Which auto car for just €2,500?

I only have €2,500 to spend on a car. What kind of car should I get for that price with an automatic gearbox and an economical engine?

Thanks

Fiona Foley (Bray)

Jan 2013 Filed under: choosing used car

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Which family car for €25-30k? An A6 Avant?

My budget is €25-30k for a family car (we have three kids). Considering a 2014-15 Audi A6 Avant. I keep cars for a long time, planning at least 5-8 years. Current mileage is very low (10,000km a year). What other cars would you consider - based on my desire for an A6? Is paying over the odds for a diesel sheer lunacy based on my mileage, and considering that diesels MAY be worthless by the time I go to trade in?

Andy FitzPat

Jul 2018 Filed under: family car

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Is my Hyundai's gearbox under warranty?

In January I bought a 141 Hyundai privately with only 60,000 miles on the clock. The car has been stamped on the log book by independent garages (i.e. not Hyundai). Now my car's gearbox has gone and only time it mentions about gearbox servicing in servicing schedule is 96 months. I can understand servicing the engine wrong could bring faults, but as gearbox is a sealed unit not required servicing until 96 months I don't know why Hyundai is refusing to stand over my gearbox. It is saying that it was not properly serviced even though the gearbox was not due to be serviced.

Is this regular practice in your opinion?

Martin Mcgourty (Clonmel)

Jul 2018 Filed under: warranty

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Best version of Skoda Octavia for €9,000?

What is the best used year and model of Skoda Octavia to buy? Is it better to buy from North for value or are northern roads worse and more salt used? Budget is €9,000.

Thank you

Shane C (Clon)

Jul 2018 Filed under: choosing used car

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Petrol Audi A3, BMW 318i or Honda Civic?

Hi,

I'm planning on buying a brand new 2018 Audi A3 1.0-litre TFSI S line Saloon or 2017 BMW 318i M Sport or 2018 Honda Civic 1.0-litre Turbo. Please help me with the questions below since I have no way getting a test drive:

1. Which one is more fun to drive?

2. Are these cars fast?

3. What is more reliable and costs less to maintain?

4. What is the overall best car?

Thanks, Arjun

Arjun De Silva (Kandy)

Jul 2018 Filed under: choosing new car

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How does the VW Polo 1.0 MPI perform?

I want to know about the performance of the Volkswagen Polo 1.0-litre MPI...

Kushal Goon (Guwahati, Assam)

Jul 2018 Filed under: performance

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VRT and motor tax on a Mercedes camper?

Hi,

I was just wondering if I bought a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 308 diesel camper from the UK, what would the VRT estimate be and how much to tax it? The engine capacity is 3.0-litre. It has 74,456 miles on the clock.

Raymond Flynn (Athlone, Co. Westmeath)

Jul 2018 Filed under: VRT

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Electrical issues with the Volvo S60?

I am considering buying a second hand Volvo S60, approx year 2014. I've heard negative remarks about the electrics and that issues are expensive to repair. Would electrical issues be common?

David Heffernan (Dublin)

May 2018 Filed under: electrics

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Looking at maybe a new petrol SUV.

Hi,

I'm looking to change my 151 Toyota Corolla 1.4 Luna diesel at the end of this year or early next year. It currently has 93,000km on the clock. About 70 per cent of our driving is on short journeys such as short runs to town of about 10km. Would I be better to stay with diesel or go to petrol? I'm thinking about getting a crossover/SUV, something like a Peugeot 3008, Nissan Qashqai or a Kia Sportage, or would I get better value getting a smaller SEAT Ateca, Suzuki Vitara or Opel Mokka? My children are all adults now and are only around at weekends so our mileage will be decreasing a bit. Any advice would be great.

Thanks

Rob

Roddy McMyler (Kilkenny)

Jun 2018 Filed under: choosing new car

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Why do Irish car buyers not get discounts?

Hi,

I wonder if you could explain something I don't really understand about the Irish car buying market, even though I have a big interest in cars and the industry. Why is it that Irish car buyers hardly ever seem to get the sort of discounts that buyers in Britain do? I'm not just referring to the fact that overall new and used prices are cheaper there.

I wanted to buy a new or nearly new Peugeot 508 here recently and thought I would get a reasonable discount, which I pushed for, as that model does not sell as well as many of it's rivals and I thought the Peugeot dealer would be delighted to sell a saloon seeing as the market for them is declining so much and so many people now want SUVs instead. Alas, I could not get any sort of decent discount for a new or nearly new 508. It is well known that in Britain the buyer often gets a sizeable discount for car types or models that lag behind many rivals in sales, or for certain brands such as Vauxhall/Opel and Citroen. From what I observe and hear, you don't get decent discounts either for certain makes and models here in Ireland.

Higher VRT and other taxes here, don't explain these differences alone. I thought with Brexit and the vast increase in used and nearly new imports that Irish dealers would be more price competitive, but I'm surprised also that the prices of good fresh second hand cars here haven't come down more in this backdrop. For some good reasons, I'd prefer to buy here than from abroad, but it just seems that Irish car buyers can't catch the breaks that UK buyers get at all! Do you agree with me or can you kindly explain these differences in both markets?

Thanks, JC

JC Holohan (Waterford)

Jun 2018 Filed under: used car values

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