Expert answer

Hi Ian,

Cracking car, but yes, you do get a good bit of tyre noise, especially in the back. Take it for a good test drive on the nearest motorway or dual carriageway to see if it's too noisy for you.

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Hi Shirley,

I think you need to be looking at diesel with that kind of mileage. A €10k budget would slot you nicely into a 2009 Honda Civic 2.2 i-CDTi (don't worry about the size: it's cheap to tax). It's ood to drive, massively spacious, economical and reliable. 

There are also some Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDIs and Toyota Auris 1.4 D-4Ds around for this budget that are well worth looking at. 

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Hi Karen,

You've not mentioned the engine size, but assuming it's either the 1.8- or 2.2-litre TDCi diesel then the timing belt should be changed every 125,000 miles (just over 200,000km) or every 10 years.

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Hi Philip,

Not all marques and not all models use AdBlue as yet. AdBlue is a urea solution that can be injected into he exhausts of diesel cars to neutralise a significant proportion of their emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) - very much in the news at the moment of course. The rule of thumb is generally only that larger, more powerful engines need an AdBlue treatment system as many smaller engines don't need the assistance. Each manufacturer, and indeed each individual engine, will have its recommended AdBlue top-up times, and it will be directly related both to mileage and how much acceleration the car has been doing. You can top up the AdBlue tank yourself - a 1.5-litre refill should cost around €11-12.

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Hi Gary,

Volkswagen has confirmed that, following investigations, the EA288 engines, designed for EU5 and EU6 compliance, are not affected by the scandal surrounding the EA186 engines. In other words, the current Volkswagen diesel engines are fine and have been given a clean bill of health. If you've any lingering doubts over a car that you own, go to http://www.campaigncheck.ie and enter your reg number.

Read our full news story on this subject here

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Hi Joan,

It's a bit of a quandary to be honest. You'll get more for the Ibiza - probably around €7-8k as a trade in. But with the Toledo costing you money, your best bet might just be to keep the Ibiza and use that as your small car, chop the Toledo in for whatever you can get for it (€2k max and that's with a following wind).

Actually, better yet, why not avail of one of the scrappage schemes still being offered by some car makers? Opel, for instance, has a good one going - up to €4,500 - and you could then trade in your Toledo against a new Insignia; far more affordable than a BMW or Audi, and with a shiny new warranty to boot. Reliable and nice to drive too. Nissan also has a similar offer (potentially €4k against a nice new Qashqai perhaps?), or potentially €3k scrappage off a Hyundai ix35?

Lots of good options out there.

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Hi Lorraine,

It depends on the condition and history. If one has a full service history, has obviously been cared for and is in great condition - and the other isn't - go for the one in better nick. That overrides any question about diesel versus petrol. 

However, assuming the two cars are in similar condition and both have decent histories, petrol versus diesel comes down to mileage. If you're doing more than 15,000- to 20,000km per year, then you need to be thinking about diesel. Below that threshold petrol is the better option, unless of course that low mileage is all at high speed on the motorway.

Hope that helps

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Hi John,

The critical question here is how much road tax and insurance pain are you willing to take? An early 2000s Porsche 911 will crack 5.3 seconds 0-100km/h all day long but you'll pay through the nose for tax, disc and servicing. And never, ever buy one without a full Porsche or Porsche Specialist service history.

Most Mercedes-AMG models from the same era will do similar but again the same caveats on servicing and running costs apply.

A BMW M3 Evolution will do 5.5 seconds, but watch for ones that have been badly fiddled with or modified.

Probably better would be a Ford Focus RS or a Volkswagen Golf R or R32. Both are pretty rugged in the reliability stakes but again you have to be wary of cars that have been modified or altered from standard. 

However, possibly the best bet is a Honda S2000. As long as you don't need back seats it's a fantastic thing to drive, will do 6.0 seconds 0-100km/h and it's rock solid in reliability terms. Loads around well within your price band but again watch carefully for badly done modifications or cars that haven't been cared for.

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Hi there,

Well, the 207 CC was certainly better-built than the 206 CC that preceded it, but you have to buy carefully - they're pretty heavy cars, so suspension and steering problems are common, as is high tyre wear. Electrical faults need to be watched out for too, and the roof mechanism is a constant source of angst - although you can manually wind it up or down with a wheelbrace if it gets stuck half-way, which is a common issue. 

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Hi there,

If you mean the all-new models, the replacements for the current Mégane and Astra, then yes, there'll be a massive difference. They're two entirely different cars built to different specifications in different factories by different companies. OK, so they're both mid-size family five-door hatchbacks, but that's where the similarities end. Obviously, we cannot say for certain yet, as we've driven neither car in final production spec, but the current cars differ quite a bit. The Astra feels classier and better built, the Renault is rather more engaging to drive (in spite of every rubbery steering). Will those characteristics carry over to the next models? We'll have to wait and see...

Here's our first news story on the new Opel Astra