After a decade of Ford Laser ownership I think it is time to consider a new car. The car needs to be a small hatchback and must be smaller than the Laser (which is around 4.1 metres in length).
The small size is vital, because Mum has just moved into a new house and her street is best described as a rather generous driveway as opposed to a road. Once you have cars parked on the roadside, even the Laser is tricky to get out of her driveway.
Maybe it's my young middle-age, but to be honest I have looked at all the new, small hatchbacks on the Australian market and I reckon the vast majority are ugly.
I thought the hatchbacks from 25 years ago and even up to 10 years ago were far better looking than most of today's offerings which to my eyes just seem to lack visual harmony. It's like the designers are trying too hard and don't know when to stop drawing lines all over the place 
Anyway, after much research I have narrowed my choices down as follows (in no particular order):
1. Fiat Punto 1.
9 diesel (slightly more powerful than the other two, has massive torque advantage compared to the other two, the best looking hatch to my eyes, 6 forward gears, the most expensive though).
2. Citroen C3 (another good looking hatch, has the advantage of being a bit shorter than the Punto, has a good, solid 1.
6 litre petrol engine).
3. Honda Jazz (excellent V-TEC engine, about the same length as the Citroen, Honda reputation for quality and reliability, etc, but I don't really like the looks nearly as much as the other two).
Both the Fiat and Citroen offer one very important advantage to me - the service department is literally a 10 minute walk from my front door step (I work from home) wheras the nearest Honda service department is at least a 90 minute round trip (I would have to use a bus for that portion of the trip when I don't have the car...
and the bus only comes once every half hour too, plus there is the long walk to the bus stop).
On the other hand, perhaps with the Honda I would only be returning for servicing every 6 months anyway, but it's still a pain if something does actually go wrong - I'd much prefer to drive to the Fiat / Citroen place and walk home again.
I'm actually arranging test drives for them all now (and all the other hatchbacks have been eliminated for various reasons - i.
e. servicing too far away, too expensive, legnth of body is too long, too ugly to tolerate, etc).
I am very impressed by the Punto on paper and having looked at it in the flesh, but I am worried about reliability - especially as I keep my cars for around 10 years.
I guess I am less worried about the Citroen, but still more concerned than I would be with the Honda.
I'm interested to hear if anyone here has experience with either the Fiat Punto diesel (even if you just have the 1.3 turbo) or Citroen C3.
It strikes me that the Honda would perhaps be the most sensible choice if I want trouble-free ownership, but on the other hand, I've never owned a Europeon car before, and the fact that the service department is very close to home is to me a distinct advantage. Plus I am a real diesel fan - I just love them.
Put it this way - if I could see into the future and know the Punto would be a reliable and durable car, I think it would be my number 1 choice.
but it seems the Punto is new to Australia and no one can really say with any assurance how reliable the car will be in the long term.
I have some experience of Fiats and; It s a good thing that you re close to the service department.
Good.
You ll have to keep it because noone wants to trade with you.
They have a similar reputation but slightly better second hand value.
They have an almost bullet proof reputation, so this would be my choice.
...
Thanks for the feedback. I was down at the dealer yesterday to try the Punto and Citroen.
As the Sales's Manager's car happened to be the variable geometry turbo diesel 1.3, I thought I would give it a try. I have to say that I was hugely impressed and it was probably one of the best cars I have ever driven.
I'm not sure if the handling of the petrol Punto Grande is significantly different to the turbo diesel we have on sale here, but I thought the handling and ride were it's strongest points. The steering was amazingly precise - I'm so used to front wheel drive understeer and mushiness even at very modest speeds that it was a surprise to see a front wheel drive car with such precise and responsive steering and so neutral in the turn-in.
The turbo took some getting used to.
First time I have driven a turbo car ever and I stalled it the first time I was pulling away 
Once I got used to it I began to like it more and more. I like the idea of the turbo because with all that torque down low (200 nm from a 1.3 anything is amazing) it should be nice on those short, 120 km return trips I make down the freeway.
6th gear (yes it has 6 lol) is about 54 km/h per 1000 RPM. More like a large family six than a tiny four.
I did not like the Citroen at all, so that is now off my list.
Apart from the excellent gear change and light, positive clutch, it didn't do anything better than my 10 year old Laser and in some departments (drive line and NVH) it seemed even worse.
I should be able to try the Jazz in a couple of weeks. As tommobot points out, it's hard for me to get excited by it - it's about as exciting as a fridge on wheels, but I realise it would probably be a sound buy in terms of reliability.
Just on the other cars listed, I'm buying new, so that counts out the Nissan Micra. The Ford Fiesta has poor rear quarter visibility. Why do they put the whole darned rear light assembly in the way of the blind spot?
? Colt I am a bit worried about. Same thing as the Fiesta - a big bulky light assembly in the way of the rear quarter, plus I've heard Mitsubishi Australia is in a bit of trouble at the moment.
No Peugeot dealers or service departments anywhere remotely near me I am afraid. A pity, as I would have liked to put the 206 on my list. Toyota Yaris - could not get used to the digital instrumentation in the middle of the dash - I want it directly in front of me.
Polo is same problem as Peugeot. Nearest facilities are miles and miles away. I won't comment on the Skoda 
Hyundai Getz.
Well, It struck me as stolid and uninspiring - even more than the Jazz. I think if I owned one I'd have to drag myself into it each day 
The Swift is interesting. I looked at one yesterday but haven't driven one yet.
Almost reminds me in some respects of the current model mini cooper. I just thought it was a bit radically shaped for a mature aged bloke like me (not to mention my Mum if she needed to borrow it lol). The Punto on the other hand is a beautiful car - everything just looks right to me and I cannot say that about any other car I have looked at apart from the Citroen C3.
Still, the decision seems to have become more clear cut. Am I willing to risk possible reliability issues but in return get a car that I would love to drive and which would be a much better freeway car than the Jazz (the Punto has far, far more torque and has cruise control). Or do I play it safe and get a Jazz?
The thing is, what am I going to say if I get a Jazz and it breaks down or developes a fault? I'd then just wish I had gotten the Fiat!
Incidentally, Ateco imports the Punto and Neville Creighton is the man behind it at.
Having known of the guy for 25 years, he doesn't really a put a foot wrong and he has apparently much thought and research into bringing Fiat back to Australia. I would feel happier about a Fiat purchase knowing he was behind it all.
I'm buying new, so that counts out the Nissan Micra
Yeah, i know.
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