What small car for €8,000 could replace my MINI?

Hi, I am driving an 08 MINI Cooper 1.6D that is a work lease car. I want to buy a small car for less than €8,000 - ideally a 1.1 or so that I don't feel the drop too much! I do very low mileage - 5,000km per year - but want something that could manage a motorway journey or two a year ok. What would you recommend? I have been looking at something 08 or newer: Hyundai i10, Toyota Yaris; old model Fiesta/Polo - any other ideas?

Suzie Perry (Dublin)

May 2012 Filed under: choosing used car

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Expert answer

Hi Suzie,

Others to consider include the Citroen C3 and Fiat 500, Mazda2, Nissan Micra, Opel Corsa, Peugeot 207, SEAT Ibiza, Skoda Fabia and Suzuki Swift. They're all good small cars. Given your low mileage you're definitely better off with a petrol model.

I assume you know that you could afford slightly larger cars in the Ford Focus class as well with that budget, but that you don't want one that big? They'd be far more comfortable on the motorway.

With all that in mind, and sticking to your small car demand, we reckon one of the three Volkswagen Group cars makes the most sense - that's the Skoda Fabia, SEAT Ibiza or the Polo. If you'd like help narrowing down your search further come back to us.

Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Adviser
@Shane_O_D