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Hi Peter,

OK, there was no 1.3 diesel Hyundai i30, it was always a 1.6 diesel although there were lower and higher power versions. We found a couple of classified ads purporting to be 1.3 diesel i30s, but they must be typos. The Astra is definitely available with a 1.3 CDTi diesel though (a unit co-developed with Fiat a number of years ago) and while it's a fine engine and the Astra is a fine car, it's the Hyundai we'd go for - it's economical, cheap to tax and endlessly reliable. It's also far better to drive than you might expect (it even drew admiring comparisons to the class handling champ, the Ford Focus, at its time of launch) and is spacious and comfy to boot.

That said, if you're thinking of the Hyundai, you have to also consider the Kia cee'd. Launched in 2006, it's mechanically identical to the Hyundai, arguably a little sharper to drive and, depending on the mileage, a 2008 model should still have two years of Kia's seven-year warranty to run.

To be fair, you won't go wrong with either.

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Hi Breon,

First of all, congratulations on the incoming arrival. As for finding the right car seat, we're really not the experts in terms of advice on specific seats, but we know some people who are. Pop in to your local branch of Mothercare or Halfords (or Tony Kealy's if you live in the Dublin area) and you should be able to get some very helpful advice on which is the correct kind of seat for your kids. As a rule of thumb, the longer you can keep them in a rear-facing seat, and then the longer you can keep them in a full-backed seat, with integral harness, the better. It's down to the size and weight of the individual child though. 

As for cars, you have several choices but they're all MPVs, I'm afraid. Sorry about that... Still, all is not lost, as the Citroen C4 Picasso and Peugeot 5008 are both pleasantly comfy, economical and easy on the eye. Kick up a price and size band and you'll find the Ford S-Max, which is one of our favourite cars, whether or not space is your priority. Handsome and good to drive, that one.

If you're in the second hand market, you could do worse than track down a good used Fiat Multipla (if you can live with the looks, it's got one of the best cabins of any car, ever) or there's always the evergreen Renault Scenic or the (slightly dour) Volkswagen Touran. Finally, there's the Toyota Verso, which isn't the most exciting choice but is solidly built and spacious. Finally, the six-seat Honda FR-V is a left-field choice that's one of those classic "try it and you'll never have anything else" cars.

Hope that helps.

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Hi Aine,

Small car? Or small premium car? If you like your Audis, then a smart-but-small A1 could be a good choice, but to be honest you’d be better off buying the new SEAT Ibiza, which uses all the same mechanical bits, but is much, much cheaper. The Honda Jazz is always a good choice, too — roomy, really well made and enjoyable to drive — as is the MINI Cooper if you fancy something small but fun. Or, if you want to go really small, check out a Fiat 500. Here are our reviews of each:

SEAT Ibiza review

Audi A1 review

Honda Jazz review

MINI Cooper review

Fiat 500 review

Expert answer

Hi Philip,

The thing with Italian cars is that they're like the apocryphal little sister. When they're good, they're very, very good. When they're bad, they're 'orrible.

The Multipla is actually one of the more robust Fiats, and speaking from personal experience the 1.9 JTDM diesel engine seems to take all manner of abuse and high mileage in its stride.

The best bet seems to be to avoid the 1.6 petrol model, and check to see if a diesel is down on power or displaying obvious flat-spots in the power delivery. If so, it could be an exhaust gas recirculation valve, or a more serious crankshaft wear issue. 

Other than that, check and make sure that everything electronic is working right. Fiat has come a long way on reliability since the bad old days but irritating electrical gremlins remain the brand's Achilles heel.

Let us know how you get on

Expert answer

Hi Gerry,

Yes, as not only is it smaller and nippier than the Punto, it will be a lot more reliable, and easier to sell on again.

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Hi Liam,

It’s not up to Toyota Yaris levels of reliability (what is?), but actually it shouldn’t be too bad. If looked after properly, the Punto should be fine, in terms of reliability, but the problem is that, at that age, it’s very likely to have been owned by someone who tried to run it on the cheap, which is not good news. Check the history carefully before buying with Cartell.ie.

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Hi Keith,

No, it's not a waste of time at all. It's almost always better value to keep and fix an existing car rather than pay the cost-of-change to upgrade to something newer. That said, if you're convinced you need a better solution, then you won't do better than to go for one of the many car-vans on offer now. The Renault Kangoo and Citroen Berlingo are the best known versions, but there are also similar models available from Fiat, Volkswagen and Peugeot.  My personal pick would be the Fiat Doblo, fitted with the 1.6- or 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel engines. You'll find the cabin surprisingly comfy, it's quite pleasant to drive, very economical and good on tax and massively spacious in the back. There's even a seven-seat version available if you want to be really popular at the school gate.

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Hi David,

Lots. If you’re buying new, you can easily get into such models as a Volkswagen up!, Skoda Citigo, SEAT Mii, Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Fiat Panda, Fiat 500, Ford Ka+, Suzuki Celerio and many more . If you’re buying used, it all depends on what you want and how old a car you feel like buying. Could be anything from a Dacia to a Mercedes.

Come back to us if you want us to go into detail in one area.

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Hi Angela,

Clearly any such warning needs to be taken very seriously and we'd recommend not driving the car until it is fixed.

We do know, however, that the Stilo regularly suffers from damaged wiring under the driver's seat that can lead to such issues. It could be as simple as a single wire that needs replacing. Bring the car to a mechanic or auto electrician and suggest that.

Let us know how you get on

Expert answer

Hi Jonny,

Right, there's a couple of easy answers to this question and they are Volkswagen Polo, Toyota Yaris and Ford Fiesta. There are tonnes of them around, they're all safe and the Yaris can be had with a 1.0-litre engine so low tax and insurance rates are assured.

But... But there are a couple of possibilities that are a bit more fun and a little more interesting. How about a Suzuki Swift? Not as spacious as the above trio, but as your child is only one that's not really an issue for now. Besides it's way more fun to drive than any of the others and Suzukis are super reliable.

Or you could go for something a bit more trendy and exciting. €5,000 is the absolute bottom end price for a Fiat 500 but you might be able to track one down, and it's fun and funky as well as safe and cheap to run. Or there's the mother of all fun hatches, the MINI. €5,000 gets you lots of choice but we'd go for a MINI One (it avoids the extra insurance loading of a Cooper) and have a good shop around to find one with decent equipment. Fun, just about spacious enough (if you juggle the seats around), safe and with a great chassis and great all-round visibility, it's ideal for a learner.

Come back to us if need help to narrow things down further.