good small car???

Parkers says that all of them other than the 1.0 are nippy and they all get 0-60 times quicker than a KA :-P. I'm guessing that they need to be thrashed like mad to get any speed though :-(

What cars are particularly fast up to around 3000rpm? From what I've been told in the other group it appears that even the Impreza is slow up to 3000rpm. The KA seems fast to me up to 3000rpm, is it, or is it just because I've never driven anything fast? I'm guessing that most Diesels are relatively fast when only using low revs.

EBay

Nippy. Nippy isn't fast.

But that's just one measure of performance. Fast on a track in the hands of the Stig? That's something else.

Correct. Utterly gutless under around 4,000 rpm.

Almost all turbodiesels offer respectable acceleration well below 3,000 rpm. Kermit's maximum torque is achieved at 2,300 rpm and there's respectable acceleration from 1,900 rpm or so.

It's a lot easier if you quote what you're responding to...

You've not driven an Ibiza, or a Leon, or an MGZR, or a BMW 1 series, or a Mini yet then?

Focus diesels...:-)

Tim S Kemp ( snipped-for-privacy@timkemp.karoo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Tim... Have you actually had a look at relative prices?

(And I wouldn't exactly call a 1 or a BMiniW "small", either.)

(But I do wonder about 5150's sanity raving about something as bland as a C2.)

Yes, and have you ever wondered why the ever so cheap C2 is available with discounts...

Tim S Kemp ( snipped-for-privacy@timkemp.karoo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

You snipped the bit where I agreed it was a bland nothingness...

However, even the list for the steepest C2 (the VTS) is "only" £12k - before the grand and a half bribe, compared to nearly £16k for a base 116i. Even larding every option on gets the C2 to over £2,000 less than the Bimmer.

They are not living in the same market - if somebody's looking at credit for a base C2, a 1-series is mortgage territory.

The message from Adrian contains these words:

It's bigger than a Maxi!

It takes all sorts, but we tried everything in the class and couldn't find anything as much fun in the classic sense of the word - pointy steery for the twisty material, rides well enough for the motorway, just about economical, cheap servicing and seriously cheap insurance.

Heh, maybe!

What's the difference for leasing costs...?

You tried buying a house recently? The average new first time buyer mortgage is somewhat more than a 1 series fully optioned up....

Guy King ( snipped-for-privacy@zetnet.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Outside. Doctor Who would be baffled.

I've had mine 4 months - done 4500 miles init already and never get bored of driving it - plus it's got paddle shift gears ;) £8000 brand new

I disagree, it's fun but it's not the be all and end all of the sector.

The best thing about the C2 is that it's available as an economical diesel, which means it's cheap to run.

FFS almost anyone could have a 500SEC and a couple of years running for less than £12k...

C2 VTS 36.45 pence per mile over 3 yrs 30k BMW 116i 38.94 pence per mile.

Both excluding insurance (gp 8 and gp 10 respectively)

Hey I've seen some houses in Leeds that are less! :)

Tim S Kemp ( snipped-for-privacy@timkemp.karoo.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

So £750 plus the insurance difference over three years - and that's comparing top-of-range to poverty-spec.

DervMan ( snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

My little brother lives in Halifax. I live dahn sarf in what's officially the third most expensive town in the UK to buy a house.

I was a little surprised to find a three-bed house for £8,000 in an estate agent's window up there - That's a month's mortgage for some places round here...