I know there are a few experts / dealers on here.

Here's the parameters.

Would be looking for a small-ish hatchback, 3 or 5 door. Needs enough space in the back for 2 growing girls in booster seats, and would need to be a hatch for loading stuff into for her work, but now the girls are old enough we wouldn't necessarily need a 5 door as they can get in and out themselves (3 door and baby seats are bad for backs!!); boot space equally doesn't need to be massive any longer as we're not lugging travel cots and puschchairs all over.

Other than that reliable, cheap to run but still pokey enough for motorway runs. Low servicing / repair costs. But still nice enough looking that she wouldn't be ashamed to be seen in it!

Age wise – not brand new, as i don't like wasting money in depreciation, but ex-demo / pre-registered, etc. would all be fair game up to a couple of years.

I guess I'm thinking about stuff like Seat Ibiza, Ford Fiesta, etc. Any opinions what to look at / avoid like the plague.

Pug 307 or 308 HDi?

low servicing / repair cost = ford or vauxhall I think ? (so you'll be looking at the ford right ?)

Astra/Focus sized vehicle, same price as a smaller one but safer and more space – usually better equipped.

Mrs Fadda has a Kia cee'd – great car does everything fairly well. She previously had a fabia which, apart from the size, was fantastic. Personally, I'd go for an Octavia…

My wife got a Honda Jazz – the design of the interior if fantastic. Old person's car image but we've not had a single problem with it in the last 18 months

307s and 308s are a bit big surely?

ive got a 206, its rad 🙂

Kia Ceeds are excellent for the price

My boss has just sent his Mazda in for an 88k miles service, and it still hasn't had ANYTHING even come up as an advisory.

no doubt that Japanese would be most reliable if you ask me.

2nd Honda Jazz – Honda make brilliant cars.

mazda 3

I'd suggest sticking with a 5 door if you have kids, you'll soon get tired of having to get out to let them out. Plus the doors on a 3dr are usually quite a bit longer, which can make it a squeeze to get out in car parks without bashing the car alongside you.

I had a 3 door Citroen ZX, after five years replaced it with a Mondeo, even though its a much bigger car, the doors were much shorter 🙂

Browse the NCAP site to view the crash results etc, always an eye-opener at how much they can vary between manufacturers.

has to be a 5 door!

3 doors are such a pain in the carparks as the doors are usually so big IMO.

have a look at Hyundai I30 or the Ceed as mentioned if you can get one 2nd hand.

New Clio looks awesome a neighbour has got one and looks really nice.

What about a berlingo!!??!!

5 doors a must for kids + residuals are better I think.

As bove Ceed, Hyundi, Fabia. New Fiats look good, Fiesta, Corsa, Polo

Focus….Best secondhand car my wife has ever had…in 27 years of driving. Previous car was a Golf, the most uninspiring to drive car we have ever owned, and not that reliable either.

According to Which Magazine – the cheapest small hatch to own over 3 years is a BMW 1 series. Cheaper than renault / pug / ford etc. Something to do with depreciation.

Small boot tho and crap in the snow.

With the Kia Ceed warratny its got to be a good one to look at but I would also say a Skoda Fabia for reliability and if you want oomph get the VRS version.

Pug 307 or 308 HDi?

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no to a 307: quite possibly the biggest sack of sh*t ever to (dis)grace the highways. Especially in HDi form.

Focus 5 door I have an 07 and I love it, so much fun to drive and plenty big enough for our two girls ages 2.5 and 9 months and all the stuff that comes with them. Managed a family holiday in the summer and the only stuff that made it into the cabin was the food for the journey and a potty and we had the buggy with us and even the microwave (best not to ask). Also managed to get 3 blokes and 3 bikes inside in relative comfort.

FWIW I have driven my moms old shape Civic and its a bit boring in comparison. It handles as well (loads of grip) but the steering has no feel, I think it has too much assistance.

focus is amazing and drives well just avoid the st170 25 t'gallon 😥
307 is a the biggest pile of shi*e ever made one of the most unreliable cars they rushed into production.
Kia sound nice with their warranties my neighbour has had nothing but trouble with his ceed they got rid when the make servo failed and it left his wife using the hand brake to stop.

Girlfriend has a Yaris 06 plate. Great car just get a bigger engine version. can get two bikes in the back + bags etc, comfortable and cheap to run.

I have to make this decision soon as my wife might finally pass her test…. Thinking that a Focus would be good if she's OK with that over a smaller car but also thinking if get a Focus may as well get the estate – would that feel a lot of car for a not so competent beginner driver?

Why would you recommend a Pug? Do yourself a favour – don't buy anything french if you don't want it to fail, fall apart or go wrong.

Honda Civic, My wife has one(no kids tho) It come well enough equipped too. The back seats lift up to create a long high loading space, my wife can (just) fit her bike in without taking the wheels off. She has the 1.8 petrol and its quick enough and returns 40/42 mpg.

Mudshark, my sister has just passed her test, and is now driving my old focus estate. she seems to be ok with the size as its easier to park then the hatch because the rear screen is the back of the car. If your worried, just get her two lessons with the aa because they use focuses.

I had a 3-door EP shape Civic Sport. 1.6, 38+mpg, cheap to run and insure, really really comfy inside, decent sized boot and I enjoyed driving it. Newer shape Civic are lovely inside though and sound maybe more what you want (something newer than 2 years old?). I think it my money was going on a car in that kinda bracket, it'd be a Civic, a Golf or maybe a Toyota Auris. Certainly steer well away from anything French (or Ford or Vauxhall – I own a Mondeo and its an excellent car but the build quality it miles away from being as good as my old Civic and did own a Corsa C a few years ago and it went through suspension components like I go through chocolate).

I used to laugh when people say the old "buy German/buy Japanese" but I wholeheartedly agree now. Next car is going to be an A4/Passat/Octy/Accord…

Just re-read and saw you're after something Fiesta sized? Against what I said above about Fords, the new shape Fiesta is meant to be very good. Or… sticking with what I said above, Polo. My other car is a 10 year old Polo GTi and its more solid/better built than my 4 year old Mondeo. Someone mentioned the Fabia too – we looked at getting a Fabia vRS when we got our Civic – we would have done too if it wasn't for the cream/black interir + biking = no way. But… 60mpg, 0-60 in 9 seconds, 5 doors and top build quality can't be ignored!

Pug unreliable. Ibiza, Fiesta, Polo or the best is Jazz if you don't want a diesel 🙂

Another for the Jazz, very flexible, comfy & reliable… and you can easily get two bikes in the back with just front wheels removed 😉

:edit: Just to add, I have heard that the new version (slightly less boxy) looses the completely flat folding seats in the back, that do make it very van like.

small carsAnything from this list
Suzuki Swift

Toyota Yaris, in 1.3 petrol or the diesel, though that only makes sense if you're doing big miles due to higher purchase price.

VERY reliable cars, LOADS of space inside, back seats slide on rails so you can expand the boot if needed. 45+mpg from the 1.3 petrol. keyless entry on the t-spirit version is fantastic. no creaks rattles or anything, feels very solid inside, and higher quality materials than you get in fiestas.

not surprising that stuff on that low depreciation list are all small cheap cars as it sounds like they've gone off absolute values rather than % of purchase price. might not make much difference to the bottom 10 though…!

Fiesta? especialy the new shaped ones very nice car like a focus but smaller and better 🙂

I would go for the Fiesta personally. In metallic green 8)

Is the Swift available as a 5dr?

I would look at: Honda Civic / Jazz, VW Golf / Polo, Seat or Skoda Golf / Polo. Avoid doing daft things like buying a 1.4 Golf – a 1.4 VW engine might go round the world twelfty times, but it'll only bang out 60bhp, whilst the Japanese equivalent will be managing 100.

Toyota are also reliable etc. but they just don't excite me at all. The Aygo is astonishingly spacious inside, but also built on the same production line as the small Pugs and Citroens.

Of that lot, the VW group stuff will be the cheapest to maintain. Parts for VWs are surprisingly cheap, Japanese parts are eyewateringly expensive. That said, depreciation may come into more than maintenance costs.

The Suzuki Swift is small, properly small in the back. It also has a terrible ride.

If you're doing major mileage, it may be worth going diesel (say more than 25k a year), but otherwise, petrol is the daddy. Less complicated, more reliable, cheaper to buy.

My wife has a 5 door Polo. Compared to every other car I've driven for the last 10-15years you can see easily out of the windows (rear vision etc) and you know exactly where all corners of the car are. Therefore in town for parking its excellent.

Thats the only good thing I can say about it though. The build quality is crap, brakes crap, engine noisy, gear box crap, handles like poo