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Hi Peter,

Diesel cars are now outselling petrol cars by 3 to 1 and of the petrol models that are selling, they are mainly small runabouts. The fact is that the majority of people are being drawn to the lowest possible road tax and in some cases, oddly, this means that they are actually spending more on the car then they really should have. There seems little sense to spend €2,000 - €3,000 more on a diesel car if you are saving €50 a year in road tax and your mileage is low, but that is the way it seems to be happening right now.

The problem with this is that buyers are missing out on on some really good petrol cars. Fiat and Volkswagen in particular have some smart new petrol engines. Take for example the Jetta, which you  mentioned: the new one is out now, but in the older model there was a 105hp 1.2-litre TSI petrol engine and most people baulked at this because they thought it would be too weedy for the car. The same is true of the 1.4-litre TSI, while both are more than capable of adequate performance. 

In terms of fuel economy, sure enough the diesel will usually trump the petrol, but this will only really start to make monetary sense when you do a lot of mileage. It you intend on high mileage, then you are probably better off sticking with the diesel car - Volkswagens are generally quite good at mega mileage, as are Skodas.

We've been getting quite a few queries about DPFs (diesel particulate filters) here in CompleteCar.ie but Mazda appears to be the only brand showing up faults. The Passat though has not been without its troubles and, to be honest, I am not sure if I would be buying a used one with a lot of kilometres on the clock if big mileage is likely.

You mentioned the Jetta, well this one we found would be a top buy. It has just 14,000 miles on the clock, the right 2.0-litre diesel engine and is within your budget. This would be a good buy.

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Hi Paul,

These cars are really very similar and it can be difficult to seperate them when you compare them in almost every category. You didn't mention the Skoda Octavia or Superb here which is surprising since they are rated so highly by the taxi industry and they are also ultra reliable. The Passat hasn't always been that reliable while there appear to be fewer problems with the Mondeo. Having said that, both engines are really very good though and will be super frugal.

To be honest, I would probably still go with the Passat as it looks and feels a little more upmarket and that would be good in your line of work.

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Hi Gerry,

As the Peugeot 508 is brand new there is no way to gauge how reliable it will be. Its predecessor, the 407 saloon, suffered from relatively minor niggles all its life, but first impressions suggest the 508 is of higher quality. The Passat CC, though sold in smaller numbers than the four-door saloon version, has an exemplary reliability record.

In terms of fuel economy and emissions, the 2.0-litre HDi versions of the Peugeot 508 saloon with a manual gearbox emit 125g/km (Band B) and use 4.8 litres/100km (58.9mpg) on the combined cycle. The 1.6-litre HDi models are more efficient, though slower obviously.

In comparison, the VW Passat CC 2.0 TDI (with a manual gearbox again) uses 4.7 litres/100km (60.1mpg) and emits the same 125g/km, so there's virtually nothing to choose between them.

Hope that helps.

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Hi John,

I can see why you would want to go for the 530d, but don't. There is no such thing as a cheap BMW and buying a used one like this can be very costly. They become moneypits when they get older and this means that the servicing costs will be hugely expensive. When things go wrong, which they will, you will be left with a massive bill. Also, since that car would be taxed on the old system, you will have over €1,300 per year in road tax.

The Passat might not be perfect, but you are likely to be getting a car that will be much cheaper to run. I hate to rain on your parade with regard to the BMW, but if you are on a tight budget they are the wrong car to buy (I am a former owner so can vouch for this) so perhaps the Passat, while not as sexy, would be a more prudent choice.

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Hi Michael,

I guess it depends on what year you are looking at and how much you intend to spend, but personally in most cases I would opt for the Passat, because, if you are spending your own money, it is likely to be worth quite a bit more in residual value in 2-3 years time. 

If you give us more information on your requirements then we can give a more considered response as a result.

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Hi Declan,

The Passat is a lot of car for a 1.6-litre engine to pull along, so depending on how and where you are driving it then your fuel economy might not be super. Is the car brand new? In the running-in phase economy can be a bit down on post run-in performance but perhaps have a look at your driving style and eliminate that as a possible problem first.

It is possible on the Passat to look at the instantaneous consumption so keep an eye on that and make a note of it and the average values. 

I've been through enough fuel economy challenges at this stage to know that it can be often down to our own driving (and I include myself) in this. Nobody really needs to 'drive' a tonne-and-a-half car down a hill and being a little more delicate with your right foot can make a massive difference (110- vs. 130km/h on a motorway for example). 

Aside from all that, keep a note of the car's performance over 2-3 days then make a conscious effort to change your driving for the next few and if there is no massive difference then perhaps see about getting the car checked over. 

Come back to us with actual figures, mileage of the car and how it is used and we'll try to give you more assistance.

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Hi Enda,

This was a long one, so I thought I would answer by video. Click on the link to see the answer!

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Hi Paul,

It depends on whether the daugher transferred the ownership details to her mother's name. The rules state that the car being scrapped "must be registered in the State in the name of the registered owner of the new car for at least 18 months immediately prior to the date of scrappage."

They are flexible on spouses but it might not be possible with a husband and wife. Otherwise if it's still in the daughter's name she could scrap the car and buy the new one and then pass it on to her mother.

Hope that clears it up

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Hi Jim,

The combined economy figure for that car is about 50mpg (5.6 litres/100km) and it has CO₂ emissions of 149g/km. I would say that this would be a better buy than a 2005 Passat Estate because there will probably be less wrong with it and it will be easier to put right if it has a few issues. The Passat of that year wasn't VW's finest work, so I'd plump for the Avensis. The usual rules apply in terms of proper history checks.

Hope that helps.

Expert answer

Hi there Kevin,

I am not sure whether you are choosing a new or used car. There is a brand new Jetta just gone on sale and it is absolutely massive - quite close to the Passat. This would probably be the better of the two at the moment, but then there is a new Focus arriving in April.

The new Focus is really good too and that comes with a 1.6-litre diesel engine, while the Jetta also comes with a 1.6-litre diesel. I haven't driven the new Jetta yet personally here in Ireland, but we have driven it and I have driven the new Focus, which is brilliant. 

Out of the two, if I was doing lots of mileage, then the Jetta would probably be the better of the two, but without totally sitting on the fence the best thing to do is to try them both for yourself.

Let us know how you get on.