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Hi Jonathan,

Assuming it's the 1.4 VVTi petrol model then you'll pay €385 a year to tax it. As for problems? Not many - the Corolla is spectacularly rugged so, as long as it has a full service history, we wouldn't expect any major problems. Fuel economy should work out at about 40-45mpg depending on how you drive it. 

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Hi Peter,

It depends on what kind of history the car comes with. If it has a fully-stamped-up service book and a folder bulging with receipts, tax discs and old NCT certificates, and is in obviously good condition, then I wouldn’t have too many worries. If it’s a bit tired and worn looking, and there are gaps in the history, I’d avoid.

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Hi Paul,

If the car has a full service history and is in good condition, then in general we’d say there’s nothing much to worry about. At 125,000km it’s well within the lifetime of all its major components, and if the history is solid then so should be the car. Just make sure that it has had a timing belt replacement, or at least an inspection of the timing belt.

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Hi Tom,

Buying a premium car on the cheap is always tempting (have you seen the price of ten-year-old Audi A8s? Tempting…), but it comes with the caveat that you do need to set aside budget for maintenance and servicing, especially if you plan on keeping it serviced with a main dealer. Even with a more affordable independent specialist, the bills for any major work can still be significant.

Now, balanced against that is the fact that cars are, in general, more reliable, and you can get a good warranty on an approved used premium car (BMW’s two-year second hand warranty is especially good).

That said, going the nearly-new Japanese route is the painless option, and the Mazda6 is an especially good comparison. Buy a specced-up Platinum version of the 6 and I defy you to say that its cabin is any less luxurious than that of a BMW or Jaguar and it’s a great car to drive too, with typical Mazda reliability.

So while the older premium route is tempting, we’d err on the side of caution and go for the Mazda. 

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Hi Eimear,

I’d be very careful. It’s not unknown for registration documents to go missing for entirely benign reasons, but really you shouldn’t buy a car that doesn’t come with a full set of paperwork. Not to say anything against a particular dealer, but if paperwork is missing, then generally speaking someone is trying to hide something.

Perhaps get a history check through Cartell.ie?

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Hi Tom,

I have to say this sounds utterly ridiculous. The idea that a set of alloy wheels would lower the price of any car by as much as €5,000 is laughable. Now, if the original dealer sold the car as being entirely original and to factory spec, then you might have an argument that you were sold a car not to the advertised standard, but even so, replacing those alloys with a new set of Audi originals shouldn’t cost as much as €5,000 so someone is seriously taking the mickey.

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Hi Michael,

There does indeed seem to be a recurring problem with the actuator that controls the electric parking brake for the Avensis, so we’d advise a little caution when buying. Make sure you test the brake by parking on a gentle hill and taking your foot off the brake pedal, but be ready in case it does disengage and the car starts to roll. If you’re buying an Avensis, make sure it comes with a full service history and preferably a decent warranty as the actuator is an expensive part to replace.

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Hi Paul,

Yes, it can be. The N47 2.0-litre diesel engine had an issue with its timing chain, which had a nasty habit of snapping, and which was located right at the back of the engine, against the firewall, making it hard to access or inspect. BMW claims to have fixed the issue, which affected engines produced between 2007 and 2011, but it’s wise to tread carefully, make sure you buy only cars with full BMW service histories, and keep that service history up in case the problem occurs. 

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Hi Marie,

The timing belt interval for the 1.5 dCi engine is every 120,000km or five years, so you would expect to see that this car will have had the belt changed in 2014 at the latest. As for the mileage, it’s certainly not impossible for a car to have covered only low miles, but if you have any concerns then get a history check done by a company such as Cartell.ie, and ask to have a look at all of the service stamps and records for the car. If any are missing, be suspicious. If it’s an original Irish market car, then check its previous NCT certificates, which should have recorded the mileage at each inspection.

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Hi David,

There are no major reported reliability problems for the AMG M156 V8 engine, other than that they can occasionally develop issues with the bolts that hold the engine head in place. Mind you, a huge amount will depend on how well the previous owner looked after it. While reliable, AMGs are of course bought for their high performance, and if the previous owner has thrashed it about, or not kept it serviced properly, then it could be troublesome. A full book of service stamps should be a good sign, though.

As for spare parts, I really wouldn't worry too much about that, as car makers produce spare parts for a very long time after a vehicle goes out of production.