Expert answer

Hi Jim,

Diesel, every time. Peugeot was going through a long period of making good diesels and duff petrols back then. The 1.6-litre diesel is the one to go for - not the most powerful, perhaps, but with excellent economy and enough punch to keep the 407's kerb weight on its toes.

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Hi Mattie,

That really could be a number of different things. It's most likely excess air getting in somehow, but it could also be the crankshaft sensor. Best thing to do is to bring it to a mechanic that can interrogate the car's computer via a diagnostic tool. That should reveal any error codes that will speed up fixing the car.

Let us know how you get on.

air getting in, crank sensor?

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Hi Joe,

The last-generation S60 got a bit unfairly hit by various Irish tax regimes (it never had an engine under 2.0 litres for instance), but it's actually a cracking car - well built and superbly comfy, as Volvos tend to be. Keep an eye out for minor electronic glitches (the cruise control and electric windows seem to be vulnerable points) and if the engine is 'lumpy' when you're switching it off, you're looking at injector issues - expensive ones.

In terms of day-to-day running costs, it should do 44mpg with a manual gearbox (a little less with the optional automatic) and emissions of 175g/km mean you can tax it for €750 a year. That's pricey, but better than buying a pre-2008 model (2008-2009 was the last full year of production) when the engine capacity would land you with a €1,034 tax bill. One running cost to keep an eye on is front tyres. The S60 is quite nose-heavy and has a massive turning circle, things that tend to banjax the front boots. Check any potential purchase for worn rubber and budget for at least a new set every year.

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Hi Jason,

Depends what you mean by 'best' really. I'm going to assume, though, that what you mean is the best all-round; something that's fun to drive and good to look at, but also spacious, reliable and practical with an eye on fuel economy, right?

In that case, and at that budget, you're looking at three main cars: Honda Civic, Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. All three are reliable and well made (the Civic the best in that sense), all three are good to drive (the Focus is the best to drive) and all three are economical (few cars are as good, real-world, on fuel as a diesel-engined Golf). Shop around, because there are loads of each one out there and your €6,000 will go a long way. Insist on a full service history and make sure you do a background check on the car if you're buying privately (we recommend Cartell.ie). Beware of silly boy-racer mods (especially on the Golf, but the other two are prone to such things too) and try to find something that hasn't been used and abused by a legion of crisp-munching kids.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi John,

Yup, and it's best avoided - a truly nasty, rattly old thing with an annoying tendency to stall at junctions. Go for the petrol-powered Chevrolet Cruze and you'll be much happier.

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Hi Sinead,

Okay, so you want to stick with Citroen, need three across the back and an engine under 1.6 litres. That's a tricky combination, but why not try a C3 Picasso? That's a crackingly good small MPV and it comes with Citroen's super economical 1.6 diesel. Or, with a bit of searching, you may be able to track down a 1.4 petrol version. 

As for the back seat, I've personally managed to get three child seats in, but it can be a bit of a squeeze. Depending on the age of your granddaughters though I may have a solution. Have a look online for a company called Bubble Bum. They make inflatable booster seats that both store flat when you don't need them and which are usually a little narrower than the bigger boosters. That could save you a crucial bit of space.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Adrian,

Nope, not wrong at all. Unless you're doing big, regular mileage you won't recoup the extra purchase cost of buying a diesel for several years. If you want to be really scientific about it, take careful notes of your mileage, your specific fuel consumption (not just what the dashboard is telling you, carefully note how many litres you're putting into your tank and then work out how far you get on them) and then you'll have an accurate picture of how much each trip is costing you. Unless the price of diesel, and its potentially greater economy, works out at a lot, lot less, then it's best to stick with petrol. That's especially so if you're buying new. Some of those new small capacity petrol turbos are exceptionally fuel efficient.

Here's an article we did on the subject a while back

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Hi there,

While two exhaust outlets certainly look better, the Tucson's is not purely cosmetic, though without speaking to the original project engineers it's difficult to know exactly why Hyundai used this design. The four exhaust ports are joined in one stream in the exhaust manifold, then split again towards the rear of the car. Each side has its own muffler too. Possible reasons for this are to package smaller, lower flowing mufflers, or to tune the exhaust in terms of sound and engine performance. Our money would be on the packaging.

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Hi Justin,

Two best choices here would be a Mazda6 2.0 TD from around 2003 or a Ford Mondeo Zetec diesel of similar vintage. As long as they're in decent nick, reliability shouldn't be a problem (the Mazda will do better than the Ford but not perhaps by the margin you might be expecting) and both are safe and spacious.

What do you think?

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Hi Elaine,

If you want to stay with a small car then can I suggest tracking down a nice Ford Fiesta? Your €8k budget won't quite stretch to a new EcoBoost model, but the older 1.25 petrol engine is still a sweet, economical and reliable unit.

If it's maximum economy you're after then you need to think of a small diesel. How about a Peugeot 207 1.4 HDi? Hard to track down but 65mpg is easy.

Better yet, you could trade up altogether. €8k should get you into a nice 2008 SEAT Leon 1.9 TDI - hugely reliable, spacious, economical and really good to drive.

Let us know what you think