Strange question for you - we're about to emigrate to Australia and will need to buy a new car when we're there - and are currently looking at the small car market. We'll probably have about $20,000 to spend and it's mainly for a city based runabout (for 2 adults), with longer trips at weekends...
The Mitsubishi Colt over there has a 1.5 engine and is quite cheap and roomy, an alternative at this price point would be the Suzuki Swift? Which would you recommend? Anything else you might suggest - a Fiesta perhaps? (unfortunately the new UK Corsa isn't available in Australia). Also, I read that Skoda are shortly launching in Australia - might it be worth waiting for a new Fabia?
Alex Sweeney, Edenbridge, UK
Answer
Alex,
When you move to a new area, you need to make new friends. Your car is often your first impression. If you turn up in the keenly priced Suzuki Swift people may judge you harshly. And do Australians mock Skoda the way we do?
The new-shape Mitsubishi Colts seem to be available out there for $5,000 less than your budget and it is a mysterious badge on a quality car. The convertible version is really, really sexy and would be a great car to start your new life in the sun with.
Keywords:
used-city-car, small-cabriolet, suzuki-swift, mitsubishi-colt