Warm Hatch

[Paul Bennett]

Hi All,

It's been a while since I posted here (given I'm no longer a VAG owner; the Fabia vRS went a long time ago now and I regret it often). Anyhow, my wife and I own an ageining 3-series touring (320d M Sport Touring with a lovely interior spec). Its done 194k miles now but recently managed to get through an MOT for a reasonable amount of money. We've now got a not-that-small female greyhound so we need an estate in the long run (Octavia vRS in the future I'm hoping).

 

Thus, while we wait for it to fail in a terminal way, and now that we live in a rural area we're thinking of getting a second vehicle (~<£4k), a small, warm-hatch:

 

So far the list is as follows:

 

Panda 100hp - she hates them

Suzuki Swift Sport - seem good value

Twingo 133 - Insurance seems to be double the Swift?

 

Others:

Citroen C2 Loeb

Fiesta ST - probably a bit thirsty in the older models for my liking

Corsa VXR - Trying a bit too hard inside

 

What do people reckon?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Ootohere]

A Renault Clio RS in some flavour.

[Paul Bennett]

It'd have to be the 182 for size (parking is a bit of a pain on our street)... Insurance is actually cheaper than the Twingo (for 197s!).

[Ootohere]

The Swift Sport is the smart choice, 

have you found one at the right price,? as many are now coming around to the same way of thinking.

[Paul Bennett]

There are a few on ebay that look interesting but they're not that common... I'm not really familiar with either the Suzuki or the Twingo engines so I'm unsure of particular warning signs / services to look out for.

 

Obviously you can pick your budget based on mileage. What would you lot be happy with in terms of mileage for whizzy little petrols?

[KenONeill]

I've never heard a bad thing about the Swift.

 

One of my friends has a Citroen, and every time it breaks down it's in the garage for about 2 weeks waiting for parts. It's not hat it's unreliable as such, but but if you lose it for 4 to 6 weeks a year due to an importer not keeping stock of things like brakes, dampers and alternators...

[Ootohere]

£4,000 will or should get you a the likes of a 58 plate Swift Sport with under 70,000 miles.

It will be a case of buying on condition and servicing record obviously.

[vxh26]

<SNIP>

One of my friends has a Citroen, and every time it breaks down it's in the garage for about 2 weeks waiting for parts. It's not hat it's unreliable as such, but but if you lose it for 4 to 6 weeks a year due to an importer not keeping stock of things like brakes, dampers and alternators...

 

I suspect that few people would consider any car that was off the road for a couple of weeks at a time two or three times a year because of problems with "things like brakes, dampers and alternators" to be reliable - your mileage may vary.

[Didescharlie]

 

Like others, I've never heard a bad thing about the Swift. I do love the Twingo RS though...

[Ootohere]

Suzuki Dealers have moved on from the days of long back orders, mostly of which was due to not needing to hold much stock.

As it is, Hungary is not that far for parts that are not in stock to be into the UK, like in 48 hours.

That is if they need to come from there.

 

Suzuki Dealers set out nicely just what you need to pay for Service & Maintenance.

eg

http://westendsuzuki.co.uk/after-sales

Edited 26 February, 2016 by GoneOffskiroottoot

[Vrs84]

Suzuki Dealers have moved on from the days of long back orders, mostly of which was due to not needing to hold much stock.

As it is, Hungary is not that far for parts that are not in stock to be into the UK, like in 48 hours.

That is if they need to come from there.

 

Suzuki Dealers set out nicely just what you need to pay for Service & Maintenance.

eg

http://westendsuzuki.co.uk/after-sales

Another vote for Suzuki dealers. I had great service from my local dealer when I bought my Vitara 6 weeks ago. So much so my father went and ordered a brand new sx4 s-cross yesterday.

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi,

If you need any help with insurance for any of the vehicles you have in mind please feel free to drop me a line.

I had a Panda 100HP for 6 years. Loved it!

Regards,

Dan.

[FlyingGecko]

Hi All,

It's been a while since I posted here (given I'm no longer a VAG owner; the Fabia vRS went a long time ago now and I regret it often). Anyhow, my wife and I own an ageining 3-series touring (320d M Sport Touring with a lovely interior spec). Its done 194k miles now but recently managed to get through an MOT for a reasonable amount of money. We've now got a not-that-small female greyhound so we need an estate in the long run (Octavia vRS in the future I'm hoping).

 

Thus, while we wait for it to fail in a terminal way, and now that we live in a rural area we're thinking of getting a second vehicle (~<£4k), a small, warm-hatch:

 

 

 

What, waiting for the greyhound to fail?!?

[Gaz]

What, waiting for the greyhound to fail?!?

 

Perhaps their only way of catching it in an ageing 320d? 

[Stormchaser]

I've got a Swift Sport and would say it's perfect. They're a faultless car even the MK2 is a great buy. You can pick up good ones for a fair price. The engines are bulletproof and are a seriously fun drive especially when you hit 4000 rpm you get a big surge of power right up until 7200rpm. Makes a great noise too [emoji4].

Have a drive of one and see if you like it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Aspman]

Friend had a panda 100 she really liked it but had issues getting parts after a minor prang in snow.

 

Some panels were special order from Italy.

[Paul Bennett]

Thanks all, the Swift seems to be the sensible choice.

Dan - we may just ring you soon! There's a good looking one fairly near us for 3.7k with ~50k miles, 1 owner, FSH etc.

[Hannibal]

Arbarth 500?

[Didescharlie]

Seeing as you mentioned the C2 Loeb, I thought it worth mentioning the Code edition. Same spec, same engine, wheels etc, but you get the leather interior too.

 

They're probably a bit long in the tooth now, but tis a shame Citroen never truly replaced it.

[Paul Bennett]

Abarth slopes a bit at the back meaning that should/when the BMW fail(s) I'll need to fit a not so small greyhound in the car (with flattened seats); the others have a better 'shape' for this.  People missed the Mitsubishi Colt ralliart, they seem a tad mental (and incredible rare).

[Evil]

People missed the Mitsubishi Colt ralliart, they seem a tad mental (and incredible rare).

There's 7 on ebay right now.

[Paul Bennett]

Relatively speaking here!

[Paul Bennett]

Well, it ended up being a luke warm hatch - London 12 Mini Cooper D. I looked seriously at a 13 plate Swift Sport but the fuel figures, and the Wife swayed the decision (it's mainly her car) as the Mini came with a ridiculous list of extras for less money. It's quite a fun drive (on twisty road) if a little underpowered at 112bhp!

[mac11irl]

What happened the 3series in the end? How spectacular was the terminal failure?

[Paul Bennett]

I traded it in for an 11 plate Octavia vRS TDI. It had 198,950 on the clock and had the traction control failure warning and something else I think.

I was sad to see it go in the end as when it was working it was great fun and it had a stupid amount of extras.