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Hi Karla,

Well, you're looking at two different sizes of car there. If you want to physically downsize, then the Ibiza is the one to go for - it's smaller than the Golf (based on the same chassis as the Volkswagen Polo), but still pretty spacious, rather handsome and nice to drive. They're very reliable too, but quite noisy and uncouth on a longer journey. A Focus is roughly the same size as a Golf, but if it's painless, economical motoring you're after than a 1.6 TDCi Focus could be the answer - plentiful, well-made, sweet to drive and 55mpg.

What do you think?

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Hi Breda,

It takes 3.8 litres of oil if a new oil filter has been fitted. Best to top up in smaller amounts and check it as you go to prevent overfilling, as that can cause a lot of problems.

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Hi Colin,

Well, according to our data the timing belt only needs to be changed at 100,000 miles or 160,000km, or every ten years, so it should be fine for a while.

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Hi Ciara,

Our data tells us that it needs to be done at 200,000km or every ten years.

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Hi Charles,

I've only this week driven the updated version for the first time and it takes a considerable step forward in terms of refinement, quietness and comfort, while also being far better to look at and astoundingly good to drive. The full report can be read here.

It could well be the best car in its class - we'll reserve judgement on that until we've tried an Irish spec car.

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Hi Sean,

Go for the 1.6. It's more economical, has lower emissions and is more common than the 1.8, so parts and bits are easier to come by if anything goes wrong. Now, watch the turbo like a hawk, the exhaust gas recirculation valve can give trouble and make sure you insist on proper, high-quality synthetic oil whenever it's serviced. The older 1.8 is actually a bit of a cracking engine, and an in-house Ford designed unit, not shared with other brands as the 1.6 is (Peugeot, Citroen, Volvo and MINI have all shared the same engine). It's a good unit, but the easier running costs of the 1.6 just make it the better choice.

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Hi Claire,

I'd go for the Leon. The Focus is a fine car, don't get me wrong, but the Leon is (as you point out) better looking, SEATs have incredibly good build quality and reliability (we've had four SEATs in our family and from personal experience there's barely been a day off the road between any of them) and the Leon is really good to drive too. Cracking car, you won't go wrong.

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Hi Marie,

Funnily enough this is similar to a series of incidents I went through with my father-in-law a few years back. He also had a BMW (a 5 Series) that was giving him no end of trouble and after, I think, the fourth time it left him stranded at the side of the road, he finally got sick of it and started shopping for a new car. I pointed him towards what I thought was a safe bet and, seven years on, he's had three quarters of a decade of near-faultless motoring in his Honda CR-V. Moral of the story? If you want a reliable car, go for a Honda. Take the Civic - it should be able to take a couple of bikes if you fold those clever rear seats flat too.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Colin,

There's not much to choose between the two in terms of overall talent, practicality or reliability, but my instinct would be to go for the Golf - that second generation Focus had a rather plain, unlovely cabin whereas the Golf's is much comfier and more welcoming - important stuff with a long regular journey like yours. The only other thing to consider would be the cabin space - if you often carry tall passengers in the back seats, then go for the Ford, it's much more spacious.

Let us know which you go for

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Hi Simon,

That’s absolutely top-value for a 2005 Focus, so the car would want to be in exceptionally good condition and come with a full and complete service history and a decent warranty to command that kind of price. You haven’t given us a year for your Polo so it’s rather difficult to value but we think you could potentially find better value on the Focus out there.