Expert answer

Hi Ciaran,

You can't go too far wrong with a good Nissan Micra or Volkswagen Polo, even at that price. They are reasonable to insure, pretty reliable and the Micra in particular is great on fuel. We'd stay away from the Daewoo Lanos and though the Fiat Cinquecento is bursting with character they can be troublesome. Others to consider are the Suzuki Swift and Volkswagen Lupo.

Come back to us with a shortlist if you want and we can help further.

Expert answer

Hi Eamonn,

Come back to us with your budget, but cars to consider include the Citroen C3, Ford Fiesta, perhaps the Ford Fusion, Honda Jazz, Mazda2 (also called the Demio as an import), Nissan Micra (called the March as an import), Opel Corsa, SEAT Ibiza, Suzuki Swift, Toyota Yaris and the Volkswagen Polo.

That's a long list, I know! It really depends on your budget. Our pick of all that lot would be the Honda Jazz given your requirement for a big boot that's easy to access.

Hope that helps.

Expert answer

Hi Patrick,

That's a lot of questions! Let's start with the Santa Fe. Your budget is likely to limit you to the last of the older generation. It's a tough piece of kit, but not great on the road in terms of comfort. It's reliable, though expensive enough to maintain. Early versions had clutch judder, but this should have been fixed in later versions with a new flywheel. We've not heard about diesel pump and injector trouble.

Given that budget we'd rather the Hyundai Tucson. There are plenty of them about and it's much nicer to drive on the road. Saying that, it's a good deal smaller than the Santa Fe. It's not as expensive to service however. It's the same story with the older Sportage, though we'd prefer the Tucson.

The RAV4 is a fine choice all-round. It's generally reliable and good on the road. I wouldn't be very worried about extra wear and tear in the driveline.

Don't forget about the Nissan X-Trail, Honda CR-V and Suzuki Grand Vitara. All worth a closer look.

Has that helped you create a shortlist?

Expert answer

Hi Rory,

I'm sure you're aware that your budget will get you any number of relatively new regular cars such as the Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus, along with bigger models like the Ford Mondeo and Toyota Avensis.

However, given your current choice of car I'd suspect that you'd like to retain the elevated driving position and your mileage dictates a diesel engine. Most cars can take a tow bar and you don't have heavy towing needs so that's not a major consideration. Likewise, all SUVs etc. will have room for your golf clubs.

So the logical choices based on all that include:

BMW X3: Good diesel engine, spacious, but your budget may only get you an older example.

Citroen C-Crosser: Great 2.2-litre diesel engine; rest of car built on Mitsubishi mechanicals.

Honda CR-V: Bomb-proof reliability, but again may have to settle for older example.

Hyundai Santa Fe: Big and comfortable, though running costs higher than smaller SUV.

Mitsubishi Outlander: Spacious, well made, ok diesel, if loud.

Nissan X-Trail: Strangely forgotten, but plenty around at this price.

Peugeot 4007: Shares its engine and underpinnings with the Citroen above.

Suzuki Grand Vitara: Very reliable.

Toyota RAV4: Another with impressive reliability. Possibly the choice of the lot at this price.

There are loads of older, bigger SUVs for sale at that price too, but they'll cost you more to run for no real benefit.

If you're willing to change body styles completely it's worth checking out something like a BMW 120d Coupé or a diesel 3 Series Coupé. There are also plenty of great estates on the market for that budget, including the Audi A4 Avant and BMW 3 Series Touring. I know you don't need that space for a family, but it's useful for a lot of other things.

Come back to us with more information and we'll help to narrow your search further.

Expert answer

Hi Rob,

For that budget we are assuming you are looking for a second-hand car. The Honda CR-V springs to mind, but the tax could be a little high for you as your budget will get you a pre-2008 version, which came with 2.0- and 2.2-litre engines. How about a five-door version of the Honda HR-V instead? We found this example on Carzone.ie and it looks the part. The 1.6-litre engine means it's not too much to tax either.

There are loads of Hyundai Santa Fes and the smaller Tucson around at that price too, though again their age and engine size might rule them out for you in terms of tax costs. Same story with the previous generation Kia Sportage.

Don't be tempted by older Land Rover Freelanders.

Another good option is the Suzuki Grand Vitara. A quick search showed that there are several 1.6-litre petrol versions with four-wheel drive within your budget, though most seem to be the less practical three-door body style, so you may need to look around to find a five-door example that suits your needs.

The Toyota RAV4 would be a great option, but keeping your tax bill down on a four-wheel drive version with five doors might be tricky. Recommeded though.

Hope all that helps. If you narrow down your search a little come back to us and we'll help you choose!

Expert answer

Hi Brigid,

You should probably expect to get offered around €3,500 for your Jimny as a trade-in.

I hope this helps

Expert answer

Hi Caroline,

Paddy here. Given your budget, I would say that you need something that is going to be easy to live with, cheap to run and reliable. 

The Suzuki Swift is a really easy car to own. It is reliable, spacious, cheap to run (tax, fuel, insurance) and good value too. This one I have picked out because it has really low miles (10,000km) and is about half way up your budget: Suzuki Swift

Another decent buy would be a Ford Focus 1.4 - which is a really good larger family hatchback with a big boot. This one we found has just 34,000km on the clock, comes from a good dealership and the price is good: Ford Focus

At the upper end of your budget would be a Volkswagen Golf. They are really good investments because they hold their value well. This one again has really low mileage: Volkswagen Golf

I hope some of these are of interest. I think the Swift would be a super choice for you guys though. 

Come back to us if you need more advice though.

Expert answer

Hi Jane,

First things first. The petrol versus diesel debate. Everyone is very caught up on diesel cars right now and that makes a lot of sense when you are buying new because they have lower road tax, but since small cars tend not to use a lot of fuel, the road tax should be quite low anyway. The mileage you are likely to do might warrant a diesel, but the diesel small cars tend to be a lot more expensive, so in this case I would say that a petrol model would do you fine and still won't cost the earth to run.

The VW Polo is an excellent choice because it is really nicely built and holds its value well too. I did a search for ones with the lowest mileage within your budget from main SIMI dealers (so there is more security and better history checks on the car). A 2007 Volkswagen Polo with just 15,000km on the clock is within your budget and would be a really nice buy. It would be dead cheap to run too. 

This 2008 Ford Fiesta is really nice too; with 11,000km on the clock so it is practically brand new. This is a five-door model so it might be a little more practical. It is at the upper end of your budget but you wouldn't pay the advertised price. 

One I would love you to consider though is the Suzuki Swift. It is a smashing little car. It is really reliable, cute, nicely built and fun to drive. It's a 2008 model with low mileage for less than €9,000. 

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the Renault Clio (it was my wife's first car and it was great) and you could find another one with ridiculously low mileage for less than €9,000 too. Here is one I liked the look of.

You wouldn't really go wrong with any of these. Personally, I'd be really tempted by that low-mileage Polo as a long term investment because you will always get a good bit of your money back. 

I hope all that helps

Expert answer

Hi Frank,

You are likely to get up to €6,000 for your Grand Punto as a trade-in. Having spoken to you via e-mail we know that you have a budget of around €8,000 - €10,000 on top of this.

A car like the Mazda3 saloon with an automatic transmission would make a great choice, as it would be more than suitable for the small mileage your wife does and even though it is a petrol engine it won't cost a lot to run. Here is an example that should be well within budget.

If you wanted something that is a little bigger and more comfortable, then you could have a 2008 Volkswagen Passat automatic within budget. Here is a 2008 one on sale in Naas.

Another good choice would be a Honda Civic saloon automatic, which would be ultra reliable. This model would be well suited to your wife's needs.

I know that you didn't mention an SUV, but if your wife suffers from mobility problems, it can be a lot easier to get in and out of a higher vehicle and this Suzuki Vitara could be great, as it comes with an automatic transmission and has plenty of space for the grandkids too.

Out of all these, my hunch is that the Mazda3 would make the best buy for your needs. I hope this helps. Feel free to come back to us if we haven't quite hit the mark!

Expert answer

Hi Alfie 

You will need something tough for towing and reliable too. A 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9-litre diesel would do a good job at towing and is nicely put together. We found one in the classifieds for €11,500 here: http://www.carzone.ie/search/Suzuki/Grand-Vitara/201016197685753/advert?channel=CARS

Or perhaps a Nissan X-Trail? This one here, a 2005 2.2-litre model would cost you less than €11,000: http://www.carzone.ie/search/Nissan/X-Trail/2.2-DCI/200840190271505/advert?channel=CARS

You could also go for a Hyundai Tucson. This 2006 4wd diesel model is less than €12,000. This would also be a fine choice: http://www.carzone.ie/search/Hyundai/Tucson/4WD-S%23R-/201017197807527/advert?channel=CARS