PERODUA KELISA EX 5dr (2002)

SO CHEAP to buy and to run, and super reliable

I know the Perodua Kelisa is rarer than the Ka and Micra and so on, but I really couldn't tell you why. It is amazing! Well, mine is. I got it with 17 thousand miles on in 2005, and it has not needed anything at all doing to it since then apart from little things like tyres and the odd thing tweaking at service time. And the petrol! A lot of modern cars go on about achieving 50 MPG or whatever, well this car trumps all those hands down, it just goes and goes and goes and goes. Lovely and cheap. Similarly the insurance is about as cheap as it gets, maybe it only attracts slow and steady drivers like me, but that's fine. It gives the odd rattle and squeak here and there but it doesn't leak and nothing is falling off or anything, so for a cheap car it's been just fantastic for reliability.

The Kelisa great to drive as well. When the kids are dropped back at school I sometimes like to give the pedal a bit of a press around the little country lanes just for fun, and it's never lost its grip or messed me about. I'm not a racing driver but what I mean is that it's a really very nippy and happy little car for something so cheap with such a small engine. It can get a bit sad and groany when you're going up a long hill, especially when kids and dad are in with me, along with buggies and so on. It's not that bad though, just not really happy to overtake uphill in that sort of situation. Still it does quite happily trundle along at 80 miles an hour without rattling around or sounding like it's going to fall apart.

A friend of mine recently got a car with fancy parking beeper thingys that tell you how to park, and I just sort of wondered why you'd need those. I think I've been spoilt by the Kelisa being so small and with such great visibility out of the big windows. It's got power steering too, which I wasn't expecting for the price. Other than that it's really lacking in gizmos and things, but that really doesn't bother me, I just wanted a no nonsense car that would be reliable, and that's exactly what I've got.

My parents have said they're not so fussed about being in the back. It can be a bit jolty especially on the little country roads round us. Bit tight as well especially for dad. It's only two in the back as well, not three. All in all not bad though, and the people in the front get plenty of space. Nice and close together as well for holding hands :)

The boot is pretty big given the size of the car. It's got enough room for weekend trips for our little family. Like I said it struggles on the hills but it carries everything without too much fuss. Happy lovely little car, I love it!