31 Mar 09
Toyota Corolla, 2001
The Tata Nano has taken up a lot of column inches and attention on the internet. There's one reason and one reason alone for this: it's cheap.
Now on sale in India, it's on offer for around £1,700 for the entry-level model and £2,300 for the top-of-the-range car. A new car for a month's salary. Sounds great, doesn't it?
There's a reason for the low price: it has a 624cc, two-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 34bhp. It does 0-60mph in 30 seconds and tops out 5mph later. You'll get 60mpg and you'll pump 120g/km of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In the entry-level model you don't get air con, passenger seat adjustment, rear window wipers, electric but you do get a steering wheel, pedals, seats, boot, gear lever and doors.
So what else can you get for that kind of money? We searched 4Car's classifieds to give you a few ideas.
Daewoo Matiz, 1999
The near-Nano: Daewoo Matiz SE (2002)
Half-shut your eyes when viewing the Daewoo Matiz and you'll envisage a Nano. Although they both look like steam irons on wheels, we'd argue a second-hand Matiz is a better bet.
We found a 2002 SE model on sale at a London dealer for £1,495. This 0.8-litre five-door model had done 42,000 miles, offered power steering, a driver's airbag, colour-coded bumpers, a radio cassette, central locking, rear-wash wiper and electric windows. It goes faster than a Nano and it looks better too.
