Expert answer

Expert answer

Hi Marie,

We had a chat on the phone to get more information and now know that you would prefer to sell the L200 privately and use the cash to buy your next vehicle, so your budget is about €10,000 - €12,000.

The difficulty in getting something with height is that the SUVs going back a few years tended to be diesel with fairly large engines, so before 2008 these engines were in some cases cheaper to tax than they are now. Emissions were higher, but you were charged - as you are probably aware - for the size of your engine. I'm sure you don't want to get landed with a high road tax bill per year, but we will explore some options. 

The first is a 2004 Toyota RAV4. There is a model in a dealership in Louth, which I realise is quite far from you, but this diesel model is a beaut and is at a SIMI dealer so this brings with its some safeguards. This RAV4 is under €10,000 and has low mileage, though is going to cost €823 to tax each year. 

The Kia Sportage fiesel would be a great little buy for you. This small SUV has proven to be very reliable and very well liked by owners. This one in Cork is a little over your budget, but as a cash buyer I would think you could bargain down the asking price of €13,900. 

A car that you might not have thought of, but I have always rated as a good little car, is the Fiat Sedici. This small SUV has four-wheel drive, a diesel engine and is cheap to buy and run. We found a 2009 model in Laois with just 23,000 miles on the clock and the asking price is just €11,750. This would be a nice little runabout and it still retains some of the height of the SUV. This will cost you €447 per year to tax. 

Another good choice, although the annual tax will be the same as the RAV4's, is the Nissan X-Trail. This is a really nice example from 2005 that has a 2.2-litre diesel engine and would be a nice vehicle to own. Again, if you couldn't cope with the high annual road tax then it might not be the best option for you. 

I'd be inclined, if it were me, to buy that RAV4, as it would be a nice vehicle to own. 

I hope this helps!

Expert answer

Hi Damien,

Mitsubishi Ireland has confirmed that the new-look Outlander will be here in November in two- and four-wheel drive formats.

Hyundai confims that a revised Santa Fe will arrive in October boasting a new 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine that drops the car from Band E to Band D emissions yet keeps the same power level.

Hope that information is of help

Expert answer

Hi Eamon,

That's quite a wide selection! Let's go through each model first of all:

Toyota RAV4:

Going by your shortlist you obviously need four-wheel drive and an automatic transmission. There's only a single Toyota RAV4 on sale fitting that, the RAV4 Sol in 4wd powered by the 'D-Cat 150 (2.2)' engine. That's a 2.2-litre turbodiesel. Choice stats:

• Price: €39,465
• CO₂ emissions: 189g/km
• Tax band: E
• Annual road tax: €630
• Combined cycle fuel consumption: 7.2 litres per 100 kilometres
• Maximum power: 150hp
• Maximum torque: 340Nm
• Towing ability: Up to 1,800kg

BMW X1:

The cheaper xDrive18d model doesn't seem to have an automatic option so you'd have to go for the xDrive20d SE at least. The stats:

• Price: €43,091
• CO₂ emissions: 155g/km
• Tax band: C
• Annual road tax: €302
• Combined cycle fuel consumption: 5.9 litres per 100 kilometres
• Maximum power: 180hp
• Maximum torque: 350Nm
• Towing ability: Up to 1,800kg

Hyundai ix35:

This is one of the newest SUVs on the market, but it's more of a crossover than an SUV really. That's emphasised by Hyundai only listing the two-wheel drive model with a manual gearbox on its website. It does say that "Automatic subject to availability. Please contact your local Hyundai Dealer", but we're not sure there is an automatic option available for this car as yet. We've asked Hyundai for clarification.

Kia Sportage:

There's an all-new Sportage launching later this year, so we assume you're thinking about that. Full details have yet to be released, though Kia tells us that, along with a new 1.7-litre turbodiesel engine a 2.0-litre turbodiesel 4x4 model will be offered on special order with an automatic gearbox. Tax will be band D, costing €447 per year. I'm afraid that's all we know at this stage. We're driving it next month for the first time.

Nissan Qashqai:

Nissan gave the Qashqai a facelift this year and it looks better than ever. For some reason the new look has not been applied to the seven-seat '+2' version on Nissan Ireland's website. However, the figures below refer to the regular five-seat version. The cheapest available with a diesel engine, four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox is the Qashqai 2.0d A/T 4x4 SV. The stats:

• Price: €37,995
• CO₂ emissions: 191g/km
• Tax band: F
• Annual road tax: €1,050
• Combined cycle fuel consumption: 7.2 litres per 100 kilometres
• Maximum power: 150hp
• Maximum torque: 320Nm
• Towing ability: Up to 1,400kg

Summary:

So, let's leave the Kia and Hyundai out of the equation for the moment, as we don't have enough information to make an informed decision.

The Toyota and Nissan compare well to each other. Like the Qashqai, the RAV4 was given a makeover for 2010 so it's fresher than ever. In diesel, automatic, four-wheel drive guise, the Toyota appears to win that battle, as the Qashqai is very expensive to tax. The Toyota is the better tow car too.

It looks like the Toyota probably wins outright on paper. The BMW X1 xDrive 20d is more powerful, significantly better on fuel and a newer design than the RAV4, but it's also a lot more to buy to begin with. Even paying less tax and fuel costs, it'd take a long time to claw that price difference back. Pity the xDrive18d doesn't come with an automatic transmission, as that could be a better choice, but in this list, the Toyota wins the logical argument.

Make sure you test drive examples of both before you decide and please do let us know in the comment box below what you end up doing.

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.