Hi there,

Due to not needing the space any more, I'm thinking about downsizing my Zafira 2.0 tdi. In the real world it delivers 37.5mpg which works out at 17p a mile at todays prices. I'm currently doing 17k a year, but thats going to drop to between 10 and 15k.

I'm thinking about a small petrol 5 door city car such as the Kia Pacanto or Hynudi i10. Ideally it needs to be nice to drive, have enough space in the back for 2 small kids and most importantly decent mpg. Most of my driving tends to be on urban roads at 40-60mph.

I know some of the newer cars advertise 70mpg, but does anyone get close to that in the real world? If so, what in?

I would concider another older car, but very tempted to get something new / nearly new. Any suggestions?

The thing with new/nearly new is that depreciation cancels out the better mpg, so you may be better off going for something that's done a lot of it's depreciating but may not be quite so frugal.

^^^ +infinity what he says.

Fiat Panda? Given the launch of the new one, the "old" new one is a bargain - even dealers have unregistered ones for £6995, and second-hand prices are only going one way.

I'd go one further and say a Fiat Panda 100HP. They've received praise all over and should give better mpg than the Zaf. 2007, 46k and £4,590

It's a good call Gunzi - been looking at those myself actually, in an attempt to offset comedy M5 fuel consumption but still have something track-able. However, have heard the 100hp is incredibly hard-riding for town work, so definitely try before you buy!

Also, nice subliminal posting from Hovedan trying to sell his Mini

I assume the Fiat Panda and 500 share chassis? My mums 500 isn't particularly comfortable either.

I was going to suggest a Grande punto 1.3 jtd. 5 door of course but should fit the bill.pick one up 3-4k

<moderator> plug seen and removed </moderator>

Yeah the fiat 1.3d is tempting with very good economy, but back to square one with the high diesel costs.

By my calculations I could practically swap the Zaf for a 6k car on PCP and may even be better off due to saving Tax and Insurance.

A petrol delivering diesel type economy is very tempting due to the near 10p diff in fuel costs. May be sensible and wait and see what Mr Osborne says in a couple of weeks...

Also beginning to think that URBAN fuel figures = real world figures

Well then go for the 1.2 16v engine.Avoid the 8 v though.

I have a 1.3 Diesel Grande Punto, despite the high diesel costs in the UK and low miles I do in it it makes sense for me.

Even more sense when using it in Europe.

It is so much better to drive than the small petrol engine versions, particularly the 1.2 8V slug. Loads of torque and cruises all day at an indicated 85 mph and did 60 mpg on a solo trip to southern Spain and back, in 36 hours door to door each way.

That's a round trip of 3600 miles and includes time spent sleeping and on ferries and the car was heavily loaded on the way back.

Don't buy a current (Euro 5) diesel for city use. Loads of problems with them never self-cleaning the particulate filter.

To pick up on this point, this is typical of something like a Fiat 500 which would be used predominantly in the city. However I had a chat with a knowledgable chap who was saying the very latest Fiat designs have moved the DPF closer to the turbo resulting in more efficient passive cleaning and significantly fewer active regenerations.

Seriously?

I guess the plug was

Am I right in thinking that as Dan is a member he could have a link to his mini sale in his signature?

Fergie the club has affinity deals for members. If you fancied a new Mito or Punto for example you could get a decent discount and/or a good rate for PCP.

No he couldn't.

He has selling permissions, thus can and does advertise in the marketplace.

PM sent for clarification.

Guess so!

Sorry for my banter getting your posts edited - will cut it out in future

On topic, definitely think about depreciation as mentioned above, even 1000 quid depreciation (which isn't that much when buying a new/nearly new car, especially a Kia/Fiat or similar) is huge compared to an annual fuel bill of 1200 pounds (which it would be if your annual mileage was 8000, and your new city car did 40mpg).

All cars seem to be depreciating a lot these days - regardless of age...

Just to clarify I meant city car as in size, but my daily commute is maybe 4 miles in a 30 limit and the rest is 40 / 50 / 60 / 70 open roads

The punto is interesting and I would concider an older one, but the Kia Picanto is a nice size for what I need and same with the Hyundi i10. Need to get a couple for a test drive and see how they compare to say a ka which was always a fun wee car to drive.

Crazy thing is dealers want 6k+ for a nearly new old model kia, yet I can get a brand new new shape one for 7k...

Supposed to be a new i10 out soon as well so might be some good deals on at that point.

Other option would be taking a punt down the auctions, but I wouldn't bother buying a 2nd hand one from the dealers as all seem wildly over priced...

True, but a £3k Panda or similar will depreciate far less (in cash terms) than a £6k Kia, which would negate the savings you may make in terms of better mpg.