Small-family motor? Trio of kids’ seats? Three-child car? 65k a year? €8k budget?

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 team supplies a car-valuing service to the motor trade, insurance companies and finance houses SEARCHING for a new car is challenging with the amount of options out there (my head is spinning). My wife and I have an 07 1.2ltr Seat Ibiza with 140,000km on the clock. We are looking to trade it in for a newer car suitable for a small family.

We have a budget of €10 to €12k (including trade-in), have an annual mileage of 10,000km (daily commute of 22km) and our priorities are low running costs and safety with some extras including air-con and cruise control.

Would it be best to sell the Ibiza privately as it has a low trade-in value? It’s in good condition with a full service history and four new tyres. Should I NCT it before selling – due anyway? Should we consider buying in the North?

Gillian: Eddie and I would say yes to selling privately. It will most likely get you a better return than trading in, especially looking at another used vehicle. Advertise with plenty of photos against a nice backdrop when the car is fully cleaned inside and out. Also mention the new tyres and full service history.

There is no need to travel to the North. There are plenty of good-quality, well-specced cars here within budget.

I’d suggest the Lexus IS200h (I have one), based on price, spec and low running costs. My only reservation is that the boot is quite small if you need to bring a buggy with you on a standard trip. It does have Isofix.

Going for something with a bigger boot and a newer reg plate, a 2013 Toyota Auris hybrid would be next on my list. These are popular, so they might be scarce.

If selling privately doesn’t go your way, look at moving up the years in a Seat and trading in the 07 Ibiza against a 13 Leon, maybe even up to 15 in the newer model, depending on spec.

Eddie: I’d stick with Seat and plump for the Leon – Golf-size, SEAT price. Roomier for a family would be a fresh Skoda Octavia petrol. It has good boot and it’s a fine car generally. I’m keeping options to a minimum because you’re head is spinning. Focus on these two and you won’t go far wrong. A three-child family here (all seven and under). Currently have a 131 Zafira 1.7 diesel (it’s a Vauxhall import with 90,000 miles). Looking at a new or nearly new Peugeot 5008. We have around €26k plus trade-in (€7 to 8k). The Zafira is due a service and it could be €1k or so (it’s new tyres, a minor oil leak and new glow plugs needed).

Wondering if I go for a new 5008 now or wait until January and get a 181 instead. Is it best to take the service cost on the chin before trade-in? Mileage has reduced to 10,000km to 15,000km per year so looking at the 1.2 petrol in Active or Allure spec. Any help appreciated.

Gillian: The new 5008 is excellent, and if your mileage warrants a petrol, all the better for your budget. The 1.2 seems a small engine for such a big body, but it drives fine and is popular.

Your Zafira would be pushing it to get €7k on a trade-in. Closer to €6k. So with around €32k you’d pick up a new-model Peugeot 5008 in Active spec, currently priced €31,745. You may even get a better deal on your trade-in by buying new.

At this stage of the year, and if you don’t need to move out of the Zafira just yet, I’d wait for a 191 plate. Do the deal now, and if the tyres are safe enough for winter driving before January, then trade it in as is. The dealer will price it accordingly.

Eddie: Ideally, I’d wait until January and buy a new 5008 petrol, but if you have any worries about your car’s safety – tyres etc – take no risk and weigh up cost of service/repair/ replacements versus buying new now. With three young children, safety comes before any deal. Might be worth talking to your dealer to see which option suits you better. I’m sure you get this all the time, but I haven’t seen a recent one. Two toddlers and one en route. Looking for a car that will fit three child seats in the back. They don’t have to have Isofix, but possibly one. I don’t want a space wagon/people carrier, but open to other options.

I currently drive a fully electric 2012 Renault Fluence and love it because I don’t have to consider budget re petrol etc. On the wish list is another fully electric car, alternatively a hybrid.

I do all the driving for our busy household, and this will become our next year’s staycation car with frequent trips to the south-west from Dublin. We can hold off buying brand new car until next year as baby can go in front seat for a few months if needs must.

Gillian: I don’t normally suggest electric to anyone saying they have a busy household and frequently cover long journeys, yet you are just that kind of driver – you drive an electric car.

You didn’t mention budget but did say new. I’d go with a roomy petrol-electric hybrid option, starting with a Passat GTE saloon costing €42,950 including government grants and VRT rebates. But, I think maybe the estate at €45,050 would be better for your staycations. After that, an excellent hybrid family car is the Toyota Prius+. A new Luxury model starts at €37,750.

Eddie: Good options. Pity there isn’t a bigger full-electric car that would suit carrying your three children. But to add a couple of hybrids to Gillian’s excellent choices, one I’d suggest would be the KIA Niro plug-in. It’s an SUV that comes in around the €30,000 mark and it works really well, with decent room and good level of spec.

The Ford Mondeo hybrid is also well-priced. However, boot space is restricted with the battery bank. I’m driving a 131 Peugeot 508 with 125,000km on the clock. I’m commuting about 250km a day so roughly speaking 65,000km a year. My budget is around €35k (including trade-in). We have a small baby, so the back would need to accommodate a car seat, and we’d need a decent-sized boot. I’m keeping my options open so car can be new or used, hybrid or diesel.

Gillian: You need a comfortable driving seat for sure. That is a lot of driving. If you do well above normal annual driving, buying a low mileage one or two-year-old is ideal. Your odometer reading will level out this way for when you go to sell on, limiting the hit you will take.

An Audi A4 2.0 Dsl in S Line would be good and an auto even nicer. The new model only launched in 2016 and you would get a 171 in-budget. For similar money, a Mercedes C200 diesel in AMG Line spec would be a good buy too.

SUVs have taken over the saloon market, but not so much for these executive brands, so if saloon is what you want, start here. If you do fancy an SUV, look at a one-year-old Kia Sorento or Skoda Kodiaq.

Eddie: Simple from me. Buy the new Peugeot 508 – early January launch. It’s stunning to look at and, being a Peugeot, the diesel will be really good. Plus, there is a five-year-warranty – not widely known about Peugeots. I’m told the seats in the 508 are excellent. And you’ll be well within budget. No-brainer. I’m in need of a really low-budget car just to get me around town (large provincial) and sometimes a drive to Limerick. I wouldn’t do any more than 8,000km a year. Friends of my age – late 20s – say I should buy electric, but where would I get anything for €8,000?

Please give me three options.

Gillian and Eddie: Let’s listen to your friends. They know you best, and your type of driving is perfect for a second-hand electric. Yes, €8k will get you one and here are some options: Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf. You are limited to these for your budget, but that’s fine as both are cheap to buy and cheap to run.

The Leaf is the more popular of the two and is around since 2011, so you might not even need €8k. Those with 11-regs go for around €6k, and €8k should get you a 12 or a base spec SV in a 131.

The Zoe is around since 2014 and €8k might be pushing it, but if you go for base Expression spec, you could be in luck.

As a third option, Mitsubishi has the iMiev, which is fully electric and has been around a while, but finding a used one might be difficult.

And here’s a few others in case you don’t go electric: a well-minded petrol version of the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Micra, Suzuki Swift, Honda Jazz, Ford Fiesta. Enough?