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Hi Joe,

Your first choice there is a bit of a hard one to argue with. The Mazda3 is impressively well built, hugely reliable and, in saloon form, not only has a big, useful boot but also manages to look better than the five-door hatch on which it's based. The downside is a dour, plain cabin but that €6,000 budget should, with a little haggling, get you into a 2007 1.6 TD diesel model. No, you won't get the benefit of the cheaper post-2008 tax, but for those occasional runs up to Mayo, you'll be saving yourself a whole lot of fuel.

Hope that helps

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Hi Tony,

In short, yes it is. It has a lot of torque so is still up to big towing. Just don't expect it to win any traffic light grand prix! Here's our first drive of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class powered by that engine.

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Hi John,

It’s the Isuzu engine, and most of them were actually built in GM’s powertrain plant in Tychy, in Poland. 

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Hi Vincent,

Not that tough, these days actually. Would you consider an Opel Mokka? Not the greatest car ever made or anything but it has a higher seating position, which may help and, better still, its front seats are approved of by the Aktion Gesunder Rucken, which is the German Bad Back Association. If you don’t fancy the Mokka, I too am a bad back sufferer and I always found that the seats in the Citroen C3 Picasso were always very comfy. Worth a try at any rate.

Here are the reviews:

Opel Mokka X review

Citroen C3 Picasso review

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Hi Jan,

Yes, if you’re doing fewer than circa 20,000km a year then you are indeed better off with petrol. If it’s the new-shape Hyundai i30 you’re talking about, the good news is that it does come with a deeply impressive 1.0-litre petrol turbo T-GDI engine, which is a belter. As for the particulate filter on the diesel, generally speaking a 25-30min run along the motorway, in fourth gear (at 120km/h where permitted), will do the job when it comes to keeping it clear.

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Hi Pat,

I'd say you're looking at a probable value of between €5,000 and €7,000 with that kind of mileage. Trading in probably the better route, unless it's a diesel you're selling. Private buyers just don't seem to want to know about petrol cars at the moment.

Let us know how you get on.

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Hi Sandra,

Yes, the N47 diesel certainly had its share of troubles with that timing chain, and sadly it’s not as simple as getting it changed at a specific mileage. It’s an engine-out job to change, and they can go without warning.

Because of that, if nothing else, we’d steer you to the 520d with the older engine, but also that’s a genuinely fantastic car, especially with the M Sport body kit - and hugely entertaining to drive. Plus it’s more practical and comfortable than the 3 Series Coupe. Just make certain that it comes with a full service history.

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Hi Brendan,

We're acutely aware of this, which is why we mentioned depreciation and other costs in our notes at the end of the article (here it is if anyone else is interested). Predicting future values of current cars is a black art that we'd rather not take part in!

Saying that, diesel cars currently hold their value a little better, but we suspect that may change in time, with the advent of more efficient petrol technology, plus, potentially, lower bills as a car gets much older. Along with all that of course is that fact that petrol cars will become very rare soon following our new car buying habits of the past four to five years.

Thanks for getting in touch.

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Hi Siegfried,

Yes, it's a cracking family car. A shame it's not the seven-seater, which is even more versatile again, but even so the Doblo has a great combination of practicality and affordability.

That 1.3 MultiJet diesel engine is a cracker too. Economical and decently reliable.

Can't recommend it highly enough, to be honest.

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Hi Patrick,

The official fuel figure for the Sportage petrol model of that era was 27mpg, but we'd expect you will probably do a little lower than that, most likely around 25mpg. It's not terrible, and you have to play that off agains the extra that a diesel model would cost, but it's not exactly economical. Then again, with a bit of practice and technique, you may be able to do better.

Other than that, it makes entirely good sense. Sportages are rugged and pleasant to drive and very practical too. One thing; the price seems a touch high, although that could have to do with there being a dearth of good 2009-2010 used cars around in general, as well as the very low mileage.