Car choice: What's a star performer?

Anna Ford writes to us to say that she needs a new second-hand car that is up to two years old with a low mileage as she rightly recognises that buying a new car means losing lots of money in depreciation. Anna currently drives an old Saab, which she says is costing increasing amounts to maintain.

Anna's requirements are excellent fuel consumption, safety and an automatic gearbox for town driving. Not only that, but it must also be competent on the motorway, with low running costs.

I am sorry to hear that Anna has fallen out of love with her Saab. However, having owned plenty of them over the past decade I also know that repairs soon add up and anything that breaks seems to cost a minimum of £300 to fix.

From a professional point of view, I always find breakdowns interesting, but if all you want is a vehicle that is going to be easy to own and cheap to run, then a more modern car is the answer - more specifically, a reliable Japanese car.

I have just taken an advance peek at the reliability index based on real-life breakdowns and the top 10 (correction, top 16) are all Japanese. That level of dependability also means that running costs are greatly reduced, too.

On the economy issue, perhaps Anna should consider a diesel for those long motorway runs, but if she goes for a smaller car, having mentioned Fiesta to me, a small petrol engine can be very frugal.

That brings us on to the safety and green implications, as the larger the vehicle the safer it is, but the worse the fuel consumption will be. I wouldn't recommend a 4x4, but maybe the next size up from a supermini hatch would be more comfortable on longer journeys and just as easy to use around town.

A CAR FOR THE HEAD

It has to be a Honda. Honda stands for reliability, quality and practicality. Anna's choice is whether to go for the supermini-sized Jazz or the larger Civic.

The Jazz is an ingenious little car and its well-proportioned, small-people-carrier styling is one of the key reasons why it works so well. At the back is a very large boot and the load area can easily be changed. Simply fold the rear seats into the footwells for a completely flat floor or just fold the seat bases forward to effectively create two separate boot areas. That is very clever and all passengers appreciate the extra head and legroom.

The high driving position is great for the person at the wheel and there is lots of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel. Under the bonnet a highly efficient 1.4-litre petrol engine delivers almost 50mpg across the range and is available with an automatic transmission.

It scored a four-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests and a 2003 SE model with a low 20,000 miles will sell for £6,999 at a dealer.

A Civic is similar, but just a tiny bit bigger, with excellent interior space and the same crash rating. A 1.4 SE automatic from 2003 with 20,000 miles would set you back £7,900.

A CAR FOR THE HEART

It is hard to think of a car that has the same loveable character as an old Saab. However, there are the little Mazdas. Again, Anna has the choice of going for the small (Mazda 3) or smaller (Mazda 2) version.

Here we have two cars that have been cleverly thought out to provide a decent amount of space inside. These are also more modern models than the Hondas launched in 2003 and 2004. The Mazda 2 has a large boot that is easy to get at and the interior is so well thought out it won the What Car? magazine comfort test a few years back. The 1.4 automatic returns 44mpg, although with a 1.4 diesel engine that rises to over 60mpg, but not many were sold with the automatic gearbox.

Indeed, Anna has to search carefully for the right specification as air conditioning, pretty much essential these days, was not always standard. Prices for a decently equipped 1.4 TS2 model from 2003 would be £6,500 with 20,000 miles.

Then there is the Mazda 3, which is Ford Focus sized. With a 1.6 automatic engine it will only return 38mpg overall. A 2004 20,000 mile TS2 will be £8,700. The Mazda 2 has a Euro NCAP crash test rating of four stars and the Mazda 3 will probably be much the same.

CAR CHOICE

Please write to Car Choice, Features, Independent House, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS, or e-mail James Ruppert at carchoice@independent.co.uk, giving your age, address and contact number, and details of the type of vehicle in which you are interested and your budget.