Recommendation for a small car

Please advise on a nearly new second hand hatchback, must be auto, chain cam engine, width incl mirrors maximum 1.9m, reliable, quiet, with air con, to replace an 8 year old VW Polo. Can pay up to £12,000.

First Car for 31 year old

My son has at 31 just taken and passed his driving test and is proceeding to take Pass Plus. He needs to buy a car for use in city centre (Birmingham) with motorway driving at weekends to London and Cambridgeshire. Safety,...

Thanks for recommending a Mazda 2 for my wife.

Thanks to your suggestion, my wife bought a new Mazda 2 last November, which is the best small car either of us has ever driven, and she was a Yaris convert until then. I totally agree with you that not...

Wrist and be thankful

My wife suffered a badly broken wrist a few months ago, which has left her with restricted movement and weakness in her left hand. This is causing difficulty in operating the handbrake and gears on her...

Should we replace our Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, and if so what with?

I have a C4 Grand Picasso which will be three years old next month. I bought it with 18 months warranty left. It's served us well and we're really happy with it, the seven seats are something we use occasionally...

Could you recommend a reliable, economical car for our student daughter?

After reading your column we purchased a FIAT Panda for our two daughters to learn to drive. We have owned it for four years and it has proved an excellent choice. Our older daughter is now 21 and is due...

Buying a new or nearly new small car - what would you recommend?

My daughter is a single parent with a four-year-old child and very happy with her 04 plate, manual, petrol, Jazz, but wants to change it for a new or nearly new five-door vehicle which is cheap to run...

Are Mazda 3s known for being susceptible for battery drain whilst parked for a few weeks?

Illness and zero degree weather meant that I did not start my 2009 Mazda 3 for three weeks. When I tried to start the vehicle the battery was flat. The dealer told me it was the extreme cold and they had...

Is there an alternative to my automatic to my Toyota Yaris which is less jerky when pulling away?

My Yaris TR with the new-type combined automatic is now three years old and paid for. I find this type of automatic very jerky in first gear and very poor at pulling away at junctions and traffic lights...

Should I buy a spare wheel if the car doesn't come with one?

There's reams on your Ask HJ about the trend of not providing a spare wheel. I'm about to buy a Mazda 3 ... which I'm sure doesn't have a spare. What would be your best advice: buy a second-hand wheel...