My Mrs has got a 2013 1.2 Panda. It's not massively refined, but by 'eck it's reliable. I quite like driving it too, as it's like a little go kart round corners. I would buy another for sure.

Edit: wrong year 😆

partners 2006 Nissan Note tough, reliable, good to drive would get my vote

Cheers. I'm guessing I could cram a 29+ in the back of a Note with just the front wheel off, but not the panda or Mini........

I'd get the Nissan, the Mini's going to have BMWish running costs and it's not really worth it for the use you describe. Don't know anything about the Panda but declaring a car that's only 4 years old reliable seems a bit premature.

we had a Note a company car which did 120 k, it was very good .... however the Nissan main dealer was at best incompetent at worst dishonest.

Hi T1000, which Nissan dealer? can you get your fat bike in the back??

We've a diesel Note on 07 plate that has racked up 150k. One of the vacuum sensors went at around 140k cost about £300 to put right. It goes, it stops and is thoroughly uninspiring to drive. Fuel economy is ok too.

The seats are uncomfortable is about the only real gripe I have with it.

Jazz! Bombproof, spacious, practical 🙂

I know the Jazz makes sense but I did say if I ever bought one my partner is to have me put down..............

do they come in 4x4 and have a MAHOOSIVE boot??

no ??

None of them then

could you not get something from Hyundai or Kia which is similar money and running costs but bigger?

I know the Jazz makes sense but I did say if I ever bought one my partner is to have me put down..............

do they come in 4x4 and have a MAHOOSIVE boot??

no ??

None of them then

I find the panda a bit small and naff build inside. Have driven a 4x4 twinair and contrary to what a lot of people seem to rave about that engine, i find it gutless and lumpy unless you absolutely rag the nuts off it.... which kills fuel economy.

Hi Flashes, the dealer I had a problem wasn't in Bristol..... (i used the one by the M32 for a recall on another car and they were v good)

I never took the fatbike in the Note, but had no problem with a Specialized Enduro with Fox 36 vans, the Note has a very flexible interior only the Jazz was better. The Note was more comfortable than the Jazz which felt harsh on poorly repaired roads (anywhere in the UK!)

+1 for a Jazz. Used my mum's the other day - with seats down it's massive inside. Got my 29er in there without taking any wheels off. Plus hers has been pretty much fault-free with 100k+ on the clock. Not much cred with the under-60s though.

IX20?

If it was me though I'd probably get the mini, would look be more satisfying as long as you didn't get one with silly big wheels and a crashy ride.

I'd get the Fiat Panda because I once had a 1.0L Nissan Micra which was brilliant fun and the Panda looks like that old Micra did so I vote for the Fiat.

prawny ^ that. pandas are awful things. no experience of the note.

So Note for practicality, Panda for reliable daft car with a bit of character and Mini, for being able to drive round roundabouts without braking or decelerating, tricky choice..........

OP: at your budget, this will come down to whether you want a newer, less snazzy car - or an older Mini.

I bought a 2012 Mini Cooper around 6 months ago, with similar requirements to the OP. Our main family vehicle is a camper.

To be honest, I couldn't be more pleased with it. Although it's now 5 years old and is one of the last of the old / R56 models, it looks and feels like a new car - which it should with only 16k on the clock.

Running costs to date have been nil. It's due an MoT every year of course and a service every 2 years.

It's possible to extend Mini's TLC service package from 5 to 8 years at a cost of £275, although I haven't done that (yet) as I think I'd only get one minor service from it with the mileage / use the car is getting.

£4k would probably net you a 7-8 year old Cooper. If you were careful in buying a good one, I'd expect it to retain a good portion of its value and be hassle-free for a long time.

Yes, Minis seem to look good whatever their age and because the services were "free" they all tended to be serviced and they are quite cool, well they are in my eyes..........

We have a Panda 4x4 twinair. It is great fun to drive, but the fuel econmy is pretty awful for such a small engine. Easy to park and to use around town. It is a very practical car for its size.

Fiat panda is tiny inside but has excellent all round visibility.
I've just spent a week ragging the tits off a vw up in Northern Portugal. I'm very impressed!
Slightly over your budget perhaps but skoda have beaten one to death with their ugly stick, so their version may appeal. Not massive inside but much bigger than the panda. A lot of fun to drive on smooth roads. Not a patch on the frogs when things get lumpy...

4X4, nope. Hire car reviews don't count, actually neither do company cars. I think we still hold the record for top speed in 1st in a 1980's 900cc Fiesta....

i have a 59 panda as a run around.

can easily fit a road bike in the back, been reliable so far with nothing really changed in the four years I've had it. Get 58mpg easily, fine up to 65mph (then starts getting a bit bouncy).

Keep thinking I should change (to something like a mini), but the car does the job. Gets from A to B easily, relative comfort (not for long journeys, obv), cheap, etc

I've owned all 3 and would take a Mini every time. BUT, I'd also buy a Cooper S and it would be a Clubman. Not much more to run than a Cooper, but perhaps a little less reliable and a clubman is only a little bigger but MUCH more practical.

Again the Clubman is a good compromise and I have found myself looking at Cooper Sss.....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201704044034701?make=MINI%26model=CLUBMAN%26utm_source=Email_a_Friend%26utm_medium=Email%26utm_campaign=Email_a_friend_car

Ooooh, quite like this high miler but a bit of shopping around would no doubt uncover something better.

Paging Mrs P to the forum 8)

That's good, the price of Clubmen meant I haven't really looked, drat may need to add it to the list......

So Note for practicality, Panda for reliable daft car with a bit of character and Mini, for being able to drive round roundabouts without braking or decelerating, tricky choice..........

...or a Panda 100hp for a reliable daft car that can drive round roundabouts without braking or decelerating 😀

We got an 08 plate Cooper S Clubman for £4500 in Jan. It's been bucketloads of fun and reliable so far... Couldn't face any Eurobox type alternative.

or a Panda 100hp for a reliable daft car that can drive round roundabouts without braking or decelerating

My Panda 100Hp has been anything but reliable. Rear dampers - twice, rear wheel bearings, Front suspension wishbones, heater matrix, rear coils, power steering pump.

My old Cooper S Clubman - I'd have it back in a heartbeat.

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Things to watch out for:

Rear doors can leak between the body panels - easy fix.
Clutch can go - VERY expensive ~£1500 as the entire front of the car and the NS suspension has to come off.
Timing Chains can need replacement - £400
Engines can coke up - £250 for a de-coke.

Not a Mini. Proper Chavette car.

devash - Member
Not a Mini. Proper Chavette car.

I never understand comments like this. It's a great car, who cares at all who else drives one?

@daffy ha ha that's ours! so far so good. Can't get over 35 mpg tho, but it ain't about that.

I never ran ours on anything but super unleaded and changed the oil every 6k miles. Even with mixed commuting it never got below 40mpg and on a run I could get ~50 without being too slow.

I never understand comments like this. It's a great car, who cares at all who else drives one?

Me, too. Weird playground type of comment, though I suspect a bit TiC if all be told.

As for the Mini S - coking is a bit of a problem and the valves will probably need a go over with a walnut blast and/or Terraclean around every 30,000. It's not a problem unique to Mini, either; a lot of DI engines suffer the same coking and subsequent performance loss not to mention the potential damage that a bad coking case can cause. For my money I'd stick with a naturally aspirated. Sure, they're not as much fun in a straight line but they're still good fun to throw around the bends. NA is a doddle to work on, too.

The 2 year service thing makes my balls shrivel, tbh. I'd take that with a pinch of salt and get someone to give it once over at least once a year if you can't do it yourself.

Google the Prince engine for all you need to know about the guts. It's shared with quite few vehicles but none handle quite as well as the Mini's.

Edit : You can get around some of the coking by fitting an oil catch can. You might get lucky and find an S with one already installed. Worth taking time to check under the bonnet when viewing.

No long term opinion, never do more than a couple of hundred miles or so in any car I drive other than my venerable Octavia, but I do enough miles to form an opinion about whether I'd own one, so: Mini One, hate the dash layout, great fun to drive, I can see why people like them, wouldn't consider buying one; Note, had one the other day, surprised at how nice it was to drive, went and handled well, decent road manners, pretty comfy, I wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen driving one, or owning one if need be. Can't comment on the Panda, yet to drive one.
I'd seriously consider the Up!, or its siblings from Skoda or Seat, comfy, handle well, go like the clappers, really rather a lot of fun to drive, and surprisingly well equipped, satnav as standard, or at least all those I've driven have had it.
I'd consider the Corsa SRi, as well, I've driven loads, six in one week, probably a dozen or so over the last ten months totalling nearly a thousand miles.
They were all identical loan cars from a body repair specialist, all a year old with 5-6000 on the clock.
Really nice to drive, well equipped with heated screen, comfy and well mannered, and the styling is attractive as well, I'd happily own one, I can't obviously comment on space in the back, getting a mountain bike in the boot isn't part of the inspection/appraisal process I run through before driving it away! 😀

We got a Panda 100hp, not as fast as a Cooper S that we had for a month or so, but far more fun to commit into things. Panda probably wins on loading potential. Not a great turning circle for a small car, but don't really care. Lot better on long journeys than I expected.

My Mrs has got a 2013 1.2 Panda. It's not massively refined, but by 'eck it's reliable.

I should hope it's? reliable, it's barely four years old!

We had a 500 for a while, fun little car but rattled like a bastard. Ate drop links and rear dampers too. Put me off Fiats.

timber - Member
We got a Panda 100hp, not as fast as a Cooper S that we had for a month or so, but far more fun to commit into things. Panda probably wins on loading potential. Not a great turning circle for a small car, but don't really care. Lot better on long journeys than I expected.

Same here. The turning circle is hampered by the width of the tyres but some of the spaces I can get it in are hilarious. Very rarely can't find somewhere to park.

Logic says a Note, but the silly person on my shoulder says Panda....

Why are those the only three choices?

What about a Fiesta? they are popular for a reason, good to drive and reliable.

If it has to be those three then probably not the Note

I'd take the MINI, but I really like them although I didn't really gel with the R56.

There's enough specialists around to take the sting out of the running costs too. Not the best for bike transport because both wheel needs to come off (although this is the same in a Fiesta in my experience).

There's an odd "reverse Tardis" thing with the mini: big on the outside, horribly cramped on the inside.

I thought things were sussed, but may be spending less, so again it looks like a Panda could be it...........

There's an odd "reverse Tardis" thing with the mini: big on the outside, horribly cramped on the inside.

BMW are masters of that though; it applies to most of their cars.

The MINI does feel big up front though. My other half now has a new one and loves it.

I'd love a Panda 100hp. Everything I read points to them being a cheap and reliable little go-kart. I've even got searches saved on my computer which I check every few days to see if anything local has appeared.

However, with a baby on the way it's not really the most sensible purchase...plus I don't want to sell the car I have.