Expert answer

Hi Carrie,

Puntos, especially the 2006-on Grande Punto, aren't bad at all when it comes to reliability. The engines are all well-proven Fiat units with few major issues and as long as you keep a wary eye on the electrics, and buy only with a full service history, you should be OK. 

Compared to Fords you have driven, you'll probably find the Fiat has much lighter, more detached steering and a "looser" feeling chassis. But you'll probably also notice that the Punto is unusually spacious and has very eager engines. An underrated car.

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Hi David,

There are some issues with this version of the 307, mostly as it uses an older wiring system that was replaced in 2005 by a new, more reliable, multiplex design. Basically it's beware anything electronic, especially the odometer, which can give inaccurate mileage readings. Cabin trim, especially the wiper and indicator stalks, can be very fragile, while any noise from the suspension means you should run, not walk, away. 

On the good side, the engines, especially the 1.6 HDi diesel, are pretty solid and economical.

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Hi Nuala,

Mostly yes, they're fine. The engines and gearboxes are essentially old Mercedes-Benz items and they're pretty long lived and can rack up mega mileages. What you've got to watch for are cabin trim (which is spectacularly fragile and can often come off in your hands) and electrical gremlins. Essentially, if it's on a Rodius and its got a wire in it, it can go wrong, so check carefully to make sure that everything electric is working and budget for running repairs in the future. Expect to pay around €3,500 to €4,000 for a 2005 version, but they're pretty thin on the ground.

Hope that helps

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Hi Julie,

The short answers are; no. And, indeed, no.

The 206 is actually quite mechanically robust, so major things like engines and gearboxes tend to last pretty well, but the roof of the CC model is a disaster. Not only does it tend to leak, but it often gets jammed halfway through folding. The cabin trim is pretty fragile too and switches, important ones like the indicator stalk, often break.

The Volkswagen Beetle isn't much better. It was based on the Mk IV Golf, which is the one with just about the poorest reliability record of the whole Golf family. Engine management issues are the most serious ones, so make sure there's a full and proper service history with any car you're looking at.

Hopet that helps

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Hi John,

To say that the RX-8 is a bit of a mixed bag is to venture into the grassy uplands of dramatic understatement. Brilliant to drive, sexy to look at and surprisingly practical, if you love rotary engines, then it's a must-buy at some stage.

But boy does it have its problems. In the RX-8's defence most of the engine's problems are down to maintenance, but the problem is that we've become accustomed to cars working faultlessly without us checking on them like spoiled kids every few minutes. An RX-8 isn't like that; it needs constant care and attention. Mostly this is to do with the oil. Rotarys get through a lot of it, so you've got to check it regularly (like, every week) and keep it topped up with high-grade stuff. No cheap oil here. Failure to do so will mean the early wear of the rotor tips and that's when the engine is on the slippery road to oblivion. Cared for properly, an RX-8 engine can rack up massive mileage mostly faultlessly. But let it slip and we've heard of engines having to be replaced after as little as 40,000 miles.

Tread carefully.

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Hi Peter,

Generally Tourans are pretty well made and the cabin in particular is very rugged indeed, a major consideration if you're going to be hauling kids around in the back of it. There are some reports swirling around on t'internet of gearbox issues, with some owners reporting that the DSG gearbox has failed when driving at speed, with literally explosive results. Other than that, it's the usual electrical niggles and some issues with the fuel injectors and pumps on the diesel engines.  As for value, if it's a petrol version, you might pick a 2008 model up for around €7,000-8,000, but if it's a diesel, expect to pay more like €11,000-12,000.

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Liam,

OK, the value is a hard thing to put an absolute figure on as the 8 Series is now of an age where it's all about the condition and history of the car. If it's in good nick and there's a full set of BMW or independent BMW specialist stamps in the service book, then you should be looking at a value of around €6,000-7,000, maybe a touch less considering that this car has pretty high mileage.

Thankfully, that mileage is nothing to worry about, with one major caveat and that caveat is engine failure. Some 840ci models used engines with a cylinder bore lined in an alloy called Alusil, which is prone to wear and can cause the engine to go expensively pop. If your car has the other type of cylinder liner, Nikasil, then you should be fine, and by and large the 8 Series is an astonishingly robust car, with very few reported common faults.

Just make sure you check that everything electrical is working correctly, as the 8 Series was kind of on that cusp between the simpler pre-electronic age and the arrival of all the complex modern gadgets.

If you buy it, let us know how you get on and give us as flash of your cool pop-up headlamps!

Expert answer

Hi Ben,

The only way to look at this like-for-like at the moment is the compare the Superb (pre-facelift that goes on sale next month) and the new Octavia, both with 2.0 TDI 140 engines. The DSG option costs €4,865 in the Superb and just €2,300 in the Octavia and it should be the same six-speed unit in each.

However, adding a DSG transmission to that Superb moves it from tax Band B1 to Band C, or, more pertinently, from a situation where the car is subject to 18 per cent VRT to one where it attracts 23 per cent VRT. In comparison, the Octavia moves from Band A3 to A4, adding a single per cent increase in VRT (rising from 17- to 18 per cent).

Nonetheless, we did a quick calculation to get the prices before VRT of each car and subtract the manual price from the DSG and it still works out that Skoda charges considerably more for the DSG transmission.

We contacted Skoda Ireland and it agreed and has changed this in the new Superb. Here's the official response:

"The Superb DSG premium on average was €4,300; this will be reduced to €3,000 with the introduction of the Superb facelift in July. This represents a customer saving of €1,300 compared to the outgoing model. This is a slightly higher premium than the Octavia model; however, it is not as simple as pricing the transmission as a single unit and then applying it to the various models. There are many factors taken into consideration when pricing vehicles as a whole. Previously the Superb DSG was a big seller for Skoda. With improved prices we are confident we will see even more customer moving to DSG from manual transmission."

Expert answer

Hi John,

I'd go for the 1.3. True, it's not as grunty as the 1.7, but the 1.7 is a truly ancient engine, able to trace its roots all the way back to the early nineties when Isuzu first designed it and no-one in General Motors knew what the heck this de-hee-zel stuff was and they sure weren't going to put it in a car. The 1.3 by contrast was co-developed with Fiat in the early 2000s so is a much fresher, more high-tech design and it's a better engine all-round.

Both are a touch noisy compared with the best latest-gen diesels, but again the 1.7 is far worse in this regard and also has an annoying tendency to stall when pulling out of junctions. So go for the 1.3. A cracking little engine.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Ronnie,

It's a bit of a mixed bag, apparently. While the Rexton is a pretty simple beast, there are plenty of tales of electrical issues and minor glitches and we know of one owner who blew two Rexton engines in quick succession - after which he was advised to have it serviced every 10,000km! Other than that, keep a keen eye out for signs of abuse. Rextons are often seen as a cheap alternative to other 4x4s and so tend to be bought for hard work and heavy lifting. If it's been used off-road or on building sites a lot (a common fate for many Rextons) there could be some bodywork damage to deal with.

As for just being a car, they're not much cop to be honest. Noisy, slow and with spectacularly bad handling. You'd be much better off in a Toyota Land Cruiser, even if you have to go for an older model within your budget.

Hope that helps