Two months ago my Volkswagen Sharan left me, following a road accident and insurance write-off. It was a 1998 1.9 turbodiesel (110bhp) SE. It had done 239,000 miles and though worn was still lively with a robust engine and had passed the MoT 3 months earlier without needing any work. It had been regularly serviced at an independent garage locally, in addition also needing two clutches (at 90,000 and 170,000 miles), two front wiper linkages through ball-joint failures (both failing in heavy rain), one mass airflow sensor and a major replacement early on under warranty of the brake cylinder assembly due to a leaking slave cylinder.

I feel this vehicle served me well and now sorely miss it. It was comfortable, economical, spacious and versatile so I am seriously considering replacing it with another. It was especially valuable for long trips to university with students 'stuff', conveying bales of straw and sacks of animal feed, family holidays and 7-seater use for school runs or for journeys with friends and family. Am I realistic in hoping for a similar level of dependability if I buy another one secondhand more than five years, assuming a good service record? Is the revamped model (2000 onwards) as reliable as the earlier model? Which of the different turbo-diesel engines is best, assuming regular servicing, (considering reliability as most important followed by economy and smoothness?). Did the 2.0-litre 140bhp turbo-diesel engine get used in the older Sharan before the latest model? If so, is it worth spending extra for?