choosing between a mini, a fiesta and a yaris

It's not up to the B/F, it's down to the G/F and what she is comfortable to drive in.

"Inasa" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

She's female. She's set her heart on a Mini.

That's going to be one BRAVE bloke tries to persuade her she really wants a Yaris or Fester...

Yes, the red one..;-)

Define best:-)

Pink. Preferably to match the nail varnish. A glittery finish would be good too.

Steve

Exactly! What is the best? Get a test drive in all the cars and what ever the girlfriend prefers get that one.

In message , Inasa writes

That's true! Have to say I sat in the driving seat of a branny Fiesta a week or two ago and I liked the 'feel' of the position, control layout etc, so that would be my choice, subject to a test drive.

In message , shazzbat writes

Pail Chauvinist Mig! I know a 19 y/o who is a beauty consultant, and does nail decoration etc. She just got a Fiesta in black, and it's very smart. :)

I'm considering buying one of these cars as well, and would like to do the maintenance myself when it's out of warranty, so I'm interested in what people think of their maintainability.

These are my preconceptions, based on prejudice and hearsay:

Fiesta (based partly on my current rusty one) - spares (even genuine Ford ones) are reasonably priced and widely available, but the service departments of Ford main dealers will charge a lot for servicing.

Yaris - are Toyota dealers a bit "nicer" than Ford ones, making main-dealer servicing a bit more viable?

Mini - these seem to be more technically advanced than the other two. There might be a lot of sophisticated stuff crammed under that bonnet, so is DIY servicing feasible? Is buying an extended warranty almost a necessity?

"Johnny OneSpanner" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Forget DIYing any of them. They'll all have shitloads of computerised stuff jammed under there, making them un-servicable to anybody without the proper diagnostic computers. Along with everything else vaguely recent.

Sure, you might be able to change brakepads, oil etc - if you don't mind not being able to reset service indicators or upload software updates - but forget anything more advanced.

Discount the Yaris as the GF would have to be blind to like that ugly thing and it most definitely isn't so ugly that's it's cute. Leave it to the geriatrics that need a car they don't have to change height of bum to get in and out of.

New Festa is quite sharp looking. Stylish Fords have tendency to age badly, possibly the head lamp treatment and naff silver painted dash are going to be the key features that date it. Just don't get one of the Fashion colours like "metallic pink" aka "Hot Magenta", 70's BL beige aka "Spa" is out too, as is common as muck Peugeot 206 blue aka "Vision", though the green aka "squeeze" may be OK.

New Mini hasn't been messed with stylewise from old one and has better pedigree than Ford. It's the baby BMW. Gets my vote.

The mini, purely as an armchair driver of the cars. However, the mini will be more expensive.

In message , Peter Hill writes

Oy! I'm 75 and I went Karting on Sunday, and that's as low as anyone normally has to get their bum. :-)

Most people posting to Usenet hace access to a computer.

Well unless you can use google & afford £30. Which in real terms is less than a Haynes manual cost when I was a kid.

"Duncan Wood" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

They also have access to a toaster and a kettle, too. Which'll be about as much use.

Nope, they don't have USB ports & let you run software of your choosing. Of course if you can't tell the difference then you're probably right.

"Duncan Wood" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

And where will you be getting hold of this "software of your choosing"? I'd doubt that the dealer software is either legitimately available or runs on a standard PC with only a USB port for a readily available interface.

Sure, there may be _some_ PC-based diagnostic software available, but it'll neither be as up-to-date or complete as the dealer software.

Well it's not difficult to find it for BMW, the aftermarket for VAG's at least as good as the dealer software & for most things you don't need anywhere near that much functionality. Have you even tried it?