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Hi Sinead,

To be honest, I'd avoid it. The 307 was never a great car to begin with and it was probably one of the lowest points for Peugeot build quality. They tend to suffer every electrical problem going, the cabins and interiors are very fragile and the suspension is prone to outright failure. 

If you still fancy a Peugeot, see if you can stretch your budget to a 308 - that was a much better built car, has decent reliability and if you get the 1.6 diesel then 65mpg in daily driving is a reality for you.

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Hi Andrew,

You're in an enviable position! I'll take your points one by one:

1) Mileage: you definitely do enough miles to see a benefit in having the GTD diesel model, assuming much of it is on the motorway. But the Golf R and GTI aren't really all that bad at a cruise either...

2) Gearbox: I personally would prefer the manual, though I accept that it's a very personal thing in a performance car and if you're used to automatics then stick with the DSG. For the record, it doesn't detract from the car one little bit.

3) GTD vs. GTI: if you read my review you'll see that I was pleasantly surprised by this car, but it took very hard driving to make it shine. At regular speeds (i.e. most of our driving) it felt quite ordinary, whereas the GTI always feels special.

I must admit that, if my budget stretched to the Golf R (and it's cheaper than ever now), I'd go for it. It's always going to be rare and exclusive (though perhaps hard to sell on) and as well as the extra performance it has a brilliant four-wheel drive system.

Nonetheless, I reckon the Golf GTI Performance is probably the best all-round choice, as you've identified for yourself. It's a sensational car, noticeably better to drive even than the regular GTI. You won't regret it one little bit.

Let us know which way you go in any case and here's some more reading for you:

Volkswagen reduces the price of the Golf R

Volkswagen Golf GTI five-door manual road test

Volkswagen Golf GTD road test

Volkswagen Golf GTI Performance (manual)

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Hi Nisll,

Depends on whether you want one with actual four-wheel drive or just a front-drive one. If you only want front-drive, the Honda CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC should do the trick - well over 55mpg in daily driving.

If you want all-wheel drive then I reckon the new Nissan X-Trail with the 1.6 dCi engine should get better than 45mpg in real world conditions.

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Hi Karla,

Well, you're looking at two different sizes of car there. If you want to physically downsize, then the Ibiza is the one to go for - it's smaller than the Golf (based on the same chassis as the Volkswagen Polo), but still pretty spacious, rather handsome and nice to drive. They're very reliable too, but quite noisy and uncouth on a longer journey. A Focus is roughly the same size as a Golf, but if it's painless, economical motoring you're after than a 1.6 TDCi Focus could be the answer - plentiful, well-made, sweet to drive and 55mpg.

What do you think?

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Hi Gerry,

You've picked three difficult cars to choose between. Obviously, both the Hyundai and Kia are essentially the same car beneath the skin, and both come with temptingly low prices and long, long warranties. The SEAT's three-year warranty looks a bit brief in comparison, but then you are buying into a car with excellent reliability and high quality, so there's that.

You've also got an odd combination of relatively high mileage, but in an urban location, which suggests that you won't be working up enough speed to generate exhaust heat to keep a diesel particulate filter (DPF) clean. With all that in mind, I think your best best might be a Leon 1.2 TSI petrol. It's a cracking engine, nearly as good as a diesel on fuel economy, but with no nasty surprises waiting in the exhaust. Both the Hyundai and Kia are excellent cars, but both are best experienced as diesels.

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Hi John,

It depends on your driving style and where and how you do most of your driving. If you’re mostly or always in town and at low speeds, I’d recommend at least once a month taking the car out for a good run up the motorway, alternating between fourth, fifth and sixth gear if the car has one, and do so for about 20-30 minutes. If you’re regularly driving for stints on the motorway at 120km/h then don’t worry, you’re already doing enough to keep the DPF clear.

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Hi Tina,

Well, it all depends on what kind of car you want. Trading in your old Golf and adding €7,000 probably gives you a budget of between €8-9k and that, thankfully, means the world is your motorised oyster.

 If you want to be sensible, you could just stick with what you know - there are plenty of 2008 Golf 1.9 TDI models around in your price range and there are few cars that are better to be honest. Plenty of Focus, Astra, Auris and Kia cee'd options around too if you fancy a change. 

Expert answer

Hi Pat,

Your commenters are right. Although the Fluence is reasonably well built, it cannot hope to match the likes of the Prius or cee'd in the reliability stakes, and it will be far, far duller than either. If your driving is mostly around town, I'd say go for the Prius - city driving is its natural environment. If you're doing a lot of longer journeys (drives that destroy the Prius' economy) then go for the Golf or cee'd. 

Let us know which way you go

Expert answer

Hi Brian,

It depends on what sort of money you were thinking of spending, but there are a lot of good compact MPVs out there now. It's tempting to suggest another Meriva, simply because they're a thoroughly good car, but worth also checking out the Hyundai ix20, the Kia Venga, the Citroen C3 Picasso and the Honda Jazz.

Expert answer

Hi Irvin,

Well, it kind of depends what you want and what you need. These are two very different cars, so it's a little tricky to compare them directly. The Audi is stylish, comfy, refined and reasonably spacious, and of course comes pre-loaded with buckets of premium appeal. The Fiesta is, by contrast, rather more cheap and cheerful, but it's utterly brilliant to drive and, with that 1.4-litre diesel, should cost little more than buttons to run.

So, as I say, it depends what you need. Want space and premium appeal? Get the Audi. Want cheap running costs and a pin-sharp driving experience? Get the Fiesta.

Let us know which way you go