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Hi May,

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by heavy duty, but by my definition of the word then, no, the Ignis is not a car for heavy work. It's a fine, practical, useful, reliable runabout, but it's a small car built for light work.

Come back to us with your requirements and we'll advise you what might suit better.

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Hi Mike,

Right, you need something cheap (obviously), rugged and that's not going to mug you for petrol money when you run it up the M6 to Dublin. I know, I was that soldier. 

So, you need to go Japanese and you need to go for something that's compact but still has the engine grunt not to get overwhelmed on the motorway. Simple answer is the Suzuki Baleno. They're a bit hard to track down now, but a mid-nineties one should fall into your price range. 

They use a solidly reliable 1.3-litre petrol engine that's good on fuel but which has the cojones for motorway work. And the car as a whole is as close to indestructible as any car has actually physically come. An unsung cheap car hero.

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Hi David,

To be honest, I'd be tempted to hang on to the SX4. Suzukis are generally astonishingly reliable, whereas with the best will in the world, Renaults are not. Even if your mileage is increasing, there are cheap and simple ways to improve your economy (a tune-up, low rolling resistance tyres, practice) so my best advice is to stick with what you've got. 

In the meantime, I'd say you're looking at a trade in value of around €8-9,000.

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Hi Pat,

The Polo's a fine car, no question. Practical and reliable, but your other two choices are, how shall I put this, a bit more interesting. The up! is one of the very best small cars to come along in a long time. It's nippy, agile and zippy, but still comfy on the motorway if you need to go long haul. The Swift is also a belter, a little short on rear legroom perhaps, but cracking good fun to drive and its reliability is off the scale good. The Polo's a safe choice, but I'd have a good long hard look at the other two before deciding. For what it's worth, if it were my money, I'd get the Swift.

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Hi John,

Generally speaking, yes, as Suzukis are very solidly built. Just watch the diesel particulate filter - it's in a vulnerable position if you're planning to use the car off-road much and it clogs up easily with low mileage.

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Hi Pat,

If you're trading in, you should get circa €2,500 for your Sirion, depending on the condition. As for the Swift; it's a brilliant car - well built, economical, reliable and really good fun to drive. The only downsides are the small boot and slightly cramped rear seats.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Liam.

Suzuki knows how to build a solidly reliable car (indeed the old Baleno saloon holds a decent claim to being the world's only truly indestructible car) and the Jimny is no different. It's also been in production since 1998, so all the bugs should have been worked out by now. The only weak point seems to be minor electrical grumbles, and apparently the passenger electric window motor and switch are both on the fragile side. Other than that, just watch out for Jimnys that have had a hard life off-roading or as farm hack-abouts. 

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Hi Saz,

If you're buying something that old, a lot of the potential fuel consumption is going to be down to the condition of the car and how badly worn the engine is. On that basis, I'd suggest you hunt around for a late nineties, early 2000s Suzuki Alto 1.0. They're as close to indestructible as any car can get to and the dinky little 1.0-litre engine should return mid-forties MPG, even around town. Again though, if you're looking to maximise economy, make sure it's serviced, make sure it gets a good high-grade engine oil and some decent tyres. There's nothing like good maintenance for driving your fuel bills down.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi James,

We'd be amazed if the answer is anything other than 'very.' The Liana's only weak points seem to be that the cabin trim is a bit cheap and on the scratchy side and that the service intervals are a bit short. Other than that, it should be solid as a rock once it's looked after.

Best of luck

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Hi Vincent,

They're massively reliable. No common faults to report and the German TUV testing brigade rate them highly for reliability.