I am a member of quite a few car forums and view others like Smart,Fiat,Hyundai i10,Kia Picanto,Toyota IQ, Mazda MX5 and This one Briskoda which is excellent. Well being early retired i have to pass the time somehow lol.The one thing that is clear is each one thinks there car is the best ever. This got me thinking what makes us pick our car above any other? Even more so with cars such as the Aygo,107,and C1 which are the same cars and of course the UP,Citygo,and Mii which are also the same cars.

Given the choice i think i would pick the Up first.I like the front end,and the kink in the rear quarter window,but im not keen on the glass tailgate. The Mii does not grab me for some reason,so the Citygo seems the best choice. At the end of the day it will come down to which is the cheapest with the best discount,and the best part ex price for mine. Then again VW dealers are 15 miles from me but Skoda and Seat dealers are only 2 miles away,plus of course Skoda dealers always get high marks in the surveys.

Then of course you can be driven crazy with choice at the £10 000 mark you can be talking VW POLO/ Fabia,or between £11 000 and £15 000 the Abarth 500,Mini Cooper,or a discounted Mazda MX5. How about a year old Vauxhall Insignia or Ford Mondeo? £20 000 new but down to £10 000 after a year.Thats a lot of car for the money.

As a car nut petrol head i would have 10 cars in the stable if i was on footballers wages,but i deliver cars sometimes part time everything from Lexus 4X4 Hybrids to the Audi A5 coupe and Mercedes CLK and always enjoy the different cars.

With my sensible head on the best cars are small automatics like my Smart and the Citygo,but what made you decide on which car to purchase?

Smart Examiner, I have just ordred a Citygo. I have had small cars before, incliding mini`s, Suzuki SC 100GX, old shape Daihatsu Sirion auto. I have an 07 Merc E220 for wekend use, and I potter around in a VW Caddy van during the week, and the missus has a Land Rover Freelander 4, 2.2 diesel auto, bought new 5 years ago, now with 38,000 on the clock and for sale. Right, thats the background. The LR rarely gets out of 3rd gear going to Asda, so we decided on something smaller to replace the landy. Need more mpg, preferably no road tax, able to seat 4, 4 doors. I knew about the JD Power surveys and the high ratings that Skoda continually receive and thought, well, they must be doing something right. Looked at the Toyota IQ, Hyundai Ix 20 and did a lot of comparison.

Registered on the Skoda site to receive a brochure when the car came out. Looked at the VW Up!, didn`t like the front end with the huge badge, glossy reflective dash and only two doors, and more expensive - discounted that one. Next the Mii, only two doors, a very light coloured dash and no auto available - discounted that one. Lastly the Citygo, 4 doors available, black seats and dash. Looking good so far!! Read about the ASG auto (as opposed to the DSG in some other Skodas), and decided that me no likey the ASG!! So test drove the manual and ordered one. So thats how I arrived at my decision. On the day I ordered, the brochure came through from Skoda. So all good so far!

Sorry, readers, that should be `ordered` instead of `ordred`, and of course its a Freelander 2 and not 4. Apologies.

Smart Examiner, I have just ordred a Citygo. I have had small cars before, incliding mini`s, Suzuki SC 100GX, old shape Daihatsu Sirion auto. I have an 07 Merc E220 for wekend use, and I potter around in a VW Caddy van during the week, and the missus has a Land Rover Freelander 4, 2.2 diesel auto, bought new 5 years ago, now with 38,000 on the clock and for sale. Right, thats the background. The LR rarely gets out of 3rd gear going to Asda, so we decided on something smaller to replace the landy. Need more mpg, preferably no road tax, able to seat 4, 4 doors. I knew about the JD Power surveys and the high ratings that Skoda continually receive and thought, well, they must be doing something right. Looked at the Toyota IQ, Hyundai Ix 20 and did a lot of comparison.

Registered on the Skoda site to receive a brochure when the car came out. Looked at the VW Up!, didn`t like the front end with the huge badge, glossy reflective dash and only two doors, and more expensive - discounted that one. Next the Mii, only two doors, a very light coloured dash and no auto available - discounted that one. Lastly the Citygo, 4 doors available, black seats and dash. Looking good so far!! Read about the ASG auto (as opposed to the DSG in some other Skodas), and decided that me no likey the ASG!! So test drove the manual and ordered one. So thats how I arrived at my decision. On the day I ordered, the brochure came through from Skoda. So all good so far!

Thanks for the input. I thought i would have had more replies to this.I guess everyone is sitting out in the sun in this fantastic summer we are having,or should that be eating Fish & Chips in the rain lol!! I have had all sorts of cars over the years including classic sports cars MGB,TR6, to Jaguar XJ6 the Rover Mini and Fiat Cinq Sporting in bright Yellow.

These days i want good MPG and an Automatic for the constant stop start of the Manchester traffic.I only use the car mainly for short trips so the Smart is perfect,as im sure the Citygo would also be. For longer trips i always take the train. I went to London for the day recently,and the train fare Manchester to London return is only £20 with a Railcard if you book in advance,and the trip only takes 2 hours. Even at 80 MPG in the car it would cost more and take 4 hours,and that is without parking and the congestion charge.

Edited 16 July, 201213 yr by SMART EXAMINER

With my sensible head on the best cars are small automatics like my Smart and the Citygo,but what made you decide on which car to purchase?

Went for a Skoda Citygo because it's cheap, good, you can get a 5 year warranty (£260) and my local Skoda dealer is great.

The latter of which I find particularly handy

Needs must now I'm afraid.

I'm hoping to retire next year and I'm sought of planning for that I guess, so what are my motoring needs?

Well as I don't travel great distances anymore save for maybe the annual holidays I really don't need a big diesel car, infact that's already been sold. I only need to get around locally day to day, even to work is only a short trip at the moment. I like the Citigo for what you get and free tax (at the moment) cheap insurance, and of course the economy. What other car do I really need.

Have looked at other makes/models and they really don't come near the value you get from Skoda. I also like the fact that when I mention the Citigo folk say what? never seen them, so it makes it a bit special as everyone has seen the Fiesta, Corsa and Kia's etc. Also nowadays when you mention Skoda the first thing people say is "they are really good cars" no derisory comments.

Could they really take off like the above mentioned, it remains to be seen.

Mick

Went for a Skoda Citygo because it's cheap, good, you can get a 5 year warranty (£260) and my local Skoda dealer is great.

The latter of which I find particularly handy

Somehow, I think yours will be void

Somehow, I think yours will be void

Yes, thank you very much. :p

I was talking about the red one for work.