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Hi Fergal,

The new Ka+ will be here in June and will cost from €13,050. You can find out much, much more about it in our Ford Ka+ news item. The new Fiesta is a bit more of an unknown and we certainly don’t have prices for it yet. It’s due to launch in Europe in the first quarter of 2017, but Ford Ireland may decide to keep its powder dry and launch it here closer to the 172 registration change in July of next year. It’s likely to be a little larger than the current car (although not by much, as the same basic structure is being retained) and the engine line up will be entirely the new-generation three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol and the four-cylinder 1.5-litre TDCi diesels. It’s likely to also be more expensive than the current car – the fact that Ford is launching a five-door Ka at a cheap-ish price, and the continuing efforts to push the Ford brand upmarket (Vignale, Mustang, GT, Edge etc.) means that the next Fiesta will probably be more sophisticated but more expensive too.

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Hi Sean,

I'd say your Audi dealer is low-balling you, but perhaps not by that much. Equally, I'd say your SEAT dealer is over-bidding a little to keep you in the brand. Second hand trade in values are never an exact science because it depends as much on what other cars the dealer has on their lot already as on the actual car itself.

Your Leon is a pretty basic one, but that's not necessarily a bad thing and if it were me, I'd probably pitch you between €13,000 and €14,000 as a trade in and that's staying on the safe side. Again though, every dealer's setup and circumstances are different and therefore every trade in offer is different. 

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Hi Sebastian,

OK, you have a few choices here. I’d say with that mileage you’re on the cusp of needing to buy a diesel to maximise your fuel economy, but your budget is a bit tight for most diesel saloons of that age. So, how about a BMW 318i? It’s petrol but the good news is that it’s quite economical (you should get 40mpg easily enough) and more reliable than the diesel 3 Series. Or you could try a Honda Civic IMA Hybrid saloon. There are quite a few of those around in your price range and if most of your miles are done in town, it would be ideal.

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Hi Emma,

Lovely, lovely car. Not the biggest in the back, to be sure, but sweet to drive, good looking and with a peachy 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine that you will honestly not be able to hear at tickover. I’d tell you what to watch for in terms of things going wrong, but apparently there are none. They just don’t seem to break as long as they’ve been serviced properly.

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Hi Laurie,

Deciding to go petrol or diesel is a simple matter of how much mileage you do every year. Do you do lots of mileage and plenty of long motorway journeys? Get a diesel then. If you do lower mileage (less than 16,000km a year, say) and mostly around town? Then go for petrol.

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Hi Catherine,

To be honest, I wouldn’t. Quite aside from the fact that the Carisma is  dull to look at, sit in and drive, it was also quite unreliable for a car from a major Japanese car maker. There was no end of problems with the engines and worse still, the 1.3 was hopelessly underpowered. If you want a simple, reliable car from around 2002, think Toyota Corolla instead.

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Hi Cyril,

There are a few advertised ‘trick' fuel additives such as STP or Dipetane that promise to reduce the emissions from the engine, but these are at best unproven and at worst utter snake oil. Your best bet is simply to get the car thoroughly serviced and tuned up and make sure it’s running on high-quality petrol or diesel bought from a reputable source. 

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Hi Oliver,

Actually, it's really good. True, not the fastest car in history, but peppier than you'd expect, smooth and very economical. Actually suits the car rather well, but if you're doing low mileage, have a look at a C 180 petrol model, which uses a 1.6 turbo petrol engine. Well worth checking out. 

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Hi there,

Right, I'll be honest - we had to get on to Nissan Ireland for help with this, but it came through in spades.

Over and above the SV model, the SVE added Xenon headlights, Intelligent Key, illuminated passenger sunvisor, seven-speaker BOSE audio system, 17-inch alloys and rear parking sensors.

The engine has a timing chain, not a belt, so it doesn't need replacement,  but it does need to be inspected at regular intervals. Any Qashqai with a full service history should be fine on that score.

In terms of economy, the 1.6 petrol Qashqai got 44mpg overall while the 1.6 diesel got 55mpg, or 60mpg if it was fitted with the stop-start system.

Hope that all helps

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Hi Rochelle,

It's a chain, and generally speaking it should be replaced or at least given a major overhaul at the 200,000km mark so you'd need to make sure that's been done. As for the mileage, it's maybe a touch high, but as ever, you should buy on condition, not mileage. If this car seems to have been well cared for and comes with a fully stamped service book then it should be fine.