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Hi Martina, 

You didn't give us an indication of the condition or the mileage but you will probably be offered around €2,000 - €2,500 for the car against another car. 

I hope this helps?

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Hi Mary,

The short answer is that yes it shoud be possible. The scrappage allowance of course would only be allowed on one car and you really do need to move fast to get this sorted because time is against you. Then you could use the Note as part exchange against the same car. You just need to speak to your dealer but they should be able to do this for you.

I hope this helps!

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Hi Tony,

Thank you for your query. I love the Fiat Panda. It is an honest, simple car and absolutely loaded with charm - and they cost from just €7,295 under the scheme, which is really great.

The only thing I would say Tony is that time is running out for you. It is not just the issue of having a Panda in stock and getting it registered before June 30, but you also have to make sure your old car is scrapped and the paperwork is done for it before that date too! So get down to that Fiat dealership near you!

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Hi Laura,

I reckon the Fiat Sedici would be perfect. It is a small car with good fuel economy (from a diesel) that also happenes to come with four-wheel drive, which would make towing really easy. We found one that is within your budget and I reckon it would be a super little car for you.

Hope that helps

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Hi Peter,

Diesel cars are now outselling petrol cars by 3 to 1 and of the petrol models that are selling, they are mainly small runabouts. The fact is that the majority of people are being drawn to the lowest possible road tax and in some cases, oddly, this means that they are actually spending more on the car then they really should have. There seems little sense to spend €2,000 - €3,000 more on a diesel car if you are saving €50 a year in road tax and your mileage is low, but that is the way it seems to be happening right now.

The problem with this is that buyers are missing out on on some really good petrol cars. Fiat and Volkswagen in particular have some smart new petrol engines. Take for example the Jetta, which you  mentioned: the new one is out now, but in the older model there was a 105hp 1.2-litre TSI petrol engine and most people baulked at this because they thought it would be too weedy for the car. The same is true of the 1.4-litre TSI, while both are more than capable of adequate performance. 

In terms of fuel economy, sure enough the diesel will usually trump the petrol, but this will only really start to make monetary sense when you do a lot of mileage. It you intend on high mileage, then you are probably better off sticking with the diesel car - Volkswagens are generally quite good at mega mileage, as are Skodas.

We've been getting quite a few queries about DPFs (diesel particulate filters) here in CompleteCar.ie but Mazda appears to be the only brand showing up faults. The Passat though has not been without its troubles and, to be honest, I am not sure if I would be buying a used one with a lot of kilometres on the clock if big mileage is likely.

You mentioned the Jetta, well this one we found would be a top buy. It has just 14,000 miles on the clock, the right 2.0-litre diesel engine and is within your budget. This would be a good buy.

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Hi Hazel,

What you need is something that will be reliable, has low mileage, has a full service history from a SIMI dealer and that will be a little bit fun to drive. I had a look for you and there are several that match your criteria on sale at the moment. We found a great little Kia Picanto: it has only 30,000km on the clock and is a smashing wee thing that would cost you very little to run.

We really like the Fiat Panda too, as it is a straightforward car that is chic, charming and fun and you could get one with really low mileage that is within your budget. You can never really go wrong with a Ford Fiesta: this would be a super car to own although the mileage on is a little higher.

If you want something that is a little bigger, then this Nissan Primera would be a good car and this is a low-mileage example.

Out of all of these, that Picanto could be a super little buy.

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Hi David,

I see that Autodirect do have a 2007 Opel Meriva for €6,495 and yes it is a good little family car for the money. It is a small MPV, so even though it has a high roof, the cabin isn't that massive. I am wondering whether it might be more prudent, given that those twin babies will grow, to look at something a little larger that wouldn't cost the earth to run.

For the same price as that Meriva, you could have a 2007 Citroen Picasso with tiny mileage. This is a much bigger vehicle and it's a great MPV. Go a year older and you could have the infinitely more useful Opel Zafira for similar money. Something like a Peugeot 307 SW offers lots of space and comfort too, as well as good value.

Anyway, I am not answering your question. AutoDirect is very good to deal with and has established a very strong reputation, so it would get our seal of approval. The Opel Meriva will be a decent buy too.

Anyway, come back to us if you need more help!

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Hi Eileen,

I am presuming that you don't have windscreen cover through your insurance. This is something that you should certainly look at in the future. We contacted Fiat Ireland on your behalf and the cost of the windscreen, including fitting for a 2003 Fiat Doblo is €310. You might want to check with some independent outlets to compare prices though.

I hope this helps.

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Hi Jane,

First things first. The petrol versus diesel debate. Everyone is very caught up on diesel cars right now and that makes a lot of sense when you are buying new because they have lower road tax, but since small cars tend not to use a lot of fuel, the road tax should be quite low anyway. The mileage you are likely to do might warrant a diesel, but the diesel small cars tend to be a lot more expensive, so in this case I would say that a petrol model would do you fine and still won't cost the earth to run.

The VW Polo is an excellent choice because it is really nicely built and holds its value well too. I did a search for ones with the lowest mileage within your budget from main SIMI dealers (so there is more security and better history checks on the car). A 2007 Volkswagen Polo with just 15,000km on the clock is within your budget and would be a really nice buy. It would be dead cheap to run too. 

This 2008 Ford Fiesta is really nice too; with 11,000km on the clock so it is practically brand new. This is a five-door model so it might be a little more practical. It is at the upper end of your budget but you wouldn't pay the advertised price. 

One I would love you to consider though is the Suzuki Swift. It is a smashing little car. It is really reliable, cute, nicely built and fun to drive. It's a 2008 model with low mileage for less than €9,000. 

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the Renault Clio (it was my wife's first car and it was great) and you could find another one with ridiculously low mileage for less than €9,000 too. Here is one I liked the look of.

You wouldn't really go wrong with any of these. Personally, I'd be really tempted by that low-mileage Polo as a long term investment because you will always get a good bit of your money back. 

I hope all that helps