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Previously answered questions
Would a high-mileage, private Octavia be ok?
Hello there, would a Skoda Octavia (1.4/1.6 petrol 2005-2007) be worth buying? Especially with a higher mileage of 150,000km and more? And would it be risky buying from a private seller? Dealers are dear...
Thank you very much for your answer
Rasti
Rasti Jevcak (Ennis)
Jan 2015 Filed under: choosing used car
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 Moroney (Dublin)
Dec 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
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
What SUV to go for with up to €18,000 to spend?
What you think about the 2010 BMW X1? First baby on the way and looking for a crossover/SUV between €15,000 and €18,000.
Gavin Kane (Meath )
Dec 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
What €12,000 estate should I go for?
I am thinking of buying an estate car as I need the extra space. Seems to be a lot of Astras out there, but want to get something fairly good with a budget of €12k-ish. Recommend anything in particular?
Jonny Jackson (Tallaght)
Dec 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
Ford Mondeo or Volkswagen Passat?
Hoping to buy a 2.0-litre diesel estate and need to decide between 2010 Passat (high spec) and 2011 Mondeo (lower spec). Similar mileage and price. I spend a lot of time on the road.
Any suggestions?
Diarmuid Crowley (Limerick)
Dec 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
What diesel family car can I get for €5,000?
Can you recommend a good family car for two adults and two kids and all the bits and pieces? I do a lot of driving so I need a diesel. I only have around €5,000 to spend. Keep up the good work!
Ashleigh O Connor (Virginia)
Nov 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
Is Hyundai's i30 1.6 diesel any good?
Is Hyundai's i30 1.6 diesel any good?
Stephen Turner (Tralee)
Nov 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
Mercedes C-Class or Volkswagen Passat?
Should I go for a 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class with 41,000 miles on the clock or a 2012 Volkswagen Passat with 34,000 miles? Which is better value? Merc is €19,000 Passat is €20,000.
William Bambrick (Dublin)
Nov 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
What spacious car should I replace my Kia Rio with?
I have a 2010 Kia Rio 1.4 diesel and I want to upgrade to a new car where I can fit my golf clubs in with ease. I do about 15-20,000km per year.
Any suggestions?
Laurie
Laurie Healy (Dublin)
Nov 2014 Filed under: choosing used car
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