a good choice.......................maybe next time I change my car I will take another look at the Aygo ;)

Then I will have to change my forum name

[Cokeman]

We "downgraded" from an ageing '98 1.8 Vectra Estate, that was starting to cost a lot just to tax, insure, & fill with fuel. I don't think we have overly suffered as a result, we have just adapted what we do when we need to use a car. I do have the use of a company Astra Estate, but to be honest, as I drive it for work all week, it is great to drive the Aygo at the weekends and the evenings. It is like going back to the days of the original Mini, basic but fun. I love it.

[dlt1366]

I bought my Aygo just over a year ago as my bike and I weren't getting along (It made me cold and wet and I couldn't hear the radio !) Being stung by the ex-wife also reduced my spending power somewhat and fuel, ins and tax etc were going to be an issue. So a quick search on a website and I found 'The Buggy' brand new with £1500 off list for the red motor. With a bit of haggling, I got a years tax (OK so I didn't know it was only £35), Toyota mats, full tank and free delivery from the other side of the Country. It didn't take much haggling and I may not have got much more, but the free delivery was the thing I really wanted..

Anyway 1 Year on and I get 55-58mpg, £9 per month Insurance, a cheap little car which still amazes me. My new wife, and I use it to take our baby to visit our relatives down the M5 and it is great fun to drive. Sad as it seems, the engine sound is often better than the sh*te on the radio.

The best bit is the feeling I get when I fill it up for next to nothing, knowing that I am giving even less money to the Gov't in taxes. It may be the base model but I love it. Wouldn't swap it for anything. Might ditch the family scenic and get another.

[Jeff McCrory]

I am seriously considering selling my Mini Cooper and getting an Aygo. I got my cooper in 2004 and spent £14.5K on it, its still an amazing car, but i used to need it for commuting 60 odd miles a day, now i have bought an apartment with a whopping mortgage and live 2 miles from work, so I only do about 2K miles a year. Tax on the mini is £170 a year and it gives me 22MPG in town :-( so its costing me £50 in petrol a month! I cant afford it and i could probably sell it now and get about £10K for it, therefore I even get £2K back in my bank if I got a brand new aygo.

They sound like amazing little cars, and when i see one on the road i get really excited LOL, how sad. I just want a car that will be fun to drive and more importantly cheap!

Should I do it? or should i stick with my Mini?

[suep]

I am seriously considering selling my Mini Cooper and getting an Aygo. I got my cooper in 2004 and spent £14.5K on it, its still an amazing car, but i used to need it for commuting 60 odd miles a day, now i have bought an apartment with a whopping mortgage and live 2 miles from work, so I only do about 2K miles a year. Tax on the mini is £170 a year and it gives me 22MPG in town :-( so its costing me £50 in petrol a month! I cant afford it and i could probably sell it now and get about £10K for it, therefore I even get £2K back in my bank if I got a brand new aygo.

They sound like amazing little cars, and when i see one on the road i get really excited LOL, how sad. I just want a car that will be fun to drive and more importantly cheap!

Should I do it? or should i stick with my Mini?

Hi Jeff & welcome. All I can say is go for It, I was a little worried but I'm so glad I did I've had mine for three weeks today and I love It, (never loved a car before) I use my car for work as a community nurse, Filled it up with £33 on Monday 3rd March and it still has 2 bars left, less than half the petrol my Peugeot used. All the best x

[Batfink]

I am seriously considering selling my Mini Cooper and getting an Aygo. I got my cooper in 2004 and spent £14.5K on it, its still an amazing car, but i used to need it for commuting 60 odd miles a day, now i have bought an apartment with a whopping mortgage and live 2 miles from work, so I only do about 2K miles a year. Tax on the mini is £170 a year and it gives me 22MPG in town :-( so its costing me £50 in petrol a month! I cant afford it and i could probably sell it now and get about £10K for it, therefore I even get £2K back in my bank if I got a brand new aygo.

They sound like amazing little cars, and when i see one on the road i get really excited LOL, how sad. I just want a car that will be fun to drive and more importantly cheap!

Should I do it? or should i stick with my Mini?

In February I did pretty much that. I traded in my Mini Cooper S for an Aygo Platinum as I had decided to leave my job and go back to uni, and didn't want to have to take out a student loan.

Savings so far.....

£2500 cheque from the dealer for the difference in price

Road Tax has gone from £210 (£300 next year) to £35 (or £20 near year)

Insurance has gone down from £600 to £225

Fuel cost has halved - in my case £70 per week to £35 per week

Then there's other consumables - Tires for the S were £150 each, but are £35 each on the Aygo etc etc

Do I regret it? Sometimes yeah - the Aygo's a perfectly nice little car but its no Mini. Most of the time though, the savings make up for it 10 fold.

If I had to make the decision again, then I'd do the same thing.

x

[Jeff McCrory]

Savings so far.....

£2500 cheque from the dealer for the difference in price

Will a garage do a trade in for something that is more valuable than what u are buying? I wasn't sure they would do that.

I think mine will just about break even anyway.

I really don't get the enjoyment from owning a mini now, i do literally 3 miles a day! I could probably do without owning a car at all :) I would miss the mini when i head off down the motorway to see my family, but its not worth keeping just for that.

I have really fallen in love with the aygo, it caught my attention 2 years ago and the more i see of it, the more i want one. Hopefully be going to test drive one tonite!

[Batfink]

Will a garage do a trade in for something that is more valuable than what u are buying? I wasn't sure they would do that.

I think mine will just about break even anyway.

I really don't get the enjoyment from owning a mini now, i do literally 3 miles a day! I could probably do without owning a car at all :) I would miss the mini when i head off down the motorway to see my family, but its not worth keeping just for that.

I have really fallen in love with the aygo, it caught my attention 2 years ago and the more i see of it, the more i want one. Hopefully be going to test drive one tonite!

I didn't have any problems with the trade in - they didn't even ask me to leave a deposit as they would just have had to give it back at the end. The cheque for the difference came in the post a few days after I'd picked the Aygo up.

I worried it might affect my haggling ability, but it didn't seem to - I was just after the maximum money from them, instead of the other way around.

Good luck for your test drive!

x

[Jeff McCrory]

Good luck for your test drive!

x

Well i test drove one tonight and you're right, its no mini cooper, but it is still an amazing wee car! It feels so much bigger inside than a mini, but u do sit alot higher!

I was very impressed with the build quality, everything was very solid and the dash looks amazing. The sliders on the mini heater feel cheap and nasty compared to the dampenned sliders of the aygo!

The gear stick was pretty loose compared to the tight close ratio of the mini, but then its unfair to compare, it was still easy to use.

The engine, god bless it, works really well in first and second gear, and has a nice growling roar! sounds like sporty engine. Struggles in 5th to do very much, but then its a 1litre.

Its a total bargain for what it is, and shows the type of high standards that are around for the supermini market these days, i was very impressed and hope to order an aygo blue tomoro.

Unfortunately the delivery time on an Aygo Blue is something like 3 months at the moment! There arent any in the UK, not with the style pack anyway! Oh well i will just have to wait, it will be worth it.

[weeble]

I am seriously considering selling my Mini Cooper and getting an Aygo.

I've just swapped my 2.0l Diesel BMW 1 Series for the Aygo Blue (I pick it up next Monday), and am scared

I've also had 2 mini coopers, and the consumption / costs were silly, the BMW is also going the same way, and I don't need an expensive 2l car to do a 10 mile journey-to-work do I?

It's just that some of the comments on here worry me a bit!

I also have a 1200cc motorbike, so I guess I can use that for when I feel like going a bit quicker :D

[weeble]

It's just that some of the comments on here worry me a bit!

When I say 'on here' I didn't mean here! but in the main Aygo forum about doors falling off (or something)

[Jeff McCrory]

It's just that some of the comments on here worry me a bit!

When I say 'on here' I didn't mean here! but in the main Aygo forum about doors falling off (or something)

Hopefully these nasties are isolated cases, I remember people having problems with their Mini when I used to read the Mini forums and worrying, but my mini was fine, apart from requiring a new air con pump which fortunately went just 3 months before the warranty expired.

You can't expect the same build quality as a BMW, but Toyota are renowned for reliability and I am sure if there was any major issue with the Aygo we would know, or it would have at least been addressed now being on the market for 3 years.

Oh well we've both taken the plunge now! :)

[Tibsie]

Oh well we've both taken the plunge now! :)

So have I, I've been driving my Aygo for almost a week now and I love it. I've always thought that Mini's are overrated (and huge now) and Smart cars are silly and expensive.

The whole point of a small car is that it is cheap. End of story. Toyota have managed to make a really cheap car but they have also made it really good fun to drive. Congratulations.

Loads of people at work have commented on how good it looks, I think I may be seeing more of them in the car park soon!! There are an awful lot of KAs, Clios and Golfs there at the mo. I'm the only one with an Aygo so far :D

[weeble]

So have I, I've been driving my Aygo for almost a week now and I love it. I've always thought that Mini's are overrated (and huge now) and Smart cars are silly and expensive.

I'm quite excited now, I collect it tomorrow after work :D

I've packed the BMW up, ready to go, which is quite sad as it's an excellent car - just expensive, and it's time to move on. And, as people seem to keep driving into it and driving off , I think it's time to change!!!

Work have named the Aygo 'the rollerskate', I can't wait to get it!!!

[Jeff McCrory]

Work have named the Aygo 'the rollerskate', I can't wait to get it!!!

LOL @ rollerskate! Let us know how you get on with it, and post some pics too :-)

You're lucky, I wish i was getting mine tomoro, still over a week to wait. I have already ordered mud flaps and a rev counter off eBay lol!

There was an ice blue one parked outside my apartment last night and I kept looking out at it, my friend thought i was going mad. I seem to be getting a little obsessed! But its only about the 3rd Aygo i've seen out and about, they dont seem to be that common in Belfast, so I am hoping to turn a few heads with my Aygo Blue.

Best of luck for tomoro!

[weeble]

Work have named the Aygo 'the rollerskate', I can't wait to get it!!!

LOL @ rollerskate! Let us know how you get on with it, and post some pics too :-)

I have it, and it's cool :D

Haven't taken any pics yet - on the way home I ended up in hailstorm, and it was covered in snow this morning, so now its all mucky!!

Nice little car though, and fun to drive - I want one of those rev counters, I miss that - might go and trawl round eBay in a mo....

I bet you're so excited!!!!

[Jeff McCrory]

I bet you're so excited!!!!

Oh i am! Very! Can't wait. Got my mudflaps today, everyone in work was laffin at me cos I got the mudflaps b4 I got the car. And I will probably get the rev counter tomoro, so thats another day of mickey takin from my colleagues :D but i dont care.

Have lots of fun with it!

Rev Counter is here... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A:IT&ih=016