(Image: Citroen)
A young lady really wants a car for herself, especially not too big, space does not matter, after all she is single. It should not be a boring family car, but a distinctive model, nice and stubborn, but of course it should not get out of hand financially. We’ve got that!
The range of opportunities is enormous. At a dealer, via gaspedaal.nl, a specialized site and even on Facebook, you can find used cars everywhere. Which cool family cars can you buy for a maximum of 20,000 euros? Autovisie selects the best used cars every week.
Three stubborn hatchbacks for a maximum of 7500 euros
Citroën DS3 (2009 – 2016) Mini One (2006 – 2014) Opel Adam (2013 – 2019)
1 – Citroën DS3 (2009 – 2016)
With those crazy sweeping lines and a mostly black roof, you won’t easily overlook the DS3. It has nice seats, a beautifully finished dashboard and – how do they think of it – there is a ‘perfumer’ built into the dashboard. It has to be renewed every now and then, but then you can also choose a different scent. The chassis is still nice and comfortable, it steers and shifts well. The 1.2 liter three-cylinder engine is strong enough for most DS3 drivers and also nice and economical, so you get 1 in 17. At a car dealership in Heerhugowaard there is a silver-grey-and-black 1.2 ‘So Chic’ (nice, isn’t it?) with beautiful wheels (2013, 111,000 km) for € 7,495.
(Image: Citroen)
What should you pay attention to?
It may happen that the DS3 does not recognize its ignition key. The spare key is the solution, but have the broken key replaced! A broken brake light switch causes the engine to no longer respond to the accelerator pedal, in fact that is a built-in safety. The 1.6 liter THP engine (see the Mini!) is not recommended, because of the questionable water pump and other mechanical problems, which are always expensive. A flashing battery light is only a warning: start and drive, then it will go away by itself. There are also other known, mainly electronic, faults with the DS3.
Occasions: 3 sturdy family cars for a maximum of 20,000 euros
2 – Mini One (2006 – 2014)
Yes, a Mìni! If you ‘fall’ for this model, you won’t look at anything else! This is a choice that you never have to explain, speaking of nice and stubborn, otherwise just look at that nice dashboard! Get used to it, huh? The tricky point is that the buyers of a new Mini have so much choice in colors and color combinations … just find the one that you think is so cool. Every Mini sends ‘like a razor’, even the basic version ‘One’ is a nice car to drive, you really don’t need a (much more expensive) Cooper for that. Count on consumption around 1 in 14. At a car company in Hilversum we find a glossy black ‘One’ (2012, 108,000 km) for € 7,499.
(Image: Mini)
What should you pay attention to?
The 1.6 liter THP engine has an electrically controlled water pump. Fine, but it sometimes refuses to work, with a high chance that the engine will run hot and therefore major damage will occur. That engine has more weak points and is therefore not recommended. The electric power steering sometimes fails. You can drive it to the garage, but what a heavy steering! If the pump breaks down, a hefty bill awaits. Minis with a sliding roof can leak and that water ends up in a computer.
Occasions: the three best spacious city cars for a maximum of 20,000 euros
3 – Opel Adam (2013 – 2019)
An Opel? Yes, it was not a great sales success, but Opel also once built a very nice car in this class. The Adam is not everyone’s friend, but you don’t want that either. The Adam drives fine, it is not a sports car and not the pinnacle of comfort, but it is easy to live with. Actually, the 1.0 liter three-cylinder is the finest engine, but you can also live well with the 1.2. Count on a consumption of around 1 in 14. There are not that many in the country, but the buyers are not queuing up either. Just take a look that burgundy 1.2 ‘Jam’ with black roofat the Opel dealer in Apeldoorn (2015, 140,000 km) for € 7,495.
(Image: Opel)
What should you pay attention to?
‘Large consumers off!’, the Adam sometimes warns on the dashboard. That is not bad luck, but a warning, because the battery is drained. The key of the Adam is a weak point, it happens that the car suddenly no longer recognizes it. The spare key brings the solution…, but where do you have it? So take it with you! There are also quite a few electronic faults with the Adam: broken sensors or fuses, a broken ignition coil, none of which are disasters, but the car does stall!
Occasions: you can buy this summer coupé/convertibles for less than 5000 euros
Which of the occasions will it be?
Yep, now it’s getting hard. Taste is really decisive here. Technically, all three are not guaranteed to be fault-free. Those who opt for the Mini, we agree very much, they don’t want anything else. Apart from that, we still have a certain preference for the DS3.
Did you see a mistake? Mail us. We are grateful.
2023-07-22 08:48:21
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