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Hi Danny,

Yup, should be fine. Citroen's build quality and reliability have been improving lots in recent years, but just check all the electrics to make sure everything's working OK and make sure it has a full and complete service history, with no skimping on the high-quality oil at replacement time.

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Hi Philip,

Not all marques and not all models use AdBlue as yet. AdBlue is a urea solution that can be injected into he exhausts of diesel cars to neutralise a significant proportion of their emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) - very much in the news at the moment of course. The rule of thumb is generally only that larger, more powerful engines need an AdBlue treatment system as many smaller engines don't need the assistance. Each manufacturer, and indeed each individual engine, will have its recommended AdBlue top-up times, and it will be directly related both to mileage and how much acceleration the car has been doing. You can top up the AdBlue tank yourself - a 1.5-litre refill should cost around €11-12.

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Hi Ede,

It depends on which engine your Fiesta is powered by. The 1.4- and 1.6-litre TDCi diesels have change intervals of 10 years or 125,000 miles (just over 201,000km), while the petrol engines (1.25-, 1.4- and 1.6-litre) have timing belts that need to be changed every eight years or 100,000 miles (160,000km).

We'd always advise readers to have the timing belt changed sooner rather than later, especially if the service history of the car is unknown.

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Hi Mike,

I must admit that sounds very very expensive. You should ask them to itemise the price for you, as the parts themselves really shouldn't be that costly. It would be interesting to know how many hours labour and the hourly rate they charge. You should also shop around before telling them go ahead. Ring a few other garages to get a price for it.

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Hi Anthony,

Don't worry - cracking car. Not quite as nice as the current-model i10 but still reliable, solid, nice to drive and should do you for a good while. Just make sure it's been serviced properly (preferably with a Hyundai dealer). 

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Hi Breda,

The golden rule is never buy on year or mileage but on condition and history. As you say, both cars are in immaculate condition but I'll bet that one or the other has a better and more complete service history, and that's the one to go for.

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Hi F D,

There does seem to be an issue with the turbo- and supercharged engines involving the timing chain and it seems to be because Volkswagen tried to stretch the service intervals too far. Now, your A3 may not have that particular engine, depending on the year and the engine power. The lower power 122hp version of the 1.4 TSI didn't have a supercharger, just a turbo so is simpler and doesn't seem to suffer the same issues. The more recent 150hp version also does without the supercharger, so the best thing to do is not panic - if you're concerned about the car, take it to your dealer, have it inspected and maybe insist on a more frequent oil change.

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Hi Cormac,

Yes, and the Insignia is also lovely to drive and really quite classy. It may not be quite so robustly reliable as an Octavia though. But if you buy with a full service history and look after it properly it shouldn't give any major trouble.

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Hi Lorraine,

It depends on the condition and history. If one has a full service history, has obviously been cared for and is in great condition - and the other isn't - go for the one in better nick. That overrides any question about diesel versus petrol. 

However, assuming the two cars are in similar condition and both have decent histories, petrol versus diesel comes down to mileage. If you're doing more than 15,000- to 20,000km per year, then you need to be thinking about diesel. Below that threshold petrol is the better option, unless of course that low mileage is all at high speed on the motorway.

Hope that helps

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Hi John,

The critical question here is how much road tax and insurance pain are you willing to take? An early 2000s Porsche 911 will crack 5.3 seconds 0-100km/h all day long but you'll pay through the nose for tax, disc and servicing. And never, ever buy one without a full Porsche or Porsche Specialist service history.

Most Mercedes-AMG models from the same era will do similar but again the same caveats on servicing and running costs apply.

A BMW M3 Evolution will do 5.5 seconds, but watch for ones that have been badly fiddled with or modified.

Probably better would be a Ford Focus RS or a Volkswagen Golf R or R32. Both are pretty rugged in the reliability stakes but again you have to be wary of cars that have been modified or altered from standard. 

However, possibly the best bet is a Honda S2000. As long as you don't need back seats it's a fantastic thing to drive, will do 6.0 seconds 0-100km/h and it's rock solid in reliability terms. Loads around well within your price band but again watch carefully for badly done modifications or cars that haven't been cared for.