Expert answer

Hi Alan

The scrappage scheme has been good news and as you might have seen today SIMI is calling for an extension of this. Unless this happens, there would be no point in you getting a new car at the end of the year under scrappage because the €1,500 that you would get off this in the case of something like an Insignia would not be as much as you could lose eventually by buying a car later in the year. 

Sure enough, you could buy the Laguna and get €3,000 off. It isn't an awful car, but there really isn't anything remarkable about it and I personally wouldn't spend over €20,000 on one. I actually think the Renault Fluence is a better buy than the Laguna and it costs much less. It is a fine big car and really well equipped. 

However, with your budget we could do a whole lot better. Supposing that you get at least €1,000 for your Corsa, then you still have a generous budget. There is always the temptation to look at the German cars and as long as you realise that these can get pricey to service and run as they get older, they can be a great buy. 

You have a staggering amount of choice. For sheer ease of ownership I have noticed that Lexus IS models are really good value now. You can get a 2008 IS 220d for under €25k and that would be a pretty nice car to own. Here is an example. 

If you were buying new or almost new, this 2010 Subaru Legacy diesel is also within your budget. 

However, you could go a little larger and get yourself a 2007 BMW 520d. This example is from a main dealer and has tiny mileage and would be a really nice car to own. It has done just 20,000km and is an automatic too with a nice spec for just €28,000. I would find it very hard to pass up on this car to be honest. You could opt for one with a manual gearbox and get lower road tax, but to be honest, this is where my money would go.

I hope this helps

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

Thank you for contacting us. I can understand your dilemma in that you are going to be using your car quite sparingly, but you need it to be something that can last a long time. We know from speaking to you since that you have a Ford Focus that you might sell privately or hope to get around €2,000 for as a trade-in, so given that your budget is around €10,000, which is decent enough.

I take your point on the Ford Focus diesel estates. They tend to have quite hard lives as many are bought by business users more so than private individuals and they often have mega miles on them and hence can be tatty. They also often have the older 1.8-litre diesel, which is a bit of a tractor to be honest.

You mention that you are going to be keeping this car for about five years, so as such I wouldn't worry too much about whether petrol cars are falling out of favour because your used car is unlikely to be worth a whole lot in five years with another 50,000km on the clock.

You don't really do a lot of miles per year anyway, so running a petrol car might not end up being too expensive. Also you could perhaps look at buying something with slightly higher mileage (as long as it is diesel) because these cars would be well able to put up with your low mileage. For example, you mentioned the Volkswagen Jetta, which is a fine car. You could have a diesel version, with slightly more mileage, for well within your price range. Here is one from a SIMI dealer for €8,900.

I would be inclined to go for a VW Golf with your budget. You could have a 2005 model with low mileage for €9,000. This one here caught our eye. It comes from a main dealer and will have a good warranty. These cars will put up with lots of mileage and are also likely to hold their value well. This example would still have lots of life left in it after 50,000km and might actually be worth a few quid too.

I hope this helps. Come back to us by adding comments below if you want to discuss this further.

Expert answer

Hi Cyril,

The Passat has had more than its fair share of reliability issues. There have been a total of seven recalls on the current model since 2005, but they were over different builds and won't have affected all cars. You can get full details of all of these from the VOSA website in the UK. There appears to be a recall for the clutch on later models, but we have also heard of reports of there being problems with the automatic handbrake and the power steering, while clutch judder on cars over 70,000 miles is not uncommon. 

This is certainly a car that has had issues, but it would not put me off buying one. There are lots of alternatives, but it depends on what you want. There are lots of good used Audi A4s around, though it is quite a bit smaller than the Passat; and obviously as they get older the repairs can get more expensive. I'm not sure if you would prefer petrol or diesel, but here is a low mileage 1.6-litre example at a SIMI dealer for €15,995. 

Something like this full-spec Mondeo X Diesel for €16,900 would be great. This is a gorgeous car and while quite discreet, would be great to drive.

I quite like this Mazda6 too. This is a very underrated car and the diesel model is a cracker. Let us know a little more about your budget and your needs and we can give you more considered advice. Just pop the details in the comment box below.

Expert answer

Hi Donal,

We got a little more information from you and we now know that your budget is around €20,000 with scrappage. The Corolla has grown in size as a saloon so I guess you aren't after something of that size. My first thought had been a Skoda Octavia diesel, which starts at €19,340, but this is also quite a big car so might not appeal.

Another excellent choice would be the new revised Mazda3. This comes with a good diesel engine and is available as a saloon, but isn't overly bulky. We drove this car recently and found it really competent. The four-door saloon version starts at €22,525, though there is €3,530 off in the scrappage deal so it would cost you €18,995, which is well under budget.

Another option would be the Renault Fluence. This is a substantial car and you get so much for the money. We had the top spec TomTom edition and although the sticker price is €23,500 it drops to €19,000 under scrappage. Read our review of the car here. However, if you think the new Corolla is too big, you may find that the Fluence is as well.

It is very hard to look beyond the Ford Focus too. The saloon might be just over your budget, but there is an excellent offer on the hatchback, which is €21,015. With scrappage this would be under budget.

In answer to your question, best for comfort, economy and reliability (and not too big), the Mazda seems to suit you best out of this lot, especially when it comes to the price. They are pretty good at holding their value too.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to come back to us if you have more questions. Just drop them into the comment box below.

Expert answer

I did like the original BMW X5, although it was probably always a little over-priced for what is was. As they have aged and the new model has arrived the first generation has come down quite a lot in price. You say that you aren't concerned about the running costs as such, which is just as well, as they can be quite high. The repairs and spare parts can be expensive too. I think in buying one of this age and at this price you will certainly not see it depreciate that hard in the next year or so, but once it creeps over 100,000 miles it will drop in value again.

We haven't reviewed this car on the site because it has been quite a few years since it was on the market (and CompleteCar.ie is very new), but we have driven it in the past. It is very agile for an SUV and was always one of the best handling SUVs around.

You did mention to us by e-mail that the car you were looking at is €23,000 with 88,000 miles on the clock. Well we found this one on beepbeep.ie from a SIMI dealer with just 45,000 miles for €19,750, so perhaps this would make a better buy?

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Tonya,

Our advice on all used car purchases is that if something seems fishy then just walk away. A service history is important for peace of mind and of course we'd urge you to use a SIMI registered dealer when possible.

All that aside, the price seems quite low in comparison to others of similar age and mileage on the market. Especially when the mileage is so low.

Take a read through our guide to watching out for clocked cars here.

I understand your need to get value for money and if you're happy with the car perhaps get a mechanic to look it over, or a proper check by someone like the AA.

Finally, carry out a car history check. It's relatively cheap to do and gives you extra peace of mind. Just pop the car's registration into the box on the bottom left of this page.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Ger,

We are likely to see the new EcoBoost engines in the facelifted version of the Mondeo, which is expected to make its debut at the Paris Motor Show later in the year.

The new EcoBoost engine will be similar to that about to make its debut in the new S-MAX. This is a 2.0-litre petrol engine (which has 203hp), but there will also be a 1.6-litre EcoBoost at some stage later this year. The 1.6-litre EcoBoost will make its debut in the new C-MAX and Grand C-MAX models. We are guessing at the power, but I think 130-150hp from the 1.6 EcoBoost would be about right. 

Ford EcoBoost combines a single turbocharger with a direct injection fuel system, delivering, as Ford says, V6 performance from a four-cylinder with fuel economy improvements of at least 10 percent. 

Expert answer

Hello Dan, here is one just like yours with similar mileage and it is retailing at €31,000, so you might offered a little less than this as a trade-in, perhaps around €29,000. This is our best guess. 

Expert answer

Hi Rob,

You could price your Avensis at about €11,500 - €12,000 as a private sale, but there are quite a lot about, not with mileage that low admittedly, but you should expect to drop a little lower to sell. You should get something similar against a new or used car as a trade-in, bearing in mind you would get a decent discount off something anyway. Remember, look at the cost to change rather than fixating on how much your car is worth.

Expert answer

Hi there,

We could do with a little more information. What is your budget and how many miles are on your Micra?