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Hi Lisa,

That car is taxed according to its engine size, which is 2,184cc. Changes for the 2013 Budget mean road tax for this model has increased from €885 to €951 per year.

Hope that helps

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Hi John,

Well, it depends — do you mean the Avensis Verso or the Corolla Verso? Both are very good from the point of view of reliability, although as we’re talking about a 12-year-old car, there are limits to that. You’ll need to check carefully to make sure everything’s working properly, and if there are gaps in the service history, walk away. The Corolla Verso was always a very decent car — compact, but very spacious inside, and not at all bad to drive. The Avensis Verso was much bigger, of course, but really felt it — they’re very roly-poly in the corners. Automatics are fine, but you’ll have to expect slightly higher fuel consumption than you would with a manual of that era.

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Hi Mairead,

That’s the 1.6 diesel that’s in almost everything; from Citroens and Peugeots to MINIs, Fords, Volvos and Mazdas. As such, it’s a pretty reliable engine, as long as it’s been properly serviced and fed a regular diet of high-grade synthetic oil. Keep an eye on the fragile water pumps and exhaust gas recirculation valves, though.

As for the rest of the car, tread carefully. That was the last Citroen to come with the legendary Hydragas suspension system as standard, and while that’s terrific from a point of view of comfort, it is a complex and often fragile system. Ditto the C5’s complex electrical system. Make sure it has a full and complete service history and, if there are any gaps or if the overall condition is anything less than excellent, walk away.

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Hi Gary,

Hang on — do we mean miles, as in actual miles, or kilometres? If it’s kilometres, it’s high for the age. If it’s miles, then its astronomical. Either way, mileage is not a good indication of what sort of state a car is in. Condition and history are what you should judge it on. As for the engine replacement, it’s certainly something to raise a lot of questions. Fair enough — engines do fail from time to time, and it can happen to any car, but it could indeed be an indication that the car has been used very hard, so check everything very carefully.

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Hi Claire,

It's very difficult to assess such things from afar, but I wonder if the oil pressure was low already and the car has damaged one of its big-end bearings on the crankshaft. First thing to do is make sure there's sufficient oil in the engine and then get it along to a good mechanic right away.

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Hi Ramon,

How long’s that piece of string, there? It really depends on model, history and condition. The old R34 Skyline GT-R (the square one, the last one to actually be called Skyline) can go for as little as €20,000, or as much as €70-80,000, depending on what sort of state they’re in. Newer GT-R models (the ‘Darth Vader’ one…) have a similarly huge price range, from as little as €40,000 to close to €100,000 depending on the age and spec.

As for problems, well, they’re hugely strong, well-made and reliable, but the problem is that tuners love them, so you never know quite what you’re getting. Check for poorly-executed modifications, incorrect wheels and tyres, suspension damage, blown turbos and electronics sent haywire by a poor engine re-mapping. Shop around very, very carefully to avoid one that’s been thrashed beyond its limits, and I’d recommend getting in touch with the owners’ club (maybe even joining and attending a few events) before making the leap.

These are hugely specialist cars, and the more knowledge you can build up, the better.

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Hi Shay,

You've not told us which engine your car has, so we're going to assume it's the 1.6-litre petrol version. The change schedule is actually 160,000km, but no harm doing it early of course. 

As to the cost, I'm afraid that will vary depending on where you bring the car to have it done. The work should take no more than three hours. The auxiliary belts should be changed at the same time, so make sure you factor that into your costing.

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Hi Maggie,

We do love a good rotary engine, and the RX-8 was one of Mazda’s best spinny-spinny efforts. Good looking, surprisingly practical and great to drive. The first thing to look for is a full service history, and preferably one from a Mazda main dealer or specialist. If it doesn’t have a full history, don’t buy it. The next thing to look for is excessive smoke on start-up — that means the rotor seals are knackered. Then check carefully for accident damage — they’re tail-happy in the wet and plenty have been binned by less-than-skilled owners. 

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Hi Ollie,

Generally speaking, you should be OK, as that 30-min run each day should be enough to keep a DPF hot enough to clean it out, but that’s if and only if that 30 mins is all run at high-ish speeds, say above 80km/h most of the time and in a lower gear. If you’re spending a lot of time in stop-start traffic, I think a petrol option might still be the better one. Mazda’s 2.0-litre petrol engine can be a bit thirsty, but the 1.4 TSI option in the Passat and A4 is a very frugal engine, and still has peppy performance.

Expert answer

Hi Derek and thanks for the question about the new Kuga,

Sadly, we won't be driving the new car until January so we can't give you much of an opinion as yet. It's bigger! Ford of Ireland has not released pricing either so we can't comment on how much value it is I'm afraid.

Keep an eye on the site at the end of next month for an update though.

Thanks and have a great Christmas.