Expert answer

Hi Tony.

Thanks for writing in. With €30,000 to spend you have quite a fair degree of choice. As you are retired, I would imagine that you might want something for a variety of purposes. You mention that you will travel a bit with some of the work you are going to be doing now. When you refer to farming work, then I guess you might end up in a muddy field now and again too, so perhaps some off-road ability would be a help too?

I don't want to ask a retired gentleman his age, but I know that when you get older access becomes important and something a little higher will be easier on 'well-used' joints and kind on your back too. I would recommend the Skoda Yeti because I think that this could tick a lot of the boxes. It has great build, is comfortable, easy to get in and out of and if you get one with four-wheel drive then it will cope with all your farm work too.

A figure of €25,220 will get you a 2wd Yeti 2.0-litre TDI (110hp) with all the bells and whistles. The 4x4 model isn't on sale yet, but we will check with Skoda and find out when that version arrives. If you don't think you would need the 4x4 version for towing or getting over bad terrain then you should probably get the 2wd version as it keeps fuel economy and emissions low.

It will cost you just €156 to tax each year because emissions are just 138g/km and the 110hp 2.0-litre diesel is eager enough too. We reckon this car could really suit you.

Another option would be the Subaru Forester Diesel. The newer model is a little over your budget, but you could get a 2009 model for about €30,000.

Anyway, hopefully this steers you in the right direction. We will come back to you on the Skoda Yeti 4x4 once we have spoken to Skoda.

Expert answer

Hi Stephen

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).

So, the petrol was a fraction faster, but the diesel offers much better fuel economy. Hope this answers your question.

Expert answer

There has been a huge move towards diesel cars here in Ireland because of the change to the road tax and VRT laws in July 2008.

Since then, as you may or may not know, road tax and VRT are calculated according to a car's CO₂ emissions and because diesel cars use less fuel than petrol ones, their emissions tend to be lower.

When your father bought the Mazda6 in 2008 it may well have been better value than the diesel model. Now, there is much less difference between the price.

Before we move away from Mazda, there is now a very good range of diesel engines in the new Mazda6 and that might make the most cost-effective swap if he was happy with the car he has because you will most likely get the best trade-in price from a Mazda dealer. However, by the sounds of things he wants a change.

Covering only 10,000km a year we previously might have said that there was no real need to buy a diesel because you would not save the extra price of the car in fuel.

This point remains true, but the difference now is that the market has changed so much to diesel that petrol cars are likely to lose their value faster and become increasingly unwanted by used car buyers, so at this size of car, we would say yes, move to diesel. Also, if you do buy new, your father will most likely benefit from lower road tax.

Without knowing a budget it is difficult to point you in the right direction but from the cars you mention I'm guessing the budget is between €25,000 - €35,000. This does offer a lot of choice.

The 2004/2005 BMW 320d is certainly an option. Since the current shape model came out in 2005, we would encourage you to look at these, or even a 2006. The prices of these are quite competitive at the moment. A 2005 320d SE at a SIMI dealer would probably cost you between €15,000 - €17,000.

BMWs are always tempting to buy used, but you must choose one that has been properly serviced and cared for, because they can become more expensive to put right as they get older. The choice of used 320d models at the moment is vast so if you do go down that route, shop around. It is a great car and with the small mileage your Dad does it is unlikely to end up costing you too much.

If you want to go down the new route, there are a few that would spring to mind. The first is the Skoda Superb. This car is really brilliant and huge too. It is well made and loaded with equipment. If your Dad likes comfort then this will be right up his street.

Our choice would be the 2.0-litre TDI Comfort for €27,805. It is excellent value for money and comes with lots of creature comforts (cruise control, climate control, etc.), a 170hp diesel that is powerful, yet still frugal at 5.8 l/100km. Road tax on this car is €302 per year. For me, if I were heading out to buy a family saloon today, I wouldn't pass the Superb.

You mentioned some other cars there. The Jetta isn't a bad car, but it's been out a few years now and is probably due an update, so I wouldn't buy that new. The Audi A4 is nice. A new one is going to cost you from €34,060 before you start looking at optional extras, so a 2009 model would make sense with all the options already added. €35,000 should get you a nice 2009 TDI version with lots of the toys thrown in.

Please feel free to come back to us with more details if you like (just add a comment below), but for me I would probably have the Superb.

Expert answer

Hi Marie/Constantine,

Neither of the two vehicles you mention is currently on sale in Ireland. Saying that, I have driven the Patrol and it's a huge, rugged 4x4 that may well be suited to life in your part of the world. I'm not sure how often you plan to go sand dune driving, but either of those would cope well with that, along with having plenty of space for your growing family.

Here in Ireland large petrol 4x4s are not very popular, whereas I guess it's quite different in Dubai.

Other vehicles to consider are the excellent Volvo XC90, or, if you want to stick with BMW, the new X5. Both come with a good range of petrol and diesel engine too.

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Well you haven’t said what your budget is but there are plenty of interesting cars that are available under the scrappage scheme.

Alfa Romeo’s Mito is a small premium hatchback, and its clean 1.3-litre diesel engine puts it in Band A; the 1.4-litre petrol and 1.6-litre diesel models fall into Band B. Prices start at €18,995 before you take away the government discount.

The Audi A3 with the 1.2-litre TFSI petrol, the 1.6-litre diesel and 2.0-litre diesel all qualify for scrappage, as does the Cabriolet version. The A3 3-door starts from €25,195 before scrappage discount, it’s €26,195 as a 5-door Sportback model, and €32,785 for the Cabriolet version before the €1,500 discount.

The A4 with a 2.0-litre diesel engine in either 120bhp, 136bhp and 170bhp all fall under Band B in either saloon or Avant form. Prices start from €34,060 (€32,560 with scrappage) for the diesel saloon and €36,460 (€34,960 with scrappage) for the Avant. The stunning A5, with a 170bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine, falls into Band B. Prices start at €44,265 (€42,765 with scrappage). You can also have the Audi A6 2.0-litre TDi with 136bhp, which is in Band B. This huge car starts from €39,735 (€38,235 with scrappage). The Audi TT diesel is a really superb car to drive. At €44,175 for the Coupé (€42,675 with scrappage), this is a brilliant buy and that fact that it costs €156 per year to tax makes it all the sweeter.

BMW also has a huge number of models that qualify for the scrappage scheme. Its 2.0-litre diesel is used in various power outputs across the 1-Series, 3-Series and 5-Series and these all have emissions of less than 140g/km, even when fitted with an automatic transmission.

The 1-Series is available with clean diesel engines ranging in power from 115bhp to 177bhp. Prices start at €24,900 for the 3-door 116d, €23,400 with the scrappage discount.

The BMW 3-Series starts from €33,310 for the 316d. All its models get €1,500 off from the government through scrappage. Largest of all is the 520d. Although there is a new model coming later in the year, the run-out models of the 520d are expected to sell well, especially with a price tag of €40,220.

Mercedes-Benz has a number of models that qualify under the scrappage scheme. The standout model is the C-Class Blue Efficiency 200 (136bhp), 220 (170bhp) and 250 (240bhp) manual versions, the E-Class 200, 220 and 250 manual version and the E-Class Coupé 220 and 250 models with manual transmission. Prices start at €36,500 (€35,000 with scrappage) for the C200 CDi, €41,200 (€39,700) for the E200 CDi and €47,700 (€46,200) for the E-Class Coupé E250 CDi.

Finally, what about the Volkswagen Scirocco? You can have the 1.4-litre TSi petrol or 2.0-litre TDi Sport model under the scrappage scheme. Prices start at €25,190 for the Scirocco (€23,690 with scrappage),

To answer your question though, which is fastest? We think it is the BMW 123d Coupe. It has emissions of 138g/km yet has a top speed of 238km/h and 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds. This is faster than the Audi TT TDi, which has a top speed of 226km/h and 0-100km/h time of 7.5 seconds.

Expert answer

Hi Julia. Well firstly, congratulations on your new arrivals. With two new babies in your family your car needs will have definitely changed. A friend of mine recently was in the same situation as you and asked me the very same question. They couldn't really cope with a standard five-seater car anymore but by the same token, dreaded the thoughts of getting into an MPV. They felt that by buying one that they had given up on driving something 'exciting and cool' and you can understand that. Even the most modern MPVs can be a little van-like. So, we would steer you in the direction of the Nissan Qashqai+2, which is the 7-seater version of the Qashqai. A 1.5-litre diesel version with 2-wheel drive will cost you €30,450, or if you prefer you could get into a good used version for about €25,000 (2009).

This car will be cheap to run, with low road tax of €156 per year and evidence suggests they are reliable and holding their value too. Please come back to us if you need any more help, but we think this is the right choice for your needs.

Expert answer

There has been a lot of debate about the benefits of hybrid cars, but few would disagree that they are a step in the right direction. The principle of the current crop of hybrids, for those that don't know, is that a standard petrol engine is combined with an electric motor, with the result being better fuel consumption and lower emissions. The original Toyota Prius was the first mass-produced hybrid on sale and Toyota has just released the third generation of the model and it promises to be more refined and cleaner than ever.

There are other alternatives such as the Honda Civic Hybrid, which isn't bad either, or the Honda Insight, while at the top end of the scale Lexus does three hybrids, the GS 450h, the LS 600h and the RX 450h. In the case of the Lexus hybrid technology it's as much about giving the cars higher performance as it is increasing efficiency.

A hybrid is cleaner in so far as official emissions figures are very low. The Prius emits less then 90g/km, which will make it the cleanest petrol car on sale in Ireland. In some cases you could get better fuel economy from a diesel engine though.

With a budget of €40,000 you could easily get into the new Prius when it arrives in October, as the car is expected to cost about €28,000 and this will be a very cheap car to run, so it seems the natural choice. Bear in mind that even cleaner technologies will arrive soon, including those in the Opel Ampera and even a new plug-in version of the Prius.

Expert answer

Firstly, trading in your car won't be a problem at all if you are bringing the car in against a new model, but you might not get as much for your car as you would have first expected. Selling it privately can be a little trickier these days too as buyers are harder to find because of the lack of available finance, quite simply.

Now, in terms of the car, the SEAT that you are talking about is probably the Exeo, which hasn't been on the market too long. It is a nice car, basically a rebadged previous-generation Audi A4. You have a choice of 1.6- and 2.0-litre petrol or a 2.0-litre diesel. Prices start at €26,690. Go to www.seat.ie for the latest line-up and pricing.

Expert answer

Hi Paul, we contacted Ford in Cork on your behalf, and a spokesperson from their technical department said: "This is not the rev limit of the car and this seems to be an issue with the car in this case. We would suggest that the customer takes the car to his Ford Dealer as soon as possible to be checked."

Expert answer

Hi Alison.

As your car is ten years old this year scrappage seems like the right solution and there are some amazing discounts on offer in addition to the Government's current incentive. The cars you mention are three of the best superminis on the market and because you use the car for quite a lengthy commute a diesel could be the best solution for you.

All three of these cars have diesel options. Opel's Corsa comes with a 1.3-litre 75bhp diesel with emissions now down from 119- to 114g/km. Prices for this start at €15,905 for the three-door version.

The Mazda2 is another very good option. With a 1.4-litre 68bhp diesel, emissions are just 114g/km so again you pay road tax of just €104 per year. The Mazda2 diesel starts from €15,930.

The Fiesta also has a 68bhp 1.4-litre diesel engine and emissions of 110g/km and this starts at €16,645.

All three of these cars qualify for the Government Scrappage Scheme, so would get a discount of €1,500. Much of the additional discounting available on any of these models is on the petrol models however, as dealers try and clear stocks of slow-selling petrol versions.

Of all these three cars the Mazda and the Fiesta are better cars so it would be down to these two in our opinions. We like the Mazda2 a lot, but we'd still say buy the Fiesta based on its looks and the way it drives. The Fiesta has been the outstanding small car over the last few years so if budget allows it is the car we would chose.