James asked: “My daughter has just passed her driving test and is looking for her first car. She’s got £1,750 to spend but wants something that’s cheap to run, and still decent to drive. Help!”
Responding to the query, Mike explained: “I reckon she can’t go wrong with a first-generation Toyota Aygo.
“She can pick the Citroen or Peugeot version if she wants as they are the same car, and there’s masses of choice within her budget.
“Insurance and fuel will be cheap, too, and they are pretty nippy little things.”
The first generation Aygo was first released in 2005 and remained in prediction for nine years until 2014.
It’s 1.0-litre model was fitted with a three-cyclinder engine and five-speed manual transmission.
It packs a top speed of just 98mph and could reach 0-62mph in 12.3 seconds.
However, the Aygo was a budget option from the outset with cars costing just £7,000 brand new.
The Aygo got its moment in the spotlight with the vehicle featuring in stunts for both motoring TV shows Top Gear and Fifth Gear.
The models were used as part of a car football sketch where a mix of British Touring Car drivers and stuntmen went head-to-head.
After reviewing the model, Richard Hammond praised the car’s simplicity which helped save costs at the factory.
He said: “Firstly it looks great, kind of young and cute. Secondly, it’s cheap. You might think we are into just solid gold Lamborghini’s and Ferrari’s with jet engines and you’d be right.
“But we do love cheap cars, especially clever cheap cars. Some cars are designed and then built cheaply but the Aygo was designed to be cheap from the start. It’s in its genes.”
