Car choice: Peugeot or Vauxhall for a partner?

Anne Humfrey is replacing her Vauxhall Corsa. As well as creature comforts such as air conditioning, she needs plenty of storage space and a frugal engine for her £5,000 budget

(Peugeot)

A car for the head

For an ideal car I find it hard to look beyond those French adapted vans such as the Peugeot Partner Combi. What should please Anne is that once she opens the rear tailgate there is a wide and flat load area that can be made instantly larger by tumbling the rear seats forward. The rear doors slide back which means access is easier, especially in a tight parking space. The smaller petrol engines should be adequate to return just under 40mpg overall. We came across a 2010 1.4 with 43,000 miles for £5,000.

(Vauxhall

(Vauxhall)

A car for the heart

If Anne is still fond of her old Corsa, then perhaps a more up-to-date Vauxhall will do in the shape of the Meriva. It’s a small car that is supremely practical. The inspired FlexSpace seating system allows you to move all three rear seats independently of each other, and all three fold flat into the floor to provide a maximum capacity of 1410 litres. Both the 1.4 and 1.6 petrol engine will be fine and deliver just over 40mpg economy. A 2011 1.4T Exclusiv with 42,000 miles and full service history can be found at £4,000.

If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@freecarmag.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com