Driving home; Seven to 10-year car? Need a crossover; Another Opel? Good tow car?

Car-value expert Gillian Keogh teams up with Motoring Editor Eddie Cunningham to help you make the right choice with your next purchase. Gillian is Editor of a monthly guidebook on the values of used cars produced by the Motor Trade Publishers team. The t

My family and I are returning to Ireland in August and we need two cars. With kids (aged two and five) we need to pay attention to boot storage and fitting two car seats. Ideally we’d like one crossover/ SUV and one saloon, compact or mid-size. We had thought about getting one new or one or two years old, and one around five years old to spread out the replacement cycle and change one car every five years or so. We expect mileage to be about 15km a year for the crossover/SUV and 12km a year for the smaller car. We have a 2011 Honda CR-V and 2011 Toyota Prius which we’ll be selling before we move. A similar budget or quality of car would be good.

Gillian : I’m going to go witha five-year-old mid-size and threeyear-old crossover first because this works best. A 131 Prius and 161 Kia Sportage will make the most of a family budget. Spec options on Prius are few but search for the Luxury at around €13k/14k here. Then look for an EX model Sportage, with a sunroof would be nice. This will set you back around €22k or €23k with still some of its seven-year warranty remaining. If you wanted to switch these to 161 Prius and 131 Sportage, the overall cost increases slightly but gets you into the newer Prius at a similar cost to the 161 Sportage. The 131 Sportage is the older model and will set you back €14k roughly, which is the top end of what you would expect to pay for the same year Prius.

Eddie: Why not go parallel with what you already have and buy a nearly new Honda CR-V and a four or five-year-old Prius? You know what you are dealing with, they are excellent cars and it minimises change for you.

I have a Hyundai i30, 131-reg. It had 12,000km when I bought it in 2014 and now has 86,000km. I have a budget of €30,000 including the Hyundai, which was valued recently at €6,000. I am considering buying a Merc GLA or BMW 2-series Active Tourer. My mileage will drop to about 10,000km/year. I would expect to get seven to 10 years from such a car. But in seven to 10 years I probably won’t be able to give a diesel away as most will be EV or hybrid. Should I instead go with a Prius?

Gillian: There is a lot of talk around hybrids right now but if you want to buy a GLA or 2 series, then buy a GLA or 2-series. These are desirable cars and will always have a following. Your €30k will get you into a 17-reg BMW 218d Active Tourer SE Auto or a 17 GLA 180d Urban Auto. If you want to go hybrid, the Prius will suit, but don’t rule out other luxury brands like a Lexus IS 300h S-Design.

Eddie: On that mileage there is a hugely strong case for hybrid. I don’t think you should bother with diesel – you won’t get the benefit of its low fuel consumption. If you follow Gillian’s excellent advice, stick with petrol or hybrid. Me? I’d add the Hyundai IONIQ hybrid, seeing as you are trading a Hyundai. A really smart buy too would be the Toyota C-HR hybrid crossover. Room, good residual values and great to look at.

I’m looking for an SUV or crossover. I drive a Nissan Micra (2011, 170,000km), which is spacious apart from the boot – I cannot fit my child’s buggy in it without removing the wheels. I currently have a rear-facing car seat that doesn’t seem to impact on the front passenger leg room at all. However, I am due another baby so will need another car seat which will also be rear facing and I can’t afford to lose any space on the driver’s side as I have fairly long legs. I also would like the option of fitting a third car seat down the line. I have been looking at the Audi Q5 and Honda CR-V, but they are way over budget for me. I would make a guess that the likes of the Hyundai Kona and Seat Arona would be too small. I really would also like a reversing camera and multimedia system with Bluetooth, but I know that might be asking a bit much. I am prepared to go back a few years but preferably something newer than 2011. Budget €20€24k, 30,000km/year. Five seats, preferably SUV for extra height but also would like boot space.

Gillian: You have lots of choice with your budget including an Audi Q5 and Honda CR-V. A reversing camera and Bluetooth system is totally do-able, it will just require a little more shopping around, but most new buyers opt for high spec these days. Sticking with larger SUVs, here are my suggestions. Audi Q5: You will pick up an 11 or 12 SE 143bhp within budget, maybe even a S-Line if your lucky. Honda CR-V 1.6 dsl ES models are scarce but within budget for a 14/15 plate. Hyundai Santa Fe: 2.2 Dsl Comfort would be suitable. Look for well minded 14/15. Mazda CX-5: Spec should be good, an Executive SE 2015/16 should fit in budget and if you stick with a 15reg you could find a nice Platinum with leather.

Eddie: On your mileage I’m thinking as fresh a diesel KIA Sportage as you can find (bit of seven-year warranty left) or Hyundai Tucson/ix35 (five years unlimited). These are roomy and easy to drive but your priority has to be finding one with low mileage. Otherwise you’ll be into serious figures in no time.

I’ve put up 145,000km on the Opel Astra saloon 1.6i SE diesel I bought new ( for cash) in Feb 2015. It is driving well (motorway mostly). I was advised recently that the Astra saloon is to be discontinued from end of this year. Also I was told my car was worth about €10,000 as a trade-in. I don’t need to replace the car and am tempted to basically drive it into the ground, but I’m also wondering how economically sensible that is with more efficient diesels, petrol and hybrids available on the market. I need five seats (three kids in the back) and could lay my hands on €5-€10K plus a bank loan if a sensible case could be made to make a change.

Gillian: The €10k quoted as a trade-in sounds good with your kms reading so if you are thinking of changing, pin that dealer down. If you don’t need to replace and you are happy with the car, I wouldn’t be concerned about a discontinuation. That’s my sensible financial head talking. If you want to change your car – three years is a nice time to think about changing again – and listen to my petrol head talking then I suggest you consider the Opel Mokka X 1.6 Dsl – only launched at the end of 2016 so not going anywhere. By sticking with the brand (I’m assuming that’s where you’ll get your €10k trade in) and for an additional €8k/€10k you can pick up a 162/17 SC model.

Eddie: Take that trade-in deal and buy yourself a diesel Astra Sports Tourer, which Opel tells me is NOT being discontinued. You get seating for three behind and loads of luggage space.

I want to buy a new four or fiveseater, capable of legally towing a two-horse box with total weight of 2,200kg. Any medium-sized family can easily tow modern, well-balanced horse boxes, but now new regulations are linked to spec of car. I do not have a budget but want to get set up as cheaply as possible. What vehicle do you advise me to buy and what fuel type?

Gillian: It’s only my second week on the team and you are really throwing me in at the deep end here, but I think I can guide in the right direction. The new regulations state that on a Cat B driving licence, the total weight of the vehicle, horse box and animals must not exceed 3,500kg. That leaves you with a vehicle capable of towing your requirements and that weighs under 1,300kg. You may need to apply for the BE category for your licence to open up your options. My advice is to get to your local Skoda dealer. They offer most of their models in a 4x4 version and I’d hope a Superb Combi 4x4 would work for you. You are pushing the limits with your load though so your choices are limited under the new regulations.

Eddie: I want to stress how important Gillian’s advice is. You have got to talk to a dealer near you because the law is quite detailed and you could find yourself in trouble. Look for 4x4 Skodas, but you should also consider a Subaru Forester all-wheel drive. And yes, it has to be diesel for pulling power and traction (how quickly we forget the slippery roads).