Expert answer

Hi Siegfried,

Yes, it's a cracking family car. A shame it's not the seven-seater, which is even more versatile again, but even so the Doblo has a great combination of practicality and affordability.

That 1.3 MultiJet diesel engine is a cracker too. Economical and decently reliable.

Can't recommend it highly enough, to be honest.

Expert answer

Hi Bill,

Is that the 1.8-litre engine? If so, then it had an official fuel economy figure of 32mpg. I say ‘had’ because that’s a 16-year-old car and a huge amount is going to depend on how well it’s been looked after. Generally speaking, I’d say that you should expect around 25mpg from it around town, and maybe 35mpg on a longer run.

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

If you're buying from a reputable dealer, then you should expect to get at least a six-month warranty, and indeed there are car company-backed approved second hand programmes where you can get as much as a two-year warranty, which is pretty good. 

That said, buying an aftermarket warranty is a pretty good idea, once the costs work out. You'll have to decide on the model of car and year in order to get a quote, as it's basically like an insurance system for your mechanical parts, and make doubly sure you read all the small print and know for certain what's covered, under what circumstances, whether knock-on damage (i.e, when the failure of one component causes the failure of others around it) and if there's an excess etc.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Colette,

We'll work from official figures here. Mazda quotes 4.3 litres/100km (65.7mpg) for the Mazda3 fitted with its 115hp 1.6 diesel engine. That applies to all versions of the five-door hatchback and four-door saloon the diesel engine can be had in.

Hyundai, meanwhile, quotes 4.1 litres/100km (68.9mpg) for its 110hp 1.6-litre diesel engine - in manual guise - so that car wins by a nose.

We wouldn't expect there to be much in it for the average driver though, as the Mazda has a little more performance (specifically torque), which means that the driver has to try a little harder in the Hyundai to achieve the same speeds.

Expert answer

Hi John,

Yup, that seems like a good price, assuming the condition is good and all the service history is up to date. Make sure it's been in for a recall to have the steering system looked at and another one to reprogramme the engine control unit to stop it mistakenly kicking in to 'limp home' mode. 

A word of caution though; this car comes from an era when Mercedes-Benz was having a terrible time with build quality, and while the C-Class is generally well-made, we have heard reports of myriad problems, from small things like faulty door locks and handbrake linkages, to major items like engine injectors and ECUs. Buy carefully.

Let us know how you get on

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 Julia,

Yes on both! It's Golf-based, so the Eos is pretty solidly built and there seems to be a refreshing lack of reports of issues with the roof mechanism (not usually the case where folding steel hard-tops are concerned), but it is quite a pricey car, especially if you want one with a bit of decent poke. The problem is that the weight of the roof banjaxes the performance, even that of the model with the 200hp Golf GTI engine, and that heft, whether it's up above your head, or folded out back in the boot, doesn't do the handling much good either.

If you're looking for a classy cabrio, could we suggest going for something a year or two older and snapping up a nice Audi A4 Cabriolet instead? It's got a (proper) cloth roof, is nicer to drive than the Eos and built like an utter tank.

Let us know how you get on

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 Martin,

Ford is due to update the Mondeo next year, in line with the facelift given to the (all-but identical) Ford Fusion model in the US last year. It won’t be a massive change, but there will be things such as tweaked lights, some new colours and options, the latest SYNC3 infotainment system and some interior upgrades to try and boost the cabin quality.

The 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine will be upgraded to 140hp, while the 1.5-litre EcoBoost (possibly the best engine option for the Mondeo, overall) will see a boost to 180hp. It’s just possible that Ford may introduce an ST version too, using the 2.7-litre turbocharged V6 engine from the US Fusion.

As for an all new model, that’s probably at least four years away at the moment.

Expert answer

Hi James,

I’m tempted to say yes, simply because the car is going to be worth very little if you go to sell it or trade it in without that work being done. True, the cost of repair in this case is probably about what the car is worth, but if you still love it (and it sounds as if you do) then I think it’s worth having a go at maintaining it.

True, there’s always the danger of more trouble down the line and it’s impossible for us to quantify how likely that is, but put it this way — the €1,200 you’ll spend on it now will be a fraction of the cost of chopping it in for something new, so if there are bigger problems in a year’s time, you won’t have cost yourself too much.