Query 1:

From Shaun in Mayo :

I’m thinking about buying an Alfa GT, but don’t know about it on Irish roads. What do you guys think?

Answer:

 The Alfa GT was and still is a stunning looking car – for me, it is actually better looking than the newer Brera model

Built on the 156 platform which isn’t a bad thing in one way because it meant great handling – and it came with a choice of engines – from four-cylinder petrol and diesel versions right up to a V6.

As  you can imagine, you could experience silly niggling problems with any Alfa Romeo or you could be blessed with a good one

Prices start at around €14,000 for a 2004 model – we would look for a diesel, even though that might sound like sacrilege.

Newer versions will cost you a little more – a 2008 will set you back around €23,000

You are still getting a lot of car for the money – as regards choosing one for Irish roads, well then especially with large alloy wheels, the car won’t soak up bumps as well as it might, but the diesel version is quite well suited to a vriety of roads – the GT isn’t the safest choice in that class but it is certainly one of the most interesting and as Clarkson says – you aren’t a true petrol head until you’ve owned an Alfa.

Query 2

Have a 06 mazda3 but want to buy something bigger as a third child on the way. Ill be spending around eight grand. Do around 20k a year

Valuing cars without seeing them is always dangerous but if we presume that your Mazda3 is worth about €9,000 - €10,000 and that you will be spending €8,000 we will say your overall budget is around €17,000 – you may get more than this depending on the condition of your car and where you go to trade in, but assuming this we can then suppose that you might want something with more space. Since a 5-seater Mazda3 isn’t big enough we might suppose that a people carrier or an SUV would be better suited.

With the mileage that you mention a diesel would sound suited and we couldn’t look much beyond a 2007 Ford C-Max diesel

we found one with 26,000km for €16,500

If you need more seats – then you could try an SUV in the form of a Hyundai Santa Fe – a 2007 version of the current 7-seater model should start from around €20,000 so it might stretch your budget a little but you can push dealers hard on SUVs at the moment as they are keen to clear them from their forecourts

A more sensible choice if you needed 7-seats would be the Ford S-Max – I don’t have kids but my colleagues that do tell me they would really not look beyond it as a great all rounder. It looks as good as one of these can, handles well and has a good diesel engine. Again, a 2007 model should be within budget.

Query 3

From Michelle in Ennis

Please help! I'm driving a 07 Suzuki swift with 78000 km on the clock. I commute from Ennis to Ballinasloe 4-5 times a week. I'd like to change to a 07-08 Diesel Seat Ibiza, what should I expect to get in trade value for my Swift or an I crazy to change? Please advise me

Answer:

Ennis to Ballinasloe is an 85km drive so you are doing up to 850km per week so that is quite a lot of hard work for your Suzuki Swift. It’s a great car, the Swift but you should probably consider something a little bigger.

You are right in your thinking as regards a diesel as they are better placed to put up with such heavy commuting.

The Ibiza with a diesel engine is a relatively new car to Ireland as few of the older versions were ever brought in – you can get the new Ibiza with a 1.9-litre diesel from €18,290 and that car with that engine will feel powerful although it’s a pretty old diesel engine

For the driving that you are doing – I will look at something a little larger if your budget allowed and maybe a Volkswagen Golf diesel or the car that I have spent the last week in, a Ford Focus 1.6 Diesel – they will do a Style version now with alloys and air conditioning for €20,715 – but if you didn’t plan on spending that much there plenty of used versions of both the Golf and Focus diesel and these cars would be better suited to the amount of driving you do.