What diesel car should I replace our Peugeot 307 with?
Hi all. My girlfriend's Peugeot 307 died a death on the dual carrigeway recently so she is looking for a diesel car around 1.4 to 1.6 with a max price of €6,000. She commutes everyday from Ballylinan in Laois to Tallaght. Any good diesel cars in that range she should be looking at?
Aidan Murphy (Dublin)Oct 2013 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Aidan,
I'd suggest either a Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi, a Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI or a Kia cee'd 1.6 CRDi. All of them fall into your price bracket, all are well built, reliable and economical and all are comfy for a lengthy daily commute. You won't go wrong with any of them and there are plenty of each available so shop around and be choosy.
What's the 2008 Audi A4 like?
Looking at getting an Audi A4, 08/09 model, diesel. Anything in particular I should look out for?
Derry Lynch (Carrick On Shannon)Oct 2013 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Derry,
Nothing much to keep an eye on mechanically speaking, as these are well-built and reliable cars. Just watch for kerbed alloys as that could mean that the steering has been knocked out of alignment. Obviously, you'll want a fully-stamped-up service history. As for the S Line model, try before you buy. Yes, the styling add-ons look good, but the A4 already has quite a firm ride quality and the S Line suspension firms that up even more. It may not be to your taste.
Will I be able to get a 2014 Peugeot deal from this dealer?
Hi, can you tell me exactly what an independent Peugeot dealer is? And will the garage look after warranty etc? I'm specifically interested in Tom Raferty cars in Athlone. I'm wondering if Peugeot has special deals for 2014 such as maybe one year's free road tax or a gift voucher etc. Does an independent dealer do the same? They are not listed on Peugeot's website as a dealer.
Ian Abbott (Longford)Oct 2013 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Ian,
We checked this query out with Peugeot Ireland and received this response:
"Please be advised that Tom Raftery Car Sales Shannonbridge & Athlone is not an Authorised Peugeot Dealer for Peugeot New Vehicle Sales, Parts or Aftersales. As we are no longer in contract with Tom Raftery Car Sales, he cannot look after warranty or deliver new Peugeot vehicles or represent himself as an Authorised Peugeot Dealer. Therefore he will not be in a position to offer you any Peugeot special deals for 2013/2014."
"We most certainly will have consumer offers across a number of Peugeot passenger car models for orders pre-Christmas and these offers will be announced in the coming weeks."
In the meantime, please consult our website www.peugeot.ie for your closest Authorised Peugeot Dealer and sincere thanks for considering the Peugeot brand."
Should I replace my Corolla with a Golf or Octavia?
I bought an 09 Toyota Corolla 1.4 petrol with 64,000km on the clock three months ago. It is still covered by the dealer's one-year warranty, is taxed until July 2014 and NCT'ed until July 2015. Since then, I have changed job and will now be commuting two hours a day on the motorway and so need to change for a diesel. Even though I'm generally the only one in the car, I prefer saloons and like a big car around me, partly for safety reasons. I also want a comfortable, hi-spec, economical car. And as I will be putting a lot of miles on it, I want something with low mileage. I am thinking a diesel Volkswagen Golf or a Skoda Octavia.
Have test driven the Ford Focus and Hyundai i30 and the interior put me off. Maybe I was driving the basic models but found them to be quite cheap in feel. I am trying to keep the total spend to about €2,000 to €4,000 with my own for trade-in.
First of all, am I on the right track in the types of cars I am looking at for what I want? Secondly, how much should I roughly be expecting to get for my own car?
Grainne Callanan (Kilkenny)Oct 2013 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Grainne,
I'd say you can expect to get about €8,000 and €9,000 as a trade-in value for your Corolla, although that could vary quite a bit from dealer to dealer. As for the cars you're looking at, a diesel Golf or Octavia would probably be ideal for the type of driving you're looking at doing, but if it's refinement you need, then I'd go for the Volkswagen over the Skoda - there's not a lot in it, but the Golf is that bit quieter.
Hope that helps
Can you guide me on a price for this BMW 3 Series?
Can you suggest a guide price for a 2011 BMW 316d Special Edition with one lady owner and 30,000 miles on the clock? What generally is a guide drop price between a forecourt price and a private seller's price? If this car is still for sale in Jan 2014 how much should the price drop by?
Thanks
Liam O'Neachtain (Tramore)Oct 2013 Filed under: used car values
Expert answer
Hi Liam,
I would suggest a price of between €20,000 and €23,000 for a model like that, assuming that it's in good condition and has a full service history. The gap between a retail forecourt price and a private seller would usually be in the order of €1,000 to €2,000, but that can vary quite a bit depending on the type of dealer and the type of car. I wouldn't expect the price to drop by an awful lot in January - the lack of new cars sold in the past five years is keeping second hand prices high.
Hope that helps
Should I wait until January to buy this Focus Estate?
I have a Ford Focus Estate with 170,000 miles on the clock. I intend to change it for another Focus Estate with 55,000 miles on the clock for €11,000 this month. There is only a choice of two near me. Both about the same mileage and price. Should I wait until January 2014? Will there be more choice then? Will a 2009 car drop in price on 1st January if I gamble on it being still for sale then?
Thanks, Green wood worker
Kevin Downing (Dublin)Oct 2013 Filed under: used car values
Expert answer
Hi Kevin,
Although the extra year on the car will have a small effect on the price, waiting until January probably won't help very much. There was a dearth of new car sales in 2009, which is propping up the second hand prices of cars sold in that year (and indeed in 2010, 2011 and 2012). Unless there is a vast rush of buyers trading in used cars for new on Jan 1st (which is, let's face it, unlikely) then the price of a 2009 model isn't especially likely to suffer a significant drop.
How much should I pay for second hand Citroen DS5?
How much should I pay for second hand Citroen DS5?
Paddy Lynch (Ramelton)Oct 2013 Filed under: used car values
Expert answer
Hi Paddy,
The cheapest we've seen advertised is around the €24k mark. The DS5 has hardly been popular, indeed it's hardly made any impression on the national sales charts, so you should be able to haggle that down a bit. The good thing is that because of the paucity of sales, most of the cars on the market will be ex-dealer-demo, and so will probably be highly specced up. Good hunting!
What will I replace by old SEAT Leon with?
How much should I get for my 2004 SEAT Leon 1.9 TDI with about 130,000 miles on the clock, in great condition and full service history, new timing belt etc. And what should I replace it with? I do a bit of driving for work. I also love the Leon! Looking for reliable and cost friendly car.
Thanks so much
Au Considine (Ennis)Oct 2013 Filed under: used car values
Expert answer
Hi Au,
In terms of trade in, you're probably only looking at a value of around €1,500 or so. You might just break the €2,000 barrier if you try and sell it privately, but selling private is never easy. If you love your Leon then can I simply suggest trading up to a newer one? If you go for a 2009-on second generation Leon, with the 1.6 TDI diesel engine, then you'll have a superbly economical car that will cost you only €200 a year to tax. You already know how robust and reliable SEATs are, so I don't need to remind you of that, but it's worth pointing out that the second-gen Leon was better to drive and more spacious than your current car. My dad has had three now and won't have anything else, so that recommendation is as good as it comes.
Mind you, it could be worth holding fire for a week. The Budget's coming up next week, and there's just a chance that the Society of the Irish Motor Industry's (SIMI) 'Swappage' plan, to give those trading in six-year-old-or-older cars €2,000 off the price of a new one could get approved, and if so then it may be worth trading up to an all-new Leon, which is simply one of the best cars out there. It's even, whisper it, a bit nicer than the Volkswagen Golf...
What's the SsangYong Rexton like for family transport?
Hi lads. What do you think of a 2007 SsangYong Rexton as a family mode of transport? Also how safe and reliable are they? Im looking at one with 50,000 miles on it.
Thanks
Justin McElwee (Galway)Oct 2013 Filed under: family car
Expert answer
Hi Justin,
In reliability terms, there doesn't seem to be much to worry about. The Rexton is one of those rare cars that's never been recalled for a manufacturing fault and the ancient Mercedes-based turbodiesel engines are long-lived and simple, mechanically speaking. Likewise, even though the cabin looks and feels cheap, it seems to be well screwed together.
The problems though are two-fold. One, the Rexton really is very crude. In terms of engine noise, performance, handling, ride quality and just about everything, it feels at least a generation, sometimes more, behind the best of the European, Japanese and Korean rivals. And sadly, we can't give you too many pointers on safety. The Rexton has never been crash-tested by EuroNCAP so we have no objective data on it, crash-wise. You pays your money, you takes your chances...
Any major issues with the Land Rover Discovery 3?
Are there any serious mechanical issues with the Land Rover Discovery 3 that a prospective buyer should know about?
Vinny Duggan (Galway)Oct 2013 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Vinny,
Hmmm. Yes and no. Land Rover quality control has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, and the Disco 3 was one of the first cars to benefit from a new, higher quality regime. Mostly, they're well built and reliable, but a few 'rogue' cars still seem to slip through the net. The main fault is with the air suspension system, and the air compressor that pumps it up, which can fail, so make sure that the car rises and lowers as it should. Earlier cars had a lot of minor electrical glitches - everything from Bluetooth phone hookups to stereos to the electronic handbrake, but most of these should have been ironed out by now.