The Cheap Runabout Car Thread / City Bug

PS yes it's on the pavement in our cul-de-sac - sorry !!!!

16 plate 108gtline - leather interior/dab/air con/heated mirrors /lane assist and crash avoidance

82bhp, nice place to sit since I cannot cycle commute ATM. Wasn't cheap. But life time costs should be.

Does 60mpg and needs it's 35 litre tank filled once a month free to tax and 120 quid a year to insure for business use

Considerably bigger inside than it has the right to be. (I'm 6ft 3 and don't need the seat all the way back)

Best of all unlike big blue....when I go up the hills for a run and leave it in remote carparks - without worrying too much of it going walkies.

Big blue still needed for trailer and winter duties though.

I have a 57 plate Fiesta 1.4 petrol. Gave £200 for ti without an MOT. Cost me about £120 in bits to fix up and have since spend another £100 on the brake. It is a horrible thing but goes and stops well enough and has enough dings and scratches that it is ideal for driving the lanes around here in summer.

There is a place for small cars. We had a Mk1 Yaris from when they came out in 1999 for 17 years and through two kids too, but my Mrs decided she wanted something bigger. We've two large cars for us, mine doesn't move much, and it's now 2 years old and Ive owned it since it was 10 month's old - it's the bike hauler. The 'bug' is just great for local stuff, and no-one get's 'upset' with a little car.

My wife used to get 'faced off' with SUV's in the Yaris, not when she went for an SUV herself, but with the little Aygo, we don't see people getting the 'I'm bigger than you'.

Love it for basic driving, and the gear box/gears are very lazy - ideal for learners - you can not have the right gear and it just keeps going.

gear box/gears are very lazy – ideal for learners – you can not have the right gear and it just keeps going.

Only if you hate your clutch. These things eat clutches for fun if you drive like that. They are much happier if you drive them with sympathy.

Miss my mk1 106d 1400 diesel non turbo.

49bhp 72mpg.....

So slow it was like it was broken

Actually, the Aygo got the Yaris clutch from about 08 plates. Much bigger. PS this one has 105k on it and is fine as it has the bigger clutch.

They do pull well in 'gear', so clutch is fully engaged. It's surprising how well they can do it, we don't drive it like that - we drive it as normal, as we've petrol VVT cars in the house and they need revs, like the Aygo does.

68 bhp in the Aygo/C1/Pug - on a very light car. Can go like stink, but you need ear muff's.

My first car was an 1800d fiesta MK3

24 quid for a full tank....

55mpg 450 miles on a tank....... No matter how loaded it was.

16.5 seconds 0-60 slower than the speed of dark.

Most ice-cream vans were faster.

We had great memories in that thing. It went everywhere.....including places the forestry ranger pick up didn't seem to be able to ...albe it at tickover and in reverse.....

The pug has 82bhp.

Still have to use the gearbox as designed. It does Not like being laboured.

Maybe it's the 5 torques making the difference. Edit* both ed2f and 1l Aygo have the 95 torques.

Same clutch in all the 1.0 c1 pug aygos. All not much bigger than a brake disk and more than 80k.is considered good life for them they are a known weak point. So your doing well. Good news is a toddler can move the gearbox around when it's time to change.

But then I know what true lazy driving is like in my oil burners..... 3rd gear start no worrys.... The bug can't even do second gear from 5mph without shuddering or slipping the clutch and revving high.

When I first passed I drove the original French, light city car. The mighty and plastic Citroen AX.

Iirc, it weighed something like 700kg and had a throbbing 60bhp in our 1.1 'Echo'. It leaned almost like a Diane in the corners, the tyres were almost bike tyre width, and it had no sound insulation.

But it had a sunroof. And was really rather fun to thread around Eden Valley roads - it handled really rather well.

Current local and boys learning to drive car is an Ibiza estate - small enough to thread round town, big enough to take a bike or canoe on the roof. Now 10 years / 110k in and going well.

I miss my RS Twingo 133. luggage or passengers. 800kg and 133 BHP made for some fun driving. Could take a bike vertically with just the front wheel off. Regarding the concrete motorways thread, the standing water and subsequent aquaplaning on the M25 at that location into the barrier is where it died at the hands of Son1 🙁 . It was never frugal, but the base spec ones are bargains now. Mine never had fault either, so recommended for a first car.

Twingo sport was the first place I looked when I needed a new car but ultimately they are all getting old.

Then I moved to a 208gti.....realising quickly that I'd only being paying more for fuel and tax to lose my license by driving like a bell end.

Hence why I ended up at the gtline. All the styling and interior features but with a shit engine and performance to match with my requirements of doing 55mph on the speed limiter to work and back.

I have an i10 and it’s absolutely perfect for its main job of chauffeuring kids between activities in town. I love it, its nominally my car but since fuel prices went mental the 4x4 had been parked up and the missus has nicked it.

Since 2015 we've had a
Toyota Yaris, the only new car we have ever owned. It was alright all the toys, lane assist, speed limiter, etc.
It lasted until middle child was learning to drive and we had the chance of a 2006 VW Polo 1.2.
I loved that car it would really go anywhere and was never stuck in the snow and ice. Sold it during the pandemic when we bought a
2017 Smart ForFour, brilliant wee car although I don't think it's that economical on fuel!

My commuter bug is an '09 Pug 107. Had it for about 3 years now. Not as frugal as I expected it to be, but reasonable enough (especially if I keep it below 3000rpm). Maintenance costs have been pretty much zero other than MOT and service (replaced the back section of the exhaust last year but that was parts only as I fitted it myself). It's a back to basics machine which is fine by me but does have AC , which is nice...

Proper fun if you wring it's neck a bit though. Closest thing I've driven to all the proper Minis I had as a kid (6 of them) - revvy little engine (really does nothing until you're over 4500rpm), weighs next to nothing, properly chuckable.

Don't find it too bad on long motorway journeys either TBH. Will sit at 70+ quite happily all day. Plus, with all wheels off and rear seats down I can still fit two enduro bikes in there plus kit.

When it dies, reckon I'll get a 108/C1/Aygo providing I can find a 2 door. Failing that it'll be the ubiquitous Fiat 500 I guess, or if I'm feeling like taking a risk an old Twingo 133 and pretend I'm running a classic car.

Two 18 year old cars in the RNP household - mine is an 04plate Peugeot Partner (Berlingo) with 90k miles on the clock. Old school simple 90hp 2.0Hdi engine.

Perfect for bike hauling and doggo walking duties.

Dirt cheap parts, easy to fix, galvanized and rust free. Fun to drive rolly polly wobbly kinda way.

Mate pays £800 a month PCP for a Jag that sits for 8 hours a day on the same car park as mine.

I have a 56 plate Polo. 1.2. Bought last December for £500. Had an MoT for one year and came with 3/4 tank of petrol

Great little runaround.

It replaced a 54 plate Focus which I sold when the MoT ran out - got that for £600, sold for £300.

I’ll see what’s on Gumtree to replace Polo when it’s MoT runs out

feeling like taking a risk an old Twingo 133 and pretend I’m running a classic car.

Good luck finding one. Nice ones are still what I paid in 2016. The other problem for us is that they are not ULEZ compliant and the boundary will be extended to three miles from our house next year. But a naturally aspirated V8 is apparently still just fine.

Did enjoy our Aygo Blue, we had it about 14 years from new. As others have said, good fun to drive at low speeds, willing and eager. A few minor problems along the way - I never really got it sealed at the back and ended up drilling some holes through the floor to let the water out as quickly as it came in; had to take the indicator stalk off and open it up to clean the contract tracks a couple of times; seemed to need new back boxes every couple of years (maybe we should have spent more than 30 quid a time on them?!); the power steering would occasionally not work - had to pull a wire from the relay under the dash and put it back it in to reset. Otherwise it wore front discs at the same rate as the pads but all cheap and DIY and the alternator failed once. My wife's approach to servicing once it was out of warranty was topping up the oil when the light came on. it didn't seem to mind.

She's swapped it for a Skoda Citigo now - more grown up and better made, but less fun...

I’ve got a 16 year old and two of our cars are automatic with the third being an MX5 we got to go on honeymoon over 20 years ago.  Not cars for learning really.

So dropping in to gather thoughts about cheap, reliable underpowered cars that might get bought next year.

Any thoughts on Renault Clios?  Five year old 1.2 petrols look like a nice option on paper?

1) Are they?

2) Can you get an enduro bike or two in the back? (He rides road through to enduro but if the big MTB fits…)

3) What’s a better direction? I haven’t been looking at this sort of car since the early 90s.

I could get 2 bikes in a Ford Ka mk2 and no problems with a Polo. That’s with the front wheel off. Size Mediums with back seats down the part of handlebar poking between seats.

I bought my son a brand new car for his 17th (2010). He had the choice of a Ford Ka, Citroen C1, VW Fox and Vauxhall Corsa. He chose the Ka.

Great little car. Impressed I was I bought one 2 years later

The mighty and plastic Citroen AX.

I had a metallic green one, it was ace.

My dad left the handbrake off on his volvo on an almost flat surface, just enough to let it roll gently forward about 3 metres.

And stovede in the drivers side. Not to confidence inspiring seeeing the damage. Plus side though... opened door, got in, closed door, kicked the panels back out. good for another few thousand miles.

I still think they look ace

Look at you guys with your flashy new motors.

I recently was forced to buy the only car I could get for the scrap value of my dead Mundano -£550 so a 22yr old VW Polo.

83k on the clock, slow , noisy (especially around left hand bends) and I don’t fit in it all (see previous threads)

I recently had to collect mini RRR V2.0 from his friend parents £1.2M house .. i felt a little self conscious :-/

I'm driving a Ford ka 09. Love it! It's so narrow you can squeeze through the stupid small gaps that the SUV drivers leave you, without flinching.
Pity the poor losers in their gas guzzling, status symbol tanks, lumbering around getting in each others way.
Apparently the ka is actually a Fiat 500 with slightly different bodywork. Produced in the Fiat factory in Poland. You can see the similarities when you know.

I’ve got a thing for smart cars,I’ve a previous gen cabrio and it’s great,not sure about cheap but still great.
(It’s the nice 1L turbo,without the nasty stop/start)

Buy my Panda! In the classifieds... 😁

Has anyone managed to get a bike in an old polo btw? Before I spent a lot of time and effort attempting it 🤔

Define 'old' Polo? Mines a 56 plate, get an eMTB and a normal MTB in it no problems (front wheels off/seats down)

2002 - probably a bit smaller?

Mines a mk4. Mk4s came out 2002. So a mk3 came out 1996. So if anyone here has a mk3…

All HUGE cars. We have a Smart cabrio. Can't get a bike in or on it though, and rear visibility is zero. Passengers limited to one, which is fine as our kids are teenagers, and best left at home. It's not very good on fuel sadly. But at least parking is never an issue.

We've got a Fiat 500 Twin Air at the moment. 2 cylinder, 900cc turbo. 86 BHP. If I understand right, it has no camshaft, the valves are hydraulically actually. Super sprightly little bomber.

(Mines a year 2000 I’ve realised - W reg )

@tthew it has one camshaft and the valves are actuated by rockers which have collapsible followers. A myriad of electro-hydraulic plumbing allows the ecu to control how much oil flows to the followers which determines both timing, duration and lift of the valves. It’s really clever and came out of fiat’s partnership with Yamaha. Don’t ever skimp on oil changes (use the EXACT specification) and make sure the multiair filter gets changed.

The Giulia has a similar system on bank #1 which allows the entire half of the engine to be deactivated and not suffer pumping losses.

My understanding is the twinair is not as fugal as it ought to be though.

Rich’s panda is tempting.