Expert answer

I'm not sure I'd recommend a pickup for you, as, until the very recent arrivals of the Volkswagen Amarok and Ford Ranger, they were all a bit crude and dreadful. They're commercial vehicles, not family cars. That said, if you want something truly rugged, then what about a Land Rover Defender 130 with a crew cab? Iconic looks and unbeatable toughness, but they can be expensive to buy and run.

Actually my recommendation would be to track down an old-shape Kia Sportage. It's surprisingly good at going off-road, comfy and decent to drive on the road and circa €8,000 should pick you up a good one, potentially with still a bit of Kia's famous warranty left to run. Not as stylish as the current Spprtage it's true, but invest in a sturdy rubber liner for the boot and you should have the ideal log-carrying device.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi there,

This is a bit of a tricky one as few car makers quote door aperture size or angles, but there are a couple of models that spring to mind with especially easy access. In new car terms the best is probably the new Ford B-Max. Because it lacks a B-pillar (the metal post usually found between the front and rear doors) it means that, when you open the front and rear doors, you end up with a massive 1.5-metre long aperture in the side of the car, making access to front or rear especially easy. Actually, Ford has traditionally been very good at making cars that are easy to access for those with limited mobility due to either age or medical conditions. Part of the design of all new Fords for some time now has involved the designers wearing a special suit that restricts their joint and movement so that they can experience what it's like to try and get in and out of a car without full mobility in their limbs.

On a personal note, and if you're looking for something cheaper than a new B-Max, I seem to recall that the last-generation Daihatsu Charade had massive doors that opened to more than 80 degrees, making entry and exit spectacularly easy. Cheap as chips to buy and run and surprisingly good fun to drive too, it's a shame Daihatsu abandoned the Irish market in the face of shrinking sales.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Derek,

We're assuming you mean large boot space when the rear-most seats are folded down when it comes to the seven-seat models, but come back to us if not. Seven-seat cars are your best/easiest option for fitting three car seats in.

The first car we found in the classifieds that might suit you is Citroen's C4 Picasso. It's a brilliant MPV and with a little negotiation you should be able to afford a 2008 model with the economical 1.6-litre HDi diesel engine. We're not big fans of the 'EGS' automatic gearbox, but give it a go and make that decision for yourself. The five-seat version (not called 'Grand') is good too if you can live with that many seats.

Ford's C-Max and S-Max are worth a look too. The latter is a good deal bigger, but the former is economical and well priced.

Personally I'm not a huge fan of the Opel Zafira, though we have readers who swear by them. There are loads on the market too so shop around for one that suits.

Others to look into might be the Toyota Corolla Verso and Volkswagen Sharan and Touran.

Let us know if you need help narrowing down the search.

Expert answer

Hi Patrick,

Before looking at the logical stuff, we'd say the Kia Sportage. We prefer how it looks and drives.

There's virtually no difference in price at the entry-level to both ranges. They're both powered by the same 1.7-litre turbodiesel engine, have front-wheel drive and emit 139g/km for €280/year road tax. Both Kia and Hyundai offer a range of trim levels and they're both quite well equipped really.

Kia's cheapest four-wheel drive version is a little cheaper than the equivalent Hyundai (both powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine) and both are available with an automatic gearbox - though the ix35's is cheaper.

Other than all that, Kia's seven-year warranty covers up to 150,000 kilometres of driving and comes with European roadside assistance for three years. Hyundai's 'Triple Care Plan' is only for five years, but the mileage is unlimited. It includes roadside assistance and vehicle health checks.

So in summary there's little to separate these cars on paper. With your budget in mind it's worth delving deeper into what you'll get for your money in each model, but really it probably comes down to individual choice. And for us the Kia Sportage is the way to go.

Let us know what you decide upon.

Expert answer

Right, tough combination this as I'm assuming you want to be able to carry the bike inside the car, rather than on a boot-mounted carrier. If you're going down the carrier route, then you won't go wrong with one of the old favourites like a Fiesta, Corsa or Punto.

If, however, it's space inside you need then you need to go a little left-field. How about a 2006 Renault Modus 1.2 Dynamique? True, Renaults of that age aren't the most reliable of cars, but the 1.2 petrol engine is a well-proven unit and the space inside the Modus is not to be sniffed at. Plus it's one of the safest cars you can buy. All that and we found one listed at only €3,950 from a dealer.

What do you think?

Expert answer

Hi John,

A creaking noise at the back usually means the dampers need replacing, but we don't know of any widespread issue with wishbones, suspension arms and link arms wearing earlier than they should. There aren't a lot of those cars about so data is thin on the ground.

Expert answer

Hi Pat,

Mileage is the killer when it comes to these cars. A low figure on the odo could push the figure up to around €35,000 while over 100,000 miles means you're looking at something closer to €25,000.

They're not hard on fuel in comparison to other luxury cars, but you still have to accept that they're not going to be as efficient as a family hatch. Figure on getting around 35mpg out of one, but the massive 85-litre fuel tank means you'll go for ages between fill-ups.

Hope that's of use

Expert answer

Hi John,

At 10k miles a year, to be honest, you’d be better off going for a petrol model as you’re just not going to get the fuel savings out of a diesel to justify the extra cost, plus you might be running into issues with exhaust filters. Of the two cars, the BMW is without question the nicer to drive, and it has a fractionally more spacious interior than that of the Audi. The Audi is seriously well-made though, so from a reliability point of view, we’d probably give that one the nod. Just make sure you buy one with a full, preferably main dealer, service history.

Expert answer

Hi John,

We don't expect the plate change to 132 have any effect on the value of 2012 cars. Very few people seem aware of the new registration system so we don't believe it will alter things this year at all. Even when it has become the norm we don't envisage a step change in values as soon as the plate changes each six months - it'll be a gradual process. The mileage and condition of a car counts for just as much.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Alan,

We don't know of any widespread common issues with this car. It's built on Nissan/Renault mechanicals that are quite well proven. It's moderately spacious for the money, but it's not a car we'd often consider, as there are plenty of other better cars available for the same price. Apparently many unsold examples found their way from Ireland to the UK, where they were never marketed as a new car.

In summary: not bad really, but not recommended either.

Let us know how you get on.