Expert answer

Hi Frank

The dual manual you refer to is I am guessing a DSG or double-clutch gearbox and we are certainly fans of them here at CompleteCar.ie. They have been around for quite some time now and therefore most of the major problems appear to have been ironed out. They offer a smoother auto change than a standard automatic transmission, plus they will behave like a manual (without the clutch obviously) if you want them to.

Something like this would be a lovely car.

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Hi Denis,

Yes it most certainly is. The i30 is a vastly underrated car and having tested it on a number of occasions we would conclude that it is more than a match to more established rivals such as the Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf. We really like the build quality and the high levels of standard equipment included.

If you'd like to know more, please get back in touch.

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Hi Caroline,

Paddy here. Given your budget, I would say that you need something that is going to be easy to live with, cheap to run and reliable. 

The Suzuki Swift is a really easy car to own. It is reliable, spacious, cheap to run (tax, fuel, insurance) and good value too. This one I have picked out because it has really low miles (10,000km) and is about half way up your budget: Suzuki Swift

Another decent buy would be a Ford Focus 1.4 - which is a really good larger family hatchback with a big boot. This one we found has just 34,000km on the clock, comes from a good dealership and the price is good: Ford Focus

At the upper end of your budget would be a Volkswagen Golf. They are really good investments because they hold their value well. This one again has really low mileage: Volkswagen Golf

I hope some of these are of interest. I think the Swift would be a super choice for you guys though. 

Come back to us if you need more advice though.

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Hi Emma,

I know this might seem like an obvious answer, but I would have thought that a main VW dealer would be your best bet. There are a number of 2005/2006 models on sale at the moment with varying prices, although obviously it doesn't need to be a main Volkswagen dealer as most outlets should be happy to take your Golf as a trade-in. 

Here is a Touareg 3.0-litre TDI with a V6 engine with 60,000 miles on the clock listed at €17,900. Depending on the condition of your GTI you might get offered between €4,000 - €5,000 for the car so you would need a balance of around €13,000 - €14,000 by our best guess. Bear in mind that the road tax on the Touareg would be over €1,300 per year. 

I hope this helps! 

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Hi Chloe,

The fact that you really seem to like your car would signify that perhaps you should simply change to the 1.7-litre diesel SXi version of your car and save yourself a few quid in the process. You will probably get around €11,000 - €11,500 for your car at current market prices, but that should leave you well placed to replace it with a diesel model without too much trouble.

There weren't too many SXI models in Ireland with diesel engines but there do appear to be a few Vauxhalls imported with this spec that might work for you unless you had any particular objections to driving a Vauxhall over an Opel. 

You could have a diesel version for in and around the same money so perhaps you could even get into a slightly newer model if you were prepared to invest a few more quid, but since money saving seems to be the aim here then maybe just swap into a diesel. 

Aside from that you could perhaps look at getting a Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion, which is incredibly fuel efficient. This would make a great buy for you really and something like this would be very cheap to run. 

I hope this helps,

Expert answer

Hi Ronan,

I reckon a Volkswagen Golf Van would do a brilliant job for you. You told us by e-mail that you have another €2,000 to spend on top of the value of your Toyota Avensis so I reckon this one could be a good option. 

The Ford Focus van is good too, but I don't imagine you want to be a two Focus family! If I was having a car-van I'd have a Golf. 

Hope that helps

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Hi Trevor,

You are probably likely to be offered around €3,500 - €3,900 for you car. You could try and sell your car privately for around €4,300. 

I hope this helps.

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Hi Eoin,

That sounds about right. I traded in our own 2002 BMW 318 Touring recently and got €4,000 for it but it was pretty minty and had low mileage. The Coupé is still desirable so you might get a similar figure. Hopefully €3,000 would be your starting point really but I guess it depends on the dealership and the market at the time. 

Give yourself plenty of time to shop around and also to get the DSG version of the Golf (if you're interested in that), which might not be in stock. 

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Hi Eoin,

We are always very pleasantly surprised by that 1.4 TSI engine in the Golf or indeed the Passat. On paper it looks like it could be a bit weedy but it really is good. Now, it doesn't feel fast as such, but it isn't sluggish. 

It is a seven-speed DSG in the 1.4 with 122hp. Fuel consumption is 5.9 l/100km (or 47.1mpg). 

The Golf has better fuel economy with the DSG gearbox than with a manual and there is no penalty in terms of performance figures: 0-100km/h takes 9.5 seconds and they both have a top speed of 199km/h. 

I love the DSG gearbox, though it isn't cheap to buy.

Expert answer

Hi Pete,

You don't mention the mileage or condition of your Focus, but the value to a dealer could be anything from €1,000 - €2,000 depending on those factors and what you are trading the car in against.

I think that with your 100km a day you are probably better off with a diesel car in terms of saving money on fuel. There are a few options in your price range. The Volkswagen Golf Diesel is one option. We like this 2006 model with really small mileage on it for €13,750.

But down in Cork there is probably a better buy in this 2007 Ford Focus 1.6-litre diesel (which is a better engine than the 1.8-litre unit) and this car has just 16,000 miles on the clock and is within your budget we would hope. If you liked your Focus before then I am sure you would love this newer model and at the price and mileage it would be hard to ignore.