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Hi Alan,

All are, in general, pretty solidly reliable cars as you would expect,  but the issues come with the added weight and complexity of those folding hard-tops. All three can suffer roof failure (often at the point of being half way up or down) and all three suffer equally from increased tyre and suspension wear relative to their hatchback cousins, not to mention higher fuel consumption. None, to be honest, are especially pleasant to drive.

Of the three, I’d say the Eos is the best built, the Focus by a slim margin the best to drive and the Astra fractionally the roomier in the back seat. As an alternative, what about an Audi A4 Cabriolet? You’d have to go for an older one to match the price, but it’s a better car and a better convertible than any of these. Alternatively, if you don’t need the back seats, get a Mazda MX-5 – literally the only small convertible that’s actually worth buying.

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Hi Jorg,

Yes it does and the recommended change interval is 125,000 miles (210,000km) or every 10 years. 

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Hi Donal,

Yeah, it is actually. I know it's not the best looking thing around but it's actually quite nice to drive, very spacious and pretty well made too. And you get a five-year warranty now too, so that should put any unreliability worries to bed. If you've got three kids, it might be worth having a look at the 500L MPW, which is even uglier but has extra seats in the boot.

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Hi Donal,

The Cactus is actually quite a small car, smaller than a Focus, so I think you'd struggle to get three kids in the back, on top of which the boot is quite small. If it's a roomy, kid-friendly Citroen you fancy you'll probably need to upgrade to the C4 Picasso MPV.

Relevant reviews:

Citroen C4 Cactus review

Citroen C4 Picasso review

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Hi Pauline,

You're absolutely 100 per cent dead right - diesel is not for everyone and especially not for those with overall low mileages and short commutes. And as the recent emissions scandal has shown us, diesel exhaust can be staggeringly bad for your health. 

As for finding a diesel without a DPF filter, I'm not sure you'll be able to. In order to meet the particulate emissions legislation under EuroV and EuroVI regulations you pretty much had to have one. Some people have, of course, removed the DPF to avoid maintenance issues, but then you're just spewing out a plume of highly carcinogenic soot particles as you drive...

So, I think your best bet is to go for a compact turbocharged petrol engine or, just maybe, a hybrid. The Toyota Prius would potentially be ideal for your daily drive, but could be a bit of an over-thirsty pain on that six-time-a-year longer journey. Try instead a car fitted with the Volkswagen Group's excellent 1.2-litre TSI turbo petrol engine (Golf or Skoda Octavia are the best ones), a Ford Focus with the 1.0 EcoBoost engine or maybe an Opel Astra 1.4 Turbo. Here are a few relevant reviews for you to consult:

Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost review

Skoda Octavia 1.2 TSI review

Opel Astra GTC 1.4 Turbo review

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Hi Kathleen,

That's a question we answered not long ago actually, and you can read the full version here: http://www.completecar.ie/askusanything/question/13131/Talk-me-through-the-different-Ford-Focus-models.

There haven't been any major changes since, aside from the addition of the ENORMOUSLY FUN €52k Focus RS model.

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Hi Gary,

Yes, but it's not due to arrive until late this year. It'll likely have only very small exterior changes (expect a more Passat-like front end), but there will be some bigger changes to the interior, including a new centre stack with the option of a big, Tesla-like tablet-style touchscreen with 'Gesture Control.' We may also get sight of the new family of 1.5-litre turbo petrol and turbodiesel engines this year (although they're more likely to be reserved for the all-new MkVIII Golf in a couple of years' time), but we'll definitely get to see the ultimate hot Golf - a four-wheel drive 420hp version of the Golf R designed to take on the Ford Focus RS.

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Hi Libby,

The Caddy Life is actually a really good choice - hugely versatile and not at all bad to drive, for a car based on a van. It's also worth looking at the Citroen Berlingo (similar, but doesn't have the long wheelbase Maxi Life option) or the Renault Kangoo. If you fancy something a bit more comfy and car-like, have a look at a Ford S-Max or the SEAT Alhambra.

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Hi Catriona,

Go for the petrol Golf. It's a hugely economical engine anyway, but if you're doing short hops and low mileage then there's just no point in buying a diesel. You'll never make back the extra purchase price in fuel savings and you'll run into problems with clogged diesel particulate filters, etc.

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Hi Declan,

Probably somewhere in the region of €1,700.