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Hi Paul,

How long have you got? Right, here are the good points - they're utterly gorgeous and have a ride quality that makes even the worst roads feel like a billiard table.

 Now for the bad stuff. Jaguar was in the throes of the worst of the British Leyland years at the time so quality was, um, optional. In fact it was mostly terrible. Jag had a hard enough time keeping the straight-six XK engine running reliably so just try to imagine how much bother twice as many cylinders, HT leads, plugs etc. can provide.

For full comedy effect the damn thing even has two fuel tanks that hold roughly 50 litres each. Hope you've got a flexible credit card limit... 

The list of things that can break is essentially endless and the body will probably slowly destroy itself from within with rust. Paint peeling off in sheets is pretty common and keeping the carbs in tune is not the work of a moment.

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Hi Eitvydas,

A bit, yeah. 75hp was never quite enough to shift the Golf's bulk. You're better off trying to track down a nice 1.6 petrol instead, or going for the ever popular 1.9 diesel.

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Hi Barry,

To be blunt, you're going to struggle to get a decent diesel engined car at that price level. There do seem to be one or two diesel Peugeot 307s or Renault Méganes around at that sort of money but we'd advise serious caution before purchase - neither have a great reputation for reliability. 

Unless you're covering mega-miles every week, you would probably be much, much better off getting a tidy 1.4 petrol hatchback, perhaps a circa 2002 Toyota Corolla? Really solid on the reliability front, excellent fuel economy and affordable motor tax. It would be a much better idea than going all out for diesel but ending up with a less reliable car.

What do you think?

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Hi Simon,

The thing is that there's not a huge difference between the Mk VI and Mk VII when it comes to driving. The Mk VII is that bit newer and more sophisticated, of course, but in terms of the actual levels of driving enjoyment and quality, they're much of a muchness. If you can find a good Mk VI at a good price, I'd say go for it. Unless that is you're prepared to wait and get the ultimate Mk VII, the one with the Performance Pack fitted. That's another ball game completely.

On the GTD versus GTI front, it's all about your mileage. If you're doing lots of long miles then the GTD provides 80 per cent of the GTI's enjoyment factor with obviously lower fuel bills. If you're not doing mega miles, stick with petrol.

Let us know which way you go

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Hi James,

It sounds to us that the car is losing fuel pressure and there is air in the system. You really need to take it to a qualified, experienced mechanic to fix this properly.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Eoin,

I hate to say it but an SUV may not be what you need. To get three kids in comfortably, you really need a car with three individual seats across the back and only the likes of the Land Rover Discovery or Toyota Land Cruiser have those - and they're big, heavy and expensive to run. 

 So you may need to look down the MPV route. Don't panic - it's not as bad as it sounds. Have a look for a nice Ford S-Max. Tonnes of room, extra seats in the (massive) boot and affordable running costs. 

That said, it depends on the age of your kids. If they're big enough to not need booster seats (or if only a couple of them still need one) that opens up your options a little. If you still fancy an SUV, try a Nissan X-Trail; spacious, reliable, good to drive.

Let us know what you go for

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Hi Richard,

Just be careful when buying any premium badge car for a low price like that. The BMW 3 Series is a well made, reliable car but you need to buy one with a full service history, one that has been looked after. If you don't, you can be getting yourself into a world of expensive trouble. 

A 320i will be quite affordable to run in terms of fuel consumption, but it will be more expensive to service and buy any spare parts for than a mass-market brand. If, as you say, you've never had a car before, you may be better off starting with something cheaper and easier to run. Can I suggest a Golf? Just as classy as the Beemer, but more affordable by far.

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Hi John,

Clearly no car is utterly immune to breakdowns or component failures, but the Lexus LS 430 comes closer than probably any other. It is staggeringly reliable. We have heard tales of people buying the (older) LS 400 model from the '90s for under a grand and still finding every single electrical item working perfectly. Try that with a 7 Series or S-Class...

The Lexus is also hugely comfortable and deeply luxurious and actually better to drive than you might think. No hot hatch, obviously, but still more capable than the roly-poly reputation would have you believe.

Downsides? Colossal motor tax costs and it helps if someone else is paying for your fuel...

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Hi Steven,

We asked Citroen Ireland about this one and here was the reply:

"There are two possibilities of engine type in Berlingo mark I 1.9d - you may have an XUD9, which is the earlier engine and is a Euro 2 emissions type engine; the second option is a DW8, which is a Euro 3. In Berlingo mark II 1.9d you only have DW8 type. You can tell the type from code found on the engine block."

The use of Bio-diesel and the associated guarantee conditions:

"Citroën approves of the use of Biodiesel as long as the quality of the biofuel/methyl-ester conforms to the European standard EN14214 and that the fuel mixture meets standard EN590, having a maximum 5% of fatty acid methyl-ester. A mixture of up to 30% Biodiesel in diesel fuel can be used. (B30: vegetable oil methyl-ester made from oil-seed rape). Such fuel must be supplied by the petrol companies directly and the fuel must not be stocked for more than three months.

On the other hand, Citroën does not cover under guarantee the use of pure biodiesel (B100): poor resistance of rubber components in the fuel circuit (leading to the risk of leaks and starting and running problems) and of the fuel injection components."

Hope that's of assistance

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Hi Anthony,

Oh heck yes! The RX-8 has always been one of our favourite cars and it mixes high-revving rotary rear-drive fun with almost-practical four-seat space. There are actually very few, indeed hardly any, reported mechanical issues, and that's in spite of the poor reputation that rotary engines have in that regard. It will burn through a lot of oil though - they genuinely all do that, sir - so keep an eye on the dipstick and don't skimp on the good quality lubricants. There were also a few recalls, for leaking fuel pipes, cracked steering joints and cracked damper heat covers. Avoid anything that's been tweaked, tuned or messed around with and watch the handling in the wet - they can be staggeringly tail-happy.