Expert answer

Hi Steven,

In my opinion this is NOT a good buy for the price and not suitable for your needs. The car looks in acceptable condition, but it already has quite high mileage, and you plan on adding over 45,000 kilometres a year to it. There are a lot of cars around for the same €4,500 with much lower mileage.

Come back to us if you'd like help finding something more suitable.

Expert answer

Hi Thomas,

There's never a simple answer to such questions, and bear in mind that the trade-in price you're given may well include a discount on the car you're buying. It's best to focus on the 'cost to change' instead.

Regardless, we reckon that you should get around €24,000 for the car against something else, assuming it's still like new. 

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Sean,

With those options in front of us and no clue to each car's mileage and condition then we'd say there's a strong case for the Mazda6. It's significantly more spacious than all the other cars you listed for a start. That 2.0-litre diesel engine has plenty of grunt and is relatively economical, while the Mazda6 has a great reputation for reliability.

Hope that's of help

Expert answer

Hi Andrew,

First of all, the relatively straightforward stuff. There are less Titanium models around than LX and Zetec so it's worth a little more. Autos are quite rare as well so it's not easy to accurately predict the value. However, we reckon you could advertise it for €16,999 as a private sale (and accept a little less) and expect an offer as low as €13,000 in trade-in. Bear in mind though that you should focus on the cost to change if you're going down the trade-in route.

Your car is already at the high end of the mileage range for S-MAXs of that age and if you plan on continuing at the same rate then it may well make sense to change now before the car loses all appeal for dealers - as you've pointed out. 

Hope all that helps.

Expert answer

Hi Sean,

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to such things. That looks like a good, desirable car so I wouldn't expect the dealer to have too much difficulty selling it. Hence, they're not likely to discount by very much, perhaps a fraction under €15,000. Still, go in there with an offer of about €14,000 to get the ball rolling. Don't mention you're a cash buyer until the next stage of the negotiation!

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Rory,

I'm sure you're aware that your budget will get you any number of relatively new regular cars such as the Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus, along with bigger models like the Ford Mondeo and Toyota Avensis.

However, given your current choice of car I'd suspect that you'd like to retain the elevated driving position and your mileage dictates a diesel engine. Most cars can take a tow bar and you don't have heavy towing needs so that's not a major consideration. Likewise, all SUVs etc. will have room for your golf clubs.

So the logical choices based on all that include:

BMW X3: Good diesel engine, spacious, but your budget may only get you an older example.

Citroen C-Crosser: Great 2.2-litre diesel engine; rest of car built on Mitsubishi mechanicals.

Honda CR-V: Bomb-proof reliability, but again may have to settle for older example.

Hyundai Santa Fe: Big and comfortable, though running costs higher than smaller SUV.

Mitsubishi Outlander: Spacious, well made, ok diesel, if loud.

Nissan X-Trail: Strangely forgotten, but plenty around at this price.

Peugeot 4007: Shares its engine and underpinnings with the Citroen above.

Suzuki Grand Vitara: Very reliable.

Toyota RAV4: Another with impressive reliability. Possibly the choice of the lot at this price.

There are loads of older, bigger SUVs for sale at that price too, but they'll cost you more to run for no real benefit.

If you're willing to change body styles completely it's worth checking out something like a BMW 120d Coupé or a diesel 3 Series Coupé. There are also plenty of great estates on the market for that budget, including the Audi A4 Avant and BMW 3 Series Touring. I know you don't need that space for a family, but it's useful for a lot of other things.

Come back to us with more information and we'll help to narrow your search further.

Expert answer

Hi Kevin,

That's a bit of a black art in itself and of course will depend on whether the seller is private or a dealer. Assuming an asking price in the region of €11,000 to €13,000 go in with an offer €1,500 below and see what they say. Don't take their first offer either - haggle.

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Antoinette,

First of all it's always worth remembering to focus on the 'cost to change' rather than the trade-in value alone. Your current car is unlikley to be worth quite €1,000 to a dealer so bear that in mind. If that gives you €5,000 in total to spend then you could potentially afford a 2005 Toyota Avensis. However, that price will get you a high mileage example so it may be worth going for a 2003/2004 example in good condition with low mileage.

I reckon you're better off with a petrol version if you're looking at an Avensis of that age. It was before the changeover to emissions-based taxation in July 2008, so the 1.6-litre petrol model was very popular - and is therefore in plentiful supply on the used market. Tax is cheaper too than the diesel of the same age due to it being calculated on engine size.

Along with that, 11,000 miles per year is not quite high enough to justify the potential extra cost of a diesel car in my opinion.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Steve,

We are not aware of any issues with this engine as yet. Most problems would have been rectified under warranty so far in any case, making it too early to say for sure.

Prices vary around the country and of course between dealers and private sellers, but the car you're describing is worth somewhere in the region of €13,000 to €15,000.

Hope that helps.

Expert answer

Hi Andrew,

The key point you make here is 'properly maintained' and to be honest if you really take care of it and are prepared to invest money into it then you could expect 200,000+. It isn't all that unusual to see Focus diesels with mega mileage. See this one on sale in a dealership in Carlow with 190,000 miles on the clock. So it is really up to the owner. I wouldn't expect it to last much over 200,000 though, before it would become uneconomic to own it.