Expert answer

Hi Colette,

Keep an eye out for turbo issues on the 1.5 diesel, and listen very carefully for any knocking coming from the suspension. Some of the interior fittings can be a bit fragile too. Other than that, they’re pretty solid, as long as you buy with a full service history. Oh and, yes, they’re economical — you should easily get 45-50mpg in daily driving.

Expert answer

Hi Vinnie,

If we’re talking about petrol 318i and 320i then there’s not an enormous difference — it’s the same 2.0-litre petrol engine, with either 130hp or 150hp on offer. Obviously the 320i’s a bit quicker, but not by all that much, and the 318i is economical if you drive it gently. Reliability is decent, and you don’t have to worry about he timing chain issues that afflicted diesel models, but at that age make absolutely sure that you’re buying a car with full service history. 

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Hi Nabeel,

No, the S40 gearboxes were all pretty solid, both manual and automatic. If an S40 is going to develop problems, it’s usually with the turbo on the 1.6 diesel engine, or with the central locking or ignition system. There is a bit of a disadvantage in terms of fuel economy with buying an auto S40, but it’s not a huge gap, depending on how you drive.

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Hi Mike,

The official figure for this car on the combined cycle is 5.7 litres/100km (49.6mpg). We'd expect most drivers to get close to 40mpg so long as all their driving isn't in town.

Hope that's of use

Expert answer

Hi Fergal,

This engine downsizing is prevalent and not just by Ford, and it has been made possible thanks to advances in engine technology, such as high pressure fuel injection and turbocharging.

A close look at what's offered by Ford Ireland reveals that the Mondeo 1.6 TDCi is the 115hp version, where as the Focus can be had with that and a cheaper 95hp unit. The raw data reveals that the 115hp Focus does the 0-100km/h sprint in 10.9 seconds - a second faster than the Mondeo with the same engine. Likewise, the Focus is more efficient with lower emissions and fuel consumption - though the differences are not as big as you might think.

Essentially, it boils down to the engine's torque output. This engine produces 270Nm from as low as 1,750rpm, which is more than enough to deal with a car the size of the Mondeo. Naturally a 2.0-litre diesel with the same technology will be more impressive again, but the 1.6 is just fine.

For the record, we find that Ford's 1.6-litre TDCi engine has a very narrow power band, but once you learn to keep the engine within that it never feels slow. Obviously, driven like that it won't come close to its official fuel economy figures.

Hope that all helps.

Expert answer

Hi Niamh,

It depends — do you want diesel or petrol? Any small-to-medium car with a 1.4 to 1.6-litre diesel engine is going to be very, very economical (e.g. the Toyota Auris, VW Golf, Ford Focus and Skoda Octavia), but if you want a petrol engine, the choice is a little different. Here, we’d be looking at the Volkswagen Group cars (Golf, Leon or Octavia) with the 1.0-litre or 1.2-litre TSI petrol engines, which have excellent economy, or a Peugeot 308 with the 1.2-litre PureTech engine.

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Hi Eileen,

At 5,500 miles a year, diesel is most definitely not worth considering — you’re not doing anything like the mileage you’d need to do if you want to claw back the cost of buying a diesel in fuel savings, and maintenance costs could be high. As for which model to get, it kind of depends on your preferences. I’m getting the vibe that you’re not keen on the Micra, so maybe have a look at the likes of the VW Golf 1.0 TSI, Honda Civic 1.0 Turbo, or wait for a little while for the all-new Ford Focus or Toyota Auris to arrive.

Expert answer

Hi Siobhain,

The RAV4 has a great reputation for reliability so once it has been fully serviced there should be no worries on that front. There are a few things to look out for though, including leaky sunroofs and diesel engines low on power because of failed sensors. Also, if it's a diesel RAV4 that has a tow bar fitted look for receipts and any work done to replace the flywheel and clutch, as these sometimes fail on tow cars. If it was a tow car and has not had this work done try to get a warranty.

In terms of price, without knowing its specification and engine, it looks to be at the top of the pricing for that year. There are others for less and with lower mileage available, though really you should be buying on condition and history above mileage alone.

If we can be of further assistance please do come back to us.

Expert answer

Hi David,

The latest BMW X5 xDrive30d uses 7.4 litres of diesel every 100 kilometres on the official combined cycle. That's equivalent to 38.2mpg. As ever, few cars achieve their official figures.

For the record, emissions are 195g/km.

Hope that answers your question.

Expert answer

Hi Tommy,

First up, gearboxes: a six-speed gearbox in a given car usually means it is officially more economical than it would be if it had a five-speed gearbox, but that really will depend on the type of roads it's driven on and the driver's own style. It's not correct to say that a six-speed Renault, for example, is automatically more economical than a five-speed Ford though, as there are many more factors to consider. Best to look at the official combined consumption figures as a gauge - even though they're not usually achievable in the real world they are a good measure of one car against another.

A quick search on Carzone.ie reveals that your budget may get you into a 2009 Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi. There are plenty of different trim levels and 90- or 110hp derivatives available so take a close look at the specifications, history and mileage. Most of those are now in Band A4 with emissions of less than 120g/km and fuel consumption as low as 4.3 litres/100km (65.7mpg).

In terms of Golfs, it looks like you'd be lucky to get a 2008 version (the old one) for that same money, which means it'd have to be a 1.9- or 2.0-litre TDI engine. These cost more to tax (especially if you go pre-2008) and are a little less econonomical than the Focus above.

There don't seem to be many Renault Méganes fitting your description and budget, though a look elsewhere reveals that you may find a 2010 version at this price powered by the 1.5-litre dCi engine. This came in 86- and 110hp guises. The former is virtually as economical as the Focus and the latter only uses a little more fuel.

Finally, the Citroen C4: in terms of economy, the 2008 1.6 HDi 92hp engine is up there with the Focus etc, though there are more powerful versions available too.

In summary, if fuel economy is your priority then it's probably best to stay away from the older Golf, with its larger engine. The others are all very close and so it comes down to personal preference. We'd go for the Focus, not least because of the much wider choice of examples on the used market.

Come back to us if you need more assistance narrowing your search.