smart forfour

[AutomaticGal]

will a smart forfour be a good first car? and if not why and which car do u think will be one?

[RWJ]

Dear AutomaticGal,

The Smart FourFour is certainly an intersting car, and a unique choice. I assume by your online handle that you'd prefer an automatic vehicle, and so I did a bit of research into comparabley priced alternatives to the Smart. Before I go into the competitors though I'll give you my opinion as a car buff on the Smart FourFour. When looking for a first car one often finds oneself trying to balance aspects such as safety, versatility, running costs and best image for cost; The FourFour performs well to extremely well on all of these counts. Euroncap gave it a four star rating, and in reading its report there do not appear to be too many areas of concern for the car in the unfortunate event of a collision. The Smart does not appear to be particularly impractical either in comparison to other Sector A or B cars (city cars/superminis) in fact TV presenters James May and Richard Hammond lived for 24 hours in one without too much difficulty on 'Topgear'. The engine range is good, though one finds a lot of automatics are 1.3 litre units, general consensus amongst the motoring press is that the larger more economical (if you do 12,000 miles a year or more) 1.5 litre diesel with an automatic is by far the better engine. As far as styling goes, even though the car is now out of production (great news for depreciation) and isn't quite as iconic as its little brother the Smart ForTwo is as previously mentioned a very unique, perhaps even head turning choice. One can easily pick up a 3 year old example with 1 years warantee with relatively low mileage from a main dealer for about �6,000.

I'll contine this answer in a second post as I've run out of room

[RWJ]

Overall the Smart is a good city car, and stands out from the crowd. However, negatives include a below average build quality and a supposedly (you'd have to test drive it yourself) lacklustre drive. Don't be fooled by the its-built-by-mercedes image, 60% of its parts including some of its engines are in fact built by mitsubishi which is still a reliable if not as expensive a make as Mercedes.

So on to the competitors:

I humbly suggest looking at the following cars:

Citroen's C2
http://www.usedcar.citroen.co.uk/

Renault's Clio (now known as Campus)
http://www.renault.co.uk/ApprovedUsed/UVHome.a spx

Vauxhall's Astra (Bigger than the equivalent sector C model 'corsa' but if you're willing to go for a slightly older model e.g. 2003 with low mileage you can get more car for your money.
http://networkq.co.uk/nq/home.do

So the Citroen C2 is a great little funky car. Its also pretty unique, has a high four star crash test rating from Euroncap, you can get either the powerful 1.6VTR engine with auto transmission or the nippy but very fuel efficient 1.4 sensodrive. Unfortunately it only has 3-doors as opposed to 5 so access to the rear will involve tilting the front seats, and the rear seats arent' suitable for people over 6 ft. However, it has a raised driving position and thus has better than average visability. Like most french cars its got an apparently fun chassis, and comfortable suspension.

On to the next post

[RWJ]

So next the Renault Clio, also an incredibly competent first car, not exactly head turning but not at all ugly, one can pick up a great high specced 1.4 litre Privelege model at a main dealer for around �5,500 with low mileage and a years warantee. Comfortable handling a fairly lively engine, a practical 5-door body and an extremely easy car to live with (I'm told by friends) make it a good buy. Again the cabin quality isnt' up with the best, but isn't bad or shabby, though electricals have been known to go wrong. Overall a sensible, decent buy but perhaps not the most exciting.

Lastly the Vauxhall Astra. One can pick up a 2003 model with a strong 1.6 litre engine with an automatic gearbox in mid-range spec with CD player, lots of safety features (a mid range four star rating) front and electric windows, alloys etc. for �6,000. This car is perhaps the least head turning and possibly a bit more mundane then the rest, however, it much more practical offering a bigger boot, more interior space and one won't be as bullied in traffic as one can be in a supermini. Running costs won't be too high either, though will probably be slightly more than most here due to a slightly more powerful engine, though this jsut makes long distance trips a lot more comfortable and less tiring. Overall another good buy.

I hope the above has been useful, I'm sure you have a good handle on what car you want, but its always good to get as much perspective as possible. I hope whatever you decide you buy a great car, and have a great first car experience!

Good luck

RWJ

[AutomaticGal]

wooooooooooooooooow that is very detailed. the cars you mentioned are very good. but i wanted a manual car. i dont mind auto at all - far easier to drive. i dont think that funding will be a problem (asuming that there will be monthy debits available - unless i buy private) i would just like to get an idea weather going smart forfour will be wise. i dont think i will be doing any long distance drives, maybe birmingham once every three years or so no more than that. local driving. i am emition concious, i dont want to contribute to more than i can afford to. are there any other good cars out there? rover 25???

[RWJ]

So all of the above cars come in manual spec, in fact manaul is easier to find and probably slightly cheaper. So everything I've included about them still holds exactly the same. A Rover 25 is unfortunately an appauling car, not least because it only has 2 stars in the crash tests. So it really depends on your budget, the cars mentioned above are depending on size of engine either very economical to quite economical. Since you're not going to be doing a lot of long distance driving though, I'd rule out a diesel, they are only more fuel efficent because of the increased price of the fuel if you do more than 12,000 miles a year. The Smart should thus be bought as a 1.1 litre as according to most reviews thats a better engine than the 1.3, and cheaper to purchase, run and insure in manual spec. I have to say I'm wary of private sellers, for one thing you don't get a years warantee with the car, secondly they don't conduct a thorough mechanical check on the car before selling it to you. Yes it'll be slightly cheaper, but unless you intend to finance privately or seek financing through another lender, its very unlikely that a private buyer would let you pay in installments, whereas a dealership would be only too happy to negotiate a discount on the vehicle of you chose finance from them.

If you post a ball park of what kind of budget you have for your first car, I'll be better able to point you in the direction of other cars. For the aforementioned �6,000 given the new information you've given me I'd suggest all the cars mentioned above in manual spec (the Citroen C2 1.6 VTR doesn't come in manual but the 1.4 does) are good buys.

[AutomaticGal]

im thinking maybe between �4k and �6k is a good budget... lol i hear u can get a second hand RX8 for �8500 so i think i could get a reasonably good car for by budget. its unfortunate to hear the rover 25 is a poor car i was beginning to like it..
also i just though about this.. durability!!!! i wouldn't like a first car that will last me only two years and blow up on me.

of course buying trade will significantly reduce that probability. still tho....

[RWJ]

So the central issue you face is cost of car insurance. If you're under 21 its going to cost a lot. Each car has an insurance group based mostly on its engines BHP. These insurance groups start at insurance group 1 for a small car with a 60 BHP engine to group 20 for a ferrari with a 625 BHP engine. As a first car if you are below 21 you'll want to try and stay below insurance group 5 which means you don't really want to go above a car with 100 BHP (which if you get a light car is in fact quite nippy). So the RX8 is a great car, I in fact had the oppotunity to drive one the other day they are fantastic cars, especially the more powerful 228 BHP model. However, as fun as they are for jaunts around the country or if you're lucky enough to be able to purchase one as a second car, a number of factors make them wholey unsuitable for an everyday car. The seats though comfortable by sports car standards are not cosetting enough to deal with anything but short drives. The clutch is very heavy and the gear shift is approprietly (for an occasional sports car) stiff, so driving through traffic is a thoroughly unpleasant experience. Rear seats are fairly cramped and so if you plan to take mroe than one passenger not an option on longer journeys. So its of course up to you, you can get one from a main dealer for about �9,500, 9 if you haggle. However, if you are indeed younger than 21 then insurance really will be very hard to get, and if you do, will cost literally thousands upon thousands a year. So lets talk moderate insurance group cars.

I've had another look around, if you're willing ot stretch your budget by about �500-1000 you can get something a good size up from the hatchbacks we discussed before. So the following are cars you can easily find at a main dealer for between �6,000-7000, are all quite nippy and have insurance group about 5 or 6.


So I'll continue with another post

[RWJ]

1. Renault's Megane in 1.6 litre petrol form in 'Dynamique' (sport) spec.

2. Citroen's C4 also in 1.6 litre petrol form in SX (mid range) spec.

3. Vauxhall's Astra again 1.6 litre petrol engine in Club (mid range) spec.

All of the above are good cars; their engines are all pretty strong, fairly economical, they are relatively spacious, but the biggest strength they share, is that they have all attained 5 stars in Euroncap's crash tests, which is incredibly impressive and important. However they do possess certain positives and negatives that distinguish them from oneanother.

So the Megane is a quirky, extremely french sporty hatch, with an infamous love it or hate it behind. So its styling could be a big plus or a minus depending on your own taste, though whats for sure is it'll be the best equipped coming with a few more features such as 'trip computer' and leather steering wheel as standard. In spite of the name though the Megane is by most accounts not the most comfortable car to drive as the suspension favours jauntry fun turning corners and less smoothing over of the road surface. However, this again is down to driver preference. The interior of the Megane is perhaps the least spacious of the three, but only not by a huge margin, it is also well designed and fairly well built, but is again without meaning to be repetive for the sake of it, an acquired taste. Overall the Megane is a good choice, though you'd really have to test drive the car to see if you like it.

So onto the third post

[RWJ]

So next the Citroen C4. The C4 I'm afraid is yet another french eccentric. You may well have seen the adverts for it where it literally transforms into a bipedal machine and begins dancing. Fortuantely this is not one of the cars actual features...or so the company chooses to tell us.

Thats not to say its not a good car, it really is. Its beautiful in a more objective way than the Megane, though it still has a sporty quality to it. The interior is full of electronic gadgetry, and is quite frankly impressive, uber impressive for a first car. It has features such as a centralised digital speedometer, a steering wheel whose 'wheel part' turns around the central hub so your vision of your instruments is never obscured, and even a function which starts vibrating one side of the drivers seat if the car detects its drifting lanes...You get the picture. The engine isn't quite as fast as the Meganes as all this techonology weighs it down, but its slightly more economical and only insurance group 5. To drive its extremely comfortable, but not as sporty as its rivals. Overall its a really interesting choice, and doesn't really have many downsides but apart from the technology isn't really outstanding in any other areas.

So on to the fourth post

[RWJ]

So lastly we come to the Vauxhall Astra. For me the most impressive thing about this car is its interior, whilst its not as imaginately styled as either of the french offerings, it is very solidly built and aesthetically pleasing. Its clear th Vauxhall have pushed out the boat so to speak regarding cabin quality. The Astra is the most spacious, though the cabin feels secure, so such is not immiediately apparent. The general consensus amongst the motoring press is that its good to drive, offering a good combination of feedback through the steering wheel, and a supple ride. The only mark against the car is that its the more mundane option out of the three. Overall its the best all rounder, with hardly any negative points, but will probably be slightly more expensive than the other two.

So there we go, another three cars. If you can stretch your budget by about �1000, the new Astra is a much better buy than the old Astra that I mentioned before. The C4 is also a better buy than its younger sibling the C2, and if you enjoy the looks the Megane is better than the Clio. It shows just how far a �1000 will go in the used car market. However, do not at all be dismayed if you cant' stretch that far, all the previous cars are very good, not just for a first time buy, but overall they are great city cars. The first three or at least the French cars are going to be cheaper than the bigger three cars to run, by several hundred pounds a year, so its not just a one off price commitment you're making.

I hope you've got enough information there to make your choice; all those cars are literally the best you can get for the money, for what you need them for, and great first cars.

So let me know what your thoughts are, and if you have any other questions I'd be happy to try and answer them.

Have a great day


RWJ