Expert answer

Hi Greg,

For your €5,000 budget (I'm assuming that's in total, even after you've sold the SEAT) you could get your hands on a late example of the first generation A-Class in A 140 or A 160 guises, both with an automatic gearbox. While the later versions improved, this car does not have a great reputation for reliability so make sure you properly inspect any one you're considering buying and ensure it has a full service history. They're costly to repair.

My money would go on a Honda Jazz. It's compact enough, but has decent space inside. There seem to be plenty on the market at your budget and most of the automatic examples have just 1.3-litre engines to keep costs down. On top of all that the Jazz has an incredible reliability record.

As ever check a car you're buying over thoroughly, but there are a few things to look out for on second-hand versions of the Jazz, as they can be expensive to fix. Check that the adjustment for the door mirrors works and that the car isn't jerky to drive at low speeds.

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Antoinette,

First of all it's always worth remembering to focus on the 'cost to change' rather than the trade-in value alone. Your current car is unlikley to be worth quite €1,000 to a dealer so bear that in mind. If that gives you €5,000 in total to spend then you could potentially afford a 2005 Toyota Avensis. However, that price will get you a high mileage example so it may be worth going for a 2003/2004 example in good condition with low mileage.

I reckon you're better off with a petrol version if you're looking at an Avensis of that age. It was before the changeover to emissions-based taxation in July 2008, so the 1.6-litre petrol model was very popular - and is therefore in plentiful supply on the used market. Tax is cheaper too than the diesel of the same age due to it being calculated on engine size.

Along with that, 11,000 miles per year is not quite high enough to justify the potential extra cost of a diesel car in my opinion.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Mike,

The only reason you would specifically buy the efficient dynamics version of the BMW 520d is if you want to pay €104 in road tax, you want the best possible fuel economy and you don't mind changing gears yourself. I'd always prefer by luxury saloon car to come with an automatic transmission and in general, the used car market prefers if you do to. 

We could of course, give our opinions as to what is the best of these cars - but the fact is that they are all in and around the same price, they are all very good and they all offer different things. The BMW is regarded as the drivers car amongst the group although increasingly this is being matched by the excellent new Audi A6. The Mercedes is without doubt the most comfortable of these three cars so if have a very relaxed style of driving then the Mercedes might suit best. 

It does really come down to personal choice. The BMW is the best-seller and that probably won't change for some time. Also you have left out the excellent Jaguar XF, and now with a 2.2-litre diesel it is excellent value. That needs to be considered too. 

Expert answer

Hello Mary,

You will probably get offered in and around the €15,000 mark for your S40 Flex Fuel model, but this could stretch to €16,000 if you traded it in against a new car. You didn't mention if you wanted a new or a used small automatic to replace your Volvo, but I will assume that you want a new car. 

I am not sure how small you want to go, but there are a few decent small automatic cars around, but not that many. The best of them would probably be the automatic Ford Fiesta, which is a really great little car for the money. We quite like the Hyundai i20 1.4 Deluxe Auto too. This is a fine little car. My top choice and the one I would buy is the Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSI Sportline with the excellent DSG gearbox, which is simply superb. 

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi John,

You should ask for €26,000 and be prepared to drop down to about €24,500.

I hope this helps.

Expert answer

Hi Teresa,

As with any car exchange - you need to look at the cost to change, not the value of your trade in. At the moment there are lots of Ford Fiesta and Focus models on the used market so the values of them aren't great. The dealers are also pricing your cars as to what they will be worth in February 2012 when the cars arrive. 

You said you are going to shop around and that is exactly what you should do. We could tell you that your cars are worth more, but unless a dealer is offering you this then it is not much use. 

You need to shop around!

Expert answer

Hi Steve,

This is a really tough one and it's unlikely to be a simple answer. The integrity of the head gasket relies on so many other parts of the engine, such as the flatness of the cylinder head and the torque applied to the cylinder head bolts. It would be very difficult to prove any wrongdoing by the garage that originally fitted the part.

For the same reason, it's highly unlikely that that would give any guarantee on such work. It's just not the done thing.

I'd suggest you go back to talk to them and try to come to some compromise. When you do have it done again make sure you insist that the cylinder head is skimmed and that you get a receipt for that work. It may also be worth suggesting that the cylinder head bolts are inspected, as some manufacturers require these to be replaced, which a garage may not automatically do.

I hope all that helps. Come back to us if you need to know anything else.

Expert answer

Hi Andrew,

According to Ciaran Allen, Sales Manager of Mercedes-Benz, "Stop/start is the main factor in reducing CO₂ and is available now on manual models. We are not expecting full availability on stop/start including seven-speed auto until August production - September arrival. Because of our market seasonality August and September are not big production months for us, so while it will be available we really consider E-Class seven-speed as a 2012 car. The model price won't be reduced but the auto road tax will go from band C to band B."

Hope that answers your question?

Expert answer

Hi Susan,

While our service is predominantly designed for an Irish audience, we don't minding answering the occasional question from abroad. Your valuation would depend on several other factors though:

• Is it a 2005 or 2006 car?
• Which trim level is it?
• Is it manual or automatic?
• Is the specification standard or are there desirable extras?

If you can let us know those details we should be able to give you a more accurate estimation.

Thank you

Expert answer

Hi Frank

The dual manual you refer to is I am guessing a DSG or double-clutch gearbox and we are certainly fans of them here at CompleteCar.ie. They have been around for quite some time now and therefore most of the major problems appear to have been ironed out. They offer a smoother auto change than a standard automatic transmission, plus they will behave like a manual (without the clutch obviously) if you want them to.

Something like this would be a lovely car.