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New, small, fun car - any suggestions

(101 Posts)
kittylester Tue 07-May-19 08:31:36

DH has always enjoyed driving a small, nippy, City-type car and I have the bigger 'family' car. He had a Toyota IQ which he loved and I didn't mind driving at occasionally.

His last car needed replacing at around the time he retired and, as he had started doing volunteer driving, we went for a Yaris. This car is now known as the 'Mistake' and languishes at home while we fight about who drives 'my' car.

Can anyone suggest a smallish car that is fun to drive.

We have looked at Smart cars, vw Up, Peugeot 108 Top and various other cars.

Bellanonna Tue 07-May-19 08:33:54

Trying to work out what “fun to drive” is, kitty. Sorry, not being obtuse.

kittylester Tue 07-May-19 08:35:20

It's sort of nebulous really. But not a Yaris.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Tue 07-May-19 08:36:41

I love my little Smart car but whether you would love it too is quite another matter. It only seats two and some say it is noisy. I find it holds a weeks worth of shopping but there's only me and the cat.
Could you go to a garage and have a test drive to see what suits you?

David1968 Tue 07-May-19 08:38:18

Is the Skoda Fabia small enough? I love ours.

kittylester Tue 07-May-19 08:39:16

We have had a couple of test drives.

Dh fancies the 4 seater Smart car but when he went to the Mercedes garage he couldn't get anyone to talk to him about them.

PamelaJ1 Tue 07-May-19 08:40:36

I love my mini but perhaps it would be a little low for some of the people he drives?

kittylester Tue 07-May-19 08:42:51

On the matter of test drives, we have tried to test drive a VW Up for the day. The salesman still hasn't got back to us after 3 weeks.

And, I thought new car sales were struggling.

dragonfly46 Tue 07-May-19 08:49:29

My husband has a BMW 2 series and we both love driving that. It is higher than the previous 3 series and it is automatic. It has a sport mode and eco mode which is fun. Also they do pay you some attention at Syntner whereas like you when we were looking for a new car the garages just couldn't be bothered. If I am spending a lot of money I like to be wooed.

Jangran99 Tue 07-May-19 08:55:47

My vote goes to the Hyundai i20. I’ve had 3 of them, not too small, nippy and economical.

Bellasnana Tue 07-May-19 09:13:28

What’s wrong with a Yaris? I love mine.confused

crystaltipps Tue 07-May-19 09:17:59

Fiat 500.

crystaltipps Tue 07-May-19 09:19:05

Fiat 500 lots of funky colours and no road tax if you get the eco friendly one.

shysal Tue 07-May-19 09:36:35

Honda Jazz gets my vote, but is slightly larger than the Up and other similar cars. I have an automatic which is very easy to drive, also love the 'magic' rear seats which anchor tipped up like cinema seats to give the whole footwell for large items like kid's bikes or tall plants. Good luck with your search!

tinaf1 Tue 07-May-19 09:44:42

Fiat 500 and Suzuki Swift loved mine

Iam64 Tue 07-May-19 09:47:09

Fiat 500

GrannyGravy13 Tue 07-May-19 09:47:52

Audi 3 convertible- absolutely adore mine, great fun to drive, economical and eco engine!

HildaW Tue 07-May-19 10:07:20

Automatic Jazz here too. Well designed interior for when you do need a bit of space and its so dependable and easy to use. Not the most adventurous but they hold their value and are economical.
DD has a fab little purple Yaris which is also great...seems so roomy inside but is small and nippy.

Katek Tue 07-May-19 10:11:05

Vauxhall Adam and DS3 come in loads of funky colour combinations and are fun to drive. Is Citroen C1 too small??

crazyH Tue 07-May-19 10:13:55

Honda Jazz Automatic. Had one for 15 years.....not a day's problem with it. It was serviced regularly. Only sold it because I fell like a change. The new Jazz is frightfully expensive and I couldn't afford it. So bought myself a 2year old Kia Rio.....so ar, happy with it.

kittylester Tue 07-May-19 10:20:25

kate, dh really, really fancied the Adam but the reviews were dreadful.

We are looking at the Peugeot equivalent of the C1 as it has a canvas roof DH and DD2 had C1s and loved them.

Teetime Tue 07-May-19 10:23:47

My Kia Rio is lovely nippy and cheap to run - its for sale actually!! Still has one year warranty.

PernillaVanilla Tue 07-May-19 10:34:42

Two fun cars for us. I have a Fiat Panda, which is very cute and still copes with 2 passengers in the back, a load of shopping and would be fine with a dog if we had one. one reason it is fun is that I can park it in a very small space and negotiate country lanes with ease. DH has had a late midlife crisis and got a two seater Mercedes with a retractable roof ( not the very expensive one) it is rather nice zooming around with the roof down.
One small fun car? A Fiat 500 soft top or maybe one of the new small Citroens.

rizlett Tue 07-May-19 10:35:56

The VW Up is amazing but you'd need to go for top spec for the fun aspect - speedier than other bigger engines too.

If you want a cheaper more out there alternative how about a Skoda citigo greentech. Nice!

GabriellaG54 Tue 07-May-19 10:36:33

Two tone Fiat500.