Expert answer

Hi Ciaran,

You can't go too far wrong with a good Nissan Micra or Volkswagen Polo, even at that price. They are reasonable to insure, pretty reliable and the Micra in particular is great on fuel. We'd stay away from the Daewoo Lanos and though the Fiat Cinquecento is bursting with character they can be troublesome. Others to consider are the Suzuki Swift and Volkswagen Lupo.

Come back to us with a shortlist if you want and we can help further.

Expert answer

Hi Eamonn,

Come back to us with your budget, but cars to consider include the Citroen C3, Ford Fiesta, perhaps the Ford Fusion, Honda Jazz, Mazda2 (also called the Demio as an import), Nissan Micra (called the March as an import), Opel Corsa, SEAT Ibiza, Suzuki Swift, Toyota Yaris and the Volkswagen Polo.

That's a long list, I know! It really depends on your budget. Our pick of all that lot would be the Honda Jazz given your requirement for a big boot that's easy to access.

Hope that helps.

Expert answer

Hi Patrick,

That's a lot of questions! Let's start with the Santa Fe. Your budget is likely to limit you to the last of the older generation. It's a tough piece of kit, but not great on the road in terms of comfort. It's reliable, though expensive enough to maintain. Early versions had clutch judder, but this should have been fixed in later versions with a new flywheel. We've not heard about diesel pump and injector trouble.

Given that budget we'd rather the Hyundai Tucson. There are plenty of them about and it's much nicer to drive on the road. Saying that, it's a good deal smaller than the Santa Fe. It's not as expensive to service however. It's the same story with the older Sportage, though we'd prefer the Tucson.

The RAV4 is a fine choice all-round. It's generally reliable and good on the road. I wouldn't be very worried about extra wear and tear in the driveline.

Don't forget about the Nissan X-Trail, Honda CR-V and Suzuki Grand Vitara. All worth a closer look.

Has that helped you create a shortlist?

Expert answer

Hi Rory,

I'm sure you're aware that your budget will get you any number of relatively new regular cars such as the Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus, along with bigger models like the Ford Mondeo and Toyota Avensis.

However, given your current choice of car I'd suspect that you'd like to retain the elevated driving position and your mileage dictates a diesel engine. Most cars can take a tow bar and you don't have heavy towing needs so that's not a major consideration. Likewise, all SUVs etc. will have room for your golf clubs.

So the logical choices based on all that include:

BMW X3: Good diesel engine, spacious, but your budget may only get you an older example.

Citroen C-Crosser: Great 2.2-litre diesel engine; rest of car built on Mitsubishi mechanicals.

Honda CR-V: Bomb-proof reliability, but again may have to settle for older example.

Hyundai Santa Fe: Big and comfortable, though running costs higher than smaller SUV.

Mitsubishi Outlander: Spacious, well made, ok diesel, if loud.

Nissan X-Trail: Strangely forgotten, but plenty around at this price.

Peugeot 4007: Shares its engine and underpinnings with the Citroen above.

Suzuki Grand Vitara: Very reliable.

Toyota RAV4: Another with impressive reliability. Possibly the choice of the lot at this price.

There are loads of older, bigger SUVs for sale at that price too, but they'll cost you more to run for no real benefit.

If you're willing to change body styles completely it's worth checking out something like a BMW 120d Coupé or a diesel 3 Series Coupé. There are also plenty of great estates on the market for that budget, including the Audi A4 Avant and BMW 3 Series Touring. I know you don't need that space for a family, but it's useful for a lot of other things.

Come back to us with more information and we'll help to narrow your search further.

Expert answer

Hi Barry,

Thanks for confirming via email that the total budget including trade-in is about €15,000.

One car that immediately comes to mind is the Honda Jazz. They're utterly reliable, easy to drive and park and are available with a decent enough CVT (continuously variable transmission) automatic gearbox. Here's an example on Carzone.ie. Emissions are in Band B so annual road tax is €225. The seating position is more upright in the Jazz than in most small cars so it's easier to get in and out of.

Another option is the Nissan Note. The automatic version's engine is 1.6-litre in size so emissions are higher, putting it into Band D for tax - costing €481 per annum. Otherwise it compares well with the Jazz, with easy access and good reliability in a compact package. Here's an example on Carzone.ie.

The Nissan Qashqai may also fit the bill, though it's a larger car overall, which I suspect is not what you're looking for.

If you need help narrowing the search down further come back to us - and let us know what you go for.

Expert answer

Hi Oliver,

You can't go too far wrong with a Toyota Land Cruiser. Your budget should get you a 2006 version with four-wheel drive and there are plenty around. Mitsubishi Pajero also worth a look.

If you'd consider pick-ups there's the Mitsubishi L200, Nissan Navara, Toyota Hilux.

Come back to us with a shortlist if you want us to help you decide further.

Expert answer

Hi Damien,

Personally I'd have the 1.5-litre diesel version. It drives well and returns good economy. If you don't do a lot of miles the 1.6-litre petrol model might still be worth taking a look at, especially if you get a good deal on it.

The Qashqai received a mid-life facelift in 2010, and it's worth getting the updated car if your budget stretches to it. Along with a mildly restyled face the interior got a few useful changes. You'll find both the old and new car were sold in 2010 though so make sure you know what you're looking at.

Good alternatives (depending on your budget of course) include the current shape Kia Sportage and the Skoda Yeti and the Peugeot 3008.

Hope that helps.

Expert answer

Hi Ciaran,

The Nissan Skyline saloon did not really get caught up in the upsurge of popularity experienced by other rear-wheel drive Japanese four-doors towards the end of the Celtic Tiger era so is still a fairly rare model. This would go some way to explaining why the Revenue Online Service (ROS) value seems so low. The Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) is based on an 'average' for that particular model, but with so few cars having been imported it can be difficult to determine a true average.

Regarding the car you have highlighted, and taking into account current exchange rates and the VRT calculated by ROS that car would cost €5,824, which seems expensive to our eyes.

A thorough search of all the classified adverts we could find revealed a few similar cars, albeit with higher mileage, in the region of €3,500 - €4,000.

The one you're looking at does have some nice additions such as the wheels, suspension and spoiler, but whether they and the low mileage warrant a near €2,000 premium is a question only you can answer.

Let us know how you get on.

Expert answer

Hi Tricia,

Replacing the crankshaft is a big job for sure and if that is required then the price, including parts, does not seem unreasonable. However, I would be shocked if non-starting leads to the need to replace the actual crankshaft. Are you sure it's not just the crankshaft sensor? If so, the engine would not have to be taken out and the price seems over the top, even for a main dealer.

Send us a message in private with more details and we'll try to look into this for you.

Expert answer

Hi Joe,

On the face of it this is a great deal for sure - especially if you do not plan on doing excessive mileage. The terms and conditions (see here for the document) seem reasonable enough. One thing you have to realise though is that you're giving up any potential discount on the new car. Essentially you're offsetting that against a year of depreciation.

In your position I'd first of all go into a Nissan dealer and get the best deal on trading in your car against a new Qashqai as normal. Only ask about the Twice is Nice Deal after you have a price to compare with.

Please note that some dealers may have elected to have a limited quota of cars to sell on the Twice is Nice Deal as well so you may not get what you want from the first one you visit.

Let us know how you get on.