'I do a bit of motorway driving and would like a new diesel - but I'm open to other options'

SeriesCar Clinic

Our readers get expert answers.

AS THE FACE of DoneDeal Cars and with 25 years’ experience in the industry, Paddy Comyn is ‘the’ car guy to everyone in his life and he has widened out that role to you, The Journal readers.

In his Car Clinic series, he answers all your motoring questions and queries. Have one? Send it with the subject line CAR CLINIC to motoring@thejournal.ie – we will publish all answers on Mondays on The Journal. (Your questions will be anonymised.)

Please let Paddy know what your budget is if you’re asking about your next big purchase.

Here’s this week’s question:

Hi Paddy, 

I am looking to change my car. It’s a 2008 reg and the NCT is coming to an end. I do a bit of driving on the motorway – around a 600km round trip twice a month.

I’d like to stay with diesel but open to ideas. I was looking at a T-Roc earlier. It is 2022 with 101,000km on the clock. Would this be a good option?

Would appreciate what would be a good car to consider other than this for my budget which is €20,000 to €30,000. 

Hey there. Thanks for your question. The choice of diesels has really dwindled over the past number of years with brands like Volvo, Toyota etc abandoning them altogether. So if you want to stick with diesel then your options are getting a little thinner.

You said that although you would like to stick with diesel, you are open to other ideas. Given you only do a 600km round trip on a motorway around twice a month, I would be curious about your other driving and what it looks like, as a hybrid or even a smaller petrol might do a decent job for you. 

You did mention the Volkswagen T-Roc and a 2022 with 101,000km on the clock. Your budget would most certainly allow you to get a fresher car. I found a 2023 model with just 5,000km on the clock for under €28,000 and it comes with the excellent 1.5-litre petrol engine in the T-Roc.

I can understand your draw to a diesel if you have had them before but I think you might consider the other option in the T-Roc. While the Diesel is good and would be a strong choice if you intend to keep the car a long time and put up huge mileage, for me the 1.5-litre petrol engine is nicer and makes the T-Roc a really sweet car to drive. 

Another really good option for you would be a Toyota C-HR, with a 1.8-litre petrol / hybrid engine. Your budget could get you a 2022 example with tiny mileage from a Toyota dealer and this would be a really nice car to own and it returns excellent fuel economy. 

For me though, I think I’d be drawn to a Hyundai Kona. There is a sweet little 1.0-litre with a turbocharged petrol engine, it looks really modern, has great spec and a long warranty and you could have a 2023 with really low mileage for well within your budget. 

I would shortlist these three and see how you feel. If you want to run this car for a long, long time, grab a diesel T-Roc, if not then one of either the Toyota or Hyundai. 

Paddy Comyn is the head of automotive content and communications with DoneDeal Cars. He has been involved in the Irish motor industry for more than 25 years.

Journal Media Ltd has shareholders in common with DoneDeal Ltd.