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Hi Eamonn,

I guess a lot would depend on the price, but I didn't really rate the E-Class of that generation. It was troublesome and with that engine is pretty lifeless. My call would be the Audi everytime.

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Hi Sean,

Out of the three cars here, by far the best value under scrappage is the Hyundai i30. You could have a petrol model for as little as €13,995. The diesel is €15,495, which is quite a bit more. If your annual mileage is small then you should perhaps save some money and buy the petrol model. I know everyone buys diesel cars these days but the petrol alternative will only cost you €52 more than the diesel each year to tax and if your mileage is low then you wouldn't see much of a saving on fuel in the diesel car anyway.

The Peugeot 308 is comfortable and good on fuel.

If you are planning on changing the new car quite soon, then the Focus will be worth the most money as a trade-in, but I think the Hyundai would be the best buy in this case for you.

I hope this helps.

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Hi Laura,

I reckon the Fiat Sedici would be perfect. It is a small car with good fuel economy (from a diesel) that also happenes to come with four-wheel drive, which would make towing really easy. We found one that is within your budget and I reckon it would be a super little car for you.

Hope that helps

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Hi Pat,

Yes, I would say get a Sportage, but the question is, have you sourced one because they are very thin on the ground at the moment. The Sportage is so much more interesting than the Corolla that is an odd comparison, so yes, if you can get your hands on a Sportage then go buy one!

I hope this helps!

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Hi Sinead,

They are both around the same price and both really excellent cars. The new A6 is very refined, feeling now more like a small Audi A8 and the 2.0-litre diesel is powerful and relatively quiet. I did a short video on the car which you can view here.

The BMW 5 Series is selling really well because it offers so much car for a really good price.

Comparing them, I would say that the Audi has a fractionally better interior than the BMW, but for me in every other regard the BMW would be my preference because it looks better and drives better.

The two cars are really very close, so to be honest Sinead I would say that whichever one takes your fancy will be a good buy. They even have the same levels of standard equipment. It really is down to a Coke vs Pepsi arguement here: just down to personal taste.

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Hi Maty,

Overall, the Nissan Qashqai is a great car and has been a huge success in Ireland. You didn't specify which diesel model you're interested in, as there's a 1.5-litre and a 2.0-litre. They're both good, though obviously the latter has more oomph and is better suited to the car if it's full of people and luggage all the time. Saying that, the 1.5-litre is no slouch so don't be put off by the engine size.

It's worth trying a petrol version too, as they're cheaper to buy and quieter around town. The diesel model is more economical, but that only pays off if you do high mileage. Saying that, over 83 per cent of the Nissan Qashqais sold in Ireland in 2009 were diesel, so there are not many petrol versions available.

Hope that all helps. If you want to know anything specific about the car come back to us.

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Hi Peter,

Diesel cars are now outselling petrol cars by 3 to 1 and of the petrol models that are selling, they are mainly small runabouts. The fact is that the majority of people are being drawn to the lowest possible road tax and in some cases, oddly, this means that they are actually spending more on the car then they really should have. There seems little sense to spend €2,000 - €3,000 more on a diesel car if you are saving €50 a year in road tax and your mileage is low, but that is the way it seems to be happening right now.

The problem with this is that buyers are missing out on on some really good petrol cars. Fiat and Volkswagen in particular have some smart new petrol engines. Take for example the Jetta, which you  mentioned: the new one is out now, but in the older model there was a 105hp 1.2-litre TSI petrol engine and most people baulked at this because they thought it would be too weedy for the car. The same is true of the 1.4-litre TSI, while both are more than capable of adequate performance. 

In terms of fuel economy, sure enough the diesel will usually trump the petrol, but this will only really start to make monetary sense when you do a lot of mileage. It you intend on high mileage, then you are probably better off sticking with the diesel car - Volkswagens are generally quite good at mega mileage, as are Skodas.

We've been getting quite a few queries about DPFs (diesel particulate filters) here in CompleteCar.ie but Mazda appears to be the only brand showing up faults. The Passat though has not been without its troubles and, to be honest, I am not sure if I would be buying a used one with a lot of kilometres on the clock if big mileage is likely.

You mentioned the Jetta, well this one we found would be a top buy. It has just 14,000 miles on the clock, the right 2.0-litre diesel engine and is within your budget. This would be a good buy.

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Hi Andrew,

That is quite an unusual spec S-Max that you have and as such it is reasonably difficult to price it because there are lots of basic spec 1.8-litre diesels around with manual transmissions. If you were selling that privately I think you would want around €18,500 for it though you'd probably get around €17,000-€17,500  if you traded it in.

Once that car starts to creep towards 100,000km the value will drop quite a lot, so bear that in mind. But the thing is, what would you be replacing it with anyway? I would probably think of upgrading to a newer one if you are in that frame of mind and can afford to do so, because it is probably at its most valuable now as the mileage is reasonable.

It is a lovely car though and it will be costly to get another at that spec. I guess you need to sit down with the calculator and figure out what you can afford. You might need about €14,000 along with your own to get into something similar in a demo model 2011 car.

I hope this helps!

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Hi Paul,

These cars are really very similar and it can be difficult to seperate them when you compare them in almost every category. You didn't mention the Skoda Octavia or Superb here which is surprising since they are rated so highly by the taxi industry and they are also ultra reliable. The Passat hasn't always been that reliable while there appear to be fewer problems with the Mondeo. Having said that, both engines are really very good though and will be super frugal.

To be honest, I would probably still go with the Passat as it looks and feels a little more upmarket and that would be good in your line of work.

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Hi Gerry,

As the Peugeot 508 is brand new there is no way to gauge how reliable it will be. Its predecessor, the 407 saloon, suffered from relatively minor niggles all its life, but first impressions suggest the 508 is of higher quality. The Passat CC, though sold in smaller numbers than the four-door saloon version, has an exemplary reliability record.

In terms of fuel economy and emissions, the 2.0-litre HDi versions of the Peugeot 508 saloon with a manual gearbox emit 125g/km (Band B) and use 4.8 litres/100km (58.9mpg) on the combined cycle. The 1.6-litre HDi models are more efficient, though slower obviously.

In comparison, the VW Passat CC 2.0 TDI (with a manual gearbox again) uses 4.7 litres/100km (60.1mpg) and emits the same 125g/km, so there's virtually nothing to choose between them.

Hope that helps.