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Hi Niall,

Probably around €8k retail or €6,500 - €7,000 as a trade-in.

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Hi Sharon,

Quite different cars - the Insignia is bigger and plusher and feels, as it should, a lot more sophisticated. That said, the Jetta is comfy and has a massive boot, and is ruggedly reliable too. That old 1.9 TDI is a rattly old thing though. If they're similar on price, spec, history and condition, I'd say the Insignia shades it.

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Hi Shane,

It's complicated because some of the providers are also providers to the providers - for instance Bank of Ireland provides the finance for many of the car companies themselves. 

Generally speaking though, it's a list of the usual suspects - AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB, Ulster Bank and the Credit Unions followed by the big car company banks - Volkswagen Bank, Renault Bank, BMW Finance. There are some leasing companies too such as Lease Plan but they don't really work with individuals.

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Hi Philip,

There are some very good options here actually. Both the Land Rover Discovery Business and the Mitsubishi Pajero Executive have full five-seat, leather-and-everything cabins, but their boots are big enough to qualify for commercial VRT and motor tax (assuming you can demonstrate that your business needs a commercial vehicle). The Land Rover Defender can be had in similar layout but if you want something really rugged then go for the Volkswagen Amarok pickup, which matches comfort with utility. There's also the Toyota Hilux crew-cab and Mitsubishi is about to launch a new L200 pickup later this summer.

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Hi Michael,

It may well be that the housing of those gearboxes is the same, and that they appear interchangeable, but there could be important differences internally that would make the swap less than ideal. Most mechanics won't necessarily know the answer either. We reckon you should should check with a well-established car dismantler, as they come across that sort of thing all the time.

Best of luck

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Hi Colette,

It shouldn't be. The MkV Golf was really well made and in fact actually had to be redesigned so that it cost Volkswagen less to build. Generally speaking, cost of repair is always less than cost of change but if you're getting spooked that the car is about to start running up big bills, have a word with your local Volkswagen dealer and get them to give the car the once-over. They'll either be able to reassure you or give you a good deal on a trade-in.

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Hi Paul,

It depends on condition and service history of course. We've seen Sharans priced up around the €6,000 mark at that age, which would suggest a trade in of €4-4,500. However that's a very good price for one and I suspect you'd get less than that. 

The good news is that Toyota currently has an offer in place that gives a €3,000 trade-in on almost any car. So, strike fast and you should get a reasonable trade in. More details on that here.

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Hi Stephen,

Unless your surname happens to be Axa or Aviva, you need to stick to a 1.0-litre engine. Now, depending on your budget, that might not be the motoring purgatory that you think it is. If you can stretch to it, a Volkswagen up!, Skoda Citigo or SEAT Mii are all terrific to drive and funky to look at and all come with a rev-happy little 1.0-litre lump. Ditto recent versions of the Ford Fiesta with the non-turbo version of the three-cylinder Ecoboost engine.

Need to buy something older and cheaper? Track down an Opel Corsa 1.0. Not the most exciting car, but safe, solid and decent to drive. Older again? Consider a Nissan Micra from the '90s. Yes, it's slow but it's more enjoyable in the corners than you might think and they go forever on minimal maintenance.

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Hi Michael,

If you want to go petrol then there are few better options than Volkswagen's 1.2 TSI turbo, and when it's fitted to the Skoda Octavia, you've got a near-perfect combination. Drive it gently, and you'll probably get very little difference in the overall fuel consumption compared to your old 407. That engine hasn't really been in the market for all that long, so it's a little hard to get a handle on whether or not there are any reliability landmines out there, but in general we've heard nothing bad. 

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Hi Anish,

It's very difficult to assess issues such as this without sitting in the car, but I would say that it doesn't sound like anything to worry about, certainly not if it was a once off. Try to repeat it and if you're still worried then bring the car back to the dealer and show them what's happening.

It sounds to me like you just caught out the electronics controlling the gearbox.