Expert answer

Hi Donal,

Sadly you’re right – as with so many things in Ireland, transparency in the car leasing market is rather lacking and it’s not at all easy to either get comparisons or to make sure that those are direct and fair comparisons.

There are a couple of sites such as www.autoleasing.ie which do offer some comparison ability, but they don’t cover all brands so it may not be the answer you’re looking for. My best suggestion for the moment is to sit down and have a good chat with whoever looks after your company’s leasing and see what they can do to help. They’ll be much more plugged into the market and may be better able to assist.

Expert answer

Hi Eoin,

There are a number of UK-based insurers who offer one-day car insurance, usually up to a maximum of 28 days, so a quick run through Google should see you sorted. If you’re concerned about not knowing which company is which, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) offers a short-term policy, and that should be very trustworthy. Just make sure that you check and ensure that the coverage will extend to Ireland for the time you need to get a local policy sorted out.

Expert answer

Hi Mairead,

It depends which model you mean. An automatic 2.0-litre VVT-i petrol RAV4 from 2008 has CO₂ emissions of 212g/km, so will cost €1,200 a year. The manual version has CO₂ emissions of 202g/km so costs the same. It gets a bit better with the diesels. The 180hp 2.2 diesel has emissions of 185g/km so costs €750 a year while the 150hp version has emissions of 173g/km so costs the same €750.

Expert answer

Hi Martin,

To be fair to the car companies, they would all like to see the end of VRT – there’s little or no protectionist advantage to them (aside from it causing a small, largely ineffective brake on personal imports) and freeing customers from that yoke would make the Irish car industry much more competitive.

As for lobbying against it, that has largely dried up now. Why? Because of the tacit admission that even if VRT could be dismantled, any Irish Government would simply come up with a replacement for it. Even with the Apple tax decision hanging in the air, no Minister for Finance is going to turn off a €4 billion annual tap of combined motoring revenues, of which VRT makes up a a major component.

As for the application of both VRT and VAT to major safety items, you’re quite right – that is a staggering shame, one that should (but probably doesn’t) weigh heavily on the consciences of all in the Department of Finance, the Road Safety Authority and the Society of the Irish Motor Industry. Whether it’s autonomous emergency or a child safety car seat, adding VRT and/or VAT increases the price and makes it less likely that a customer will spend the extra to buy that system, not least because there is no benefit to your insurance premium for doing so.

Mind you, in some ways, Irish customers have only themselves to blame. Back in the early 2000s, when anti-lock brakes were often an option, and not an especially expensive one at that, most buyers shunned them in favour of a sunroof or a better stereo…

Expert answer

Hi Lurdes,

OK, lots to deal with here. Let’s go through it piece by piece. Theoretically, you will always get better value buying second hand than buying new. 'Buy at three, sell at five' (years old) is the rule of thumb to maximise your value and minimise your exposure to depreciation. But, you’ve been burned in the past by unreliable cars (been there, I feel your pain) so I would say that buying new is actually the best thing for you this time around, especially as you want to hold on to the car for an extended period.

Of the two cars you’ve mentioned, the Toyota Verso should be the most reliable. Nothing much wrong with the Ford, but if reliability is your priority then always buy Japanese. Happily, a manual 1.6 diesel Verso seven-seater is just inside your budget, at €29,100 and there is currently a €3,000 trade-in offer on that model, which means you’ll get a lot more for your old Scenic than you would if you traded it in normally.

There is only one hybrid people carrier so far, and that’s the Toyota Prius+, but to be honest, we couldn’t recommend it. For a start, a new one will bust through your €30k budget barrier, but beyond that it’s a disappointing car – far too thirsty unless all of your mileage is done in town at low speeds. The Verso is a far more versatile car.

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

Mitsubishis tend to be hugely reliable, but you need to be cautious with a small diesel car like this as it’s possible that it will only have been used to do short hops around town, and not many long journeys. That can lead to premature engine wear and tear as it can’t heat up properly on short journeys, and you can expect to have problems with the exhaust's diesel particulate filter. Check the interior carefully too – they’re robust inside, but the door seals can let in water, which can lead to a damp, mouldy cabin.

Expert answer

Hi Katalin,

Expert answer

Hi Martin,

Sounds like a lovely trip you have planned. First thing I suggest is check out the AA website and have a look at the items you are required to have in your car for each country. If you have a satnav system capable of displaying speed camera locations, then you must at least disable camera alerts.

Paris and Milan have low emission zones and road charging schemes in place and these apply to foreign registered vehicles too. So make sure you know your car's emissions rating and if you have to register your car to pay a congestion charge. All this info can be found on www.UrbanAccessRegulations.eu. But, to be honest, it is much better to park and ride into the big cities as parking can be a hard to find and the parking rules and regulations difficult to interpret, and we won't even mention the cost.

Also, you will have to pay toll charges in France and Italy, and you can usually pay for these with a credit card or sometimes cash, but not all tolls accept cash. Check out the tolls in France on the ASFA website and the Italian tolls on autostrade.it. Tolls are also charged in Switzerland, but you buy a sticker at the border that costs 40 Swiss Francs. Yes, Francs! Make sure you have Swiss Francs as they don't take Euros.

Apart from that, remember to always give way to the right and try to adapt your driving style to that of the locals, as scary as that may seem, especially if you drive in Paris!

Get satnav and make sure the maps are up to date and also buy a good road map. It is a great backup, especially if something happens to the satnav.

Also, try get off the motorways and drive on smaller, more scenic roads. There are some terrific driving routes in France, Italy and Switzerland. Make sure you find them and enjoy them and take lots of breaks to take photos and enjoy the surrounds. Bon voyage.

Expert answer

Hi Garry,

It’s a really good car – reliable, roomy and not at all bad to drive. You just need to watch a couple of things – the stereo system can go a bit haywire from time to time (not recognising radio stations, or spitting out CDs, that kind of thing), the third row seats are pretty tight and quite small and the automatic gearbox, although fine to drive, does significantly drive the CO₂ emissions rating up, so check and make sure you can afford the annual motor tax first.

Expert answer

Hi Joe,

It's a really, really lovely car with a peach of a 2.0-litre, six-cylinder engine and wonderful steering and handling. Just beware of a couple of things. A lot of so-called Lexus IS 200s are actually Japanese market Toyota Altezzas, which have been imported and rebadged, so make sure you’re getting an original Irish (or at least UK) market Lexus. Secondly, they tend to fall into the hands of the boy-racer brigade, so if it has out-size wheels or a dustbin-sized exhaust, avoid like the plague as it could have been thrashed and/or crashed.

Other than that, go for it – they’re mechanically long-lived (although with a car that age you’ll need to check literally everything carefully) and if it has a full service history and comes with a sheaf of past receipts and tax discs, you’re probably on to a winner.