One For Road: Let's go for something a little wild
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Margaret Antrobus has a bad back, but needs to replace her Toyota Yaris and has £10,000 to spend on either a direct replacement or something wilder, like a convertible.
A Car for the Head
The obvious choice would be another Yaris, but let's not do obvious. What she needs is a well-equipped supermini, with £10,000 plus possibly a little more to spend with the part-exchange of the old Toyota. The Kia Rio is a good car that is well-designed, spacious and comes with a seven-year warranty. Margaret will have to go for a 1.2 Rio 1 Air if she wants air-conditioning, but it will cost £10,645. Servicing packages start at £269. In a very competitive market, the Chevrolet Spark 1.2 is probably the best-value buy. In LS trim it has air-conditioning and costs £9,595. And to contain costs it is possible to buy a £349 fixed-price servicing package for three years and 30,000 miles. Oh, and the warranty is for five years or 100,000 miles, which is very reassuring.
A Car for the Heart
Refreshingly, Margaret is thinking that it may be now or never to indulge herself and buy something exciting, like a convertible. That's great news, but she won't be able to buy a brand-new droptop for £10K. But because of her back condition, a model based on a conventional hatchback is in order, so that Margaret does not have to bend down and is not subject to an over-firm ride. I would pick the Peugeot 207CC, which has the advantage of a retractable metal roof, so when the weather is rotten, the car looks, behaves and feels like a coupé. Then, when the sun comes out, a press of the button means open-air fun. With £10,000, Margaret can buy a warranted 2010 example in Sport trim from a Peugeot dealer.
Looking to buy?
Email James Ruppert at onefortheroad@independent.co.uk, giving your age, address and phone number, details of the type of vehicle in which you are interested, and your budget.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments