The big Frees

I have been snowed in with sick animals in France for nearly two weeks and of course my Suzuki Splash wasn't up to it. So I have been chasing Jimnys to no avail. I now have the chance to buy a 2002 (but...

The short and the tall

My Dad is getting on in years and is looking to replace his SAAB with a car with an elevated driving position. He has taken a shine to the Toyota RAV-4, but really only wants a 3-door model. It looks like...

Banger explodes

I recently bought a Rover from a dealer in Peterborough. It was a used car and one that I could afford. My husband and I test drove it for about 5 minutes and asked the seller questions about the car and...

Rough trade

A few years back we attempted to move from Southern to Northern England and bought a BMW 320D for anticipated long trips up and down the motorway. The move never happened and though we really like this...

Midlife of the road

After a long search I finally picked up my MX5 up yesterday after delays due to horrendous weather both here in Bath and in Yorkshire (had to abort one attempt). Drove home from Knaresborough to Bath no...

Family panning

My daughter bought a 2006 Mazda 3 (manual, petrol) from a Mazda dealer last year for £7k just after her first baby arrived. It's a very nice car and is fitted with EU-approved child-seat brackets. All...

Better, or bargerine?

I'm ready to replace my current car (a great old workhorse - Peugeot 405 Executive TD) and I'm tempted by the relatively low prices of luxury cars due to the massive depreciation we're all seeing in this...

Turnip for the book

I purchased a 2006 SAAB 9-3 1.9tdi 150bhp almost two years ago with 19,000 miles on the clock and have now done 50,000 miles, but have had nothing but problems with it. As I use the car for work, I am...

Rental arithmetic

I recently decided to trade-in my 30,000 mile 2003 Ford Focus1.6 Ghia Auto for an 09 Ford Fiesta 1.4 Auto in Moondust Silver. But I was slightly surprised to find that its mileage since first registration...

Nervous brakedown

I own a 2005/55 VW GTI with 22,428 miles on the clock. At 21,500 miles the ESP light came on. I called my local ex VAG service technician to undertake a diagnostics check, which confirmed the ABS unit...