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Hi Declan,

With accident damage, it's always hard to tell as it will depend on how bad the original damage was, how well it was repaired and if you have the original bills and receipts for the work. In really good condition,  that car might be worth €1,200, but with damage it may only make €500 or so. 

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Hi Willie,

It will depend on the condition and service history, but it should be worth somewhere in the region of €6-7,000 as a trade-in.

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Hi Peter,

It should be worth in the region of €6-7,000 as a trade in. 

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Hi Tony,

To be honest, we've never heard any major horror stories about the Insignia, and in general it seems to be a mostly reliable car. There are reported issues with the central locking and alarm system, and persistent leaks in the boot, but aside from that, as long as you buy one with a full service history, you should be fine. 

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Hi Paul,

The biggest issue is the infamous N47 diesel timing chain problem. The engine was designed with a zero-maintenance timing chain, mounted at the back of the engine, which then proved prone to (costly) failures. Most will have been fixed or replaced by now, but it’s still something to be cautious of. The rest is mostly irritating electrical issues, but just make sure you don’t buy one without a very full service history.

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Hi Jennifer,

I'd be a bit concerned about the three-month warranty. For a car that's only just run out of its original manufacturer's warranty, that seems a bit mean.

There's no need to worry about a cam belt as the 1.4 petrol engine is chain-driven, as are the 1.4 and 1.6 diesels. The water pump should be fine too - there are occasional reported issues with it and the thermostat, but they seem to be pretty infrequent. As long as the car has a full service history it should be fine.

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Hi Ciara,

It’s always tempting to trade in a car that’s starting to look expensive, but for the most part, it’s almost always more economical to keep an existing car going, even if it does need regular servicing. In fact, that regular servicing is the key to all of this — keep it looked after and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t provide years of service yet. As you point out, the diesel filter needs longer journeys to keep it from clogging up, but a regular circa 20-30km run at motorway or main road speeds should be enough.

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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.