TH E H I G H PR I E ST O F BA N G E R N O M I CS
James Ruppert
t’s funny how some
car buyers just want
something that is
funky-looking and
on-trend, when really all they need
is a hard-working hatchback. Here’s
w h at Ry a n s a id t o me: “He y Ja me s ,
I’m looking for a small and cheap
motor to run between local schools
for my sports coaching company. I’ve
looked at a Smart car and a Toyota iQ.
Could you recommend any?”
Well, the Smart is quite an old bit
of kit now and the Toyota iQ is no
longer with us but that doesn’t make
t he m ba d c hoic e s. T he Sm a r t i s w e l l
proven and the Toyota is a Toyota, so
it won’t break down. Both are small
and neither is that cheap, although a
t id y 2 0 03 For t w o Pa s sion w it h 5 0k
miles is around a grand and a proper
warranted iQ from 2009 is £2500.
That’s not too bad, but if you’re using
a small car for work, it can turn out
to be not that practical – especially
a minimally booted Smart. That’swhy an old-school shopping hatch is
always going to be a better idea.
The Ford Ka won’t be around for
that much longer, but I rather like
them. I was surprised that a pre-
Aston grille example from 2009 is
just over £1000. The mileage was
100k, but it had service stamps
and was at a dealer, so they had a
responsibility if anything was awry.
For t h at mone y, it w ou ld b e a
three-door 1.2 Zetec.
Ryan might find he wants a couple
more doors, so let’s think Kia Picanto.
They’re mostly privately owned
a nd w e l l lo ok e d a f t e r. P ic a nt o s
have tiny wheels and do look a bit
toy-town, but a 2004 1.1 SE withlots of MOT and a fresh service
for £70 0 i s pr e t t y go o d goi n g. It
would do a spectacular job and keep
Ryan running for a year without a
worry, proper cheap motoring and
high-50s economy.
A t t h i s p oi nt , Ry a n c a me ba c k t o
me. The Ka seemed to fit his criteria
pretty closely and I had mentioned
the Toyota Aygo in passing, but
he was unaware of the badge
engineering which also created theCitroën C1 and Peugeot 107. A 2008
1.0, for instance, is £20 road tax
and, with 100,000 miles showing,
costs £750. So that’s a contender.
Ryan, though, had his head turned
b y a Vol k s w a ge n Up. Mor e s t y le
over substance? I like them, but
Ryan would struggle to get very
much below £3000 and he would be
dodging insurance write-offs to do it.
But if he wants to Up his budget, then
by all means do it.
New small cars are going out of
f a sh ion , but u s e d one s w i l l b e a r ou nd
for some time to come yet. It’s the
c ont i nu i n g b e aut y of bu y i n g u s e d.
A run-of-the-mill small hatch is the answer to many questions
RISE OF THE HAPPY SHOPPER
Entry point for a
Volkswagen Up
is around £3000
Around £1000 buys
a leggy but likeable
Fo r d Ka fr o m 2009
`
Most Kia Picantos
are privately owned
and looked after
a
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FIAT CINQUECENTO
1.1 SPORTING
Once we’d mastered the name
and sampled the eager motor
and kart-like handling, the
Sporting won a place in our
h e a r t. T h i s 1 9 9 6 c a r w i th 3 6 , 0 0 0
miles, full history and one
former keeper brings it all back.
It’s just £2295. Best feature?
The sporty red seatbelts.
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