How do you rate the Subaru Forester?
How do you rate the Subaru Forester? I wouldn't use the back seats, but I do like comfort and a nippy response.
Pat Lough (Co.donegal)Apr 2015 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Pat,
As luck would have it I have the latest version of the Subaru Forester on test this very week. It's powered by the 148hp 'boxer' diesel engine, which also has 350Nm of torque. Paired with the 'Lineartronic' automatic transmission it's surprisingly responsive. That's a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and it seems to do a great job of keeping the engine at its optimum operating speeds for a variety of situations. We've not fans of these gearboxes when fitted to petrol engines, but they work well allied to diesel and in the Forester it's a good match.
Officially this Forester 2.0D XC Lineartronic does 0-100km/h in 9.6 seconds, but even at motorway speeds it has plenty of go and it happily cruises above 120km/h.
In terms of comfort, the Forester scores well too. The suspension is quite soft and absorbent so bumps are dispatched with ease and it's relatively quiet on the motorway. The upright seating position is comfortable too.
Shame you don't need the back seats, as they're massively spacious.
Further reading:
Subaru Forester review (2013 manual model)
Is the Skoda Octavia TSI a good option for me?
Finally time to change my 2004 1.8 TDCi Ford Focus Estate. With 233,000 miles done, I think it has earned its keep. But what to replace it with? I only do about 20,000km now a year so dont really need the diesel though the torque is good for overtaking. I do need a decent boot as I fill it most weekends. Budget max €13,000. Interested in Skoda Octavia 1.2 TSI in hatch or estate. Is this a reliable engine and does it have enough power for overtaking? Generally only me in car and occasional towing of 500kg trailer also done.
David Doran (Co.donegal)Mar 2015 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi David,
I'd say you've already picked out the ideal car - that Octavia 1.2 TSI is magic. Plenty of oomph, very economical and should have enough grunt to haul that trailer. One thing though - at 500kg, that trailer is getting on for the maximum braked towing weight of 610kg, so if it's an unbraked one it might be worth trading it for a braked version, just to keep some margin for safety.
What decent diesel suits a young driver?
I'm only 19 and buying a good quality diesel car in the next week. Looking at an Opel Astra 1.3 CDTi or a Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec. What would you reccommend? I'm thinking between 2005 and 2008.
David Egan (Kilmihil)Mar 2015 Filed under: diesel
Expert answer
Hi David,
I would reckon you'd be better off going for the 1.3-litre Opel. If it's pre-08 it'll have cheaper road tax and given your age I would think keeping the engine capacity down as far as possible would be good from an insurance point of view.
Is the Nissan Micra good value with the scrappage allowance?
Is the Nissan Micra good value now that there is a €4,000 allowance for scrappage?
John Mugan (Sligo)Mar 2015 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi John,
To be honest - no. The current Micra is a long way from Nissan's best effort so I think the €4k trade in bonus could be put to much better use elsewhere. Perhaps consider trading up to a Pulsar? Or better yet, wait a year. Nissan has an all-new Micra coming out next year and judging from the Sway concept car it showed last week at the Geneva Motor Show, it could well be a cracker.
Will a diesel Nissan Qashqai be suitable for low mileage?
I want to buy a 2011 Nissan Qashqai 1.5 diesel, but I only do short journrys. Can these newer diesels handle the short journeys?
Aisling Finnegan (Kildare)Feb 2015 Filed under: petrol vs. diesel
Expert answer
Hi Aisling,
Yes they can, but they may not be the most cost-effective. If you're worrying about the diesel particulate filter in the exhaust getting clogged with soot and causing an expensive failure (and that can happen) then don't worry - a quick spin up and back the nearest motorway in a low-ish gear will heat the system up enough to let it burn off the soot and all will be well. Do it once a week for 30 minutes or so and you'll be fine.
The other issue is simple one of cost though. You will spend more money to buy a diesel car than you will a petrol and when you're only doing low mileage it's hard to generate the savings from fuel burn to make up the extra you've spent up front. That's why petrol makes so much sense for lower mileage drivers.
The thing is that the Qashqai can be had with a petrol engine, but it suffers much harsher depreciation when you buy it - so you're in a bit of a catch 22. Petrol is better for your driving profile, but worse for retaining value in this particular model. You may need to expand your search out to some other cars to make your sums add up.
When did Renault begin charging extra for white?
When did Renault begin charging extra for white?
Late in September I ordered a new Renault Clio for delivery at the beginning of this month. In early October I changed the colour to white, which was not a problem to the dealer. I was informed last week that it would not be available until the end of this month. Since then I've seen on the Renault website that they are now charging €540 extra for a white Clio, whereas when I placed my order the extra charge did not apply to white. However, as my original order was for a colour that carried the extra charge I would not be surprised if the dealer tried to hit me for this extra and consequently am wondering when precisely Renault introduced it.
Thanks, E K Dublin
Ed Kearney (Wexford)Jan 2015 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Ed,
OK, we've been on to Renault about this and they say that the charge for Glacier White on the website was an error and has since been corrected, so you shouldn't be charged for it. If an extra charge does show up on the bill, give your dealer hell as it shouldn't be there. If he/she doesn't give you any joy, get on to Renault's head office about it.
Do I need to replace old tyres that appear fine still?
Hi, just wondering what the story is with tyres that are six or more years old. Mine passed in August with pass advisory and my NCT is up in a couple of weeks, but the tread on the tyres isas good as new as it has only done 2,000 miles. Will I need new tyres or will they go by condition of the set I have?
Justin Corrigan (Kildalkey)Jan 2015 Filed under: tyres
Expert answer
Hi Justin,
We checked with the experts at Michelin for this one. According to them, tyres don't really have a use-by date as such, but neither should you just be blasé about them because their overall mileage is low. Tyres can be damaged or worn by a number of factors, not just how many miles you've done. After five years, Michelin suggests you should have your tyres thoroughly inspected once a year, and after ten years replace them no matter what the condition or depth of tread.
Toyota Corolla or Ford Focus?
Hi, I am trying to decide between a 2006 Toyota Corolla Hatchback 1.4 diesel or a 2007 Ford Focus 1.6 diesel. I do approx 250 miles per week; would there be much difference in the running costs?
Kieran Madigan (Kildalkey)Jan 2015 Filed under: running costs
Expert answer
Hi Kieran,
Not massive. There's a tiny 1mpg gap between them in terms of fuel economy (the Toyota gets 59mpg, the Ford 60mpg), but in everyday driving , they'll probably work out pretty much the same.
Overall, the Toyota will probably be slightly more reliable, and the Ford slightly cheaper to service and repair if anything does go wrong. The Toyota will probably be a little cheaper to insure too, and its road tax will be slightly lower.
On balance then, the Toyota is likely to be fractionally cheaper to run, but there's precious little in it.
It's going to cost a fortune to repair my car - what to do?
How's this for an early Xmas present? I've just picked up my 2008 Ford Mondeo 1.8 TDCi from my dealer where it was in for its annual service. As usual they were giving me a report on how the service went and unfortunately they had to advise me that I'm going to need a lot of work done to my car, which I wasn't expecting.
Because of rust, repairs have to be made to the fuel tank, exhaust system (including a new catalytic convertor), the timing belt and a few other bits and pieces. All in all it's going to cost me over €3k. I've been with this dealer for a while and any work on the car was always done through them, so I trust them when they say the work is urgent. As the car has 193,000km on the clock I was expecting the timing belt to need replacing in the near future, but the other repairs have floored me. The car has always been dealer serviced. I had been planning on changing the car later this year, but now I'm not sure what to do. I could repair the car, but that will push back my plans to change the car and I'm taking the risk that nothing else would go wrong, while my car would continue to lose value.
Alternatively I could bring forward my plans to change, and hope the €3k in repairs that would have to be discounted against the trade in value by the dealer would still leave me in a position to do a deal. Any advice you could give would be appreciated.
Just to give you a good laugh, the weekend before I got the car serviced, my wife had ordered a new MINI Countryman to replace her Ford C-Max. We can't back out of that deal now. Had I gotten the service a week earlier, we could at least have postponed changing her car to replace mine! Timing is everything, I suppose...
Martin (Meath)Dec 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Martin,
There's little else worse than getting unexpectedly bad car repair news, and we all know how it feels. Now, as you point out, you have, essentially, two options here. One is to trade in the car without the work done and get something new. Now, that's a very tempting option and one that would at least put you back under a warranty and give you reasonably predictable monthly repayments etc, all of which is good news.
The thing is though that your Mondeo is only six years old and to my mind there should be an awful lot more left in it. I would be tempted, especially as you've also just upgraded your wife's car, to take the €3k on the chin and keep yours going for a while yet. You're at a point in its life where the value isn't going to sink all that much more anyway, so keeping it an extra year or 18 months isn't going to have an enormous impact - with the age and mileage already on it, it's going to be at the lower end of the value scale anyway.
One thing worth considering: rust doesn't happen overnight. If, as you say, this car has always been serviced to schedule with the same dealer, ask them why the problem wasn't flagged up sooner. You may be able to use that as a bit of a stick to beat the price down a touch.
Let us know how you get on
Fuel-stretching killed my BMW - what will I do?
Hi, we have a 2005 BMW 116i that ground to halt last week and turns out to be its dodgy petrol that caused the problem (i.e. petrol stretching ). We have been quoted anywhere from €1,500 to €4,000 to fit a new engine. At this stage would we be better to try and sell it as is or try and get it fixed as it has been a very problematic car.
Also thinking of buying a2006 Hyundai Coupé: what do you think?
Ruairi Mc Carthy (Mullagh Co Cavan)Dec 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Ruairi,
I hate to say it, but selling it as it is might not garner you very much. The second hand market is about reliability, reliability, reliability so any car that's already got a troubled history is going to be hard to shift.
You might actually make more money breaking the car for parts, given the high cost of new parts to BMWs.
As for the Hyundai, it's a fine car but you might find it a bit impractical after the BMW. Would you consider a nicely-specified Golf instead?