Should I downsize from the Nissan Qashqai to the Note?
What are the most reliable mid-range diesel cars on the market and cheapest to run? I hope to buy in the UK and import.
Jane Berry (Dublin)May 2010 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
We spoke to Jane direct to find out a little more information. She currently lives in Northern Ireland and has a 2008 Nissan Qashqai Tekna to trade in. She wishes to downsize and will be moving to the Republic soon with her new car.
Initially Jane believed that she could bring a car to the south VRT-free so long as it was over six months old, but in fact the legislation states that she must have owned the car herself outside the state for six months before importing it.
Jane fancied changing to a Nissan Note, but was unsure of its reliability. We confirmed that the Note has had no major problems and so Jane is going ahead with a swap for a six-month old Note Tekna with only 4,000 miles on the clock. This is a highly specced version with satnav, alloys, Bluetooth etc.
Audi A4 on a €7,000 budget?
Hi guys,
Im looking to buy a car with a budget of €7,000. I like the Audi A4 and my house mate is upgrading from his A4. It is an English import from 2003, with six-speed gearbox, cruise control, air conditioning and comes with a hands free Bluetooth kit for the mobile.
Mileage is 140,000 miles however and it's going for somewhere between €7,000 and €7,500. I travel a lot for sports, circa 20,000 miles per year. Is this car a good investment for €7,000-€7,500 or should I look for one with lower mileage?
Thanks
Barry Cox (Tullamore)May 2010 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi there Barry
I know that it is very tempting to choose a large executive German car on a tight budget, but as someone who has done this a couple of times and has the empty bank account to prove it, I would tend to steer clear of something with this many miles on it because the problems will tend to start to emerge around about now and the repair bills are very high in most cases.
I know the car probably looks great and is running well, but if or rather when a huge issue comes up, like a clutch goes or you have a problem with the suspension, the price of parts and labour will be high and since you are adding 20,000 miles per year to what is already high mileage, this car is going to be worth virtually nothing in two years and you won't have a chance of trading it in.
From a quick look around the classifieds, you could buy something with half the mileage for about the same money, as there were a lot of these imported during the Celtic Tiger years and people are now trying to sell them on so the market is flooded.
Unless you are prepared to say goodbye to that €7,000 totally in two years, I would, either get an A4 with less miles or bite the bullet and buy something way more sensible, like a Ford Focus or VW Golf diesel that will put up with all those miles with minimum fuss.