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Hi David,

Sadly it was only quite recently that ISOFIX became a required fitting. According to the EU, "Under the current UN/ECE R14, all new vehicles produced since February 2013 are required to have ISOFIX lower anchorages and top tether attachments."  

Bonus trivia fact: ISOFIX was originally jointly developed by child seat maker Britax and Volkswagen. That probably doesn't help your search for a car that has it though. What I would suggest is to look up the website of the maker of the seat. Many seat makers (such as Maxi-Cosi, here: http://www.maxi-cosi.com/ie-en/service/car-fitting.aspx) provide a matching service to help you determine which cars your seat will fit in. 

Otherwise, get in touch with a seat expert such as Mothercare or Tony Kelly's who will be able to help you out.

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Hi Sean,

Go for the 1.6. It's more economical, has lower emissions and is more common than the 1.8, so parts and bits are easier to come by if anything goes wrong. Now, watch the turbo like a hawk, the exhaust gas recirculation valve can give trouble and make sure you insist on proper, high-quality synthetic oil whenever it's serviced. The older 1.8 is actually a bit of a cracking engine, and an in-house Ford designed unit, not shared with other brands as the 1.6 is (Peugeot, Citroen, Volvo and MINI have all shared the same engine). It's a good unit, but the easier running costs of the 1.6 just make it the better choice.

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Hi Ian,

As discussed with you offline, we talked to Peugeot Ireland about this, and the contact there spoke with the dealer in question. The dealer response was:

• The customer booked a two-year service, which would include an air conditioning inspection
• There was no defect detected with the air con (thus no warranty coverage needed)
• The technician used his air con machine to check that there was no leak present in the system - there wasn't
• There was a gas top-up needed, which the customer was charged for

 Peugeot then commented: "We would like to offer the following explanation to the customer - even if an air con system isn't used, if a customer uses the front window demister they do inadvertently use the air con system, which over time would use up gas. I hope this helps. Should the customer wish to have contact with our Customer Services department, I can arrange a call to them."

Hopefully that's helped you understand the situation to your satisfaction, but you know where we are if you need us again.

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Hi Brian,

Yeah, I think you're probably right to stick with diesel with those sorts of mileages. Mind you, it's worth pointing out that those two Volkswagens you have aren't on mega-miles yet and it could be more cost-effective to spend a little on getting them spruced up and fit for thousands more miles than chopping and changing.

That said, if you're in need of a good, reliable family car then I'd have a long look at a Toyota Avensis estate. The 2.0-litre D-4D diesel engine is a good 'un and cheap to tax, it's comfy, ideal for long motorway runs and if it's not the most exciting car in the world, then at least it's solidly reliable. Spacious too.

Probably the most cost-effective option is to replace the high-miler with something younger and fitter and then spend a little extra to keep the runaround Golf fresh.

 Let us know what you decide on.

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Hi Martin,

I'd say you're looking at a trade-in value of between €5-6,000.

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Hi Meeka,

I personally bought a 2006 Volvo V50 1.6 diesel, which is the estate version of the S40 so I know a little about them. I'm assuming that S40 is 1.6 diesel as well, as most are from that year. The most important thing about this engine is that it is used regularly at motorway speed (to burn off deposits on the diesel particulate filter - DPF) and that oil changes are also regular, and done with the right oil. Insist on a full service history and the more reputable the garage the better.

Make sure the DPF warning light is present when the ignition is turned on and that it then goes out soon after the car is started up. If it's missing completely it means there's a reason someone removed it - walk away.

Other than that I found the car to be very well equipped for the price, making it much better value than a similarly priced Focus or Golf from the same year. It's also more spacious than those cars - though not by much.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Simon,

That’s absolutely top-value for a 2005 Focus, so the car would want to be in exceptionally good condition and come with a full and complete service history and a decent warranty to command that kind of price. You haven’t given us a year for your Polo so it’s rather difficult to value but we think you could potentially find better value on the Focus out there.

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Hi Eitvydas,

The first generation A-Class had shockingly poor reliability and while the second generation version was an improvement, we'd still be a bit wary. Electrics and suspension are your biggest areas for problems so check everything over carefully and don't even think of getting one that doesn't have a full and complete service history. Apart from that, they were also a little odd to drive - feeling rather like a gigantic shopping trolley in their vague and uncertain way they trundle along. Also, basic versions came with no air conditioning and had rubbish ventilation so hot days are a bit of a chore.

Expert answer

Hi Sol,

With that sort of mileage and condition I'd say you're looking at top-end money for a Starlet. The downside is that top-end for a Starlet is only around €2,000. You might get €2,200 with a following wind...

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Hi Fionn,

You see, if we could answer that then we would have cracked the deep and dark mysteries of car depreciation and possibly time travel. In which case this would be written from the deck of our yacht, moored in the Caribbean. But it's not, so the short answer is we don't know. Fifty per cent depreciation over the first three years is the normal rule of thumb for most cars, and a 5 Series diesel would drop in value a little slower than that. So a five-year old one would probably be worth just under half of what it cost when new, assuming it's in perfect condition and has a full service history.

Hope that's of some assistance!