Ask Honest John

Most recently answered old cars questions
I have a Punto 2002. It's simple to break into, as the RAC said. Two times in 6 weeks I have been targeted. How simple is it to steal it if it's that easy to get inside? I know it has no factory alarm...
Since I gave up my company car and got a job minutes from home by bicycle I don't cover many miles during the week but do occaisional longer trips some weekends. Having noted your reccomendation of the...
I have a 2002 Volvo V70 2.4 petrol auto which is due a 96k service and cambelt. It judders quite a bit with moderate braking and the steering and front suspension feel quite 'loose.' Would it be worth...
I am looking at buying a used Volvo, but am undecided if I should buy a 1-2 year old V70/S60 for around £17k, or a 10 year+ old V70/850/S60 for £1K-2K Most older cars advertised have very high milage,...
Excluding increased depreciation what are the pitfalls of owning a 3 year old SAAB following the sad demise of the brand?
What are the options for a small cheap reliable five-door hatchback for under 2k? Depending on what happens at MOT time I'll be looking at replacing our L-reg Honda civic 1.6 V-Tec soon. It's a shame...
I'm losing power with four people in the car - could you tell me what might be causing this? Could it be an MOT fail?
I have an Audi A4 2.6 and it has done 207,000miles. I had been fine for ages but over the last 500 miles it's got a problem with revving up to 1500rpm on start up. Then it was reving 1500 to 1800 and bobbing...
I have a Mazda 121 (1997) 1.25 Zetec (which looks a lot like the old ford Fiesta to me). It's an automatic but recently its developed a problem on its start up when its been stood for a while and the engine...
I bought this car in 2001 with 18 miles on it, now it has 132K on the clock. It’s almost bomb proof, it’s a 1.8 SE Auto, with Recaros I had fitted because of my back injury. It will cost me £600 to run...