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Hi Robert,

Not even slightly. There was a fad of buying bi-fuel cars about five years ago, thanks partly to an experimental push on E85 bio-ethanol from fuel supplier Maxol, but mostly because such cars got a €2,500 VRT rebate due to their supposedly 'green' credentials. That all fell apart once (a) the new CO₂-based tax system came in and (b) people realised that there simply isn't enough arable farmland to grow enough crops to make E85 for all of us, and still be able to feed ourselves. As far as we know, there are not even any E85 filling stations still running, so you're effectively just buying a standard 1.8 petrol, and not benefiting from the original VRT rebate.

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Hi Pat,

Hmmm. That generation of Corolla doesn't seem to be keeping Toyota's usual reliability standard up. There have been reported issued with brakes (squealing, not failing), troubles with the automatic gearbox, clutch failures, slipping handbrakes and noisy gearboxes. If your potential purchase isn't displaying any of those symptoms, then it might be just fine, but be prepared to raise merry hell with your nearest Toyota dealer if it starts to develop problems. After all, if you're selling your cars on the basis of their reliability, then you'd better be prepared to back that up...

In terms of efficiency, well, it's a quite a small engine in quite a large car, so no, I wouldn't reckon it would be more economical than a 1.2 Fiesta - quite the reverse in fact, unless most of your mileage is on the motorway, in which case the Toyota's extra torque and power should make it more frugal than an over-stretched 1.2.

That price sounds pretty good - maybe even a touch low. Have you done a thorough history check on the car with Cartell.ie?

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Hi Avril,

Yup, if you're doing big mileage, then the fuel-sipping nature of a diesel is exactly what you need. I'd suggest a 2008 Hyundai i30 or Kia cee'd 1.6 diesel. Both are in your price bracket (just about - you may need to haggle), both are massively reliable, spacious, comfy and nice to drive. Hard to go wrong with either so just buy the best one of either brand that you find.

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Hi Caroline,

That's pretty much the only one, to be honest. At least so far. The front-wheel drive version of the RX 450h has CO₂ emissions of 140g/km, which means you'll pay just €280 a year to tax it. Not bad for a car like that. The problem is that you'll never get the kind of fuel economy that Lexus quotes for it. Around 30mpg will probably be the best you'll achieve. 

Later this month though, Honda will launch a 1.6-litre diesel version of its CR-V. It's not quite as big as the Lexus but is really very spacious and has a massive boot. With Band A4 emissions (€200 a year) of 119g/km, a smooth chassis and impeccable build quality, it could be your best bet.

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Hi Myles,

With that length of a daily commute, I'd reckon that you should definitely go for diesel and back in 2008 there was actually a choice of Focus diesels, with the run-out 1.8 TDCi and the incoming 1.6 TDCi both available. Both are excellent choices, with the 1.8 possibly having an edge on overall reliability (it's an older and more proven design) but the 1.6 having the edge in terms of fuel economy and emissions. Find a well-cared for example with full service history (those diesel injection systems are complex and need looking after) and you won't go wrong.

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Hi Martina,

Both cars you've chosen there are pretty much neck and neck in every area, bar one. The Passat is arguably a little more 'premium' in its feel, the Mondeo is better to drive and we'd say a touch better looking (though obviously that's subjective!).

Both are impressively well built and have excellent reliability credentials. The area that separates them is quite simply fuel consumption. The Mondoe's 2.0 TDCi engine will be a bit more usefully grunty than that Passat's 105hp 1.6 TDI unit, but the Volkswagen's engine will prove to be a lot more economical. You should be able to average close to 60mpg in the Passat, which should be around 5-10mpg better than the Mondeo will manage. To illustrate it, we once managed to drive from Galway to Glasgow, back to Galway and up to Dublin on one tank in a Passat 1.6 TDI.

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Hi Ronan,

The officially quoted fuel consumption figure for the Passat B6 model with the 1.4 TSI 122hp engine was 7.5 litres per 100km (or 39mpg) combined, with the urban and extra urban figures working out at 10 litres/100km (28mpg) and 6.1 litres/100km (46mpg).

Hope that helps.

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Hi Erin,

Well, I have to put my hand up and declare an interest. I own a MINI , a Clubman Cooper D, and it's fab. Fun to drive, funky to look at and super-economical (it averages better than 55mpg). So I'd say if you're interested in a MINI, go for it. 

Just make sure anything you're looking at buying has a full service history. Don't forget that these are small BMWs with plenty of complex bits and need to be cared for accordingly. It's worth looking at MINI's 'cherished' second hand programme, from franchised dealers, which a gets you a two-year warranty and a full check over.

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Hi Mike,

Right, you need something cheap (obviously), rugged and that's not going to mug you for petrol money when you run it up the M6 to Dublin. I know, I was that soldier. 

So, you need to go Japanese and you need to go for something that's compact but still has the engine grunt not to get overwhelmed on the motorway. Simple answer is the Suzuki Baleno. They're a bit hard to track down now, but a mid-nineties one should fall into your price range. 

They use a solidly reliable 1.3-litre petrol engine that's good on fuel but which has the cojones for motorway work. And the car as a whole is as close to indestructible as any car has actually physically come. An unsung cheap car hero.

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Hi Paddy,

Well, with that kind of budget to shop with you're well into the price range for most compact 1.6 diesel hatchbacks, and I'm talking new (or nearly new if you're looking to maximise the bargain). 

So I'd recommend going for one of Volkswagen's new trio of compact cars, the Golf, Octavia or Leon (sadly the Audi A3 is probably out of your price range).  All three are excellent, solidly build and share the same frugal 1.6-litre TDI diesel engine. Of the three, I'd suggest going for the Leon as it gets you the best all round car, but the classiness of the Golf or the practicality of the Octavia are equally strong draws. Can't go wrong with any of them really.