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Hi Troy,

The 508 RXH is a really likeable car, with tremendous comfort and very good quality. It’s a bit pricey, but a surprisingly good choice. We would avoid the Mondeo Vignale with all our might – the depreciation on a Ford that costs that much is going to be catastrophic so instead just go for a well-equipped Mondeo Titanium or Titanium Plus. The best of the three is the Skoda, though. It’s the biggest inside and will have the best resale value.

Here are some of our reviews to help you decide:

Ford Mondeo Vignale review

Skoda Superb Combi review

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Hi Gareth,

Is that the 1.6 TDCi? If so the belt is ‘lifed’ for ten years, with no specific mileage limit, but as it’s four years old now, it might be at worth getting it at least inspected.

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Hi Fergal,

In a purely objective sense? No, there’s nothing. Will you get an interior that looks and feels a bit classier? Yes. Will you get a badge that has a bit more appeal? Yes. Do these things really matter? Not to everyone. If you’ve got a Mondeo then you already have a well-made, comfortable car that’s good to drive. So upgrading to an Audi or BMW will get you… a shinier badge. If you want something that feels as good as the premium stuff but costs less, have a look at a Volkswagen Passat or Mazda6 as a potential replacement. The only area in which the German cars are quantifiably better is in resale value.

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Hi Linda,

Assuming it's the 2.0 TDCi, then it's every 200,000km or every ten years, whichever is sooner. 

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Hi Des,

It depends on just how big a car you need, and if you need a full seven-seater. The Volkswagen Golf SV, for instance, has the space for three seats across the back, but doesn't have the folding seats in the boot of the bigger Touran. Both are excellent cars, but you'll save a considerable amount of money by going for the SV. Others worth considering are the Toyota Verso (available in both five- and seven-seat forms), Citroen C4 Picasso (ditto) and the Kia Carens (only a seven-seater).

Peugeot's 5008 and Ford's C-Max are also worth a look, but if you need something bigger, if basically boils down to two choices - Ford S-Max or SEAT Alhambra. 

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Hi Patrick,

Classic cars are, currently, an exceptionally good investment, but I would exercise a touch of caution – back in the eighties, the same was true and values seemed to quadruple every week, but then came a massive crash in classic prices, which saw more than a few investors get their fingers (and in some cases hands, wrists and elbows) burned.

There are a few specific models and makes to focus on, but first off don’t assume that you can buy an old wreck, restore it and make a profit. Sometimes you can, but proper restorations cost enormous amounts of time and money and many restored cars are actually sold at a loss.

There are some cars that are pretty safe bets though (albeit that comes with the caveat that values can fall as well as rise). The best car for investments seems to be the Mercedes-Benz SL, of pretty much any generation. Mid-sixties ‘Pagoda Roof’ SLs are probably at the peak of their values now, but the later ‘Bobby Ewing’ models still have some viable investment room. The better bet, though, could be to get in on the ground floor of the R129 SL model, built from 1989 to 2002. They’re still relatively affordable, and if the values of their predecessors are anything to go buy, you could be looking at a serious rise in values in the next few years.

Obviously almost any Ferrari is a viable investment tool, although you will need to seek out specialist advice on that one, and it’s getting harder to find affordable ones that have a chance of a good rise in value. Porsches, especially early-model 911s, are a good bet too, with original RS and RSR versions being a solid investment.

Beyond that, anything rare, interesting or, better still, with a celebrity name on the logbook, is worth a look, but as with all investments I’d engage the services of a professional financial advisor before committing to anything.

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Hi Cyril,

Actually, the current 1.5 EcoBoost petrol model is rather a nice thing. It’s a very smooth, quiet engine and has just about enough poke to shift that big body around, and actually ends up feeling slightly sweeter than the diesel to drive. Economy works out at around 40mpg in most conditions, so it’s not too thirsty and if you’re not doing really big mileage every year, it’s definitely worth considering.

Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi diesel review

Ford Mondeo 1.6 TDCi diesel review

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Hi Martin,

That’s a tough question as it’s very hard to know what an individual dealer would offer you and whether or not the damage and repairs in question will make a significant difference to the value. What I’d suggest is go to the dealer with whom you’re thinking of trading it in (or a number of them, if you haven’t yet decided) and have a very honest chat with them about the car. The fact that it has a full service history is very good, so what you need to find out is are you going to make more on the trade in than the cost of the repairs, or are you going to lose more than they’d cost if you leave them?

That’s the crucial question.

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Hi Con,

No, at least not yet. Ford’s ‘One Ford’ policy on models means that there’s a faint chance the next-generation Explorer might make it to this side of the Atlantic, but for now Ford’s biggest SUV in the Irish market is the Edge.

Read our review of the Ford Edge here

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Hi Breda,

It depends which version you mean, but assuming it’s a 60hp 1.25-litre model then it has CO₂ emissions of 120g/km so will cost €200 a year to tax.