Ask Honest John

Most recently answered reliability questions
I'm looking to buy a used car on a budget of £4000. I will be doing about 12,000 miles a year - 40 miles a day on my commute along an A-road to work - and it's unlikely I'll be taking any passengers. Obviously,...
I've been waiting for the new 1.6dCi version of the Renault Trafic van/people-carrier to arrive, and I'd be grateful to know your opinion of the reliability record of the engine to-date. Would you have...
I am interested in buying a BMW 2008 1 Series M Sport 116i, does the n47 engine chain failure apply to this model or is it mostly diesel engines? Most information on this subject is technical and I just...
I’m thinking of buying a 2013 Ford Focus EcoBoost 125. It looks great in theory, cheap tax, good mileage, decent power, no DPF repairs and nice extras. However, I’ve read about problems with small petrol...
Which of Range Rover Sport 2012 SDV6 and Touareg 2013 3.0TDI with air suspension will: a) have least body roll on corners and undulating road surfaces, and b) be most reliable?
I'm in the process of trying to find a 3 Series BMW convertible. My budget will stretch to around 2007/2008 car from a trader. I want a petrol engine but would like to know any reliability issues or what...
Following a recommendation in your column some years ago, I have used Warranty Direct's Reliability Index as a guide when choosing a car. I note the new Telegraph buying guide relies on JD Power which...
I'm looking at buying an 18 month old Ford Mondeo 1.6 Ecoboost with 37,000 on the clock, for around £11500. Any views on the high mileage reliability of this engine.
We want to buy a used estate for £4000. We have two medium sized dogs, two grandchildren and need something that will be reliable and have around 40,000 miles on the clock. We’d also prefer a manual, what...
I have been told that whilst the 3.1 diesel engine of earlier Isuzu Troopers is very reliable, the 3.0 TD engine of the third generation models (1998 onwards) should be avoided because they are liable...