Expert answer

Hi Alice

It isn't totally unusual for someone to trade in two cars against one. Car dealers are a little short on good used cars and the two you have to trade are likely to be quite welcome. 

You could try and sell one privately and use the cash as a deposit against your newer car, but selling privately can be a headache and you might be waiting a while for the car to sell. I would suggest that you try your local Toyota dealer initially, as they're likely to offer better deals on your Toyotas. 

You mention scrappage in your question. Unfortunately neither of your cars qualify for the scrappage scheme as they are not yet ten years old. So it would be a case of trading in both cars against a new car as normal. 

Without knowing details of your two trade-in cars in terms of mileage and condition we wouldn't be keen to give you an estimate of the price of these, but it would seem logical that you would stick with Toyota and get another Avensis (a diesel) as you are likely to be most welcome by the Toyota dealer. 

Feel free to come back to us with more details on your cars and we will see how we can help further.

Paddy

Expert answer

Hi Ollie,

Cars like your Golf are retailing for around €8,000, so you might get close to this as a trade in against another car. Presuming that it might be a little less, say €7,000, we could say that you have a €13,000 budget overall. I will come back to you shortly once I have done some more research for you. 

Expert answer

Hi Stephen,

I presume this relates to the question that you asked on Sunday about Passat petrol vs. diesel figures. Yes, the 1.6-litre FSI Passat from memory does feel a little on the slow side because it is quite lacking in torque. Here are the figures once more, versus the 1.9-litre TDI from the same year:

In 2007, the 1.6-litre Passat had 115hp and 155Nm of torque. Top speed was 199km/h, with 0-100km/h in 11 seconds and fuel consumption was 7.6l/100km (or 37mpg).

The 1.9 TDI had 105hp and 250Nm of torque. Top speed was slower at 188km/h and 0-100km/h took 11.7 seconds, but fuel economy was much better at 5.6 l/100km (50mpg).

The extra torque in the diesel Passat will probably make it a nicer car to drive. 

If you do need more power, the 2007 Passat is also available with a 2.0-litre TDI engine with 140- and 170hp options and there are several on sale at the moment, if budget allows.

Expert answer

Hi Alec,

First, the disclaimer: a huge number of factors will influence your average fuel consumption, including the route you take; whether your tyres are inflated correctly; if you're driving around with a boot full of golf clubs; and of course how you drive.

All that aside, a good rough estimation is to split the official combined and urban economy figures. This varies for every car but I think you should use about 6.0 litres/100km - which is 47mpg in old money.

Let me know if you want a few basic tips on how to improve your economy and how to measure your consumption precisely.

Expert answer

Hi Neil, 

We'd love to help, but we need a little more information first. Do you want a saloon, hatchback or SUV? How old are you prepared to go and what kind of driving do you do? You can answer by adding a comment below. I have several cars in mind but let us have more detail and we can really help you out then.

Expert answer

Hi Angela,

Let's start with looking at the prices of the cars you listed when bought new:

Kia cee'd: 1.6-litre diesel starts at €18,550. There are four versions to chose from, including an automatic and a version that sneaks into band A for tax.

Kia Venga: only available with Kia's new 1.4-litre turbodiesel engine. There are just two trim options, LX and EX and the price is either €18,320 or €19,615. Both have emissions of 117g/km, which means cheap band A road tax.

Hyundai i30: five versions of the same 1.6-litre diesel engine (CRDi) available. Ranging from €18,495 to €25,495. There's an automatic option and two different power outputs, the lower of which is in band A.

Peugeot 308: five versions of the same 1.6-litre diesel engine (HDi). Ranging from €19,795 to €24,335. Four of these are in band A, including the 'Ecomatique' automatic version.

SEAT Leon: a massive eight-model diesel (TDI) range in both 1.9- and 2.0-litre sizes. Two of them drop into band A, while the fastest 2.0-litre model is in band C. Prices range from €20,105 to €26,290.

As your question was purely about value, then it comes down to the Hyundai and Kias. We found the Venga to be quite impressive, though it's a pity there is so little choice in the range.

This appears to boil down to the Hyundai i30 and Kia cee'd. The latter was facelifted earlier this year and it's an even better car than before, but what tips the balance in the Kia's favour is its untouchable warranty. All models get a seven-year warranty, which is huge peace of mind.

Depending on your budget limits you should also take a look at the Skoda Octavia.

I assume you don't have a car to trade in on the scrappage scheme, as that would change things a little. Renault for instance has fantastic offers on its Mégane.

Obviously all of these cars can be had second-hand too, where you'll get a higher spec car for the same money, albeit with kilometres on the clock.

Let us know what you decide or if you have any other questions just pop them in the comment box below.

Thank you

Expert answer

Hi Alfie 

You will need something tough for towing and reliable too. A 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9-litre diesel would do a good job at towing and is nicely put together. We found one in the classifieds for €11,500 here: http://www.carzone.ie/search/Suzuki/Grand-Vitara/201016197685753/advert?channel=CARS

Or perhaps a Nissan X-Trail? This one here, a 2005 2.2-litre model would cost you less than €11,000: http://www.carzone.ie/search/Nissan/X-Trail/2.2-DCI/200840190271505/advert?channel=CARS

You could also go for a Hyundai Tucson. This 2006 4wd diesel model is less than €12,000. This would also be a fine choice: http://www.carzone.ie/search/Hyundai/Tucson/4WD-S%23R-/201017197807527/advert?channel=CARS

Expert answer

Hi Karl, I have stuck my neck out already this year and said that I thought the new Peugeot 5008 was the best car in its class and for now I am sticking to that.

The 5008 feels well built and crucially is incredibly well priced and well equipped too. The 5008 starts at €26,870 for the SE version and, when you compare this to some of its key rivals, it's excellent value. There is only one engine choice though, which is the 110hp 1.6-litre diesel (HDi). 

For €28,995 you get the SX, which gets cruise control, front fog lights, 16-inch alloys, sun blinds in row two, electric windows all round and a leather gear knob. 

The new Ford S-MAX starts at €31,495 (not sure why Ford's site says it starts from €29,995 - it is confusing), which is a lot less than it used to cost and the updated model is pretty impressive too. You can have this with three different outputs of 115hp, 140hp and 160hp. The S-MAX is a better driver's car with better handling, but 5008 ticks all the boxes in terms of size and space and crucially is better value.

If you are sticking to a budget then I would say go for the Peugeot 5008 SE. However, since you seem to have narrowed it down to two cars, you should probably test drive both and decide for yourself.

Expert answer

Hi Ruth,

Not a word of a lie: I picked one up this morning from Honda to test for the week. Paddy has driven it for longer so he'll give you his opinion too, but my first impressions are better than expected. Until recently, hybrids were designed first and foremost for the American market and they were quite different to drive to conventional cars. Most of that is still true, but both the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight are more normal than what has gone before and even more efficient.

The official fuel economy and emissions figures of the Insight are pretty impressive though, at 4.4 - 4.6 litres/100km and 101 - 105g/km of CO₂ depending on which version you choose. The Toyota Prius boasts even better numbers, though it's a few grand more expensive.

So far I've averaged about 5.4 litres / 100km in mixed driving and I'd expect that to be pretty representative unless you're on a long motorway run, where the average might improve further.

I prefer the interior of the Insight to the Prius', even if Honda has used too much hard plastic for my liking. The Honda is more conventional, despite the presence of strange plant graphics in the dashboard to tell you how economically you are driving. You sit low down and there's loads of space for five adults and a fair amount of luggage.

The steering wheel on our test car is really shiny and a bit slippery, but I'm sure that'll change with use. Its controls for the stereo are nice and tactile though. Shame I can't say the same for the spindly gear lever, but there you go.

Overall it's easy to drive and while it's no performance car it keeps up with traffic easily enough. That aside, the Insight's engine is commendably quiet, unless you really put your foot down. However, I noticed that road noise is quite prominent in return.

I'd personally prefer a regular car to either the Prius or Insight hybrids. If fuel economy were the most important factor I'd opt for a good turbodiesel model. There is a lot of choice on the market for the €22,000 - €23,000 asking price of the Honda.

Expert answer

Hi Joe,

I recently drove the Golf BlueMotion and the review will go up shortly, but what I can say is that I was really very impressed by the car for a number of reasons. Obviously this is the full BlueMotion version and that differs slightly to the 'BlueMotion Technology' model that we have seen before. 

This new car gets a full raft of eco measures. There is Stop/Start, regenerative braking, a modified radiator grille, low rolling resistance tyres and a specially tuned diesel engine. The result is emissions of 99g/km and fuel economy of 3.4 l/100km. Now, you would want to be really hyper-miling to get those figures but we got close to that on our few days with the car. The economy was really staggering. 

There is 105hp from the 1.6-litre diesel and it isn't a rocket: 0-100km/h takes 11.3 seconds. It is however, a very nice car to drive. It doesn't feel slow because it is geared well. And it is a nice place to be. For the price, it is quite well equipped. 

Obviously, price is an issue. There is no real incentive to buy this car for its emissions like there is in other markets. In some markets, such as the UK, if your car has less than 100g/km you don't pay road tax, but here everything under 120g/km is Band A and the Ford Focus 1.6 D Style will cost you about the same to run, yet is €1,545 cheaper to buy. 

To answer your original question though, if I was buying a Golf, yes this is the one I would have (aside from the GTI of course). I really liked it. 

You also have to look at the Skoda Octavia too. For €23,820 you could have an Octavia with the same engine, but with the DSG automatic transmission. Hope this helps, feel free to come back to us if you have any more questions.