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Hi Christopher,

Yes, absolutely. Mazdas are renowned for their reliability, and the 3 is no different. In spite of sharing all its mechanical parts with the second generation Ford Focus, the 3 generally does a little better than the Ford in reliability and surveys. Perhaps the Mazda engineers do the bolts up a little tighter... Some early models apparently suffered from turbo failure on the 1.6 diesel engine but that seems to be the only thing, bar the usual history checks and damage inspection, to be worried about.

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Hi Catherine,

Not necessarily. The 1.6-litre diesel used in the C-Max is an engine used in a huge variety of cars, from the C-Max to the Focus to the Mondeo to various Citroens, Peugeots, Volvos and even the occasional MINI. This means that, by and large, it's a decent engine with good reliability prospects and millions of miles of use in a massive number of cars to reveal any bugs.

That said, there are a couple of issues to watch for and mostly it's to do with the turbocharger, which can occasionally be a weak point. Usually it's down to a failure of the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, and it can be pretty easily fixed. Watch the parts prices and shop around for quotes if anything does go wrong. Alternators can give trouble too, so be suspicious of any engine or battery warning lights.

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Hi Linda,

That very much depends on the ages of the kids, as the Volvo S40 is really only about the same size as a Ford Focus (it's actually made on that car's platform). You won't easily get three booster seats across the back seat and the boot is ok an acceptable size rather than an impressive one.

For reference, I have two kids (three and a half and five and a half) and we have the Volvo V50, which is the estate version of the S40. It's just about big enough. If we had another kid I'd be looking at changing cars.

Hope that helps

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Hi Margaret,

You need to book a session at your nearest NCT centre to have the car valued for Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT), which is the fee payable when importing a car from outside the state. According to the regulations, you have to book the inspection within seven days of the car arriving in this country, and then you have 30 days to complete the inspection and pay the fee, which will be calculated as a percentage of the estimated Irish market value, based on that model’s CO₂ emissions. You can find more details here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/vrt-guide.html

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Hi Siobhan,

Although the Passat is a really well built car, I'd go for the Focus in this instance. The Passat's 1.6-litre petrol engine struggled with the weight of the car, and that made it both uneconomical and rather prone to developing problems. The Focus, although a smaller vehicle overall, struggles less with its 1.4-litre engine and the general build quality on that first generation Focus was excellent. Just check carefully underneath for signs of rust - some first gen Focus models didn't get proper underseal at the factory.

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Hi Sharon,

I always think an estate is better for a two-kid family, rather than going for the styling and dynamic compromises an MPV forces upon you. A good idea for that kind of budget might be to upgrade to a more recent Focus Estate. A budget of €6k would get you a high-ish mileage 2008 version with the 1.6-litre diesel engine, which will cost you buttons to run - an easy 58mpg.

It's spacious and comfy and as long as you like your current Focus you won't go wrong. Looking for more of a change? How about a Kia cee'd SW 1.6 diesel EX? Again, cheap to run, really reliable and lots of room in the boot for buggies etc. A cracking family car, that one. Fancy something a bit more rugged? Maybe try a Nissan X-Trail, front-wheel drive with the 150hp 2.0-litre diesel engine. A really terrific car that, but obviously it will be more expensive to run than a smaller estate.

As for trade-in on your Focus, I'm afraid I wouldn't expect too much. Probably only about €1,000 to €1,500.

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Hi Jim,

Yup, very good. Nicely specced these days and usually good value for money. One thing to watch - Zetec Focus models usually have stiffer, sportier suspension which can make the ride quite bouncy. Take a lengthy test drive to make sure it's to your taste.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Donald,

Officialy it's every 100,000 miles (160,000km) or every two years.

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Hi Brian,

First up, 143,000 miles isn't much for the 1.8 TDCi engine so don't focus on that. This sounds like the car has gone into 'limp home' mode, which could be for a variety of reasons from a faulty sensor to a blocked diesel particulate filter (DPF). You really need the car hooked up to a diagnostic computer at a garage to get to the bottom of the problem quickly.

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Tom,

It's a much smaller car, the Rio. The Focus would be significantly larger and more spacious in the cabin and boot. There is a roughly €6,000 difference between the new prices of both, which should give you an idea of the gap between them. That said, if you don't need the cabin and boot space, the Rio is a cracking little car. Good to drive, good to look at and with that famous seven-year warranty.