Buying a small, reliable car

[spitfire]

Hi Spitfire, if it wasn't real then it fooled me also. Do you have any more info on that?

I've seen it mentioned in a couple of places but the tweet has links to the community notes as below.

Honestly thought it was real. First time I've actually been pixeled I think.

BeamNG.drive - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

eta: Full article.

No, Those Viral BeamNG Crash Test Videos Aren't Realistic

Content creators are using BeamNG to create videos of crash tests. Some believe the videos are real and use them make car-buying decisions.

www.thedrive.com

There's something shocking about seeing a brand-new car crunched up. It's no wonder that people can't get enough of those simulated crash tests from games like BeamNG.Drive. But there's one major problem: Despite the soft-body physics program being highly regarded for virtually recreating intricate crashes, it's not always possible to accurately reproduce real-world results. That's especially true since many of the vehicles used in the game aren't anywhere close to their road-going counterparts. In turn, a lot of the horrific crashes you see in these clips wouldn't look anything like that in reality.
These simulated crash tests can often be seen pitting large vehicles against smaller ones. We're talking about big rigs against tiny sedans, and tests will often increase incrementally in speed as they progress to compare how different forces crumple the cars. For some context, every time you double a vehicle's speed, the force of impact quadruples—that makes for some pretty interesting differences in crash simulations.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

 

[weltweit]

spitfire I think I am going to ask a mod to take it down.

At the very least it is misleading.

 

[Aladdin]

Another vote for Toyota Yaris. They're a great car. Super reliable. Cheap to run. Lowe insurance costs. Great all rounder.

 

[Maggot]

OK. So what will, and where will, it be used?

A city car is a different thing to a country or mixed use vehicle. In the meantime we’re all making broad assumptions about how it’ll be used. Which is where all the discussion and disagreement arises.

Ok Just to clarify. I live in London so it must be ULEZ compliant. It will be mostly used for suburban commuting with occasional longer trips.

 

[Maggot]

Controversial choice but a Renault Clio 2010-2012 (older model) or 2012-2015 (newer model) would be muuuuuch cheaper and gives you lots of money spare to solve any future repair bills. Which might not even be that bad! They dont suffer from rust too bad unlike many Japanese cars either.

Clios don't get a good Which review. Would rather spend more now and less on future repairs.

 

[hash tag]

Ok Just to clarify. I live in London so it must be ULEZ compliant. It will be mostly used for suburban commuting with occasional longer trips.

2 doors or 4? Lots of "luggage"? Passengers?

 

[Elpenor]

If suburban commuting means being stuck in traffic go automatic

 

[Roadkill]

Pretty much any modern car is really safe. Well, aside from Sizukis which ive heard skip some safety features. Doesnt fill me with much confidence.

The Swift has a 5* Euro NCAP rating so this seems unlikely. If true it may relate to the Alto and whatever that other little kei car they do is.

 

[T & P]

Putting aside their high price tag and lack of space for a moment, Smart cars are said to be the Nokia 3310 of small cars, with a legendarily robust safety cage. So size does not necessarily matter.

Then again I believe I remember reading somewhere that whereas a Smart car would safeguard your body in a head on crash against a wall at speeds as fast as 70 mph, at that speed the sheer deceleration would still kill you. So basically, don’t crash against a concrete wall at 70 mph regardless of your car’s size and safety features.

 

[hash tag]

Putting aside their high price tag and lack of space for a moment, Smart cars are said to be the Nokia 3310 of small cars, with a legendarily robust safety cage. So size does not necessarily matter.

Then again I believe I remember reading somewhere that whereas a Smart car would safeguard your body in a head on crash against a wall at speeds as fast as 70 mph, at that speed the sheer deceleration would still kill you. So basically, don’t crash against a concrete wall at 70 mph regardless of your car’s size and safety features.

Two up in a smart car and there is literally no room for a carrier bag yet alone a half decent grocery shop.

 

[T & P]

Two up in a smart car and there is literally no room for a carrier bag yet alone a half decent grocery shop.

That’s certainly true. And for what is worth, I wouldn’t myself go for the safest possible car at all costs if there are competing models that are more practical or even more pleasing to own, so long as they still offered an excellent level of protection. At the end of the day, no car model does or will ever be 100% death-proof.

 

[MBV]

What about a Mini?

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[hash tag]

Mini's I think are overrated and overpriced.

 

[Gromit]

Mini's I think are overrated and overpriced.

Like the Fiat 500. You are paying a premium for a trendy looking car.

 

[dessiato]

What about a Mini?

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

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www.autotrader.co.uk

I bought a Mini Clubman Cooper S last year. Bloody good fun to drive but a reliability nightmare. I got rid of it after about 4 months. Not only unreliable but also very expensive for repairs.

 

[dessiato]

Putting aside their high price tag and lack of space for a moment, Smart cars are said to be the Nokia 3310 of small cars, with a legendarily robust safety cage. So size does not necessarily matter.

Then again I believe I remember reading somewhere that whereas a Smart car would safeguard your body in a head on crash against a wall at speeds as fast as 70 mph, at that speed the sheer deceleration would still kill you. So basically, don’t crash against a concrete wall at 70 mph regardless of your car’s size and safety features.

When Top Gear tested one there was a good chance you'd survive, but your legs wouldn't. One of the friends to whom I referred previously was in one when someone ran onto it. Her back was broken. The driver of the other car, Astra sized, walked away barely hurt.

 

[Elpenor]

I passed my test in a mini, and having been a shaking wreck of a driver in a focus for 11 months, failing two tests badly, took 4 lessons in the Mini (my instructor had changed cars) and passed my test with only 4 minors. I found it an absolute dream to drive.

But I’ve not driven one for nearly 17 years so perhaps it’s a car to borrow or hire not own

 

[Riklet]

Clios don't get a good Which review. Would rather spend more now and less on future repairs.

Fair play. Def get a Yaris as long as it has good service history. It'll do you well. Impecable reliability. Also theyre more desirable than Jazzes... only old people want a Honda Jazz. So easier to resell down the line.

I'd avoid a hybrid one if you want lower repair bills. Very expensive to work on if there are issues. That money you save on petrol will quickly go out the window. Although they are still super reliable....

 

[Looby]

Two up in a smart car and there is literally no room for a carrier bag yet alone a half decent grocery shop.

My mate had a smart car and I was surprised about how much boot space there was. Wouldn’t cope with a Costco trip but it was fine otherwise.

I’d go for a Corsa. I loved mine and was quite sad to sell it, especially because I replaced it with a fucking hated Peugeot 2008.

 

[dessiato]

My mate had a smart car and I was surprised about how much boot space there was. Wouldn’t cope with a Costco trip but it was fine otherwise.

I’d go for a Corsa. I loved mine and was quite sad to sell it, especially because I replaced it with a fucking hated Peugeot 2008.

I had a 208 rental car a few weeks ago. Loads of gadgets, which I liked, but boot space was worse than my old Golf, we found it to be uncomfortable on a two hour motorway trip, the Golf we can do a 5½ hour trip more comfortably. I was disappointed, last Pug I'd owned was so much better.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I'd avoid a hybrid one if you want lower repair bills. Very expensive to work on if there are issues. That money you save on petrol will quickly go out the window. Although they are still super reliable....

not sure i'd want to take a risk on a second hand hybrid - are they going to reach a point where the battery is knackered when the rest of the car is pretty much at mid-life?

i'm aware this has been an issue with hybrid buses, and replacing the battery/ies is kinda expensive...

 

[Riklet]

not sure i'd want to take a risk on a second hand hybrid - are they going to reach a point where the battery is knackered when the rest of the car is pretty much at mid-life?

i'm aware this has been an issue with hybrid buses, and replacing the battery/ies is kinda expensive...

There's a risk with everything. Sure batteries go out but they throw a lot of error messages and error codes before that so you can see/check.

In the end a well maintained well used Toyota hybrid is a low risk. Theyve been making them for 20 years and the technology is decent.

In the end it just depends how much money you have. Personally I could never afford a new car and I wouldnt buy one even if I could, out of principle. 2013 Yaris is going to still be shit hot reliable and cheap as chips compared to something newer too.

 

[DownwardDog]

In the end a well maintained well used Toyota hybrid is a low risk.

I got an Uber the other day (dropping the SL55 back at the paint shop ) and it was a hybrid Toyota Camry. It looked and felt like a new car but it had done 240,000km. They regularly clock up 1,000,000km+ when used as taxis in Dubai because they are driven 24 hours/day by three drivers working in shifts. 1,000km/day! Imagine attempting that in any JLR product.

The answer to the question posed is Yaris, i20 or Mazda 3.

 

[DownwardDog]

The Uber Camry also averaged 4.8l/100km (49mpg!) Very impressive.

 

[hash tag]

This is small ( low), I'm guessing a 2 seater. It certainly offers at lot of bang for your buck

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[DownwardDog]

I've flipped quite a few of those. Doing the cam chain guide and tensioner on them is a fucking nightmare. Which is a shame because the older ones always need them doing.

 

[Riklet]

That is not a small nor a reliable car

 

[Magnus McGinty]

If you want a non small non reliable car then get a Jaguar.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

I had a 208 rental car a few weeks ago. Loads of gadgets, which I liked, but boot space was worse than my old Golf, we found it to be uncomfortable on a two hour motorway trip, the Golf we can do a 5½ hour trip more comfortably. I was disappointed, last Pug I'd owned was so much better.

peugeot / citroen are not what they were, and the electrics can be a pain in the tail.

I had a 1993 peugeot 205 (diesel) until about 5 years ago (it wasn't far off 200,000 miles) and had to replace it after some twunt stole it and the insurance wanted to write it off. (i was getting to the point where i was starting to think about did i want to throw some money at it to get it to 'classic' condition against moving it on - london ULEZ was on the horizon then, which kinda made the decision for me.)

i got a 2008 citroen c3 in a bit of a hurry - partly chose it as it's a bit higher off the ground than a standard car, and mum-tat can get in and out of it with less bad language than the previous car. but i've had to have a few bits re-wired. and i still haven't found out what all the buttons and switches do...