Expert answer

Hi Gerard,

That is a bit of a hard one. To be honest I would probably be looking in the direction of a pick-up truck and a Mitsubishi L200 would be the one I would go for with your budget. You would have to add a cover or find one with one, but something like this could really work.

Or if you needed a van, then this Renault Master could be ideal. It is within your budget and has lots of seats!

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Hi Jonathan,

You should be able to stay with your Mondeo in the UK, from 2005-2006 with a diesel for around that budget. Obviously there is much greater choice in the UK and lots might be high mileage but don't necessarily let that put you off because some of these might be cars that lived on motorways and as such won't have lived very hard lives.

We found a 2006 Mondeo Estate with 112,000 miles in the classifieds for £3,000 and it was a private sale and that could do a very nice job for you.

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Hi John,

The auctions have got a lot better than they used to and they are much more popular than ever because essentially it cuts out the middle man. Some auctions such as Merlin now offer a warranty with the auction car so that does take the total risk out of buying. Generally if a car is in an auction there is a reason - it is either a car that someone is trying to get rid of in a hurry; it could be a bit of a heap; or more recently you could find that it is a car that has been repossessed by the banks. These later ones can and often are perfect. By all means give the auction a go, but firstly as an observer. It is easy to get carried away by the auction experience as it can be quite a thrill. 

In general, I would say that if you are buying a slightly larger car for a small budget then make it Japanese. It might not be sexy but something like a Toyota Avensis or Corolla will provide you with the most trouble free motoring for your budget. 

Something like this could do a good job - it's a Corolla 1.6 petrol. It isn't exciting, but neither are large repair bills. Here is the newer shape Avensis with higher mileage but this could be a decent buy. 

I wouldn't really stray much further than these if you want a decent solid car. 

I hope this helps. 

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Hi John,

This one took a little bit of research, but according to Peugeot, it was the first to market a car with a diesel particulate filter in Ireland with the 607 saloon. Then in 2002 Peugeot introduced the DPF on its 307 2.0-litre HDi model. They came into general use around 2005 onwards. Ford told us that its cars came with DPFs from then on. 

I am not sure of your budget, but perhaps a Ford Focus C-Max diesel would make sense? This car would be a top choice for you. 

Ford Focus C-Max

I hope this helps, but come back to us for more information if needed

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 there,

Well the obvious choice would be to go and get the latest Renault Laguna Sports Tourer, which could cost you as little as €23,090 under the scrappage scheme with a 2.0-litre diesel engine. This might be a bit over budget though. 

You are almost certainly going to get the best deal from a Renault dealership. The Grand Mégane is another option, but this only comes with a 1.5-litre diesel or 1.6-litre petrol. I am not sure why you would need it to be over 1.6-litre because the modern smaller engines are really good and the 1.5-litre diesel in the Mégane is really very competent. 

Hope that helps - if you need further advice please drop us a line in the comment box below

Expert answer

Hi Hany,

I guess this depends on you budget really and whether you can get the full scrappage allowance from Renault on your Fluence. If your car is ten years or older then obviously this car becomes very cheap and therefore very appealing.

If you are asking which is the best car of the two then I would say that the Mazda3 is a better car. It feels a little better built, has a better diesel engine and will almost certainly be worth more in three or four years time. 

However at the moment, the Fluence is so much cheaper that it really is hard to ignore it, so all things being equal, at the moment the Fluence is probably a better buy. I hope this helps! 

Expert answer

Hi Maurice,

If I were spending my own money on something like this I would probably narrow my search down to a few key models. I would also look at something that was pre-July 2008 as the road tax is a little easier to stomach.  You didn't specify whether you need it to be a 4x4, because this does tend to make them a little harder on fuel.

The Toyota RAV4 isn't massive but it is seriously well put together and you could have a 2.2-litre 2007 model with low mileage for €17,950.

Here's an example on beepbeep.ie.

Road tax at €860 is still a lot though, so that might rule this out.

If you don't need 4x4, then a Nissan Qashqai is quite an obvious choice. You could have a 2009 model, with low mileage and road tax of a just €156 per year, for €20,495. These are popular for a reason, but forget about it if you need to go off-road.

Here's an example on beepbeep.ie.

Again, no four-wheel drive options for your budget, but you could have a Skoda Yeti, which is a great SUV with a decent 2.0-litre TDI engine for €22,750 - although I'd be pushing for closer to €20,000 in a cash deal.

You could have a Nissan X-Trail too, although they can be a little hard to find. They are really good value. Most are two-wheel drive but there are four-wheel drive ones about. This one is a two-wheel drive version, but at €18,500 for a 2008 model it is great value.

Finally, the latest Land Rover Freelander is much better than the model that went before it. You can have it with a 2.2-litre diesel engine and four-wheel drive and that would be in and around the right money.

Here's an example.

Out of this lot, I'd be inclined to go for the Nissan X-Trail.

Hope that helps. Let us know what you end up going for.

Expert answer

Hi William,

We'd be only too happy to help you choose a new car if that's the route you want to go down, but one suggestion we'd have that could save you the cost of changing cars is to change the tyres on your Santa Fe to winter tyres.

Many people think that winter tyres are only of use in snow and ice, but that's far from the case. Regular tyres begin to go hard (and hence lose grip) at just seven degrees Celsius. That's regardless of how wet or dry the road surface is. Winter tyres, however, do not go hard at these temperatures and hence retain much higher levels of grip.

It's often said that a two-wheel drive car on winter tyres is better in slippery conditions than a four-wheel drive car on regular tyres.

I have first-hand experience of using winter tyres over the past week and I can confirm that they really make a huge difference. Bear in mind that they help with braking and turning, as well as traction.

You may have heard people say that winter tyres wear out quicker, but actually that's not the case at this time of year. When the temperatures are low, regular tyres wear quicker than winter tyres.

Admittedly, winter tyres wear quicker and their braking performance isn't as impressive as a regular tyre's in warm weather.

There's no doubt that winter tyres are more expensive to buy, but it'd be cheaper than changing your car.

If, however, you want to change your car regardless, come back to us and we'll help you through it.

Expert answer

Hi Noel

There is quite a small amount of money between the Classic and the Deluxe model (€1,500) and as well as the fog lights that you mention, you get things like Climate Control over manual air conditioning, a leather steering wheel and gear knob and cruise control. 

These are all pretty necessary things in the Santa Fe, so I would do my best if I were you to strike a deal up on the Deluxe model. I don't know if you are restricted budget-wise but you would be surprised how much you could get off if you negotiate. 

In relation to the front fog lights, they aren't hugely essential, but are 'handy' when the weather is really bad. Once you have them on the rear, which you will, then other cars will at least see you. I wouldn't not buy the car because they weren't there but do your best to shop around for the Deluxe model. I would be confident you could get that Deluxe for the right price.