Best small bangers from the mid 00s?

[JuanTwoThree]

What small cars from the mid 00s are worth considering?

Electric car from '05

 

[cupid_stunt]

Sasaferrato's first car.

 

[Dogsauce]

Fabia seems rated by most people I know, also Honda Jazz if they’re available from that era.

Any opinions on Hyundai? Girlfriend’s mum has an i10 that’s pretty old and it’s no trouble but I don’t know if that’s typical, especially as it’s in a country where they don’t need to salt the roads.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Fabia seems rated by most people I know, also Honda Jazz if they’re available from that era.

Any opinions on Hyundai? Girlfriend’s mum has an i10 that’s pretty old and it’s no trouble but I don’t know if that’s typical, especially as it’s in a country where they don’t need to salt the roads.

I've had an i30 for seven years. It is excellent, no rust anywhere. It will do over 40 to the gallon (well not for me very often, I have a very heavy right foot). Sweet engines, it delivers power evenly right through the range.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Toyota Yaris.

 

[Chz]

The later 00's micras are fugly too tbf.

Bleurgh. The number of people who study design these days, and still hideous crap like this gets signed off on by major multinational companies.

e2a: I just looked up some pictures of the current Micra. Spoiler alert: even worse.

The styling is a bit of "different strokes for different folks", but the car itself is about as bulletproof as the one that came before it. Added bonus that it drives better. The handling on those is excellent, but it's not tuned to feel that way so you don't get yourself into trouble. The exact opposite of some of the Renaults from that time, which promised more than they could ever deliver. The 1.6l ones are nippy little buggers, and the 1.2s are fun in a "put the pedal on the floor and leave it there" sort of way.

Note that the post-2008 replacements are shite, though. Stopped building them in Sunderland and moved to.. christ knows. India, or something.

 

[Sea Star]

I bought a 2001 VW Golf about 3 years ago for £1200. It's been excellent too - only had the sort of niggling problems you'd expect from a 15 to 18 year old car, but it always starts and has never broken down.

 

[A380]

If you buy a Jaguar nobody can tell you're getting old.

That seems to be the theory anyway.

My wife said if I ever by a Jag she knows I've taken up dogging.

I got a Jag X type V6 2.5 auto with 75k for £1000. Not an outlier, no one wanted them new or seems to want them now. It’s the 4x4 Modeo based car. Drives really nicely too. It’s not that small, but not that big. Only downside is having to buy the sheepskin jacket.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I got a Jag X type V6 2.5 auto with 75k for £1000. Not an outlier, no one wanted them new or seems to want them now. It’s the 4x4 Modeo based car. Drives really nicely too. It’s not that small, but not that big. Only downside is having to buy the sheepskin jacket.

If you buy new the sheepskin comes as standard. And you get a voucher for 10% off legal fees at your next divorce.

 

[Poi E]

The styling is a bit of "different strokes for different folks", but the car itself is about as bulletproof as the one that came before it. Added bonus that it drives better. The handling on those is excellent, but it's not tuned to feel that way so you don't get yourself into trouble. The exact opposite of some of the Renaults from that time, which promised more than they could ever deliver. The 1.6l ones are nippy little buggers, and the 1.2s are fun in a "put the pedal on the floor and leave it there" sort of way.

Note that the post-2008 replacements are shite, though. Stopped building them in Sunderland and moved to.. christ knows. India, or something.

And the Sunderland ones were shite compared to the Japanese built K11 version. Rust proofing on UK models was shocking.

 

[JuanTwoThree]

If you buy new the sheepskin comes as standard. And you get a voucher for 10% off legal fees at your next divorce.

When buying second-hand it's worth checking in the glove department to see if the driving gloves that came as standard are still there. So often they are missing.

 

[Poi E]

Sheepskin car seats. The proper ones are great, but getting those stains out. Oh my. Too much evidence for the divorce lawyer.

 

[Chz]

And the Sunderland ones were shite compared to the Japanese built K11 version. Rust proofing on UK models was shocking.

The K11 wasn't exactly noted for its solid body panels in that regard either. We had a 2005 for 8 years and it didn't have a spot of the stuff. YMMV. Main problems with the K12 vs the K11 are twofold:

1 - Early 2003-2004 models have the normal "beta hardware" issues that a lot of new models have. The K11 had the advantage of being little more than a sprucing up of the K10, so no early model gremlins.
2 - Nothing is that reliable any more. Bar maybe a few bone-stock Dacia models. Reason being the sheer amount of things than can go wrong has at least doubled. It's not hard to throw together something like a Trabant and make it reliable. It's not street legal, but it wouldn't break.

 

[Poi E]

I like fixing up old bangers but it is a dying hobby after 2000 model year cars it just started to get too complicated for home work. But I understand the life expectancy is 10 years.

Well, you can do stuff, but the sheer amount of sensors especially in pain in the arse engine and suspension areas becomes a bitch without a lift or taking the engine out.

 

[dessiato]

I bought an Astra G Bertone convertible 6 years ago with the intention of getting rid of it once I'd settled here. I've still got it. It does everything I want it to. It's been reliable enough except for a timing belt snapping after the belt had only done 40k. Of course it's had exhaust/tyres etc but it's a surprisingly good car.

 

[not-bono-ever]

ah yeah- lots of cars of that era will have ageing belts these days and they do go unnoticed- getting mine done tomorrow