cars of the month
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March 2010
Fiat Panda 1.1
Fiat do their own thing with the looks of the car but not as extreme as some others (Multipla anybody?). It's a godd little car good enough to be the basis for both the Fiat 500 and the new Ford Ka...
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February 2010
Ford Ka 1.3
Introduced in 1996 as a 3 door, 4 seat hatchback. Visually and mechanically altered very little during life means they all look similar. Kas in insurance group 2 have dark grey bumpers which are cheap...
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January 2010
Vauxhall Corsa 1.3
Latest generation Corsa has got interesting all of a sudden. Vauxhall seem to have found out that customers like cars that are enjoyable to drive. Vauxhall have also tried to give the two bodystyles d...
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December 2009
Rover 200 1.4
A trendy-for-the-time-Rover that sold well but not too many 1.1s were bought. Against the trend, this 200 was smaller than its predecessor. Lots of bits carried-over from the older car, making it ...
November 2009
Skoda Yeti 1.2
Another interesting Skoda and although it looks like a 4x4, the ones at the cheaper end of the range are only front wheel drive. Available with the usual VW Group petrol and diesel engines. Fortuna...
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October 2009
Renault Clio 1.2 (8v)
Kept on where previous generations left off. It wasn't bust so Renault didn't change it much. Remains on sale as 'Clio Campus' for a while now that the new Clio has got bigger and the Twingo has bee...
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September 2009
Nissan Micra 1.5 (82PS)
Nissan's stalwart in the UK. Grand little car with quite a few upmarket bits of kit fitted on up-range models. Tiny metal-folding roof CC available for customers of a generally female persuasion.
August 2009
Electric Car Company C1 Ev'ie 30kW
This could be the first viable electric car if you live in an urban environment. It's a Citroen C1 with a electic motor and battery back replacing the standard petrol engine and fuel tank. Being...
July 2009
Citroen C3 Picasso 1.4
Wacky small-MPV for people who need to carry a lot of stuff around in a smallish car. Citroen are using the Picasso name to tell you what to expect from this new model.
June 2009
Nissan Pixo
It's a Suzuki Alto under the skin but now just a teeny bit cheaper. Nissan rather naughtily put the price up by a grand a car just after its launch and just after the £1000 manufacturers 'scrappag...
May 2009
Toyota iQ 1.0
Toyota's big, small '3+1' seater car - It's smaller than an Aygo but cost considerably more. They've employed a clever gearbox arrangement to get the front wheels as far forward as possible, positi...
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April 2009
Toyota Yaris 1.0
Toyota got interesting and designed a great little car. Very popular with buyers and rarely goes wrong.
March 2009
Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4
Entry-level Alfa that's a Bravo underneath. Stylishly Italian in a stubby sort of way - starts well with an 8C look-alike nose.
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February 2009
Skoda Fabia 1.2 (64PS)
One of the first Skodas to be based on a VW platform - this one's from the Polo. It shows as this is a great little car. Hatch arrived first followed by estates and saloons.
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January 2009
BMW Mini 1.6
Unlike the new VW Beetle, this retro pastiche of its famous forrunner hit the spot thanks to a great chassis and sky-high feel-good factor. Nearly a 2 seater - you can squeeze people in the back if...
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December 2008
Peugeot 107 1.0
Combined Citroen/Peugeot/Toyota design, all built in the same factory, that tries to combine the best bits of each brand and pretty much succeeds at it. 'Urban Lite' derivative introduced in November ...
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November 2008
Ford Fiesta 1.25 (60PS)
"This is Now!" Ford want you to know. The new Fiesta is a huge style change over all previous 'good but dull to look at' Fiestas - people might now buy one on style alone, which is to overlook all ...
October 2008
SEAT Ibiza 1.2
New from mid-2008 - it's a little bit bigger than the old Ibiza and comes in stylish 5 door- and sporty looking 3 door bodystyles. The new 3 door SC 'SportCoupe' is now on sale if you're looking fo...
September 2008
Hyundai i10 1.2
At long last the Amica is gone ! The new i10 is so much better. Well equipped in Classic trim and very well equipped in Style and Comfort trim, making it outstanding value for money. This littl...
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August 2008
Mazda 2 1.3
Mazda have managed to do something very unusual with their small family car - they've made it lighter than the one it replaces and that makes it the lightest in the class, though it is a little smalle...
July 2008
Vauxhall Corsa 1.0
Slightly restyled version of model launched in 2000. Continued to sell very well and loved by hire-car companies and driving schools, so check who's owned it before.
June 2008
Volkswagen Lupo 1.4
Swapped with the SEAT Arosa at birth ? This VW is more fun than the SEAT even though they are really the same underneath
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April 2008
Ford Fiesta 1.3
Biggest Fiesta yet, making it closer to the Focus. Old 1.3 petrol engine available for first year or so - now only available new with much newer 1.25 petrol engine.
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March 2008
Fiat Seicento 1.1
Updated Cinquecento that's fun when its running but being an older Fiat you have to keep on top of it to keep it that way.
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February 2008
Renault Clio 1.2
The Clio just keeps on getting bigger and bigger. It's nearly as big now as the previous generation Megane. The 'Sport Tourer' estate gives you the choice to get an even bigger Clio, if you really ne...
January 2008
Fiat 500 1.3
Hailed at Fiat's saviour in terms of brand image. Not quite as upmarket as the also-retro MINI but you'll still pay for the privilege of being cool and trendy. At least the gloss hasn't worn of...
