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Hi Stan,

OK, well currently (as of the end of September), the best selling cars in Ireland are, in descending order, the Hyundai Tucson, the Nissan Qashqai, the Volkswagen Golf, the Skoda Octavia, the Ford Focus, the Ford Fiesta, the Kia Sportage, the Toyota Yaris, the Toyota Corolla and the Volkswagen Tiguan. The biggest-selling market segment is the SUV/H1 segment (that’s the Qashqai-Tucson-Sportage mid-size SUVs) all of which cost between €24,000 and €40,000 depending on spec.

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Hi David,

The Figaro was only built for a very short time, most made in 1991 or 1992, so the youngest one is already old enough to drink in most US states... That said, two things play in the Figaro's favour. One, it's based on the third generation Micra, which was an astonishingly reliable car. Secondly, because it achieved instant collectors' item status, most have been cared for and owned by enthusiasts. Ask around before you buy; there are plenty of Figaro nuts out there who will be happy to help you.

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Hi Denise,

Go for the Avensis, by a country mile. Both cars are solidly reliable but the Avensis is bigger and comfier. The Tiida's only advantage is that it came with standard Bluetooth, but that's easily remedied with an aftermarket kit for the Avensis.

Let us know what you do

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Hi Priscilla,

If it's either the 1.6 petrol or the 1.5 diesel then yes, it's an engine shared with the Nissan Qashqai (and sundry other Nissans and Renaults) and is generally pretty solidly built and reliable. 

With Renaults, it's the peripheral systems you have to watch. Major items like the engine and gearbox usually go on just fine but electric components (especially windows in the past), exhaust systems, cabin trim and such like can all be fragile. Check carefully and make sure there's a full service history.

Best of luck

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Hi Carl,

To the end of May this year it's the Volkswagen Golf, ahead of the Nissan Qashqai and Ford Focus. It was the same top three for 2012, though the Focus was first and the Golf third.

Hope that's of interest

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Hi Kat,

It depends on the age, as you can get an ancient Micra for as little as €500. However, for safety’s sake, we’d recommend you spend around €4-5,000 and get a 2010 K12 model, which is well-made, decent to drive, economical, safe and cheap to insure. 

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Hi Adrian,

Safe? Well it should be as it's basically built on the same platform as the Qashqai, and that's a five-star car in the EuroNCAP safety tests. It should also be reliable as the day is long and pretty frugal too.

Aside from that though, it's pretty offensive to the eye in my opinion and about as exciting as a bucket of wet sand. There are other, far more interesting, options out there.

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Hi Niall,

Well, that kind of depends what you want it for. If you're looking at it because you want a big, four-door family SUV then, no. You see, that Pathfinder is based on the Navara pickup and it's a pretty crude device, lacking the kind of refinement and comfort you'd get from, say, a Land Rover Discovery. That said, if you're looking for something to do a bit of hard work and the occasional bit of off-roading, then go right ahead - it's perfect for that kind of life. Just watch the clutch, it seems to be a weak point and can be rather expensive to fix.

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Hi Rachel,

There only seems to be one specific problem with the Note and that's with the air conditioning system, which can spring a leak and drop water into the foot well. Unnoticed and left alone that can lead to mould forming in the car and a distinctly smelly cabin.

Other than that, the Note is built in the same Sunderland factory (in the UK) that makes the Qashqai and Juke - and used to make the Micra - so quality is of a very high level.

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Hi Patrick,

Generally Chevriolet Lacettis (and Chevrolets in general) are pretty solidly built, but they're a long, long way from being the most inspiring car around. Essentially, they're cheap, cheerless but solid transport, just as they were when they were still badged as Daewoos.

As for choosing between an Almera and a Lancer, we'd go for the Almera simply because it has a (slightly) nicer interior and is (slightly) nicer to drive.

Hope that helps