Expert answer

Hi Erwin,

Ignition coil packs and excessive oil consumption on higher-mileage cars seem to be the only major faults, but then again basic Polos were so stingily equipped that there's nothing much to go wrong. Watch for engine wear though - it's an underpowered car and you need to rev the nuts off it to get any decent performance, with consequent wear and tear issues. 

Keep it in town, at low speeds, where it was designed to work, and it should be cheap to run, with very cheap insurance too.

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Hi Jonny,

Right, there's a couple of easy answers to this question and they are Volkswagen Polo, Toyota Yaris and Ford Fiesta. There are tonnes of them around, they're all safe and the Yaris can be had with a 1.0-litre engine so low tax and insurance rates are assured.

But... But there are a couple of possibilities that are a bit more fun and a little more interesting. How about a Suzuki Swift? Not as spacious as the above trio, but as your child is only one that's not really an issue for now. Besides it's way more fun to drive than any of the others and Suzukis are super reliable.

Or you could go for something a bit more trendy and exciting. €5,000 is the absolute bottom end price for a Fiat 500 but you might be able to track one down, and it's fun and funky as well as safe and cheap to run. Or there's the mother of all fun hatches, the MINI. €5,000 gets you lots of choice but we'd go for a MINI One (it avoids the extra insurance loading of a Cooper) and have a good shop around to find one with decent equipment. Fun, just about spacious enough (if you juggle the seats around), safe and with a great chassis and great all-round visibility, it's ideal for a learner.

Come back to us if need help to narrow things down further.

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Hi Katy,

Well, the value of your car will depend on its condition and service history, and don’t forget that trade-in value is usually €1,500 to €2,000 less than retail value. A 2011 Polo is going to be worth around €6,500 to €7,000 on sale, so around €5,000 as a trade-in.

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Hi Danielle,

Two things could be happening here: 1) the ECU (engine control unit) may not have been reset after fitting the new lambda sensors or 2) there could be another problem elsewhere.

Best to get the car back to the garage that did the work to investigate further.

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Hi there,

A rate of €570 per annum would put the car in Band D based on its emissions, which is 155- to 170g/km. Our initial investigations suggest that this car should have emissions of just 134g/km, which would put it in Band B2 for an annual tax bill of €280, however, that's for a newer car than you're talking about. The older one has emissions of 165g/km, which would indeed mean a €570 tax bill.

Hope that helps clear it up

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Hi Breda,

We've deleted the registration number from your original question, but please note that we can't do the full history check for you. Go to Cartell.ie for that. Neither can we tell whether a specific car is in good condition etc. without seeing it for ourselves.

However, we can tell you that the Cordoba is generally a solid car, based as it is on the Volkswagen Polo. Make sure you take a good test drive in it and listen out for any unusual sounds. As with all used cars, take the time to try every switch to make sure it all works as well.

Hope that helps, and let us know how you get on.

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Hi David,

The SEAT Toledo and Skoda Rapid are basically the same car, but with different badges. There’s no close relationship to the Jetta (other than minor systems and bits and pieces under the skin). Actually, the underpinnings are a combination of old Golf and old Polo bits, mixed and matched together. They’re decent cars — reliable and roomy — but not the most sophisticated. You’ll have to put up with a narrow cabin, slightly crude rear suspension and a fair bit of noise inside. If you’re doing 30k a year, you’re probably best off with the 1.6 TDI diesel. You should easily squeeze 55mpg out of that.

Read our Skoda Rapid reviews here

Read our SEAT Toledo reviews here

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Hi David,

The short version is, I’m afraid, you’re going to struggle. Small cars such as that don’t generally sell well with diesel engines, as the petrol variants are very economical already, and the diesel versions are much more expensive. We’ve found one on Carzone.ie (a 2005 VW Polo TDI),  but that was literally the only one we could find on sale that fits the bill. You might want to consider upgrading to a larger car — there are lots of diesel Golfs etc around in your price range.

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Hi Joseph,

The Hyundai offers more for the money in terms of comfort, space and equipment, but the Polo is much better suited to learning to drive. Its lower mileage is appealing too, though the i30 is a relatively reliable car. Along with all that the Polo will be cheaper to run.

Best to take a close look at both for yourself though, as you might prefer the Hyundai.

Expert answer

Hi Jonathan,

We wouldn't ever put a maximum mileage on a car, but the value drops significantly on a small car with in excess of 200,000 kilometres. That mileage is a little high for a car of that size and age - against the average. That's not to say it isn't a good car, but carefully consider your alternatives. The price seems acceptable given all that, assuming it's in otherwise good condition and has been maintained properly.

Hope that helps