Expert answer

Hi Mark,

Thank you for contacting us. I can understand your dilemma in that you are going to be using your car quite sparingly, but you need it to be something that can last a long time. We know from speaking to you since that you have a Ford Focus that you might sell privately or hope to get around €2,000 for as a trade-in, so given that your budget is around €10,000, which is decent enough.

I take your point on the Ford Focus diesel estates. They tend to have quite hard lives as many are bought by business users more so than private individuals and they often have mega miles on them and hence can be tatty. They also often have the older 1.8-litre diesel, which is a bit of a tractor to be honest.

You mention that you are going to be keeping this car for about five years, so as such I wouldn't worry too much about whether petrol cars are falling out of favour because your used car is unlikely to be worth a whole lot in five years with another 50,000km on the clock.

You don't really do a lot of miles per year anyway, so running a petrol car might not end up being too expensive. Also you could perhaps look at buying something with slightly higher mileage (as long as it is diesel) because these cars would be well able to put up with your low mileage. For example, you mentioned the Volkswagen Jetta, which is a fine car. You could have a diesel version, with slightly more mileage, for well within your price range. Here is one from a SIMI dealer for €8,900.

I would be inclined to go for a VW Golf with your budget. You could have a 2005 model with low mileage for €9,000. This one here caught our eye. It comes from a main dealer and will have a good warranty. These cars will put up with lots of mileage and are also likely to hold their value well. This example would still have lots of life left in it after 50,000km and might actually be worth a few quid too.

I hope this helps. Come back to us by adding comments below if you want to discuss this further.

Expert answer

Hi David,

A quick look at any taxi rank or a chat with any taxi driver will answer this question for you pretty quickly. For any sort of high-mileage, high-intensity task such as taxi driving, then it is probably worth paying that bit extra for the Avensis because long distance drivers swear by them as they are capable of racking up huge mileage and prove themselves to be reliable. 

That is not to say that the Mondeo is a bad choice - they have served Gardai up and down the country for a number of generations now at this stage. However if you are investing your own money, there will be more value in a high-mileage Avensis than there will be in a high-mileage Mondeo. Obviously it would make more sense if either of these were diesel rather than petrol, but I am pretty sure the Avensis will age better and will put up with more abuse than the Ford. 

I hope this helps. 

Expert answer

Hi David,

The Mondeo has proven to be very robust and there are no major issues to worry about - so long as the car has been serviced regularly. Ensure that the engine runs smoothly and that there isn't any 'blue' smoke coming from the exhaust. Big expenses include windscreen replacement and changing the rear suspension bushes.

Overall though it's a reliable car.

Hope that helps.

Expert answer

We have always found Mick's Garage to be very well regarded in the industry and great value too. Halfords also has an online store . Mick's Garage are 100 percent Irish so we would recommend them first and foremost. 

Expert answer

Hi Stephen,

If you have owned a BMW 5 Series before then you might want a change. The 6 Series is a good car, but like anything else in BMW land when it gets a little older repairs can start to become expensive when things go wrong. I personally wouldn't go near one unless it had a full set of BMW service history stamps and unless I could budget another few thousand for things that might go wrong.

This one here is in a main BMW dealer so will have all the right history and paperwork and is pretty nicely equipped too. It is a little over budget, but I would be shocked if they weren't flexible on a 3.0-litre petrol car these days! The mileage on that example is also very low for the year. These cars have great handling and are usually generously equipped too. Remember though that it will cost quite a bit to run, both in terms of road tax and petrol costs.

Now, for alternatives. You did mention Lexus and the GS 450h hybrid is a wicked car. It is very, very fast, superbly equipped and comfortable. It will be ultra reliable too. You could have this one here, a 2007 model, for €25,950 and it would be a superb car to own. It actually does pretty decent fuel economy too. I'd prefer this to the 6 Series myself.

Or, you could enter Porsche ownership and have the brilliant Boxster S like this example in Galway that has the better engine and comes from a good home. Again, ignore the sticker price, as it is a buyers' market right now. I think you should own a silly car once, so unless you have cots and prams to carry about, I'd be tempted by the Boxster. It isn't going to annoy anyone any more than the 6 Series is.

The UK can be a minefield, but we wouldn't ever rule it out and I myself have bought cars there. What I would say is that the more research you do (and use history checks like motorcheck.ie) the easier it is.

As regards buying new, well you are likely to only afford something pretty dull and I think that you would not be too pleased coming out of a 5 Series. You seem to like interesting stuff.

If it was me, out of that lot I'd probably have the Boxster, but if I needed more practicality, the Lexus.

Hope, this helps. Feel free to come back for more odd suggestions.

Expert answer

Hi Cyril,

The Passat has had more than its fair share of reliability issues. There have been a total of seven recalls on the current model since 2005, but they were over different builds and won't have affected all cars. You can get full details of all of these from the VOSA website in the UK. There appears to be a recall for the clutch on later models, but we have also heard of reports of there being problems with the automatic handbrake and the power steering, while clutch judder on cars over 70,000 miles is not uncommon. 

This is certainly a car that has had issues, but it would not put me off buying one. There are lots of alternatives, but it depends on what you want. There are lots of good used Audi A4s around, though it is quite a bit smaller than the Passat; and obviously as they get older the repairs can get more expensive. I'm not sure if you would prefer petrol or diesel, but here is a low mileage 1.6-litre example at a SIMI dealer for €15,995. 

Something like this full-spec Mondeo X Diesel for €16,900 would be great. This is a gorgeous car and while quite discreet, would be great to drive.

I quite like this Mazda6 too. This is a very underrated car and the diesel model is a cracker. Let us know a little more about your budget and your needs and we can give you more considered advice. Just pop the details in the comment box below.

Expert answer

In a word, yes. These cars were practically identical, so in theory their NCAP scores would have been identical too. Hope this helps.

Expert answer

Hi Fergal,

I have just spent a week in a TDCi Mondeo. It was an automatic and I really liked it. The gearbox is a little lazy at times, but overall the car is a joy to drive. There is a new Mondeo coming later this year though so you might want to hang on for that as it features new engines as well.

Expert answer

Hi Donal,

We got a little more information from you and we now know that your budget is around €20,000 with scrappage. The Corolla has grown in size as a saloon so I guess you aren't after something of that size. My first thought had been a Skoda Octavia diesel, which starts at €19,340, but this is also quite a big car so might not appeal.

Another excellent choice would be the new revised Mazda3. This comes with a good diesel engine and is available as a saloon, but isn't overly bulky. We drove this car recently and found it really competent. The four-door saloon version starts at €22,525, though there is €3,530 off in the scrappage deal so it would cost you €18,995, which is well under budget.

Another option would be the Renault Fluence. This is a substantial car and you get so much for the money. We had the top spec TomTom edition and although the sticker price is €23,500 it drops to €19,000 under scrappage. Read our review of the car here. However, if you think the new Corolla is too big, you may find that the Fluence is as well.

It is very hard to look beyond the Ford Focus too. The saloon might be just over your budget, but there is an excellent offer on the hatchback, which is €21,015. With scrappage this would be under budget.

In answer to your question, best for comfort, economy and reliability (and not too big), the Mazda seems to suit you best out of this lot, especially when it comes to the price. They are pretty good at holding their value too.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to come back to us if you have more questions. Just drop them into the comment box below.

Expert answer

Hi John,

The new tax has not yet been fully implemented and there's a minefield of complications yet to be worked out, but trials are soon to begin in restricted parts of Dublin City before it is rolled out to Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. Take a look at the official details here on Revenue.ie and come back to us if you have any specific questions that are not answered by that.

Thanks