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Hi there,

I'd say a ballpark trade-in figure of €6-7,000. Funny thing - Vauxhalls tend to be worth slightly less than their identical Opel cousins in Ireland. Nothing anti-British about it; it seems to be that Opel's Germanic image lifts it a rung or two higher in our estimation.

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Hi Paul,

I presume you're talking about the 'new' 9-5 - the last car Saab launched before everything went pear-shaped? It's a little hard to tell on the reliability front how good or bad they are, simply because there are so few on the ground. That said, all of the mechanical and chassis parts are shared with the Opel Insignia, and that's a car that has proved very reliable, bar the occasional electrical niggle. 

I know what you mean about the shape and style - you're talking to a long-term Saab fan here, and the 9-5 was an especially nice car, massive for the money (practically Mercedes-Benz S-Class sized for the price of a BMW 3 Series) and, in the fine Saab tradition, had a huge and comfy interior. It's also pretty decent to drive, not BMW good perhaps, but nice all the same and the 1.9-litre turbodiesel engine should prove very frugal.

It is a bit risky, I suppose, but a risk I reckon might just be worth taking. Might be worth taking out an aftermarket warranty mind, just in case...

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Hi there,

Opel Ireland doesn't have an exact date, but can confirm that it'll be here by the end of the summer.

Are you in the market?

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Hi Anne,

Electrics mostly - everything from the electric windows to the alarm system can give trouble, but also check in the boot for water getting in as the boot seals can be a bit dodgy on early models.

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Hi John,

Yup, a small diesel sounds like it should be ideal for you. Depending on what kind or size of car you need I'd recommend either a MINI Cooper D 1.6 (small and sporty), Opel Astra 1.3 CDTi (slower, but more spacious), Toyota Auris 1.4 D-4D (similar to Opel but probably more reliable) or that old favourite the Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion (ultra economical). Or, if you need more space how about a Skoda Octavia Combi estate 1.6 TDI or a Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6 HDi?

Help us with your needs and we'll narrow that down a little!

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Hi Tirziman,

Mostly pros, few cons. Mondeos are very well made and reliable and while the 1.6 TDCi engine is no ball of fire, it is very economical. You should get well over 1,000km from a full tank. 

The only cons are down to the age of the design. Compared to the likes of the Volkswagen Passat, Hyundai i40 or Opel Insignia the cabin is starting to feel rather old-fashioned but that's about it.

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Hi Michael,

Insignias are quite well built (they are German, after all), but seem to be prone to electrical gremlins. Check to make sure that all the buttons and switches work as they should and if anything doesn't, walk away. It's not unusual for the alarm to start sounding for no apparent reason, so be aware of that. Early models also had suspect boot seals that could let in rain, so have a careful check in the boot for any signs of dampness.

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Hi George,

By and large, if you’ve got a Volkswagen on a list, then it’s going to be the most reliable, and the Caddy is hugely spacious inside too. However, most vans are generally very reliable (simply because a van that’s off the road isn’t earning money), so as long as you’re buying carefully and with a full and complete service history, you should be fine with any of those listed.

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Hi F D,

As a general rule of thumb, torque is important for acceleration and power is what determines the top speed of a car (all other things, like aerodynamics, etc. being equal). In the case of your car, it has no turbocharger so its power and torque are produced quite high up the rev range. To improve overtaking, make sure you select a low gear early in the manoeuvre and get up to speed before you are alongside the car you're overtaking so you have less time 'exposed to danger'.

In terms of replacing the car with one with more oomph it sounds to me like you'd enjoy something turbocharged. Opel does a turbocharged version of that engine. 

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Hi Amy,

It sounds like there are a few things wrong here. If the engine management light is on then the garage really needs to plug the car into a diagnostic machine to find out exactly what it is. A mechanic can't just guess. It needs to be sorted sooner rather than later.

If your coolant was gone then the engine would seize up and stop running. You should get plenty of warning of that with the coolant temperature gauge or warning light. If it's not blowing hot air (assuming the engine is warmed up properly, as that's where the heat comes from) then it sounds like an issue with either the thermostat or the heat exchanger.

Overall, I think you need to take the car to a different mechanic and go through all these issues with them.

Best of luck.