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Hi Brid,

You might be able to but I'd suggest if you're buying it for your daughter you may not want to! Make sure you get a good one and be aware that the Focus didn't have anti-lock brakes (ABS) as standard back then and many cars were sold without it. Worth tracking down one with that life-saving tech.

Let us know how you get on or if you need more help

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Hi Dan,

Hmmm. Generally for your mileage I would recommend a petrol car, but the bad news is that in your size bracket, petrol engines are a little thin on the ground. You could go for either a straight replacement for your Corolla by getting a Toyota Auris 1.4 D-4D, which is a very fine car, or you could, as you suggest, branch out and snap up a Hyundai i30 1.6 diesel - again a very fine car and with that five-year warranty, a very tempting buy. 

But, with your mileage profile, I would suggest taking a good long look at petrol alternatives. The Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost is a terrific car with a great engine and well worth a look. That said it's a little tight in the back seats for two teenagers so I'd say the best all round bet is a Skoda Octavia 1.2 TSI. It's more affordable than the diesel version, damn near as economical and has a big boot and lots of space in the back seats for those teenager-filled weekend runs. Great quality and reliability too.

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Hi Ruadhan,

That, I'm afraid, is a question with too many variable answers. Second-hand vehicle values are like stock market values - they go up and down and often rather unpredictably. There are a few rules of thumb, though...

1. It's got to be diesel. Yes, we (and others) have tried to educate the motoring populace that diesel power doesn't automatically mean better economy or lower running costs, but right now the market is diesel-crazy and if it doesn't sip from the black pump, it's not going to hold on to its value.

2. The lowest depreciating cars are, obviously, the most popular models. So the likes of the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai Santa Fe, BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and so on will always hold on to their value the best. Check the list of the top-ten best-selling cars on the market - these are your depreciation heroes.

3. What about depreciation villains? Anything that the market doesn't trust, really. Estates tend to fare especially poorly, anything with a French badge is suspect and if it's Italian, forget it. You'll lose your shirt on any of these.

4. Spec is king. You can have the most in-demand car going but if it's painted bright yellow and has green seats, you're never going to shift it. So, to keep depreciation at bay, stick with dark metallics and subtle interior tones. Pale cabin colours tend to fare less well when it comes to wear and tear, so the market prefers blacks and greys on the inside too. If it's an executive car, it has to have an automatic gearbox. Anything with factory-fit air conditioning and Bluetooth telephony is looking good, leather is always helpful but other expensive toys don't always help a car hang on to its value.

Hope that's all of interest

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Hi Aidan,

To be honest, the hard part is going to be finding an automatic car that's within your budget. I'd say hold out for a Honda, purely on reliability, but any of the usual Focus-Golf-Astra-Corolla types should be fine as long as you get something with decent history.

Hope that helps

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Hi Robbie,

It could well be a wheel bearing. Though it could just as easily be a tyre. Best bet is to bring it to a different mechanic to have it checked over.

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Hi Declan,

The recommended timing belt change is every 210,000km or every ten years, whichever is sooner.

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Hi Glenn,

Assuming you mean the 90hp model, then the official fuel economy was 64.2mpg on the combined cycle.

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Hi Olivia,

I'm afraid a timing belt change is not something that the average person can do on their own. It's a skilled job that really should be left to a trained mechanic. It's not simply a case of unbolting something sliding the belt off, sliding a new one on and bolting it all back together I'm afraid.

Please get it done professionally. Even if you do a lot of work on your own car, getting the timing belt wrong can have catastrophic consequences for the engine.

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Hi Sean,

Volvos tend to be built pretty tough, actually and the S40 is based on the second-generation Ford Focus, a car thatwas noted for its reliability, so it's starting from a strong base. There were a couple of recalls involving a potential fuel leak and some issues with the windscreen surround, and the key and remote locking system have been known to give trouble too. The popular 1.6-litre diesel engine can also develop problems with the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve and it needs to be topped up with high-grade oil at service time. Other than that, you shouldn't have any major problems.

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Hi David,

It's interesting that the 1.6 petrol Focus of that generation was generally more reliable than the 1.6 diesel version - probably something to do with the petrol engine being older, dumber and simpler. Not that the 1.6 TDCi is especially bad, it's just sensitive to having the right grade and type of oil at major services, the exhaust gas recirculation valve in the turbo can give trouble and software issues can cause slow starting and misfires.

Hope that helps