choosing used car

I am looking at the 2009 Nissan Qashqai diesel. Is it a good buy?

Hi guys,

I have a one-owner 2008 Ford S-Max 2.0 TDCi 140 Auto Titanium spec with 75,000km on the clock and wonder at approximate trade-in value? I see a wide variation in asking prices on the web. I am wondering if I should look to change it this year or next, or should hold on as it is a good car but don't want to be left with something worthless in a few years time.

Thanks,

Andrew

Hi, I want to buy my first car. My budget is €5,000. I will be driving it on country roads and returning to Dublin at the weekend. Can you recommend the best car for my needs. I have a full driving license for the past 5 years. I look forward to your reply.

Regards Hazel.

What is the differance between the 2004 Nissan Almera saloon 1.5 and the Nissan Almera Tekna saloon 1.5?

Hi lads, just a quick question.

We have a 2003 Fiat Punto and we are expecting twins shortly. We were looking for a five-door car with Isofix seats but not too big a body. We are thinking about an Opel Meriva Club version, 3-4 years old. The Meriva has a flat and level boot that would leave some space for shopping etc. Basically, is the Meriva a good car, cheap to run and flexible enough to cope with two young babies?

Do you have any info on autodirect.ie? They seem to offer good deals.

Hi, I am thinking of updating my car to a 2008-2009 Kia pro_cee'd. I think it is a good looking car and the seven-year warranty a real plus point. Would you recommend this car or know if it's a nice drive? I do roughly 10,000km per year so wondering if the petrol engine might be better for me. Would there be much of a power/economy difference to the diesel model? Is there anything else to watch out for?

Thanks, Ciaran

I have about €10k to spend on a car; should I buy a 2.0 TDI Passat (07-08) or a BMW 530d (04-05)? I do a lot of driving and really would love a BMW but I'm worried about problems that may come with big mileage.

Hi Paddy, I'm still on the look for a diesel family estate and have found a 2006 Mazda 6 TS 2.0d (121) 82k FSH. But after doing some googling there is a lot of negative threads about Mazda 6 diesels, DPF, Clutch failure, oil consumption etc. Would you have any inside Mazda info? My general impressions of Mazda were very good. Should this model dsl 6 be avoided or are they a good buy.

I am looking for a seven-seat MPV. What do you think of a 2007 Citroen C4 Picasso Grand manual - or a 2008 automatic? Was told Renaults were unreliable, what do you think? Any other suggestions?

Hi Shane,

I saw your column in the motoring section of the Sunday Independent and I was hoping that you could give me advice on buying a used car. My partner and I have just moved back to Ireland after a stint in Asia and neither of us has ever owned a car so we're pretty inexperienced drivers.

We were wondering what make/model/year you would recommend for a used car. Ideally a five-door, manual car that doesn't stall too easily and with decent boot size (we have a baby). Our budget is around €5,000 (max. €10,000) .

Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.

Caroline