Car choice: Colt or Mercedes?

Gunter Straub has brushed up on his driving skills and is looking for an automatic car to replace his beloved VW Golf. Budget is around £3,000

(Mitsubishi)

A car for the head

I think that Gunter would actually enjoy have another Golf, but let’s be creative here and come up with something different and good value. We would politely suggest that he consider a Mitsubishi Colt 1.3 CZ2 AMT. It is a three-door and being a Mitsubishi it will be very reliable indeed. At least it isn’t another Mini, say, or a Golf, which can get rather boring. We found a 2009 automatic example with 48,000 miles, a full service history and one careful owner. All this for just £3,000. Overall it will do 48mpg which is good.

(Mercedes-Benz (Mercedes-Benz)

A car for the heart

Gunter told me that he has always enjoyed driving Mercedes, though at this point in his life he does not want to spend a lot of money, nor does he want to buy a liability. It has to be petrol engine and automatic. I would recommend an older Mercedes-Benz A-Class. It is very small, and easy to park. Buying something like this from a dealer may be a way to go – we found a 2006 example, with a very reasonable 49,500 miles, for just £3,495 with lots of recent work and tyres.

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