Expert answer

Hi Lynda,

Yup, by and large Suzukis are very reliable and if you're going to get a Vitara, then the petrol model is the one to go for - Suzuki's record with diesels is patchy at best until quite recently. There are no major reported recurring problems but just make sure that the previous owner has had it serviced properly - the service intervals are quite short and many owners have been tempted to skip scheduled services. Walk away from anything that doesn't have a full and complete history.

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Hi Joe,

We're awaiting an official answer from Volkswagen on this, though our feeling is that it's highly unlikely. The latest Golf is built on an all-new platform and it'd be very surprising if they maintained the tow bar mounting points in the redesign.

Nothing like trying it for yourself though! It would take two minutes under a ramp to line it all up and see if it fits...

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Hi John,

OK, there's a balancing act to be done here. There's no doubt that the CO₂-driven diesel stampede since 2008 has driven up the values of second hand diesel cars and driven down the values of their petrol equivalents. However, that is starting to change, and cannier buyers (helped in some part by investigations and comparisons by the CompleteCar.ie team - blowing our own trumpet etc. etc.) have shown that the overall cost of buying and running a petrol engined car can actually be lower than that of a diesel, especially for those drivers on relatively low mileage like yourself.

In that sense, I'd be well in favour of getting the petrol one, but there is a caveat to that - the A4 is very much a business market car, and therefore most of its prospective buyers, new and used, will be expecting to see a TDI badge on the boot. If you're buying on a lease or a PCP with a guaranteed future value, then that's not such an issue, but the answer is yes, you could well lose out a little on depreciation over a few years. Probably not a lot, but it's a moving target at the best of times.

Can I suggest this? Instead of an A4, have a look at the A3 Saloon. It's admittedly smaller, but it is also prettier, better to drive and good enough to win Family Car of the Year from the Association of Professional Motoring Press (APMP). It can also be had with the excellent little 150hp 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine and should be somewhat less sensitive to the diesel/petrol tug of war when it comes to second hand values.

Let us know which way you go anyway.

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Hi Martin,

OK, cards on the table - I'm a bit of a MINI fan. In fact, I actually own one - a Clubman Cooper D. Which possibly makes me more susceptible to the charms of a Countryman than would otherwise be the case. Which also possibly explains why, when many of my colleagues deride it for being too big, too fat and too ugly to be a proper MINI, I argue in its defence. I point out that, just as Porsche with the Cayenne or Maserati with the Quattroporte, there's no point in trying to limit a brand to one car or one type of car - all brands have to expand to draw in as many customers as they can. Then there's the fact that, while it's VERY colour and spec sensitive when it comes to looks, I think that in the right rig-out, a Countryman is actually quite a desirable looking car.

Apart from all of that, it's a big, spacious family hold-all that manages to retain just enough of the small MINI handling and steering characteristics to justify it wearing the same badge. While a similarly priced Skoda Yeti makes for a much more sensible purchase, I've got a soft spot for the MINI. Other opinions are available. They're wrong, but they're available.

Expert answer

Hi John,

There are two schools of, quite influential, official thought on this. If you consult reliability expert JD Power, which conducts an annual vehicle reliability and customer satisfaction survey, the 206 is pretty dreadful. JD Power rates its reliability as below average, with poor interior quality, and it regularly finishes in the bottom ten of vehicles surveyed.

Over at Warranty Direct though, which independently insures vehicles against mechanical failure as part of its aftermarket warranty products, the picture is a little rosier. WD rates the 206's reliability as good, and certainly ahead of most of its French rivals. Problems tend to stem from the electrical system, and most of the time they're pretty cheap to fix.

To be honest though, in general, if you're looking at an older French car, you're looking at trouble.

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Hi Eoin,

Yes, it's a fine purchase as long as you go in with your wits about you and make sure that it's got a full service history. Any expensive German car without one is effectively worthless... That generation 3 Series was pretty robustly built and was less technically complex than later versions, so there's less to go wrong.

If it's the 2.5 straight-six petrol you're looking at, then it's a reliable unit, and well-proven, but watch carefully for any signs of water leaks or head gasket trouble. If it's had cooling or head trouble in the past, it's very likely to happen again and you could be looking at an engine swap. If it's the 2.5 diesel you're looking at, check for any white smoke from the exhaust or lumpy power delivery, which could indicate turbo problems.

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Hi Liliana,

Right, you need to be quite careful here. There's a lot of fly-by-night "we buy cars for cash" types out there who will give you a pittance, not destroy the car properly and then leave you with a massive headache when the motor tax office asks you to provide a certificate of destruction. 

So, the best thing to do is first of all to declare the car as off the road. You can do this by filling in a form that you can download from the Department Of Environment website.

Next, find yourself a reputable vehicle recycler. I'd try starting with a major firm such as Thornton's, but the basic rule of thumb if they don't have a landline number and only provide you with a mobile, then walk away. 

Now, the law says that you're not allowed to be charged for disposing of your vehicle as long as it's complete when you hand it over. Making money on it is another matter entirely. A recycler may well offer you something if there are useable parts on the car, but it will vary from firm to firm. 

If you're determined to make money on it, then your best bet could be a cheap classified ad to try and sell the car for spares and parts.

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Hi Kevin,

Generally speaking it's the E-Class that followed, the 2002 onwards model, that gave all the trouble, and the generation you're looking at doesn't give quite so much bother. As far as we can gather, the E200 K should be a reasonably rugged engine, but the crucial thing to note is to make sure that it has been serviced on time every time, by someone who knows what they're doing, and that you continue to do so when you own it. If there's no service history, or a patchy one, walk away.

Also watch for rust bubbling up under the front wings and make sure that the front suspension bushes were replaced at 60,000 miles. In that generation of car, I wouldn't necessarily expect the diesel version to be any more or less reliable.

Expert answer

Hi Paddy,

That's a tricky one to assess from afar I'm afraid as it could be several different things. The clutch cable/pedal/actuator could be faulty or out of adjustment, the gear linkage could be out of position or the gearbox itself could have major internal problems. The good news is that the latter is the least likely scenario.

I'd urge you to bring the car to a good mechanic to have a look at it for you before quoting for the fix.

Expert answer

Hi Dylan,

Ok, there is a problem here. Modern water-based car paints can indeed be affected by the metallic contents of sun screen, and Volkswagen Group cars seem to be particularly vulnerable. The solution, at least in part, seems to be a full-body mechanical polish, although you could take your chances and have a go yourself with T-cut. It's unlikely to cure the problem entirely though, so the only viable option could well be a full respray.

Of course, if the car is younger than three years old it should be covered by Volkswagen's paint defect warranty. We've heard that Volkswagen (and other companies) won't honour paint warranties where sunscreen is concerned (because it's not strictly a manufacturing defect) but you could try and argue it out with them. Certainly, it seems obtuse to us to argue that reactions to something as common as sunscreen indicate a serious lack of quality control in the painting process.