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Hi John,

To be honest, it's a little hard to tell. The A3 Saloon hasn't been out long enough for us to get a solid handle on its resale values but we can work from a couple of basic assumptions:

 1. Yes, diesel is currently more highly valued than petrol.

2. That won't always be the case - now that the mad post-2008 scramble for diesel has subsided buyers are starting to get wise to the value of petrol power again, helped by improved engine tech.

3. An Audi, any Audi, will likely have stronger residual values than most other marques so you're already ahead of the game.

So I guess the answer is yes, your depreciation will be a little sharper on petrol than on diesel but I suspect it won't be by very much. Fret not and just enjoy owning one of our favourite current cars. 

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Hi Richard,

There is lots of good choice out there in the compact saloon world, whether you're buying new or used. The Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Jetta, Skoda Octavia, Ford Focus Saloon or Mazda3 Saloon all spring to mind and all make solid purchases. Just one thing - for pity's sake, don't buy another Aveo - not only is it cheap, nasty and bad to drive, but it was one of the worst-scoring cars ever on the EuroNCAP crash test.

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Hi Seamus,

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Hi Annette,

I think your best bet could be to upgrade to a newer Mazda3 Saloon. The second generation 3 four-door is a really nice car - spacious, comfy and reliable, and if you get a 1.6 diesel from 2008 onwards you'll be paying half nothing for your road tax. 

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Hi Conor,

Yes, Mercedes suffered no end of electrical, steering and braking issues with that generation of E-Class. A pretty full and complete campaign of recalls and replacements and extended warranties have ironed out a lot of the bugs by now, and the 320 CDI engine has always been a tough, long-lived unit, but make sure you check absolutely every single electrical item and ensure that they're all working properly and if there's even the slightest gap in the service history, walk away.

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Hi Anna,

There are several versions of that car, and there as a model year change in late 2009 so it depends which it is exactly. Here are a few examples, assuming you're not talking about the estate:

- 1.8 TDCi saloon with 100hp and five-speed manual gearbox: 149g/km CO₂ (Band C): €390

- 1.8 TDCi saloon with 125hp and stop-start (called 'Eco') and five-speed manual gearbox: 139g/km CO₂ (Band B2): €280

- 1.8 TDCi saloon with 125hp and five-speed manual gearbox: 154g/km CO₂ (Band C): €390

If you give us the registration number we can give you the exact price of tax.

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Hi Sean,

It's a tough question to answer, this one, simply because different wheels and tyres can make an enormous difference to ride quality. As you say, French cars tend to fare very well in this regard and I think the most comfortable car I have driven in recent years was a top-spec Citroen C5 with the traditional Citroen hydra gas suspension, which just felt as if the road surface wasn't there. As you say, French cars can have their reliability issues, but the C5 was always pretty well screwed together.

Of the other options, both the Ford Mondeo and Opel Insignia are good bets, especially if you can avoid any cars that have been specced-up with big wheels and low profile tyres. Go for nothing bigger than a 17-inch wheel with at least a 55-profile tyre - wheel and tyre combos make a huge difference to ride comfort,

Of course if you want the ultimate in ride comfort, then track yourself down a Jaguar XJ6 saloon from the mid-eighties. Best ride quality of any car ever. I can't vouch for the reliability though...

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Hi Gabriel,

Well, it depends on two things - who's doing the offering and what kind of history comes with the car. If it has a full service history and is in good nick, and the vendor is someone you can trust, then it could be a good buy - Astras are generally robust and quite pleasant to drive too. If you have even the slightest doubts though, get an AA inspection. It's not expensive, and it could save you a bundle of cash and hassle in the long term. Any reputable vendor, even a private one, who's selling a decent car should have no objections to the AA calling round to check the car out. If they do, you know it's a bad 'un so can walk away.

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Hi Ann,

Yeah, you might just scrape into a 2012 model in either car but to be fair, though rolling back to a 2011 or even a 2010 (assuming that condition and history are OK) isn't really going to be any hardship. As for the C4 Picasso, well it's a very, very different type of car altogether - a big, spacious family MPV rather than a low-slung sports saloon. They're nice and comfy, but won't be as well built as either of the German cars.

If it were our choice to make, we'd go with the Audi - comfy, decent to drive and reliable.

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Hi Ger,

To be honest, I would just avoid that generation of Rio at all costs. They're not especially reliable (engines, suspension and ventilation systems all give trouble) and the 1.3-litre petrol engine is quite underpowered, meaning you have to thrash it hard to keep up with the flow of traffic, which wrecks the fuel economy. On top of which the cabin is small, narrow and made of some staggeringly cheap and nasty plastic and they're basically awful to drive.

That generation of Rio was really the last of the truly bad Kias, before the company started to make some really good cars. Go, if you can, for a second generation Rio, made from 2006 onwards in both hatchback and saloon form. They're much more reliable, quite nice to drive and decently economical.

Hope that helps