I am picking a car for my sister. She is turning 18 next month and it is going to be her first car. It's going to be a present so she doesn't know about it.
Personally; I am leaning towards the Kia: tbh.
Which of these would you advise getting?
Thanks.
2008 Fiat Bravo; 1.4 16 V; 66 kw; 108650 km
2011 Peugeot 206; 1.4 i; 54 kw; 90262 km
2006 Škoda Fabia; 1.2 12V; 47 kw; 127575 km
2009 Ford Fiesta; 1.25 16V; 60 kw; 97508 km
2011 Kia Rio; 1.4 16V; 71 kw; 132037 km
2008 Fiat Bravo (...) 2011 Peugeot 206
Avoid the Fiat and the Peugeot both are quite awful.
Peugeot resumed making good cars only recently, 2010s petrol non-commercial Peugeots are not great.
2006 Škoda Fabia; 1.2 12V; 47 kw; 127575 km
Well you're looking at a 16 year old budget VW with a 3 cylinder making 54 horsepower...
The timing chain on these is a nightmare and, the head, the ignition system, the fuel system, and the PCV are weak.
2009 Ford Fiesta; 1.25 16V; 60 kw; 97508 km
That's a 6th gen Fiesta, and they're decent cars -
The 6 speed dual clutch transmission is absolute utter trash.
The 4 speed conventional automatic is a bit weak but with frequent service you can get 180k-200k km out of it
(the main issues is that the casing was made out of terrible metal and it warps)
I'm unfamiliar with this 1.25 "DuraTec" engine but I am familiar with the 1.25 "Ztec" and on those expect for requiring timing belt replacements and valve adjustments they were really good engines - although ideally you want the 1.6L
very nice little cars - if a mechanic says it's in good shape, it can be a very good car for a very long time.
2011 Kia Rio; 1.4 16V; 71 kw; 132037 km
I've owned two cars based on the Rio (UB), both had a 1.4L.
The Hyundai Veloster and the Kia Soul are also built on the same platform as the Rio (but they're cooler cars) - with the main difference being powertrains. The best are Kappa MPI 1.4L, after the, the Gamma MPI 1.6 and 1.4, the rest are trash. As far as transmissions, for 2011 only the manual and 4 speed auto are good.
The Gamma's main issue is with the catalytic convertor falling apart overtime and pieces of it scuffing the cylinder walls -
that is something you want to keep an eye out for!
Compared to VW timing chains, it's great, but they still require replacement around 150k-200k km.
If you keep an eye out for both of these, maintain it regularly (7.5k-10k km), never overheat, these engines can last.
Out of the cars you mentioned here, this is the only one I can recommend buying with an automatic - but only a 4 speed!
They require very frequent oil changes (20k-30k km), and take out the dipstick to make sure the oil is clean before buying.
If you go over 60k km without replacing oil (and the oil has gone dirty) - it will cause issues down the line.
A manual is obviously best, but if your sister needs an automatic, the rio 4 speed is the way to go.
Check the steering that it's not loose and doesn't have a knock - the EPS rack on these is a bit weak.
If it brakes later, 90% of the time a skilled mechanic can disassemble, clean, replace plastic couplers, and put it back together.
Overall, this can be a reasonably good car - but 130k km is too much, these can begin to cause trouble around 180k km.
her first car
The Rio are good on safety (for their size)
The same score as a '14 Mercedes C class and only 2% lower than a '12 Volvo V60.
https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/kia/rio/10978
The Fiesta was tested only in a modern way only in 2012 (a very similar car, in the same generation),
and it also got a very good score.
https://www.euroncap.com/en/results/ford/fiesta/10922
(But I'm unsure if the 2009 model is the exact same as the 2012 although it probably is be.)
None of the above. The only car that's right for an 18 year old is one they buy themselves.
Moderator @dan is more familiar with those European models than most of us, hopefully he'll check in.
I would choose the Fabia.
