Expert answer

Hi Derek,

OK, you haven’t told us the year of your Mazda so that makes it a little hard to value, but seeing as it’s the 1.8 petrol I’m going to guess that it’s around 2006-2007. If so, then I’d say that the €4,400 trade-in offer is actually pretty good.

As to what car to get, if you’re looking for a small hatch then it’s very hard indeed to look past the Volkswagen Golf. It’s one of the world’s best-selling cars for a reason, and as long as you buy one with a full service history and keep it looked after, you should get plenty of years of reliable service out of one yet.

Ditto for the mechanically identical SEAT Leon and Skoda Octavia. The Opel Astra GTC is a fine car in many ways — handsome, good to drive, decent quality, but it was hamstrung by poor diesel engines (other than the range-topping 2.0-litre) and unless you’re looking at the 1.4 petrol turbo model, it’s possibly not the best purchase.

The Focus is definitely a good buy, and that TDCi diesel is frugal to run, but you just have to be slightly cautious about diesel power right now. If you’re not doing big miles, you’d be better off with a petrol car.

Expert answer

Hi Anne,

The Captur, which has just been updated, is one of the best selling small crossovers around and it’s not hard to see why - it’s gorgeous, a really good looking car. Roomy enough inside too, and with a pair of excellent engines (either a 900cc turbo petrol or Renault’s long-serving 1.5 diesel). The downsides are that the cabin is quite plastic and it’s only very ordinary to drive.

The Peugeot 2008, by contrast, is rather more agile and sharper to drive, and also has some excellent engine options, especially the 1.2-litre PureTech petrol turbo unit. It’s also a little roomier than the Captur in the back, even if it’s arguably less handsome on the outside. On balance, it would be the Peugeot that we’d prefer, but you should also have a look at the likes of the new Suzuki Vitara (good to drive and very ruggedly reliable) and the Honda HR-V (a little larger and more expensive, but with exceptionally good quality on its side).

Peugeot 2008 review

Renault Captur review

Honda HR-V review

Suzuki Vitara review

Expert answer

Hi Peter,

If it says Cclimate on the tin, it should have climate control on the inside. The difference between that and normal air conditioning is that air conditioning simply allows you to choose between hot and cold, whereas climate control allows you to select a specific temperature. If your car only has a red-blue heat controller then you've been sold a pup.

That said, it depends on where you're getting your build data from. Some lists won't code specifically for climate control and will just use air conditioning as a catch-all.

Expert answer

Hi Naseem,

If you’re driving the M50 a lot, it probably  depends what time of day… Post-10am or pre-4pm and you’d probably get up enough speed to be able to keep the DPF clear and so it wouldn’t be a problem, even with the relatively low mileage. If you’re stop-start driving and not getting into a proper heat cycle, then no, go for petrol instead. Ford has that brilliant little 1.0-litre EcoBoost turbo petrol engine.

Expert answer

Hi Akshan,

Well, they’re very different cars that do different jobs. The i10 is best used in town, where its compact size and agility make it a good choice. It’s fine on main roads too, but the i20 will obviously be bigger, more comfortable and more refined on longer journeys.

Hyundai i10 review

Hyundai i20 review

Expert answer

Hi Pamela,

Yes, this seems to be a very silly oversight by Revenue (possibly they’re a bit petrol-blind because of the preponderance of diesel imports). The VRT on an equivalent 2.0 TDI Alhambra would be in the region of €6,700, so given the 1.4 TSI’s higher CO₂ rating, we’d put around another €1,000 on that for safety’s sake and that should put you in roughly the right ballpark.

Beware though — even once you bring it in for an inspection, you might get some odd valuation simply because there are few, if any, 1.4 Alhambras already in Ireland for them to base a valuation on. It might be a good idea to approach some SEAT dealers and ask them to give you a rough valuation of the car so as you can back yourself up if you have to query Revenue’s OMSP prediction.

Expert answer

Hi Robert,

Great choice. We published our Irish road test of that very car only last week and it's a good option for those that don't need diesel. The 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine features something called Active Cylinder Technology (ACT), which automatically shuts down two of the engine's four cylinders when the car is cruising or the engine is on light load. This saves fuel and is nothing to worry about in the least. By displaying when the engine switches into that mode it educates the driver as to when the car is being driven in its most efficient mode.

Anything else specific you need to know, just shout.

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Hi Jennifer,

I'd be a bit concerned about the three-month warranty. For a car that's only just run out of its original manufacturer's warranty, that seems a bit mean.

There's no need to worry about a cam belt as the 1.4 petrol engine is chain-driven, as are the 1.4 and 1.6 diesels. The water pump should be fine too - there are occasional reported issues with it and the thermostat, but they seem to be pretty infrequent. As long as the car has a full service history it should be fine.

Expert answer

Hi Maddy,

If it's reliability you want, you need to buy either Japanese, Korean or Czech. That means Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Skoda, Kia, or Hyundai.

The Honda Jazz is really good, exceptionally roomy and smooth to drive, but it is pricey. Now, that higher price includes a lot more standard equipment than in rivals, but it's a hurdle to get over. On the whole, it would be our choice with the Toyota Yaris and Skoda  Fabia tied second and the Kia Rio and Hyundai i20 bringing up the rear.

If you're buying new, it's also potentially worth waiting for the new SEAT Ibiza, which is very roomy, well made and nice to drive. 

Honda Jazz review

Toyota Yaris review

New SEAT Ibiza review

Skoda Fabia review

Hyundai i20 review

Kia Rio review

Expert answer

Hi Ciara,

It’s always tempting to trade in a car that’s starting to look expensive, but for the most part, it’s almost always more economical to keep an existing car going, even if it does need regular servicing. In fact, that regular servicing is the key to all of this — keep it looked after and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t provide years of service yet. As you point out, the diesel filter needs longer journeys to keep it from clogging up, but a regular circa 20-30km run at motorway or main road speeds should be enough.