Expert answer

Hi Padraig,

As trade-ins, the Ford will be worth between €1,500 and €2,000 depending on condition while the Polo would be right down to around €500 to €750 as a trade in.

Expert answer

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.

Expert answer

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.

Expert answer

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

Expert answer

Hi Martin,

I'd say you're looking at a trade-in value of between €5-6,000.

Expert answer

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

Expert answer

Hi John,

Nothing major to worry about although there are a few electrical glitches - the keyless ignition system (if fitted) can give trouble, as can the hands-free locking and unlocking (again, it was an option). There have been isolated reports of the 2.0-litre diesel engine cutting out unexpectedly too. Check the interior trim carefully as well - Mondeos often rack up big mileage and while the mechanical bits are sold, the cabins can suffer from abuse - look for collapsing seats or disintegrating trim.

Expert answer

Hi Dan,

Of all the ones you've mentioned there, I'd actually have a long, hard look at the Volkswagen Jetta. True, it's not the most exciting car of all, but with the 1.6 TDI diesel engine coupled to the DSG automatic gearbox, you should be able to squeeze terrific fuel economy out of it: 55mpg should be easily do-able, perhaps even the sunny side of 60mpg. It's sweeter to drive than you'd think too, really comfy and built like a tank.

What do you think?

Expert answer

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.

Expert answer

Hi Richard,

There is lots of good choice out there in the compact saloon world, whether you're buying new or used. The Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Jetta, Skoda Octavia, Ford Focus Saloon or Mazda3 Saloon all spring to mind and all make solid purchases. Just one thing - for pity's sake, don't buy another Aveo - not only is it cheap, nasty and bad to drive, but it was one of the worst-scoring cars ever on the EuroNCAP crash test.