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Hi Caoimhe,

You've not told us your budget, as that will be the limiting factor given how few cars there are that can hold three baby seats in one row. The previous-generation Peugeot 5008 could manage it, for example, while the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 can as well and so can people carriers such as the SEAT Alhambra or Volkswagen Touran. Unfortunately, all of those are cars that usually happen to have three rows of seating as well so they may not appeal to you at all.

If you can get by without ISOFIX in the middle seat then you may find some wider cars can accept your three child seats, but it'll be a case of going to try them out for size with your seats in tow, as there's such variety between baby seats and the space between the buckles in the middle of the back seat of a car.

Ones that come to mind include the Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Tiguan, along with the new Cupra Terramar, for example.

If you want to come back to us with your budget and whether you're going new or used, we can try to come up with a few other potential candidates.

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Hi Gary,

We'd definitely advocate for an estate over an MPV or SUV as they're more space efficient, more fuel efficient and generally better to drive, especially as you clearly spend quite a bit of time on the road.

Assuming you're on the motorway for much of that, then a diesel probably makes the most sense, though if you're generally at lower speeds, it's well worth considering a hybrid instead to keep your maintenance bills down.

Within budget are some lovely premium estates, such as the Audi A4 and A6 Avant, along with the BMW 3 Series Touring, Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb, though you might have to compromise and go for high-mileage examples.

There are a few diesel Ford Focus estates around as well, along with the underestimated Kia Ceed estate. On the hybrid side, there's an estate version of the Toyota Corolla to consider as well.

Come back to us if you'd like help narrowing down your search, as you have loads of choice with €20,000 to spend.

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Hi Louise,

If you come back to us with your budget we can give a more precise answer, but all the premium marques sell good-quality executive saloons of similar size to the Lexus ES. For example the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class. And there are loads of different versions as well offering a range of performance options if your budget allows.

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Hi Peter,

All the various 2.0-litre engines (TDI diesel and FSI/TFSI petrol) in the 2004 Audi A3 used cam belts.

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Hi Christine,

The Symbioz uses a sophisticated transmission and hybrid system that couples and decouples the engine and alters the engine speed to best deliver the required performance or maximum economy at any moment. This depends on a variety of factors, and it can sometimes mean the engine becomes more audible. This characteristic is not uncommon in hybrids, but if you think there’s something out of the ordinary, do pay your Renault dealer a visit so they can put your mind at ease.

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Hi Fergal,

The first one that comes to mind is the Skoda Superb. A new generation of this massive car was launched last year and it’s a great option. It’s bigger than the Mondeo and can be had with a 2.0 TDI diesel engine.

A lovely car is the Peugeot 508, which can be had with a 1.5-litre diesel, but you might find it small inside in comparison to your Mondeo. Worth a look anyway.

There really aren’t many others if you’re sticking with a diesel saloon, unless you go for one of the premium brands - both Audi and Mercedes sell diesel engines still in the A5 and C-Class, respectively.

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Hi Anita,

We can't tell from your registration if the car had a DPF when new as in the 2006-2009 period some Audis had and some did not. It's highly likely that it did.

If you can't get someone to physically check if it has a DPF fitted then you should at least have a DPF warning light on the dashboard. When you turn the ignition key on, but not the engine, a series of warning lights illuminate in the instruments. They then go off when the engine is running if all is well. One of those would be for a DPF if it is fitted. It is usually an orange or yellow light showing a box with dots inside it, like these:

If the car has this warning light, then it has a DPF.

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Hi Martin,

There were several different versions of that engine in production that year, oddly, some with timing belts, some with timing chains. We’d need the engine code to be able to answer properly I’m afraid.

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Hi Nathy,

Generally, once a new car arrives at a dealership, the company’s administration department will begin processing the registration as soon as possible. I’m unsure that this is an automatic process, as in past experience, all of the customer’s details had to be manually inputted into the vehicle registration system.

However, as Audi will invoice the dealership for the car once it lands there, it is unlikely that the company will hold off or defer any registration process, as once it’s completed, it can include that car with its monthly sales/registration figures, which is important for targets, commissions etc. Unless specifically outlined and agreed ahead of time, it is unlikely that the dealership will defer this process. 

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Hi Stephen,

That sounds like great value despite the age, though be aware that it’ll cost significantly more than that to import it when you take into account VRT and the NOx levy.