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Hi Elaine,

You're kind of on the cusp of being better off with a diesel with that kind of mileage. There are a few cars that are worth looking at. Sticking with petrol? Try a Honda Jazz - small but very spacious, and the 1.2-litre engine is pretty frugal. Want to go for a small diesel? Try a Volkswagen Polo. Want something a little more fun, but still very frugal (albeit not very roomy in the back)? Try a MINI Cooper D.

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Hi Niall,

We asked Ford Ireland about this for you. First of all, it was confirmed that your car has a timing belt, not a timing chain.

With regards to the injectors, a longer response was given:

"Mondeo DV6 has a Continental fuel system and the fuel injectors fitted on this system have correction factors on them. What this means is that they have a unique ID number that the engine's PCM need to know so it can operate them. The pump has nothing to do with how the injectors operate and its role is simply to bring the fuel up to the high pressure demanded by the system. When an injector is replaced the PCM needs to know the new number of the injector installed. This is inputted using Ford IDS Diagnostic tool. If the injector is installed and the correction factor is not learned using the Ford Diagnostic tool the vehicle will not run at optimal level and the engine may exhibit excessive noise and emissions."

Finally, with regards to a shaking steering wheel, that could be something as simple as a wheel going out of balance, so check that before you consider changing any brake items. Whether the dealer should replace warped discs after six weeks is not so clear - it really depends on the terms of your warranty.

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Hi Prince,

That’s a tricky one. In terms of your consumer rights, you are most certainly entitled to a replacement car if this one is not up to scratch and the dealership has not been able to repair it to your satisfaction.

However, you’ll need to establish that there is a specific fault or faults with the car first. I’d recommend getting it inspected by an independent motor vehicle assessor (you can find them via a quick Google search) and get them to give you a full report on it. Then you need to bring that report to the dealer and demand that either the car is fully repaired (it’s still well within its original five-year warranty after all) or give you a replacement.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Simon,

The only potential fly in the ointment here might be resale value, but we honestly don't think it'll be as big a factor on the 2 Series Coupé as it would on a 'normal' car, such as a 3 Series Saloon or a Ford Focus, for example. There is an element of risk on that, though not if the buyer is going for finance with a guaranteed future minimum value...

All that aside, we'd wholeheartedly recommend the 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. It's astoundingly good in the MINI, marrying ok economy and low runnings costs with cracking performance and bags of personality. Admittedly, we've not had a chance to drive the 218i for ourselves and though the rear-drive chassis should be a hoot with that engine, it's worth noting that the 218i M Sport is about 300kg heavier than a MINI Cooper. In an ideal world your friend would get to try it out first to make sure they're happy with the performance.

As an aside, with such low mileage, and most of it in the city, a petrol car would be best in the long run for your friend to prevent DPF clog-ups and the like.

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Hi Keith,

Both are excellent cars and the 175hp X-Trail's extra grunt could be very useful when hauling trees and trailers. That said, the Honda is still plenty grunty and a bit more plush inside than the Nissan. Actually this is a hard one to choose - I know from personal experience that the Honda is close to indestructible, but I also happen to think that the X-Trail is a really underrated car.

Coin toss so - go for the Honda.

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Hi Barry,

The Insignia's really nice and I do have something of a soft spot for it. A car that feels more sophisticated and more engaging the more you drive it. The Passat and Mondeo are nice choices too, but to be honest, the one I'd go for out of all of them would be the Accord. Comfy, smooth, frugal, nice to drive and above all it will almost certainly never break down. There's nothing quite so nice as the feeling you get from driving an utterly indestructible car.

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Hi Barry,

OK, all are good, solid choices and in terms of reliability, I'd rate them as Accord the best, the Volkswagen slightly behind and the Ford and Opel together, slightly behind the Volkswagen. The Ford would be the most fun to drive, the Volkswagen probably had the nicest interior but the Opel is arguably the most handsome and, as you point out, really very good to drive. If it were me, I'd go for the Accord - no question. It'll be the most reliable and that sells it for me.

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Hi John,

Sorry to hear you're still having trouble, but if it helps, you're not alone. Aviva (along with Allianz) have announced that they're no longer going to provide cover for new customers with cars older than 14 years. Now, in a statement last week, the company did say that it would continue to cover existing customers with such cars, and would provide cover for existing customers purchasing such cars, but from what you're saying there it seems that Aviva simply doesn't want your business anymore and is therefore giving you quotes deigned to push you into either replacing your car with something younger or moving to another insurer. 

Thankfully there are plenty of such insurers out there, so I'd say give customer loyalty a good kick up the backside (it's a worthless thing these days anyway) and get yourself a better quote from elsewhere. There are insurers out there who will cover you. I've just put a few random details into the One Direct system for instance and got a quote of €840. Too expensive? You'll just have to shop around but the best bet for you could actually be to find a good local insurance broker - they can get access to deals and policies denied to us mere mortals. Beware though, the unfortunate and inevitable downside of Avivia and Allianz's decision is that other insurers are going to start putting extra risk loadings on older cars, so your premium is probably going to be pretty expensive wherever you go.

A representative of AXA insurance asked to be put in touch with you, so hopefully that goes well.

Read the news story about insurance on older cars here

Expert answer

Hi Ed,

It depends entirely on the make and model and also other factors such as barometric pressure, the stock market and what the dealer had for breakfast that morning. €4,000 would sound like a good starting point. 

Expert answer

Hi Louise,

You don't necessarily need a 4x4 for that - a mid size estate car would do the job just as well. So, have a look at the following and see what you'd like: Mazda6 2.2d, Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi, Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI.

Or, if you really have to have a 4x4, check out the Hyundai Santa Fe, Audi Q5 or Nissan X-Trail.

Relevant reviews:

Mazda6 Tourer estate review

Skoda Superb Combi 4x4 review

Hyundai Santa Fe review

Audi Q5 review

Nissan X-Trail review