The big problem with most people carriers is that although they will accommodate plenty of people you do end up sacrificing the boot space to do it. This is not such a problem for that ‘once a year family holiday’ because you can go and buy a nice big roof box to carry the luggage - but on a daily basis it can be impractical as roof boxes can be tricky to reach and will almost certainly stop the car from getting into multi story car parks. The Volvo XC90 is an excellent car, as is the new 7-seater Land Rover Discovery, but you may have to leave the pushchairs at home. Perhaps the most versatile of the MPVs remains the Renault Grand Espace, which has a 456-litre boot even with all the seats in place – nearly twice the size of the Volvo. The other good news is that prices for used Grand Espaces start at around £13,000 whilst the Volvo will set you back nearly twice that amount for a decent diesel.

I want to change my car. What I am looking for is a reliable, economical, family car, and good for long runs. I travel around 30,000 miles per annum. I want a diesel automatic and my budget is £5,000. Please advise. Could you also please give me feedback about a VW Passat as an option. Muzammil Khan, Hounslow

The VW Passat could be an ideal choice – it handles the miles with ease, has a well-proven engine and is (relatively) plentiful on the second-hand market. For about £5,000 you will be able to get a 2000 ‘X’ Passat 1.9 SE auto with the 100bhp engine and about 80,000 miles on the clock. As you are putting quite high mileage on the car I wouldn’t worry too much about what mileage it has when you buy it. More important is the service history. Make sure you take your time looking around as conditions can vary dramatically, motorway miles are easy on a car and it should still look very tidy with just a few stone chips on the bonnet. But tow cars and family school run vehicles can take a pounding. Check the gearbox changes smoothly – no lurching when changing up or down – and check all the electrics work.

I have owned (and loved) my Mazda MX-5 for the last eight years. I now need to replace it, ideally with another convertible, and would consider cars up to and around the £25,000 mark. However, the one thing I have struggled with in the MX-5 - and particularly in the last few days - is its complete uselessness when driving on snow and ice. I appreciate this is a combination of the MX5 being very light and rear-wheel drive. Can you suggest a convertible (or even a hardtop but sporty-drive car) which will perform slightly better in wintry conditions? Thanks. Jude Turner, Stroud

Probably the single most important development in cars during the past decade has been the introduction of traction control systems. They have become so effective that you are almost completely unaware that they are working. It now means that both front and rear wheel drive cars can be driven close to the limit with ease and when loss of traction occurs the car’s ‘brain’ steps in to help correct the situation. Most of these systems default permanently to ‘on’ but some can be turned off which, given the right circumstances like a track, can give you the opportunity to feel the huge difference they really make when disabled. If it were me with £25,000 to spend on a new/newish car I would be hot footing it down to take out a 12 month old 2.5 litre BMW Z4, and trying a used Nissan 350Z. Both are quite different drives but are very impressive and ultimately easy to live with.

I am looking to replace my old L-reg Peugeot 306, which unfortunately died after 140,000 miles. I have £3,000-£4,500 to spend and I been looking at the Skoda Fabia, which I see as good value for money and still a bit sensible. I have also looked at the MG ZR and Ford Puma. Which of these would you advise? Tracey Callander, Brydekirk, Scotland

The short answer here is the Skoda Fabia. And if you can get past the old badge snobbery it’s a car that you will be glad you bought. However, if you fancy something a bit different then try the Puma. Owners love them and they handle as if they are on rails. My third choice would be the MG ZR, only because it was starting to look a bit dated when it finally ceased production. I guess it’s the old question of heart or head: the Skoda is head, the Puma is heart and the MG is a bit of both because they do drive okay and look good value.

I've been saving up the pennies for a while to get something a bit more sporty than my current Fiat Punto. In a few months I will have a maximum budget of £15,000, with an Audi TT or Chrysler Crossfire in mind. But I'm getting impatient. If I was to walk into a showroom and say "I've got £10,000 deposit", what kind of finance deal should I be offered? Hopefully 0%... Peter Pawson, Manchester

Please don’t get fixated on 0% finance as it could end up costing you a fortune. Let me explain why. Dealers are keen to get your business, so go in and haggle hard, tell them you have the money sorted and that you are a ‘cash buyer’ – they will start to salivate at the thought. Then negotiate the very best deal, a discount, a decent part exchange if needed, an all-inclusive warranty etc. When you have struck the deal then you can talk about finance. The reality is that you can borrow the money from anywhere, but the dealer will want to ‘sell’ you finance because they make commissions that can be more profitable than the car sale. Because interest rates are very low at the moment you can borrow, say, £5,000 for around 6.5% flat – from your bank, credit card companies, online lenders etc. If you borrowed £5,000 at 0% over three years it would only save you about £325 in interest. If the dealer ‘gives’ you 0% finance it’s only saved you a few hundred pounds. So don’t talk about finance and the chances are that you can negotiate a much bigger saving than £325 on a second-hand car costing £15,000 and then sort the finance out elsewhere.

Recently somebody else wrote off my car at a roundabout, so I have been enjoying the unreliable timetable of the train service. Now that the insurance money has come through I’m looking to purchase a new-ish car and have been looking at an MG ZS. It’s a 2003, has 10,500 miles on the clock and is only £3,985. Is there something wrong with it at this price, or has the collapse of Rover had an effect on this model? David Hill, March

The collapse of MG and Rover certainly hit the second-hand values with nearly new cars changing hands for ‘half price’ just after the news. Assuming the MG ZS you are looking at is the 110bhp 1.6 litre, then new it had a list price of around £11,000. Therefore at just under three years old and with just 10,000 miles I think that the asking price is just about right. You’ll find some dealers trying to get well over £4,500 for similar cars but your seller is being realistic. My advice is that if you fancy the car get it HPI’d and checked over and if all is well crack on and buy it.

I have £7,000 to spend on a car. I love the new Mini Cooper but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to afford a used one with my current budget. Will I have any luck? Name and address withheld

Used Mini Cooper prices have just started to regularly dip below the £8,000 mark and you could in theory find a highish mileage example without air con for close to £7,000. There are plenty advertised and prices are coming under pressure so you should get lucky. My advice would be to find another £500 if needed and get one with proper history and air con. At £7,500 it’s a great buy and future depreciation is still likely to be better than anything else you can buy for the same money.

Being an overseas student means budgets are tight. I’ve got £1,000-£1,500 to spend and would like a reliable car. I guess that means a Japanese model. And I gather the engine will have to be small so I can qualify for cheap insurance? Thank you very much. Wu Ting, Manchester

The biggest issue for young drivers is insurance costs and it’s not impossible to end up spending more every year to insure the car than it cost to buy in the first place. I’d start the car hunt by getting some insurance quotes FIRST and then find the car afterwards. You can find specialist insurers online and get quotations e-mailed to you quite easily. You often find that UK insurers prefer ‘UK’ car makes such as Ford, Vauxhall and Rover with Japanese and Korean cars attracting higher premiums. I would check out some quotes for the Ford KA/Fiesta, SEAT Arosa and Vauxhall Corsa first.

I will be buying a car in the next four to five months. Could you please suggest a used car that would fit a £4,000 budget (tops)? My main criteria are safety features and reliability. I have a six-month-old baby and am very confused as to which car should I go for. Many thanks. Deepak Pai, Leeds

The introduction of the EuroNCAP crash tests has meant that it is much easier to compare cars in a like-for-like way and it has also resulted in the car companies continually trying to improve safety levels as they recognise it is an important consideration for buyers. What you will find is that almost without exception as new models are introduced they will outperform their older competitors. If you look at the latest Fords, Toyotas, Renaults and Vauxhalls they all seem to achieve five stars in the EuroNCAP front and side impact tests whilst similar models from the late 1990s were getting three or four stars. You can check out how various cars perform by visiting the Crash Tests section of this website.

But if you want a safe, reliable hatchback which is great value and very under rated take a look at the Nissan Almera. A 2001 ‘Y’ 1.5 SE with 40,000 miles can be yours for under £4,000 and it scores four stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests, has air conditioning as standard and will return 40mpg.

I would like to get a Smart Fortwo as a local run-around and easy parker - cabriolet if possible. Do you know if Smart ever made a diesel Fortwo? Thanks. Name and address withheld

Not that I am aware of and certainly not for UK consumption. That said the standard petrol engine is super economical and pretty clean on emissions so if you are doing short/local journeys you wouldn’t be saving a fortune by running any kind of diesel. I have to say I am a big fan of the Smart and think they are great fun to drive and cleverly engineered so don’t be put off by the absence of a diesel - just crack on and buy it!