Expert answer

Hi Susan,

Wow, you're a glutton for punishment aren't you? You pretty much couldn't have picked two less reliable cars. The Discovery is best avoided. If you could afford to trade up to a third-generation model I'd say that's worth a go, as Land Rover was starting to get on top of its quality issues by then, but the old Series II is just bad news. Gearboxes go, electrics go and even the suspension can fail. I know what you mean about falling in love - it's happened to me too with old Land Rovers, but you're looking at a very high-maintenance partner there.

The Espace is a little better, but not by much. The diesel engines are very fragile - check for smoke, check for oil levels and if there are any signs of overheating, run don't walk away. Check anything with an electrical wire coming out the back of it too as it can all go wrong, although the electronic parking brake and electric windows are especially prone to wrongness. Also, keep an eye on the tyres. Espaces go through them like butter and 20,000km is about as much as you'll get out of a set.

If you really want a seven-seater that works properly, can I suggest either a Mitsubishi Pajero or Toyota Land Cruiser? Not as cool as the Discovery, but they won't let you down.

Expert answer

Hi Andrea,

Yes, it's a cracking idea. While the old Santa Fe isn't as sophisticated as the current one (hardly surprisingly) it's still an excellent used buy, very reliable and nice to drive. 

A figure of 100,000 miles on the clock shouldn't be a significant hurdle as long as the service history is all up to date. The basic rule of thumb is that four-wheel drive and automatic gearboxes always add to the fuel consumption. The auto box on that generation Santa Fe wasn't the greatest so I'd say stick with a manual and 4wd is down to where you live - if you regularly need rough road or slippery surface capability it's worthwhile, if you live in town then not much.

Let us know how you get on

Expert answer

Hi Thomas,

Normally we'd recommend Carzone.ie, but selling any second hand car of that age can be tricky. Have you tried something more local? If you have a good local newspaper that's worth a try or even putting a card in your local supermarket. Local solutions are often the best.

Expert answer

Hi there,

Generally speaking SsangYongs are very reliable, not least because the older models tend towards the crude and simple end of the scale. On the Actyon just keep an eye out for sticking transmissions (or lumpy changes if it's an auto) and fragile cabin trim. Oh, and for a diesel car it's not very fuel efficient - you'll be lucky to break 30mpg in daily driving.

Expert answer

Hi Clo,

Nothing to worry about on the reliability front anyway - we've been trawling the web for Tuscon owners ranting about problems and there just don't seem to be any. The only concern is over the fuel economy, not that it's bad, but it does seem to be inconsistent and it's not helped by the fact that the Tuscon's trip computer is apparently calibrated for US gallons, which can make for inaccurate read-outs. There's also the fact that the Tuscon was designed and built when Hyundai was just on the cusp of its transformation from budget brand to major player, so things like cabin quality and refinement are merely OK, rather than the excellent ratings we tend to give the current Hyundai range.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Paula,

Yup, you're onto a winner there. A lot of motoring writers get a bit sniffy about the Nissan Micra, but actually it's a car with which there is very little wrong. That third generation model that you're talking about is actually probably the best one of all, with a nice, comfy, spacious interior, a peppy little 1.2-litre engine and a chassis that's actually more entertaining to drive than you would think. Of course, the automatic gearbox will sap a little bit of power, but as long as you're not entering any traffic light Grands Prix, you'll be fine. Reliability simply shouldn't be an issue as the Micra has always been conspicuously well built. Just check carefully to make sure it's been serviced regularly and that the oil for the automatic gearbox has been changed regularly too.

Let us know how you get on

Expert answer

Hi William,

There are three engines available in the latest Corolla, and though we assume you mean the 1.4-litre diesel, here are all the official figures for completion:

1.33-litre petrol model: 50.4mpg (5.6 litres/100km)

1.4-litre diesel model in Terra grade: 74.3mpg (3.8 litres/100km)

1.4-litre diesel model in Aura or Luna grade: 72.4mpg (3.9 litres/100km)

1.6-litre petrol with automatic gearbox: 50.4mpg (5.6 litres/100km)

Note that these figures are all official 'combined cycle' results and don't usually reflect what drivers achieve themselves. 

Expert answer

Hi Helen,

The automatic version of the all-wheel drive Outlander has higher emissions than the manual one so it costs more to tax - €390 versus €280 per year.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Shay,

I'd suggest a little T-Cut to take off the unwanted paint (gently, you don't want to get down to bare metal) and a good buff with a colour-restoring wax (Turtle Wax has some good ones or you could splash out on Autoglym). Mind you, you should probably keep a can of touch-up paints to hand during all of this, and if it's a big scrape in an especially prominent area, you might be better to bite the bullet and get a professional in to help...

Expert answer

Hi Nappa,

It depends. A sume of €4,000 is a small amount of money to pay for what was a truly cutting edge car when it came out, and an especially rewarding car to drive. But it’s also a very complex car, which is now 15 years old, so you need to buy very carefully, don’t buy anything that doesn’t have a full service history and be prepared to spend to keep it maintained and serviced.

As for diesel costs, it depends on how you drive, where you drive and how far you drive, but around 30mpg is what you should expect in terms of fuel economy.