'They aren’t sexy, but they are pretty bulletproof in terms of reliability'

27 Jul 2026, 18:00 by Paddy Comyn, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/paddy-comyn/ · TheJournal.ie

Paddy Comyn

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 is now widening out that role to you, The Journal readers.

In his Car Clinic series, he will answer all your motoring questions and queries. Have one? Send it to 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’m looking for a small (new or up to 5-year-old) 5-door car, approx. 1.0 litre engine size that is reliable, economical on petrol, inexpensive to repair and service and doesn’t have any horrendous occasional procedures.

I have a 2016 Ford Fiesta that I love, but it has a wet timing belt that needs replacing every 10,000km – cost is around €2,200 & 4–5 days in the garage. I had a 2006 Nissan Note and absolutely loved it as it ticked all my boxes, but hear that the newer ones aren’t as good any more. What would you recommend?

So from new or up to 5-years old is quite a range, especially in terms of price but I am going to meet you in the middle and suggest something about two years old. There are a few cars that spring to mind that I really like.

The first is the Seat Ibiza. I have had one of these myself before and absolutely loved it. It is, basically, a Volkswagen Polo but quite a lot more affordable than the Volkswagen. A low-mileage 2024 example with around 36,000km from a main dealer will cost you around €18,000 and that would be an excellent car to own.

They drive well, have good equipment levels and tend to be pretty reliable.

If you are really focused on reliability, then the Toyota Yaris has to be on your list. A 2023 from a Toyota dealer on DoneDeal Cars will cost you around €22,000 with 43,000km on the clock. They aren’t sexy, but they are pretty bulletproof in terms of reliability.

The third car to have a look at would be the Hyundai i20. A 2023 model with 78,000km from a Hyundai dealer on DoneDeal Cars will cost just over €20,000. This is a 1.0-litre and a slightly bigger car than the other two mentioned, and they have a decent reliability record too.