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Which premium estate for up to €14,000?

Hi.

I'm in a top spec '07 BMW 3 Series 2.0 petrol auto with only 60k miles. I love the car but need more space. Any recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated. My overall budget is max €14k (€10k plus €4k that I hope to get by selling privately, as dealers are only offering me €3k). I would like to stick to a premium brand, and would buy a used estate version of my current car, except they're all diesel and I don't do enough mileage to warrant a diesel engine.

Many thanks and best regards

Tony, Dublin

Tony H (Dublin)

Dec 2017 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Tony,

Well, it would certainly be worth trying to track down a petrol-engined 3 Series Touring estate, but as you rightly point out these are rarer than hens’ molars at the moment. Same story for the Audi A4 Avant and Mercedes C-Class Estate too, I’m afraid. Would you consider a VW Passat Estate? Or a Skoda Superb? A bit of a step down in class terms, I’ll grant you, but good, solid cars and you can track them down with the 1.4 TSI turbo petrol engine. 


Petrol Golf, Civic or Toyota Auris Hybrid?

Unsure what to buy, I am torn between three cars, the Honda Civic Smart Plus, VW Golf Comfortline and the Toyota Auris Hybrid Luna Sport. All are petrol, doing 1,000km a week so looking for most economical and within reason an all round good car.

Thanks.

Declan Dore (Tralee)

Nov 2017 Filed under: choosing new car

Expert answer

Hi Declan,

It’s actually really hard to pick a winner out of those three. The Auris Hybrid is a good choice, but works best if most of your mileage is in town. At 1,000km a week, it sounds like you’re doing longer journeys than that. Between the Golf and the Civic? Both have excellent 1.0-litre turbo petrol engines, but I think on balance we’d come down on the side of the Civic. It's roomier inside than the Golf and has  (slightly) better reliability prospects in the longer term.


We need advice on a faulty car...

Hi,

We need advice on where or what to do next. We bought a 132 VW Passat 1.6 TDI on the 7/4/17 from a dealer for €11,500. Well pleased until five weeks ago when the car had a fire (a fuse went on fire) and burned all the fuses and fuse box to a crisp. The warranty crowd wouldn't cover the damage as it's an electrical fault, but after much rowing and threats of a solicitor the garage said they would cover the damage and put in a new wiring loom and fuse box .

We collected the car last Thursday from a different garage, as the one we bought it from sends all its cars to this crowd for any work that needs doing.  The car drove grand for two days and then problems started intermittingly, wipers packed up, power steering stopped working,  airbag lights on dash, central locking going mad, windows dropping,  etc. Then on Monday, the car refused to start so I checked the fuses (driver's side) and noticed there was no new wiring loom put into the car and all the cables were soldered onto a new fuse box.

The car was recovered last night for it to be fixed again.  This car is now unfit for purpose and we have lost all faith in it.   I can't really afford a solicitor at €150 an hour. Where do we go from here?

Please help!

Ruairi Mc Carthy (Mullagh Co Cavan)

Oct 2017 Filed under: electrics

Expert answer

Hi Ruairi,

 

Oh, that’s just not good, and I’m worrying that you may well actually need a solicitor at this point, especially as clearly one garage or other has reneged on what they told you they were going to do. Did you get, in writing, the assurance that a new wiring loom was going to be installed in the car? That would be helpful.

Basically, under the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act, either the car or the repair was clearly not ‘of merchantable quality’ and you are entitled, under consumer law, to a full replacement or refund. Car dealers will often try and squirm out of that, but if they do I suggest you tell them you’re going to take it to the small claims court (where there’s no need for a solicitor). If that doesn’t get them moving, then it’s time to get the lawyers in.


How does the Skoda Octavia 1.0 perform?

I have just ordered the Skoda Octavia Combi 1.0-litre petrol. How does the one-litre engine perform with a fully loaded car?

Mark Conway (Dublin)

Jul 2017 Filed under: performance

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

While we haven’t loaded an Octavia 1.0 to its total maximum GVW capacity, we have driven it with four passengers and a boot full of luggage and it performs very well indeed. Not the fastest car around, no doubt, but we found no lack of performance and fuel economy remained at an impressive 50mpg.

Read our Skoda Octavia 1.0 TSI review

(there's a video review embedded in the copy, too)


Are there forums to discuss a Volkswagen Golf issue?

Where will I find a forum in Ireland to ask Volkswagen Golf owners about problems they may have experienced? I have an auto hold problem that the garage cannot sort. Kind of my word against theirs problem that shows up only about 10 per cent of the time. Never there when you drive into the dealership... cracking up from it and cannot let anyone else drive the car.

Kevin Ryan (Limerick)

Jun 2015 Filed under: fault

Expert answer

Hi Kevin,

There are a couple you can try, such as golfmk7.com or forums.vwvortex.com, but you need to be aware that the people on forums are not necessarily experts. Take any advice with some level of caution.

Your better bet is to sit on your dealer's head (metaphorically) to get the problem solved. It's not a case of their word against yours - don't take that kind of crap lying down. The garage's job is to sort your problem and you shouldn't pay a cent to them until the problem is fixed to your satisfaction. Quote the Sale Of Goods And Supply Of Services Act at them. They're the experts, so a shrug and a "we can't replicate the problem" isn't good enough.

If you're still having problems, tell us the name of the garage. Volkswagen Ireland guards its reputation for after-sales service fervently so it'll also be interested to hear about this. 


Nissan Qashqai or Volkswagen Passat?

Which is a safer and better car: 2013 Volkswagen Passat 1.6 TDI or 2014 Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi?

Peter Pan (Ireland)

Feb 2015 Filed under: safety

Expert answer

Hi Peter,

That us a very tough choice to have to make. Both are excellent - the Qashqai won the Association of Professional Motoring Press (APMP) Car of the Year award last year and trust me, we're a tough bunch to please. It's very good to drive, frugal and very comfy. Practical too, of course.

The Passat would probably be the better choice if you are doing lots of long motorway miles though - that 1.6 TDI engine is astonishing economical (I once did Galway-Dublin-Belfast-Glasgow-Dublin-Galway on one tank in one) and they're very comfy for long journeys. Both are about equally reliable, which means they're both pretty solid but don't accept anything that hasn't a full service history.

On the safety front, the 2014 Qashqai (that's the current shape model) got five stars on the EuroNCAP crash test, with an 88 per cent score for adult occupant protection, 83 per cent for child occupant, 69 per cent for pedestrian protection and 79 per cent for safety assist (which is a measure of how many electronic driver aids are fitted as standard).

The Passat achieved similar scores - five stars overall, 91 per cent adult occupant, 77 per cent child occupant, 54 per cent pedestrian protection, and 71 per cent safety assist.

Further reading:

2014 Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi review (on Irish roads)

2010-2014 Volkswagen Passat EuroNCAP safety results

2014 Nissan Qashqai EuroNCAP safety results


Best affordable family car?

What is the best affordable family car to buy?

Mick Mel (Kilkenny)

Jul 2013 Filed under: choosing new car

Expert answer

Hi Mick,

Tempting to say a Volkswagen Golf (which is the answer everyone gives), but I’ll be slightly different and say a VW Golf Estate. Classy, lovely to drive, comfy and with a massive boot. Perfect family motoring. Read our Volkswagen Golf Estate review here.


Problem with the 2012 VW Golf's brakes?

Is there any problem with the brakes in the VW Golf of 2012?

Majella Nolan (Clara)

Jun 2013 Filed under: brakes

Expert answer

Hi Majella,

We don't know of any widely reported issue with the brakes of the 2012 Volkswagen Golf.


Saab 9-3, VW Jetta or Skoda Octavia?

What would you say is the most reliable from the following: 2009/2010 Saab 1.9 diesel 9-3, VW Jetta or Skoda Octavia?

I'm looking for a car that will not develop electronic/electrical problems that will disable the car or turn on warning lights that require special equipment to turn off, if such a car exists these days!

Thanks

Tony Maher

Tony Maher (Ennis)

May 2013 Filed under: reliability

Expert answer

Hi Tony,

No, no such car exists. They all, when a problem occurs, need a trip to a diagnostic rig. Of the three you’ve mentioned though, the Octavia is by far the best, and yes even better than the Jetta with which it shares its mechanical bits and pieces.


Want to know the best seven-seater.

Want to know the best seven-seater on the market.

Bridget Enabulele (Dublin)

May 2013 Filed under: choosing new car

Expert answer

Hi Bridget,

Do you mean medium or large seven-seater? If it’s a medium one, then the best ones are the VW Touran, Kia Carens, Toyota Verso, Citroen C4 Picasso, or Renault Grand Scenic. If you mean a bigger one, then the best ones are the Ford S-Max or SEAT Alhambra. Here are our reviews of them all:

Volkswagen Touran review

Kia Carens review

Toyota Verso review

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso review

Renault Grand Scenic review

Ford S-Max review

SEAT Alhambra review


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