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Hi Zubair,

Nope, not at all. In fact for a car of that age that's pretty much average mileage. The trick is to make sure it's been looked after. A fully-stamped service book and a thick sheaf of receipts showing that it's been properly cared for should mean it's fine. 

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Hi Cónal,

Ok, it depends what you need. Do you need to use all seven seats regularly? Get the Verso, as it has at least decent space in the third row. If you just need a couple of vey occasional flip-up seats for short journeys then the Qashqai is nicer to look at and better to drive.

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Hi Kathryn,

It would theoretically be possible, but the cost would be completely prohibitive. A large number of new components would be needed under the bonnet and under the dashboard to make it work and I suspect the cost of those, plus the considerable amount of labour needed to do the work, would make it not economically viable.

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Hi Ronan,

Go for the Octavia. The Mazda3 is nice to drive and incredibly reliable and the Corolla is about as reliable and unbreakable as a granite rock, but the Octavia has the best interior space and reliability is generally excellent, so go for that. Case in point: once spent two consecutive weekends hauling my young family from Dublin to Waterford to visit relatives. First weekend with a Ford S-Max, second with an Octavia (this would have been 2006) and the Octavia carried the same amount of luggage as the S-Max...

Relevant reviews:

Skoda Octavia review

Toyota Corolla review

Mazda3 review

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Hi Rachel,

Somewhere in the region of €5,000.

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Hi Jerry,

It depends. If you roll it up to a Nissan, Peuegot or Opel dealer in the next few weeks, then it could be worth as much as €4,500 off a new car. As a pure scrap value, at a breakers, it depends entirely on the condition of the car and the various parts that can be stripped from it.

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Hi Caoimhe,

Yup, I would too - assuming that you can get a similar quote for insuring the Toyota. That generation of Corolla is actually surprisingly good to drive, and it's far more comfortable and practical than the Corsa, not to mention close to indestructible when it comes to reliability. Plus, I always think it's better to learn to drive on the largest car you can afford to run and insure - it makes things easier when you upgrade in later life.

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Hi Khumbulani,

Very different cars - a Corolla is a mid-size family hatchback, a Polo is a supermini. It's a split decision anyway - the Polo will be slightly cheaper to run but the Corolla is more likely to be reliable, long-term.

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Hi Mary,

Not necessarily. The rule is never buy on mileage, buy on condition and history. Does the higher mileage car have a more complete service history? Does is have fewer owners? Does it come with a warranty? Does it look and feel as if it's been better cared for? If the answers to those are all yes then the higher mileage car could actually be the better one. It's about much more than simple mileage.

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Hi Enda,

Yeah, he's definitely better off with the petrol version, not least because Toyota's 1.4 diesel is not the best, but its 1.33 petrol is a cracker. You might need to do some digging to track one down though - they're thinner on the ground on a 2010 plate than the diesels. 

Now then, Auris versus Corolla. Yup, they're the same size inside. The boot on the Auris is a little smaller but then it's also more versatile thanks to being a hatchback. The point about air conditioning is probably right - standard spec on Toyotas tends to be quite stingy and Corolla saloons are basically built for emerging markets (no, seriously, we're the only Western European nation that still sells them) so tend to be even more basic again. 

I'd say you'll need to find about €3-4k to finance the upgrade from a 2008 Corolla to a 2010 or 2011 Auris.

Relevant reviews:

Toyota Auris review (2013)

Toyota Auris review (2010)

Toyota Corolla review (2013)

Toyota Corolla review (2010)