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Hi Keith,

No, it's not a waste of time at all. It's almost always better value to keep and fix an existing car rather than pay the cost-of-change to upgrade to something newer. That said, if you're convinced you need a better solution, then you won't do better than to go for one of the many car-vans on offer now. The Renault Kangoo and Citroen Berlingo are the best known versions, but there are also similar models available from Fiat, Volkswagen and Peugeot.  My personal pick would be the Fiat Doblo, fitted with the 1.6- or 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel engines. You'll find the cabin surprisingly comfy, it's quite pleasant to drive, very economical and good on tax and massively spacious in the back. There's even a seven-seat version available if you want to be really popular at the school gate.

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Hi Aidan,

Go for the 530d. The engine is actually rather more robust than the 520d’s (although it definitely will cost more if anything does go wrong) and while you will pay a chunk more tax and fuel, you’re getting a much better car with exceptional performance and refinement.

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Hi Jim,

Only if you go through the process of declaring the car off the road. You can get form RF150 from your local Garda station and the minimum time declarable is three months. And you can’t switch the declaration on and off as you like; the process has to be gone through again every time. To be honest, unless the car you’re looking at is from 1987 or before, you might just be better off waiting until the 30-year rolling limit for classic tax has passed.

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Hi Bartlomiej,

Well, it kinda depends what you mean by SUV. If you mean large, the likes of the Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda CR-V etc, then it's probably best to wait until the new 1.6-litre, front-wheel drive version of the Honda arrives later this year, as that will be a big, spacious SUV that has emissions of under 120g/km, although the lack of four-wheel drive might not appeal.

If it's the smaller ones you're looking at then I'd suggest a Skoda Yeti. It bridges the gap, size-wise, between the very small Nissan Juke and the large stuff like Mazda's CX-5 and the Kia Sportage. Go for the 1.6 TDI Greenline version and you'll have a spacious, rugged, practical family car with Band A4 tax (€200 a year) and it should do a pretty steady 50mpg most of the time.

Want something a bit more flash? The MINI Countryman, with its 1.6-litre diesel engine, is super-frugal, but you do need to spend a bit on options to get the right look.

It may also be worth waiting a couple of months until the new Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008 arrive on sale, as both should prove very affordable to run.

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Hi Catherine,

A rough estimate of your C4's value should give you a budget of around €12,000 (and you might even do a bit better than that if you're lucky). Even at that level though, there is a plethora of cars matching your description out there. How about we start with something really classy? A BMW 316i maybe? Plenty out there, all priced around €11k and the 1.6-litre engine means reasonable tax and fuel economy even though it's a petrol engine.

Or you might need something a bit more spacious and economical. So we found a Citroen C5 Tourer estate with the 1.6-litre HDi diesel engine. It's a 2008 model so you'll be on the new CO₂-based tax system, it's massive inside and very comfy. Well built too.

Finally, you might fancy something a bit more compact and cheaper to run, and that budget opens up a world of Ford Focus saloons and estates with either the 1.6-litre petrol or 1.8 diesel engines. Simple, spacious, reliable and plentiful, you won't go wrong with that one.

WHat do you think?

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Hi Lisa,

Well, there is the obvious recommendation of a Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi, but a €7,000 budget won't, sadly, get you into a post-2008 car, so you'll be paying a higher rate of annual motor tax. 

So here's a less obvious recommendation: an Opel Astra 1.3 CDTi. It's not the fastest car in the world, but it should prove very economical, it's well built, comfy, spacious and even has a decent boot. Best of all 130g/km emissions mean you'll pay a reasonable €270 a year to tax it.

What do you think?

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Hi there,

There is no one-source fixed list, so it depends on whether you mean proper two-seat commercial versions or the ‘tax-dodge’ five-seaters with commercial status. Of those second category, they’re becoming thinner on  the ground as  the tax loophole closes, but Mitsubishi still offers an ‘Executive’ version of the Pajero, Volkswagen offers a version of the Touareg and you can get a dealer-converted version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. There are also independent convertors who can alter a great many larger SUVs to ‘business’ status with five seats intact, but obviously you’ll want to shop around and find the best and most reputable.

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Hi Rosemary,

This car was built between 1997 and 2006 so it's on the pre-2008 tax regime, which is done according to engine size. The 2.0-litre C70's capacity is actually 1,984cc, meaning an annual tax bill of €710.

With regards to the roof, it's pretty durable, but best to avoid any cars in which it looks torn or in need of repair, as it's an expensive job.

Hope that helps

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Hi Shane,

As with any current turbodiesel model, the first thing to check is the diesel particulate filter. Drive the car at a steady 2,500rpm in fourth gear for around 16km and see if the DPF warning light goes out. If it does, all is fine. The 2.0 TDI engine needs a cambelt change every 110,000km so make absolutely sure that's been done as it's an expensive job and a total engine failure if it goes when you're driving.

If the car has the MMI infotainment system then make sure that all the functions are working, as problems are apparently hard to diagnose and expensive to fix. Check the front passenger floor mat for dampness - the air conditioning system can sometimes flood with water draining down from the windscreen and leak onto the floor. Glovebox catches and (more worryingly) seatbelt anchors are prone to wear, so check both. Watch for tracking issues on S-Line cars with sports suspension. A dull thudding noise from the front might be a worn anti-roll bar drop link too.

Hope that helps

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Hi Davina,

There are quite a lot of 2007 Almeras around and yours does have significantly higher mileage than most currently on offer, so I'd say you're looking at a value of about €5,000.

Hope that helps