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Recommend me a cheap little motor
RichardK - 5/8/09 at 05:22 PM

The wifes Ka has just failed its mot so we're kind of thinking about taking advantage of the scrappage scheme, so what do you recommend?

Cheers

Rich

StevieB - 5/8/09 at 05:25 PM

Alfa Mito?

rayward - 5/8/09 at 05:28 PM

suzuki swift !

Guinness - 5/8/09 at 05:44 PM

If you are going to take advantage of the Govt scrappage scheme, make sure you aren't getting ripped off.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/jul/31/car-scrappage-false-economy

Surprise surprise, the manufacturers have put their prices up by almost £2k...........

I'd go for an IQ. A neighbour has just bought one, and it's wider than it is long!

Failing that I love the Fiat 500.

Mike

Mike

RK - 5/8/09 at 05:46 PM

Is the Fiesta cheap enough? Everyone seems to like them. Can't wait for them to arrive in Canada.

tegwin - 5/8/09 at 05:54 PM

If it failed its MOT then you can not take advantage of the scrapage scheme... I was under the impression the car has to be road legal to trade it in??!?!!??


How about buying my polo GTI :p

daniel mason - 5/8/09 at 05:59 PM

my girlfriend has a yaris. its been bullet- proof up to now!

DarrenW - 5/8/09 at 06:01 PM

What has the Ka failed on?

jase380 - 5/8/09 at 06:02 PM

Just got our daughter a citroen c1, cheap as chips, 35 quid a year road tax, and 60 mpg.

RichardK - 5/8/09 at 06:29 PM

quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
If it failed its MOT then you can not take advantage of the scrapage scheme... I was under the impression the car has to be road legal to trade it in??!?!!??


Current mot doesn't expire until the 26th, just getting the test in while I was off work


Failed on:

Parking brake lever has no reserve travel ( prob worn shoes)

Nearside front (lower arm rear bush) suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excess movement (strange, wishbones only replaced on both sides 2 years ago.

Nearside front (sill/axle mount) Body or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriosly affecting its strength within 30 cm of the body mountings.

Guess my holiday from work isn't going to be such a holiday after all, Wife wants to get rid, I'm not too sure, try and make it last for another year before scrapping it.

Cheers

Rich

[Edited on 5/8/09 by RichardK]

StevieB - 5/8/09 at 08:05 PM

We had similarly mamoth work required to our volvo for last years MOT - needed £800 worth of pretty much a new brake system putting in.

At first I decided I should sell the car because it wasn't worth it, but would have to get the MOT done so I could tax and sell it - only by the time I'd had the work done the car was perfect again and no need to sell.

Fotunately it passed OK this year or it'd be burned out in a ditch by now

mookaloid - 5/8/09 at 08:11 PM

500

MikeRJ - 5/8/09 at 08:14 PM

Fiat Panda. A Fiat 500 with more room and without the retro tax.

morcus - 5/8/09 at 10:05 PM

I was going to wait until november and get a mito (I bought my old car in october last year, and the robot box doesn't make it to the mito till then) but a part of me couldn't have killed my old 205 and it was too unreliable.

I would highly reckomend the Fiat Panda, but don't be too stingy on the spec as I'm told the lowest spec ones can be hard to live with. (My cousin works for a Fiat dealer so I got 2.5K off mine making it about 7K for a top spec car. If you go for a manual though top spec (for a normal panda not a cross/100hp or 4x4) should come to about 7K with you trade in).

Peteff - 6/8/09 at 09:14 AM

quote:
Originally posted by RichardK
The wifes Ka has just failed its mot so we're kind of thinking about taking advantage of the scrappage scheme, so what do you recommend?

Cheers

Rich


Doesn't the scheme need the car to have a current MOT ?

RichardK - 6/8/09 at 11:19 AM

Current mot doesn't expire until the 26th, just getting the test in while I was off work

Cheers

Rich

britishtrident - 7/8/09 at 07:11 AM

Anything from FIAT group = constant trouble

MikeRJ - 7/8/09 at 09:05 AM

quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Anything from FIAT group = constant trouble


Modern small fiats are generally pretty good, and even my 10 year old turbocharged Coupe has been amazingly reliable, though I did do a lot of work on it when I first bought it. IMO the main problem the Fiat group has (and has had for a long time) is the quality and attitudes of the dealers.

morcus - 7/8/09 at 11:08 AM

You'd be surprised just how many smaller cars are in some way related to Fiat, Especially if you buy a small diesel.