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Hi Angela,

I think a PCP plan would be entirely wrong for you, because they really only work if you're intending to come back in three years' time to trade in again. I'm guessing you don't want to do that.

Your Audi is worth about €2,000 so put that together with your €3,000 and we're looking at a budget of around €5,000. That's great because that will get you into a 2007 Honda Jazz - one of the best small cars around. It's spacious, comfortable, frugal and above all reliable. You simply can't go wrong with one.

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Hi Grace,

We asked Suzuki Ireland for a comment and here's what we were told:

"Although Suzuki Ireland does not have a global scrappage scheme, individual dealers are doing their own scrappage offer, for example James Tomkins Suzuki, 053-9420060. Suzuki Ireland has focused on a price led strategy with Vitara and it offers a generous specification level at a low retail price. The current Suzuki finance rate of 6.9% is about two points under what most high street banks are offering today."

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Hi Charles,

Yeah, with a small car like that (a) diesel is not generally available and (b) it would push up the price tag so much that you'd never earn the difference back in fuel savings. Of the ones you're looking at, I'd go with withe Hyundai i10 - it's really comfy and spacious for a small car, and should be sufficiently rugged to deal with the roads you're talking about. Plus the five-year warranty should help to keep the running costs down.

Relevant reviews:

Volkswagen up! review

SEAT Mii review

Skoda Citigo review

Fiat Panda review

Hyundai i10 review

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Hi Siobhan,

Although the Suzuki would probably just about shade it on outright reliability and toughness, I'd go for the Nissan. It's a much more sophisticated device.

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Hi Ber,

It depends which engine you have under the bonnet. The 1.3-litre petrol version uses a timing chain, which has no scheduled maintenance, while the 1.4-litre diesel model uses a timing belt.

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Hi Suzanne,

I'm sorry, but it's almost impossible to assess such a thing from afar. My first impression would be a fuel supply problem, or dodgy fuel in the tank and lines, but it could be plenty of other things.

I'd urge you bring the car to a good local mechanic as soon as you can to take a look at it before any damage is done.

Hope it doesn't work out too expensive to fix

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Hi John,

Do you mean for driving off-road, most of the time? Your best bet is to track down a Suzuki Jimny - they're cheap, cheerful, rugged and amazingly good in the mud. 

If you want to make regular on-road journeys in a bit of comfort, but still want to have something that'll deal with muddy fields, have a look for a Mk1 Subaru Forester. Great on road, great off road and you can't kill them with a stick.

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Hi John,

Suzuki buys that 1.6 diesel engine in from Fiat, but before you go running for the hills, as far as we are aware there are no major issues with it.

Have you read our review of the new Suzuki Vitara?

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Hi Eva,

The Stepway just isn't worth the extra money over the standard Sandero so avoid that. If you want something compact, with a bit of height that won't break the bank, track down a Suzuki SX4 hatchback. Good to drive, high-ish riding and ruggedly reliable too. We found a 2010 1.6 diesel for just over €10k.

Further reading:

Dacia Sandero Stepway review

Suzuki SX4 review

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Hi Tommy,

It depends on what kind of size you need, but assuming that you want a small-engine, small-car combo I'd have to say the Suzuki Swift. Good little 1.3 engine, cracking car to drive and unburstably reliable.