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Hi Gary,

The only major recurrent problems seem to be exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves that can get sticky (a smell of unburned diesel is the giveaway) and a weak timing belt tensioner that needs regular attention. There's an excellent UK-based owners club at stdrivers.co.uk and the forums there are full of helpful advice. Apparently, in the UK, some of the parts for the 2.2 diesel engine are cheaper from Jaguar dealers (the same engine was used in the X-Type), but we're not sure if that holds true here. Lovely car the ST TDCi, although I do recall from my (long ago) test drive that the brakes needed a hell of a good shove to work hard...

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Hi John,

At 10k miles a year, to be honest, you’d be better off going for a petrol model as you’re just not going to get the fuel savings out of a diesel to justify the extra cost, plus you might be running into issues with exhaust filters. Of the two cars, the BMW is without question the nicer to drive, and it has a fractionally more spacious interior than that of the Audi. The Audi is seriously well-made though, so from a reliability point of view, we’d probably give that one the nod. Just make sure you buy one with a full, preferably main dealer, service history.

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Hi Eileen,

A lot here depends on what kind of car, and indeed what size of car, you’re looking for. There’s a huge choice out there, and most models now have at least the option of an automatic gearbox. Overall, it’s as ever hard to get away from the trusty VW Golf in cases such as this. A 1.6 TDI diesel or 1.2 TSI petrol with the DSG automatic gearbox would seem ideal.

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Hi Kevin,

The Volvo S40's engine is susceptible to a few issues that are, unfortunately, quite expensive to fix. Without seeing the car or message for myself, I'd suspect that it means turbocharger failure due to build up of sludge in the oil supply pipe to the turbo.

You'll need to get the car along to a good mechanic to confirm this for you before deciding on how best to remedy it.

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Hi Michael,

That model has a CO₂ emissions rating of 208g/km, so if it’s one that’s been imported since 2008, then it will have motor tax of €1,250. If it’s an original Irish market car registered in 2007, then it’s on the old by-engine-capacity tax system, so that’ll be €1,345.

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Hi Michael,

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Hi Tom,

The front-wheel drive only Yeti 2.0 TDI returns 52.3mpg (5.4 litres/100km). The four-wheel drive version returns 46.3mpg (6.1 litres/100km).

The Yeti is one of those cars in which it's possible to get close to the official figures - especially on the open road and the motorway.

Hope that helps

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Hi John,

The Skoda Superb or Octavia would have been our first suggestions. The Octavia hasn't quite as much rear legroom as the Superb, but it's still better than the Golf's - and the boot is huge. High mileages on diesel Skodas are nothing to worry about so long as it has a proper service history and is in good order. Taxi drivers regularly do hundreds of thousands of kilometres. Avoid high mileage DSG automatic gearboxes, but otherwise they are really robust. So long as the history and price are good I'd not worry about buying one with over 150,000 kilometres on the clock.

One last thing to consider: if you do less than 20,000 kilometres a year a petrol car may suit you better. They're generally cheaper to buy and better suited to low mileage use. They're also quieter!

Hope that helps, but do come back to us if you need more assistance and have a budget in mind so we can narrow down the search for you.

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Hi Dolores,

They’re pretty shoddy, to be honest. The alternators are troublesome, as are turbos on both petrol and diesel models. Head gasket trouble is common, and the timing chain on the 1.6 petrol needs regular checking. Electrical problems are common and the roof mechanism on the CC model is spectacularly unreliable, often getting stuck half open or closed. The timing belt/chain question rather depends on which engine you’re talking about, but economy will work out at around 35mpg for the petrol models, or 45-50mpg for a diesel.

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Hi Jon,

So, your average mileage is going to be around 25,000km per year. That’s just on the cusp of needing a diesel, so I’d suggest going for the Mazda in this case, as it will be much more efficient at that kind of journey, and the constant long motorway runs will keep the particulate filter in good order. Plus, the Mazda will likely be more reliable than the Megane in the long run.