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Hi David,

Not a terrible car but you could do better. The third generation Mégane atoned for many of the reliability sins of its forebears. It's well made, comfy and super economical. Make sure all the electrics work properly and argue yourself a good deal - Méganes depreciate heavily so make sure you're not putting too much into the front end.

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Hi Deck,

There seems to be a bit of split in S-Max ownership between those who have solidly reliable cars and those who keep suffering annoying niggles. Electrical faults are surprisingly common, and can range from knackered windscreen wipers to a fault that drains the battery over the course of a couple of days. Other have complained of some loose-fitting interior trim, especially around the doors. Keep an eye out too for clonking noises coming from the steering, stiff brake pedals or the diesel engine cutting out mysteriously.

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Hi Pat,

Yeah, electric window failures are depressingly common on most Renaults of that vintage. I'd say generally you're looking at a trade-in value of around €3,000 but you can probably knock another €750 or so off that thanks to the knackered windows.

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Hi Brian,

Yes, but only if you get it checked very, very carefully. This was the model of E-Class that gave Mercedes a serious warranty headache and almost single-handedly undermined the brand's reputation for quality. Most of the problems (chiefly electrical issues) should have been ironed out by now but check to make sure all the various systems work properly and if it doesn't come with a phone-book's worth of service stamps and receipts, walk away.

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Hi Carmel,

OK, full disclosure - I owned a 2003 Laguna estate for several years, so I know here what I'm talking about. Realistically, they're not very reliable at all. The engines tend not to break in and of themselves, but everything else does. Anything electrical is suspect (especially the electric windows and the credit card key system), the suspensions are fragile (especially the rear rubber bushings) and the catalytic convertors regularly pop a rivet or two.

Best avoided to be fair.

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Hi Conor,

Yes, Mercedes suffered no end of electrical, steering and braking issues with that generation of E-Class. A pretty full and complete campaign of recalls and replacements and extended warranties have ironed out a lot of the bugs by now, and the 320 CDI engine has always been a tough, long-lived unit, but make sure you check absolutely every single electrical item and ensure that they're all working properly and if there's even the slightest gap in the service history, walk away.

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Hi Brendan,

We asked Volkswagen's tech people about this:

"I've never heard of a complaint like this before, but I'm guessing it's something in the adjustable lumbar support feature fitted to the seat that may not be operating correctly or secured correctly. Depending on the specification of the car this may be manually adjustable or electrically adjustable.

Without any knowledge of the mileage or previous use of the car it is not possible to determine if this is manufacturer defect or from an outside influence.

We would recommend the car is brought to a main dealer for inspection and advise on recommended repair."

Sounds like good advice to us Brendan. Here's the Volkswagen dealer locator.

Let us know how you get on.

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FULL DISCLOSURE: Cian is known to us at CompleteCar.ie through the medium of Twitter. Friend of the show, you might say...

Hi Cian,

Given that we know you I'm half-tempted to steer you into some hilariously disastrous classic car cul-de-sac, then sit back and watch the carnage unfold. However, I know you've already been there and done that so I won't.

Instead, I'm going to go out on a major limb, put my journalistic reputation to the test and recommend an Alfa Romeo. Yup, an Alfa. Your budget should get you into a 2007 or 2008 159 1.8-litre petrol MPI version. The 159 was always a ruggedly built car and while it's still occasionally prone to the classic Alfa electrical glitches, it's also probably the most all-round reliable car ever to come out of Milan.

It's also utterly gorgeous. reasonably spacious and really very good to drive. True, the 1.9 diesel would be more economical but it doesn't sound as good as the petrol. Enjoy, and let us know if anything goes explosively pop!

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Hi F D,

I'd say on a trade in you'd probably get between €12-13k.

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Hi Bjarne,

The first thing we'd check are the heater plugs. They're not cheap though, so have an auto electrician test them before you shell out money paying for their replacement.