Cheap used fun car for old and young !

smallzoo · 27 Oct 2020 at 14:51

Probably not possible haha but..

Trying to find nice fun/sporty car for under £2500 which will allow my petite daughter to drive and my elderly able mum to get in and out

Struggling to find either a car which is not too low for my mum ( eg MX5 ) , has height and fwd/back seat adjustment for my daughter and looks good

Maybe its the holy grail

Suggestions ?

paradigm · 27 Oct 2020 at 15:01

My MK1 TT is nowhere near as low as my MK2.5 MX5 was. My mother-in-law has driven it a few times and she doesn't like getting into low-slung stuff.

Diddums · 27 Oct 2020 at 15:02

Jazz.

smallzoo · 27 Oct 2020 at 15:13

Thanks for the 2 comments so far. The Jazz is not really what I would consider sporty but I'm sure reiiable.

I had an Audi TT once it was fine for about 2 months, then things started to go wrong and it was very expensive to fix or was I unlucky

ttaskmaster · 27 Oct 2020 at 15:42

How petite is 'petite'?

Octavia VRS or Fabia 1.4 TSI, maybe?
Looks are subjective, but you may struggle on that price a bit unless you 'know a guy' or get lucky on Autotrader.

mccarf · 27 Oct 2020 at 15:46

Something like a Suzuki Swift Sport might be a good compromise

smallzoo · 27 Oct 2020 at 15:49

She is just about 5'2 and needs a car with really good seat adjustment

Armageus · 27 Oct 2020 at 15:55

Suzuki Sport, Mini Cooper or just about get a Mk7 Fiesta Zetec S (although most will be a bit ropey at this price)

e.g.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008162541497

or Citroen DS3 THP DSport
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010114887004

smallzoo · 27 Oct 2020 at 16:31

Ok

comments on these then..ie reliability, maintenance costs etc ( if I get a good one of course ! )

Audi TT mark 1
Suzuki Swift Sport
Mk7 Fiesta Zetec S
Citroen DS3

..remember I am a carer for my Mum who is 97 so reliability is also important

cheers

Diddums · 27 Oct 2020 at 17:32

If your mum is 97 the last thing she'll be wanting is a sporty ride which requires her to fold in half to get in, hence my Jazz comment.

Depends how often your mum gets in the car too, once a week? Go for something sporty and make it work. Every day? Comfort above all.

Bit tricky tbh. Mazda CX3?

iamdjdz · 27 Oct 2020 at 17:33

You'll struggle in budget but an Abarth 500 has a high enough seat to get in if you're old and is sporty. Very stiff suspension though.

xs2man · 27 Oct 2020 at 18:34

This is going to be difficult to say the least. Anything that is sporty enough to be properly fun will likely drive quite harsh in all honesty.

I was gonna suggest a Clio 197 (like I have). Great fun. Like really great fun. It's not some low slung sports car either, it sits higher than my Focus (at least from some angles). But man does it handle. Mine is the F1 Team though, so has the cup suspension, which I don't find bad for what it is, but it certainly isn't a "comfortable" ride. Maybe the non-cup cars will be better here. And avoid the recaros to make it easier to get in and out of.

But then you said your a carer, for a 97 year old mother. And you want something relatively inexpensive to maintain, reliable, and have a limited budget. Why on earth are you looking for something fun and sporty just now then? Personally, I'd leave it a few years, concentrate on something reliable and comfortable just now. Get something fun and sporty when your circumstances don't dictate cheap maintenance, reliable and comfortable as key features. As that is an incredibly rare feature set, especially at this sort of budget. I mean, you will have to compromise somewhere, so what is fundamentally important here?

smallzoo · 27 Oct 2020 at 20:13

lol ..thx but my mum although 97 looks 80 and has been in lots of fast cars with me. You are probably right that not too hard suspension is probably welcome but I only take her out in the car about once a week, the rest of the time I take her for a walk.

Thanks for the suggestions , ill do some checking