Greetings, Thinking Of Getting An Aygo

[marklemac]

Hi there,

My name is Mark and I am toying with the idea of getting an Aygo as a daily commute car.

I need to get myself something which can do a lot more mpg than my current car.

I currently drive (and have no intentions of getting rid of it) a 500bhp Subaru Impreza STi. The car is utterly fantastic and I have owned it for nearly 6 years. I cover around 20-23k miles a year. Yep not cheap, but this has never bothered me before.

But now I think it's time to get into something which can delivery a vast amount more miles than I'm currently getting.

I just did a quick calculation of 2008 and I covered 23,000 miles at a cost of around £4600.00

After reading through your forum (which is very good I must add) I think I could save the best part of £2500 at least per year on fuel if I did my daily driving in the Aygo.

I need a 5 door car for practicality. (car seat, loading access etc)

You know what I'm going to ask next.

Anything I should be aware of whilst looking for a used Aygo.

My budget is £4-£5k, preferably the nearer to 4k the better. Not bothered about the mileage (I've done 130,000 miles in the Impreza)

I'd prefer to have black as (in my opinion) it looks best (and my Subaru is black)

Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks.

[Wild west Drifter]

Welcome

Be prepared for a big drop in HP but as others will say, it's got its own grin factor.

Have a good read of the forum and feel free to ask questions, we are a friendlybunch here.

[DangerMouse]

I sold my Leon Cupra to go to an Aygo. I know the BHP of a Leon is not in the same league as your Subaru, but I'm more than happy with the extra ££'s in my pocket. I used to spend £50 every 8 days in my Leon on fuel alone, I know spend max £30 every 12-14 days. Also insurance, road tax, etc are all minimum. I'll probably get a more interesting second car in the next year or two for weekend use (nice Caterham maybe). I just don't find it fun in paying £££ to get to work and back, in nose to nose traffic.

[Demonic Angel]

Hi Mark, welcome to TOC!

A few people have Aygos as small runaround type 2nd cars.... so you're not alone in that respect!

They are just cracking little things, you won't be disappointed with the savings you'll be making, especially from switching from a Scooby!

One thing to bear in mind.... Aygos hold their value very well and the 2nd hand market is on the sparce side at this moment in time as people don't really want to get rid of them at the moment, but there are lots of people wanting to buy - so if you find a good one at a good price you're best to buy it before someone else inevitably will!

[marklemac]

I'll keep the Impreza for my weekend fun and would also use it if I needed access to more space during the week.

Gonna pop and see a local dealer this week and just make sure I can fit it in, and how the pedals feel. Hopefully the pedals aren't too close to each other !

[matt303]

One thing to check for from my experience is signs of water getting in, lift the mats up and feel the carpet for any signs of damp.

I've noticed on the last few visits to my local Toyota garage that they've a number of used Aygos on the forecourt which was almost unheard of only a few months ago so you might be able get a good deal.

[zakelwe]

I'll keep the Impreza for my weekend fun and would also use it if I needed access to more space during the week.

Gonna pop and see a local dealer this week and just make sure I can fit it in, and how the pedals feel. Hopefully the pedals aren't too close to each other !

There's loads of space in an Aygo for heads and feet, I am 6 feet 2 and 15 stone ( of muscle ..cough) and have no problem. You may find you sit up high though in comparison to your Impreza. The engine has loads of character but not much power so I recommend if you do buy one to buy some wider wheels and fit the 195 tyres so what you lose on the straights you gain on the corners where you can just chuck it in. You may also wish to do weight removal by removing the rear seats/spare wheel etc to improve the speed and space for shopping.

Regards

Andy

[marklemac]

I've just been doing a bit of online research into insurance prices.

Seem the going rate is around £200-£240, price doesn't seem to change no matter what model I type in.

Then I found a broker called Lloyd Latchford

http://www.carpricechecker.co.uk/checker/c...amp;type=detail

They gave me an online quote via Zurich of £142 ! Sounds pretty good to me :) and that was based on an 07 car valued at £6995

[adilmon]

...I currently drive (and have no intentions of getting rid of it) a 500bhp Subaru Impreza STi...My budget is £4-£5k, preferably the nearer to 4k the better...

Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated :)

If you like sporty cars, but want good mpg for a daily commute (on your own), what about a Suzuki Cappuccino? It's a 2 seater, convertable hardtop that averages 45mpg. 0-60 faster than a Golf GTI. I've got one that I rinse regularly and have never seen mpg below 40mpg. Should be able to pick one up for less the £3000. Ins grp 13 (cost me £380 to insure)

[marklemac]

If you like sporty cars, but want good mpg for a daily commute (on your own), what about a Suzuki Cappuccino? It's a 2 seater, convertable hardtop that averages 45mpg. 0-60 faster than a Golf GTI. I've got one that I rinse regularly and have never seen mpg below 40mpg. Should be able to pick one up for less the £3000. Ins grp 13 (cost me £380 to insure)

Need a car with 4 seats :) On paper the Aygo is ticking all the boxes.

I've already got a car that's slightly faster than a golf Gti ;)

thanks for the suggestion though.

[PaulT]

There is quite a funny article in the January Evo mag which compares four budget cars you can hire on the continent and then thrash :D

The Citroen C1 gets the nod over the Fiat 500, new Ford Ka and Chevvy Matiz. Of course, on no account should you buy a car based on anything written in Evo, but it's nice to know all the same :D

Paul.

[zakelwe]

There is quite a funny article in the January Evo mag which compares four budget cars you can hire on the continent and then thrash :D

The Citroen C1 gets the nod over the Fiat 500, new Ford Ka and Chevvy Matiz. Of course, on no account should you buy a car based on anything written in Evo, but it's nice to know all the same :D

Paul.

After buying my Aygo I looked back at some of my old Evo's and Henry Catchpole did a one page review of the Aygo, C1 and 107 and having driven it now his comments are very perceptive. Of course he writes from the Evo point of view but he was spot on with the main engine, steering and handling points.

Marc, if you do get an Aygo you might have to retrain yourself on driving to some extent. I went from an old AMG V8 C43 and found I had to start thinking ahead again in traffic to make sure I kept up momentum, could overtake without balking etc. I'd got lazy in the C43 just using the right foot rather than the brain....

Good luck with your purchase.

Regards

Andy

[marklemac]

Marc, if you do get an Aygo you might have to retrain yourself on driving to some extent. I went from an old AMG V8 C43 and found I had to start thinking ahead again in traffic to make sure I kept up momentum, could overtake without balking etc. I'd got lazy in the C43 just using the right foot rather than the brain....

Yeah I know that Andy. The times my car has been off the road when having mods that take more than a day to fit, I've always hired a car and gone for a budget rental.

Last car I rented was a 2008 Yaris. What a shock !!!

Your certainly not wrong about adjusting your driving style.

First off the yaris was super quiet and I easily found myself speeding in 30 zones ! In my impreza I can hear and feel everything and know what speed I am doing to the point where I don't need to look at the speedo.

Then the handling. I went round a roundabout and nearly slid out of the seat :)

And then the power. I came down a slip road to join a dual carriageway and I felt I needed to get out of the car and push ! :)

However, after about 20 minutes behind the wheel you start to get used to it and just sat back and chilled.

Yes your right about looking ahead etc and knowing if you have room etc to do overtakes. In mine I know I have the power no matter how small a gap I have.

I'm going to try and pop into the local dealer today and get a test drive.

[Wild west Drifter]

I can second the need to adjust.

My Galant being auto you just get in and hit the loud pedal, however the cruise control is nice on long journeys.

Only other thing I have to remember is that the stalks are the other way round - lights/indicators on rhs on Galand but lhs on Aygo, Always takes a couple of miles to adjust

[Aygo NTC]

AYGO

Amazeing car i love mine so much =]

Ive had a few problems but it gets some hammer clocked 21000 miles this week 07 plate doing good =] very nippy to witch is good round town.

=]

[marklemac]

Didn't manage to get to a dealer today but did manage to have a good look at a 5 door 'Black'.

First impressions are that it is a lot bigger inside than you'd imagine it to be.

I like the space in the rear, and th access from the rear doors is also pretty good.

Yes, the boot isn't huge, but enough to get the weekly shop in, enough space to carry my laptop bag and tools for work and also with the seats folded down I should be able to get enough boxes in that I need from time to time.

I was worried about the pedals being to close together (like a Clio) but they weren't.

Not sure if the seat could go down at all, but with the steering wheel up high there was just enough clearance from my legs. Hopefully this can be resolved.

Looking around the cabin there are no 'closed' storage areas (ie glovebox etc). I'd just have to be mindful of what I carry.

Dash layout looks very nice too.

I'm defo sold on a 5 door and I really want one in Black. Is the black paint reserved only for the "black" special edition ?

[gordonh]

The black is an old special edition that is no longer made.

The closest available now is the Carbon Quartz, which is Black'ish.

[marklemac]

Evening.

Well today I finally managed to get to have a drive of an Aygo.

I popped into the Toyota dealership in Hedge End (Hampshire).

A very nice showroom and a friendly bunch of people.

I asked for a drive in the 'Black' model that I have my eye on.

I said I didn't want to have a 10 to 15 minute test drive but at least an hour or so which again wasn't a problem.

So, off we went.

Obviously all my impressions are based on comparisons to to what I drive now ;)

Turned the key and the little dash lights up. Simple and to the point. I like the little digital fuel gauge. Shame it only shows the mileage and the trip and nothing else.

Very light clutch and a quiet engine.

Steering is super light and very easy to turn. I like that.

Car feels very smooth when accelerating. I like the rasp from the exhaust, subtle not too loud, but enough to know its there.

Gearbox is very smooth too. Feels strange as the ratios are so flexible Im not sure what gear I am actually in.

I could easily pull 75 in 3rd and it felt like there was much more to go. Quite impressive.

Brakes. Very very impressive. Very responsive and instant bite.

I did about 50 miles on the test drive and was very pleased overall.

The next crunch is to see if a particular shaped box fits in the back. (a box I carry a lot of the time)

I said this to the dealer and said that I don't currently have one so will need to come back and test it.

At this point they then offered me an Aygo for a whole day of my choice to play with, with a full tank of fuel.

Nice.

Book me in for Friday :)

I will then be able to get a much better idea of what it's like as I can drive a proper working day with it and also see what the loading space is like too.

And now onto the price.

What do you guys/gals think.

07 plate BLACK model with A/C

15000 miles

£6995

What do you think about the price. I told them I want a deal but am not sure what I should be aiming for. Obviously cheaper the better :)

Any comments ?

[marklemac]

Yay, it's Friday.

Today I collect the demo Aygo for the day to get it a good going over :)

Lets hope the boxes I have fit in the back !

[Batfink]

First of all - good luck for today, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

It sounds like you've got a very obliging dealer - I wonder if it's a sign of the times or if they've always been like that. My dealer couldn't have been less helpful I don't think, they never offered a test drive at all - they were just lucky that I'd already decided it was the car I wanted.

The price seems a little high to me - you can get a brand new Platinum with A/C for £8k on the internet.

Let us know how you get on, you're bound to love it though!

x

[Parts-King]

The price seems a little high to me - you can get a brand new Platinum with A/C for £8k on the internet.

You may very well find one at a similar price advertised, but actually getting one is a different story, just about every dealer cant get enough New or Used Aygo's on the forecourt, even in these hard times. They hold their money very well indeed. Marklemac has a budget of £4 to £5K so wont be looking at a new one

Here's how Parkers value it

Original Price £7,987

Franchised Dealer £7,290

Independent Dealer £6,985

Private Good £6,560

Private Poor £5,345

Part Exchange £6,015

Even allowing for the slightly higher mileage, your dealer is not overcharging you

Go buy it, it wont be there after the weekend, somebody else will have bought it!

Kingo

[marklemac]

Well I stretched the budget out and have just bought a Black 07 Aygo.

Had a demo for the day and was astounded by how much gear I could load into it, actually more than the scooby.

Went back to the dealer and said i want a deal right here right now ;)

Managed to haggle £400 off the asking price, free tax, free 20k service and they are going to sort out painting & fitting the rear spoiler I have already got my hands on.

Picking it up on Monday :)

[marklemac]

zzzzz, I'm waiting for the phone call to say come and collect your new car :)

[sky0000547]

You may very well find one at a similar price advertised, but actually getting one is a different story, just about every dealer cant get enough New or Used Aygo's on the forecourt, even in these hard times. They hold their money very well indeed. Marklemac has a budget of £4 to £5K so wont be looking at a new one.

I bought a brand new Platinum with A/C and MMT for just over £8k no problem. That was in May last year and apparently as you said they were still can't get enough of them.

[marklemac]

yay, finally I get my 'Black' Aygo tomorrow afternoon :)

Can't wait.

I've already stuck 4 tanks of fuel in my Scooby in the last 8 days.

And I know I won't be able to help myself and the modding bug will begin very soon !