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Hi Mary,

The Outlander is a decent car, and hugely well equipped, not to mention having seven seats. It's fine to drive, and the recent update has brought better refinement and a higher quality cabin.

There's no question though that an X3 would be sophisticated and more engaging to drive, but it's well worth checking out the new and more affordable X1 - it's much improved over its predecessor and almost as spacious as the X3.

The Mitsubishi should beat both in terms of long term reliability though.

Relevant reviews:

Mitsubishi Outlander review

BMW X3 review

BMW X1 review

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Hi David,

I'd say overall that the 2.0 petrol will be the more reliable engine, not least because it's an older, more thoroughly developed unit. But beware - horror stories of 9-5 unreliability are legion...

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Hi Aryelle,

It's a slight win for the Jeep as, in basic 1.6 diesel form, it has a €1,000 price advantage over the HR-V. Mind you, we'd expect the Honda to be slightly more economical overall, but the gap won't be huge.

Now, one word of warning - you say you don't want four-wheel drive, but if you're looking to get through those icy and snowy conditions you might need it. In which case the Jeep is your only choice as Honda doesn't offer a 4WD HR-V yet. You'll have to upgrade to the €31,200 Renegade 2.0-litre to get all-wheel drive though.

Relevant reviews:

Jeep Renegade review

Honda HR-V review

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Hi Claire,

Well, with a bike, why not go for a compact estate instead of a hatch? Same driving experience and same running costs, but a bigger boot by far. Best of the breed is a Kia cee'd SW, which is hugely reliable and has a massive boot. With you just driving at the weekends, I'd say it's worth trying to track down a petrol model, rather than the more popular diesel.

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Hi Adrienne,

OK, let me take that section by section...

(A) Most small crossovers use 1.5- or 1.6-litre diesel engines so you're going to average between 40- and 50mpg in any of them. Ignore the official consumption figures - they're not representative of real-world driving.

(B) Standard spec on most will include at least air conditioning and probably Bluetooth, but the items you've listed will push prices up into the €25-30k region.

(C) Kia, Hyundai and Mitsubishi have the best warranties on the market at the moment - seven, five and eight years respectively. Ford, Renault and Peugeot all offer five-year warranties too, while Fiat offers a four-year one. Most others have three-year cover. In terms of reliability, Japanese and Korean brands will almost always beat their European and American competitors.

Of the cars you're looking at, I'd say the strongest contenders are Honda's new HR-V, the Jeep Renegade, the Peugeot 2008 and the Kia Soul. All well worth a look.

Relevant reviews:

Honda HR-V review

Jeep Renegade review

Peugeot 2008 review

Kia Soul review

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Hi Tom,

Generally, you'll get slightly more for your car selling it yourself than you will trading it in, but the problem is that selling yourself is an open-ended process; you can't tell how long it will take to sell your car. A dealer may offer you less cash but the deal is done on the day.

So the answer comes down to your personal preference. Do you need a new car now, and want to get the deal done? Or are you happy to wait and try and make a little more cash up front?

Mind you, that's assuming you're trading in against a used Hyundai. If it's a new one, then definitely trade in - Hyundai has some good trade in bonuses going at the moment and that will almost certainly net you more than the trade value of a 14-year old car.

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Hi Mary,

Your Citroen is going to be worth circa €2-3,000 so you're probably looking at a budget of around €12,500 to €13,000. That'll get you into a 2012 or 2013 Hyundai i30, depending on the dealer and the offer.

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Hi Joe,

They're both pretty similar to be honest, although at the moment the Corolla is only available as a four-door saloon and the Pulsar as a five-door hatch.

Both are solid, reliable, unremarkable workhorses. If you're looking for excitement, sexy styling or dynamism, you've come to the wrong place - but both major on space (the Pulsar in particular has massive space in the back seats), comfort and simplicity.

The Corolla's diesel engine lags a bit behind the Nissan's in terms of performance, but other than that, they're pretty closely matched and seeing as both will probably be endlessly reliable you can safely choose according to your taste.

New, Corolla prices start at €20,995 and Pulsar prices start at €19,995.

Relevant reviews:

Nissan Pulsar review

Toyota Corolla review

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Hi P J,

The current model Nissan Qashqai, introduced at the beginning of 2014, is a really cracking choice - well made, frugal and nice to drive. Go for the 1.5 diesel if you do big miles, or the 1.2 petrol turbo if you're mostly doing short hops around town.  As for your Octavia, I'd say you could expect to get around €5,000 as a trade in, depending on the dealer and your car's condition and history.

Finance or cash? Easy: if you can afford to pay cash, do it. You'll be able to argue yourself a decent discount up front and you won't be paying any interest. As for finance, PCP offers are tempting and very good value, but they kind of rely on you coming back in three years' time for another car. If that's not your plan, then a personal Credit Union or bank loan could actually work out better value overall. If you have a financial advisor they can give you more detailed advice than I, and check out the CompleteCar.ie Guide to Car Finance for more information.

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Hi Liam,

That's a tricky car to track down, as, at that time, the (small capacity) petrol E 200K was the more popular model. I've not been able to find a 2002 model E 200 CDI on sale at the moment, so your best bet is to try contacting nearby Mercedes-Benz dealers and see if they'll let you know if one turns up as a trade in - or start searching the UK market.