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Hi Colm,

OK, first off, with that kind of mileage you’re well into the sort of levels that would justify a diesel engine, although the best of the down-sized turbo petrols are still certainly worth looking at. Of the three cars you’ve selected, I’d leave the Astra, as your €10,000 budget won’t get you into a new-shape model, and the older Astra was pretty dull. Of the other two, the Focus is the best, by far, to drive, and has solid reliability, but the i30 is better for interior space, and would be the more reliable in the long run.

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Hi Anita,

A Credit Union loan is still, to be honest, a very good idea. As long as you’re getting a decent interest rate and the repayments are comfortable, it allows you to go into the dealership, cash in hand, and argue a better deal for yourself. You will need to do your research ahead of time to make sure that you’ll be able to get the specification you want. PCP is a good option for keeping monthly repayments lower, as it defers part of the repayment to a ‘bubble’ payment, theoretically covered by the value left in the car, at the end of the deal. PCP is really only good for you, though, if you want to go back in every 2-3 years to change your car for a new one. If you’re intending on keeping the car for longer, then Hire Purchase or the good old Credit Union makes more sense.

Read the CompleteCar.ie guide to car finance here

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Hi Jim,

It should do, but it would be no bad idea to check with your nearest Hyundai dealer first. In theory, the Hyundai five-year warranty is a pan-European one, so it should transfer without any issues, but of course there is always fine print attached to these things, so check the documentation that comes with the car, and make sure  that it’s been serviced at a Hyundai main dealer in the past.

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Hi Arjun,

OK, let’s take these questions in order.

1: The BMW. The Honda runs it surprisingly close, but you just can’t beat the steering and rear-wheel-drive balance of the BMW.

2: How do you mean fast? They’re not performance models, but thanks to turbocharged engines with decent torque curves, they feel brisk enough in everyday driving. As long as you’re not planning to take on any Ferraris at the traffic lights, they’ll do.

3 & 4 together: The Honda. Nothing is as reliable as a Honda, not even a Toyota, and of the three cars here, while it may lack the premium badge, it also has the roomiest interior, will have slightly lower servicing and maintenance costs and, in the long term, should be more reliable than either of the German cars.

Read our reviews for more:

Audi A3 reviews

BMW 3 Series reviews

Honda Civic reviews

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Hi Andy,

While I don’t think a diesel car is going to be worthless by the time you trade it in, it might well be worth less, if you see the distinction. That said, with your mileage, I’d say you should be looking at petrol or hybrid all the way. A 2.0 TFSI A6 Avant sounds ideal if you can find one and assuming that you’re already happy that all three kids can fit safely and comfortably in the back. A BMW 520i Touring would be the most obvious alternative (and a darned fine one at that) and a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate even better again (assuming you can find one with a petrol engine) and you can find them with seven seats. Volvo’s old-shape V70 is also worth a look, not least from the safety point of view. That said, make absolutely sure you check out a current-shape Skoda Superb Combi estate too — they’re actually roomier inside than any of the premium-badge stuff, and very comfortable too.

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Hi Jonathan,

In general, yes. The AA carries out an independent, unbiased inspection of cars, which can flag up any faults, and any issues in the car’s history or service record. That said, you should check the fine print to see exactly what level of inspection has been carried out — they vary, and can be tailored to individual requirements, so make sure you know exactly what’s been checked and what hasn’t.

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Hi Samie,

It depends which engine exactly you have in your Fiesta and when it was manufactured. For both the 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre TDCi engines, there was a changeover in schedule that occurred for cars made later in 2010. Before that, the timing belts in the diesel engines were scheduled to be changed every 200,000 kilometres or every 10 years, but after that, for a brief period of manufacture, it changed to 140,000km (still 10 years) and later again back up to 180,000 kilometres.

We always encourage readers to err on the side of caution with timing belts, so would advise you to consider the 140,000km interval as applicable to your car.

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Hi Barry,

The problem with electric cars is that, generally, they’re not rated for towing (I think that the new Nissan Leaf is one of the first with a towing rating), so you’re probably going to have to switch back to petrol or diesel for this one. Probably your best bet is to go for something very conventional, such as VW Golf or Ford Focus, and maybe go for the estate version of one of those to give yourself a little extra versatility. A Toyota Auris Hybird would also work well, and would at least keep you going on half-electric power. Plenty of them around in your price range.

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Hi JC,

The big issue, really, is the size of the market. In the UK, vast dealer groups, with multiple outlets, are the norm and, obviously, these groups can be more cost-efficient and can potentially offer bigger discounts. Although there are dealer groups in Ireland, the norm is still very much the individual family-run business. That’s equally true on the import side of things — although there are now importers here that are tied directly to the car maker itself, many are still private, individual, locally-owned companies and those struggle to match the sort of discounting that is more common in the UK market. Plus, the fact that we buy in and around 100,000 to 130,000 cars a year here means that there’s less volume to spread discounts across. The UK market shifts two million cars a year — a considerable difference. VRT and VAT costs also play into it, as the wholesale price is often kept artificially lower to try and keep the added tax price down as much as possible.

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Hi Arvind,

The work to change the oil and filter in that Skoda is little different to the same job in any other car, but we'd not recommend it is done by someone without experience unless supervised by someone that has. There are lots of things that can go wrong in the process that could lead to engine damage and further costs, which would massively outweigh the savings made by not going to a professional in the first place. 

If you are determined to do it, here is a generic step-by-step set of instructions that could be applied to most cars, and it's written on the assumption that the car is safely raised on a proper vehicle lift:

- With the lift lowered, turn off the ignition, remove the keys and pop the bonnet.

- Remove and clean the dipstick and remove the oil filler cap. Make sure nothing can fall into the hole.

- Raise the lift so you can comfortably walk under the car and reach the underside of the engine.

- With a suitable collecting recepticle to hand, locate the oil sump plug and remove it. The dirty used oil will start to flow before it is fully out so be prepared for that.

- Once the flow has clearly slowed to a tricikle, locate the oil filter. On some cars this will be accessible from above the engine, in others, below. On some cars, it will be a cartridge within a permanent outer casing, on others, an aluminium-skinned component that screws off in its entirety. It's highly likely you'll need a special oil filter removal tool to take it off. Most of the time, a small amount of dirty oil will leak out, so be prepared to collect that under the car.

- Check the new oil filter against the old one. In particular, the sealing rings must be in an identical position.

- Fit new oil filter tightly to recommended tightness.

- It's often a good idea to fit a new oil sump washer at this stage, then tighten up the sump plug to the recommended tightness and give everything a wipe down.

- Lower the car again and fill with new oil to about a litre less than the official full level. Replace the dipstick and oil filler cap.

- Start the engine without revving it, let it idle a minute, then turn it off again.

- Check the oil level with a cleaned dipstick and top up as necessary.