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Hi Aisling,

Not a huge seller, the Rapid, but it's a perfectly decent car. Skoda designed and built it as a more affordable alternative to the Octavia - it kind of sits between the Octavia and the smaller Fabia in price and space terms. The upsides are a big boot (huge, actually) and a decent line-up of petrol and diesel engines. The downsides are a slightly narrow cabin and bouncy, skippy rear suspension. Plus the interior doesn't look or feel as sophisticated as that of the larger Octavia. It'll be an affordable and very reliable family car though.

Read our Skoda Rapid review here

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Hi Hugh,

Well, a Mondeo or Passat would be a more sensible choice - more around to choose from and slightly cheaper running costs. And that's the Achilles' heel of the X-Type - running costs. While the diesels are reasonably frugal, and in general it's a well-made and reliable car (after some serious horrors on early-build examples back in 2001 and 2002), the X-Type can be expensive to fix if and when it does go wrong, and don't go assuming that because it's based on a MkIII Mondeo that you can use more affordable Mondeo bits; there's still a lot of bespoke Jag in there.

Still, it's a lovely car to drive, and the 2008 facelift (new grille, slightly squarer looks) made it much more stylish. Shop around carefully, don't buy anything that doesn't have a full service history and check for any noises coming from either the transmission or the suspension.

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Hi Rose,

The thing is that they're totally different cars. The Sandero is a small and very, very cheap, hatchback - about the size of a Ford Fiesta, but not as good to drive. It's cheap, cheerful and gets the job done, but that's about it. By contrast, a Skoda Yeti is a crossover SUV, much bigger than a Sandero, with a far larger cabin and boot, and is much better built and nicer to drive. It depends what you need - a cheap runaround? Or something more sophisticated?

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Hi Tom,

Totally different cars so it's quite hard to compare them directly. The ix35 is one of the better crossover SUVs - it's roomy and very nice to drive and hugely reliable too.

The Mondeo was always one of the best large saloons around, and that fourth generation model was a good one - solidly built (although you need to keep an eye out for niggling electrical problems) and really great to drive. Plus, both the cabin and boot are massively spacious, even more so than those of the ix35.

So it depends what your priorities are. Like a high-riding car and fancy something with 4x4 styling? Get the ix35. Not bothered about SUVs but want something truly rewarding to drive? Get the Mondeo.

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Hi there,

There are many, with Ford, Nissan, Opel, Toyota and Hyundai, for instance, all having notably good offers. You can get as much as €4,500 'scrappage' (not really scrappage, but actually a trade-in bonus really), but it depends on which model you're trading in against.

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Hi Lee,

The Focus changed model around then, but if our information is correct, your car has a timing belt and it needs to be changed every 100,000 miles (160,000km) or every 10 years, so we'd recommend you get it done now.

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Hi Mary,

The Outlander is a decent car, and hugely well equipped, not to mention having seven seats. It's fine to drive, and the recent update has brought better refinement and a higher quality cabin.

There's no question though that an X3 would be sophisticated and more engaging to drive, but it's well worth checking out the new and more affordable X1 - it's much improved over its predecessor and almost as spacious as the X3.

The Mitsubishi should beat both in terms of long term reliability though.

Relevant reviews:

Mitsubishi Outlander review

BMW X3 review

BMW X1 review

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Hi Adrienne,

OK, let me take that section by section...

(A) Most small crossovers use 1.5- or 1.6-litre diesel engines so you're going to average between 40- and 50mpg in any of them. Ignore the official consumption figures - they're not representative of real-world driving.

(B) Standard spec on most will include at least air conditioning and probably Bluetooth, but the items you've listed will push prices up into the €25-30k region.

(C) Kia, Hyundai and Mitsubishi have the best warranties on the market at the moment - seven, five and eight years respectively. Ford, Renault and Peugeot all offer five-year warranties too, while Fiat offers a four-year one. Most others have three-year cover. In terms of reliability, Japanese and Korean brands will almost always beat their European and American competitors.

Of the cars you're looking at, I'd say the strongest contenders are Honda's new HR-V, the Jeep Renegade, the Peugeot 2008 and the Kia Soul. All well worth a look.

Relevant reviews:

Honda HR-V review

Jeep Renegade review

Peugeot 2008 review

Kia Soul review

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Hi Tom,

Generally, you'll get slightly more for your car selling it yourself than you will trading it in, but the problem is that selling yourself is an open-ended process; you can't tell how long it will take to sell your car. A dealer may offer you less cash but the deal is done on the day.

So the answer comes down to your personal preference. Do you need a new car now, and want to get the deal done? Or are you happy to wait and try and make a little more cash up front?

Mind you, that's assuming you're trading in against a used Hyundai. If it's a new one, then definitely trade in - Hyundai has some good trade in bonuses going at the moment and that will almost certainly net you more than the trade value of a 14-year old car.

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Hi P J,

The current model Nissan Qashqai, introduced at the beginning of 2014, is a really cracking choice - well made, frugal and nice to drive. Go for the 1.5 diesel if you do big miles, or the 1.2 petrol turbo if you're mostly doing short hops around town.  As for your Octavia, I'd say you could expect to get around €5,000 as a trade in, depending on the dealer and your car's condition and history.

Finance or cash? Easy: if you can afford to pay cash, do it. You'll be able to argue yourself a decent discount up front and you won't be paying any interest. As for finance, PCP offers are tempting and very good value, but they kind of rely on you coming back in three years' time for another car. If that's not your plan, then a personal Credit Union or bank loan could actually work out better value overall. If you have a financial advisor they can give you more detailed advice than I, and check out the CompleteCar.ie Guide to Car Finance for more information.