Best budget family car for under £1700?

Which second hand cars are the most economical and reliable? I have a budget of under £1700 pounds. The car must be dependable and fit two child seats in the rear.

Can you recommend a cheap, reliable runabout?

We need to buy a secondhand car for my wife for local trips. She will probably do no more than 2000 miles per year. Can you please recommend something between £3000 and £5000, which hopefully would prove...

Should I buy a four-wheel-drive car for snow or will winter tyres do the job?

I want to buy a car to drive down to the Alps for the winter ski season. I'm thinking that an AWD or 4WD would be best, or will an ordinary car fitted with winter tyres be as good? I do appreciate that...

Does the Suzuki Vitara have an issue with uneven tyre wear?

I'm looking to swap my Toyota RAV4 to a Suzuki Vitara AllGrip. My budget of £11,000 means I'll probably get a car that's 3yo or older, and not under manufacturer warranty. But problems with uneven tyre...

Best used small car for my 18-year-old son?

What are your suggestions for the best used car for my 18-year-old son? Also, what is the best insurer for affordable cover for him?

Can I mix standard and all-season tyres?

I'm thinking of replacing the standard tyres with all-season tyres on my Suzuki SX4 S-Cross All Grip. The front tyres need replacing soon, but the rear ones are good for another year or so. Is it OK to...

Should I get a catalytic converter lock fitted?

There have been a lot of reports in my area of catalytic convertors stolen, mainly from the Honda Jazz, Toyota Prius, Toyota Auris and Lexus RX. However, the other day, my neighbour told me the catalytic...

What small, secondhand cars should I look at with a budget of £5000?

My son has a budget of £5000 and needs to replace his ageing Toyota Aygo. Reliability, economy and costs to run/maintain are priorities. Should we look at cars with long warranties? Annual mileage is 5000,...

Could you recommend a small, cheap to run car with a bit of oomph?

My 2003 Renault Megane convertible is about to die. I LOVE this car; it's so easy to drive, decent acceleration, good for longish journeys. But read tax is over £200 a year and insurance is fairly high....

Do any other carmakers use Toyota engines?

Is there another carmaker that uses Toyota's engines (apart from Lexus)? I'm looking to buy a used (2012 or later) Auris for the Mrs but they are very pricey. I want Toyota reliability on a budget. Is...