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Hi Justin,

Go for the Mazda - really high quality and utterly lovely to drive (far more so than the other two) and ultra-reliable. There are lots out there so shop around to find one that's been really well cared for.

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Hi Peter,

OK, first off the MX-5 is the go-to choice for an affordable convertible. Lots of them out there to choose from, they are reliable and solidly built, so there are few major problem areas to worry about.

Actually, the problems that do occur are usually more to do with maintenance than anything else. Check the convertible hood first for tears, splits, shrinking or mildew and mould. If there are any leaks, check for damage from water getting into the cabin, especially the electrical system - electric windows can easily pack up if the switches get leaked on to too much.

Check the alloys for corrosion and check that the rear-window demister is working - if there has been work done on the hood it can often be left disconnected. If the steering feels anything less than laser-precise and brilliant, suspect worn bushes, but it's not a big or expensive job. 

Check also for accident damage - MX-5s can be tricky in the wet for anyone not used to rear-drive and any prangs need careful attention and work to make sure that the structure of the car remains sound. Also, avoid anything modified or tinkered with like the plague.

As for differences between the Japanese market cars and our ones, they're in the details more than anything else. The basic mechanical stuff is the same, but JDM cars often came with things like proper mechanical limited slip differentials when European cars had viscous couplings, and equipment levels in Japan were usually higher. If you're thinking of buying a Eunos Roadster (the Japanese name for the MX-5) then it would probably be a good idea to get in touch with the MX-5 Owners' club who can help you out with details of individual models and special editions, and on parts availability. You can get them on http://www.mx5ireland.com

Best of luck and let us know how you get on

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Hi Simon,

It has just been launched here and we will have an Irish road test very, very shortly. In the meantime, will our pre-production review tide you over? Read that here.

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Hi Sean,

Certainly nothing we've heard of - Mazda generally has an enviable reputation for reliability and solidity so we'd be very surprised if a large number of 6s were being offloaded because of a fault. It's more likely to be the result of a major fleet or car hire deal. 

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Hi Dave,

Very reliable - a really safe choice. Only go for diesel over petrol if you're doing upwards of 15,000km a year. 

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Hi Elaine,

I think you might be getting two models confused, there. If you mean a Mazda2 then it's small, zippy, fun to drive and endlessly reliable. If you mean a Mitsubishi Colt then it's more spacious than the Mazda and also reliable but nowhere near as fun to drive.

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Hi John,

OK, there's good news and bad news here. The good news is that the four marques of which you've spoken have all really lifted their quality and reliability games. Renault especially has come on a long way since the dark, unreliable days of the early 2000s. While electrical gremlins are pretty much guaranteed further down the line, that's something you could equally say of any Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi.

Dacia tend also to make very reliable cars, in no small part because they're so simple and lacking in the sort of high-end electronics that festoon other models. The brand regularly features very high up in the European JD Power customer satisfaction rankings.

Fiat tends to do less well in those rankings, but much of that is down to a dealer network that's still trying to get its head around modern customer service requirements. The fact is that Fiats these days are no more or less well made or reliable than any other brand (mostly - more on that in a tic). Certainly, we know of many Fiat customers who've had trouble-free motoring for many, many years.

Citroen too has really lifted its game and the latest generations, such as the C4 Picasso and C4 Cactus are really well put together. Long term reliability is still an unknown of course for these new models, but in general, longevity seems to be on the up.

However, just as these Franco-Italian brands have improved, so too have the Japanese and Koreans. There is still a distinct gap in overall solidity between the Japanese brands (Honda especially) and everyone else. It's still the case that if you want genuinely trouble-free motoring, the Japanese are still kings, with the Koreans and Skoda hot on their heels.

That said, I reckon if you bought any Fiat, looked after it properly and made sure it was fully serviced to schedule, you wouldn't have any major problems.

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Hi Eoin,

I'd say probably around €3,500 to €4,000 if you sell it yourself or about €2,250 as a trade-in. That depends on the service history too of course, but it might be worth getting those small dents and the carpet seen to to try and bump up the value a bit.

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Hi Eva,

All of the ones you picked there are quite low slung but they're also all comfy so shouldn't present any major issues with seat height. 

The Mazda and Hyundai are going to be the most reliable and generally I'd go for the Mazda, but you'll want to go for the 1.5 petrol (if you're doing short journeys mostly) or wait for the new 1.5 diesel as the 2.2 diesel is just too thirsty day-to-day.

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Hi Aoife,

The most reliable small car? Pretty much, yep. I'd say the only others that match it are the Honda Jazz and Mazda2. The Volkswagen Group triplets - Polo, Skoda Fabia and SEAT Ibiza - would come close to that level of reliability too and the Nissan Micra's not bad either.