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Is there a car tracking system in Ireland?

I was wondering why is there no LOJACK system in cars in Ireland. I live here in the States where you would never hear of cars being stolen. Every car has a tracking device built into it. If the car is stolen the police are called by the car and within minutes the car is recovered. It is a great system. You pay $200 a year, which is cheap, and you never have to worry about your car being stolen. The police also perform sting operations placing cars in poor neighbourhoods and waiting to see what happens. When the car is broken into the police follow it and arrest everyone involved.

 

NESSA CALLAGHAN (KNOCKLOYN DUBLIN 16)

Feb 2011 Filed under: car theft

Expert answer

Hi Nessa,

There are a number of companies that do GPS tracking in Ireland, so I guess that would be similar to the ones you are talking about. 

Here is an example of a company that does the service here in Ireland. 


Which seven-seater will I buy and what will I trade in?

I am looking for a seven seater.  Do I change my 2010 Toyota Corolla or my husband's 2005 Citroen Berlingo? I'm looking at a 2009 Opel Zafira.

 

 

Shane Oneill (Kildare)

Feb 2011 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Shane,

Well it depends on how much you want to spend really. There is going to be a lot more value in your Corolla than in the 2005 Citroen Berlingo so you wouldn't have to spend much money to get into a Zafira.

There really aren't a lot of 2009 Opel Zafiras around. In fact we found just four on sale in the classifieds. The cheapest of these was just under €17,000 for a petrol version. Since your Corolla would be worth more than this you would want change back from the dealer, which is something that can be hard to achieve.

A much better buy would be something like this diesel Ford S-Max. This car is bigger and better than the Opel Zafira, is closer in price to your Corolla and is a brilliant family car.

Your Citroen Berlingo might fetch between €3,000 - €5,000 depending on mileage and condition and if it is reliable I would keep it until it stops.

I hope this helps!


What car-based van will I buy?

I currently drive a 2005 Toyota Avensis saloon - 1.6-litre petrol. I travel up to 450 miles every week to work so I'm looking at getting a diesel car, maybe a VW Golf van, Peugeot van or Skoda Octavia. Don't really know to be honest.

I don't mind a van as my girlfriend has a Ford Focus that I could use whenever needed. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Ronan O Connor (Kildare)

Feb 2011 Filed under: commercial vehicle

Expert answer

Hi Ronan,

I reckon a Volkswagen Golf Van would do a brilliant job for you. You told us by e-mail that you have another €2,000 to spend on top of the value of your Toyota Avensis so I reckon this one could be a good option. 

The Ford Focus van is good too, but I don't imagine you want to be a two Focus family! If I was having a car-van I'd have a Golf. 

Hope that helps


How are registrations allocated to dealers?

Hello Paddy, How are registrations allocated to dealers especially in early January?

Are they issued individually or in blocks? 

Jerome O'Connor (Wicklow)

Feb 2011 Filed under: registration

Expert answer

Hi Jerome,

Each car is allocated its own number individually as they are applied for. In some cases they could end up being in sequence if you applied for registrations for several cars at once (if you have sold a fleet deal etc) but they would still all be processed individually.

You can apply for individual numbers and pay a fee for a personalised number.

 


I need a good car for commuting in England. Can you help?

I'm moving to England and will have a 100-mile round-trip commute each day. I currently drive a 2006 Ford Mondeo Platinum 1.8-litre petrol, but will be selling that. What would be the best diesel car to buy with a budget of around £3,000 sterling?

Jonathan Kelly (Wicklow)

Feb 2011 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Jonathan,

You should be able to stay with your Mondeo in the UK, from 2005-2006 with a diesel for around that budget. Obviously there is much greater choice in the UK and lots might be high mileage but don't necessarily let that put you off because some of these might be cars that lived on motorways and as such won't have lived very hard lives.

We found a 2006 Mondeo Estate with 112,000 miles in the classifieds for £3,000 and it was a private sale and that could do a very nice job for you.

 

 

 


Has the new Audi A6 got offset pedals?

If you've driven the new Audi A6, does it have the horrible off-set clutch pedal like the A4 / A5? 

T Charles (Dublin)

Feb 2011 Filed under: gearbox

Expert answer

Hi there,

We only drove one Audi A6 with a manual gearbox on the launch event and I didn't particularly notice that the pedals were offset. However, the cars that we drove were left-hand drive, so it could be that the car's pedals are offset when in right-hand drive. I can't say that it was anything that ever bothered me in the A4 or A5 before. 

Click here to read our First Drive of the 2011 Audi A6.


Should I buy at an auction?

I am a 24-year-old man looking for my first car. I am looking for something of medium size, medium to small engine and a solid car. I was just wondering is it a good idea to go to car auctions or are they a bit of a gamble. Or what could you recommend with a budget of a maximum of €4k?

John Doheny (Kilkenny)

Jan 2011 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi John,

The auctions have got a lot better than they used to and they are much more popular than ever because essentially it cuts out the middle man. Some auctions such as Merlin now offer a warranty with the auction car so that does take the total risk out of buying. Generally if a car is in an auction there is a reason - it is either a car that someone is trying to get rid of in a hurry; it could be a bit of a heap; or more recently you could find that it is a car that has been repossessed by the banks. These later ones can and often are perfect. By all means give the auction a go, but firstly as an observer. It is easy to get carried away by the auction experience as it can be quite a thrill. 

In general, I would say that if you are buying a slightly larger car for a small budget then make it Japanese. It might not be sexy but something like a Toyota Avensis or Corolla will provide you with the most trouble free motoring for your budget. 

Something like this could do a good job - it's a Corolla 1.6 petrol. It isn't exciting, but neither are large repair bills. Here is the newer shape Avensis with higher mileage but this could be a decent buy. 

I wouldn't really stray much further than these if you want a decent solid car. 

I hope this helps. 


When did diesel particulate filters come?

Could you tell which were the first diesel cars on the Irish market to be fitted with diesel particulate filters (DPF) as standard or even as an option? We're looking for a 6-8 year-old car and would like to consider a diesel for cheaper running costs, but a DPF is a must because of our concerns over how diesel soot particulates can cause asthma. Preferably at least medium sized or mini-MPV.

John Cradden (Celbridge)

Jan 2011 Filed under: fuel economy and emissions

Expert answer

Hi John,

This one took a little bit of research, but according to Peugeot, it was the first to market a car with a diesel particulate filter in Ireland with the 607 saloon. Then in 2002 Peugeot introduced the DPF on its 307 2.0-litre HDi model. They came into general use around 2005 onwards. Ford told us that its cars came with DPFs from then on. 

I am not sure of your budget, but perhaps a Ford Focus C-Max diesel would make sense? This car would be a top choice for you. 

Ford Focus C-Max

I hope this helps, but come back to us for more information if needed


What small car will I buy?

I'm in serious need of advice! I'm hoping to buy my own car (have full driver's licence and have insurance on home car). My first major dilemma is whether to get petrol or diesel.

I'm living in Dublin and will be commuting to work roughly about 30 mins away with M50. I would be travelling back to "home home" (about every second/third weekend) and that journey would be roughly six hours in total.

My second dilemma is what car to get. I want a good car but also for it to be reasonably small. I'm thinking Volkswagen Polo/SEAT Ibiza/Opel Corsa/Fiat Grande Punto - quite broad I know. My budget would be around €8,000 or €9,000. 

Jane Flatley (Dublin)

Jan 2011 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Jane,

First things first. The petrol versus diesel debate. Everyone is very caught up on diesel cars right now and that makes a lot of sense when you are buying new because they have lower road tax, but since small cars tend not to use a lot of fuel, the road tax should be quite low anyway. The mileage you are likely to do might warrant a diesel, but the diesel small cars tend to be a lot more expensive, so in this case I would say that a petrol model would do you fine and still won't cost the earth to run.

The VW Polo is an excellent choice because it is really nicely built and holds its value well too. I did a search for ones with the lowest mileage within your budget from main SIMI dealers (so there is more security and better history checks on the car). A 2007 Volkswagen Polo with just 15,000km on the clock is within your budget and would be a really nice buy. It would be dead cheap to run too. 

This 2008 Ford Fiesta is really nice too; with 11,000km on the clock so it is practically brand new. This is a five-door model so it might be a little more practical. It is at the upper end of your budget but you wouldn't pay the advertised price. 

One I would love you to consider though is the Suzuki Swift. It is a smashing little car. It is really reliable, cute, nicely built and fun to drive. It's a 2008 model with low mileage for less than €9,000. 

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the Renault Clio (it was my wife's first car and it was great) and you could find another one with ridiculously low mileage for less than €9,000 too. Here is one I liked the look of.

You wouldn't really go wrong with any of these. Personally, I'd be really tempted by that low-mileage Polo as a long term investment because you will always get a good bit of your money back. 

I hope all that helps


Can I scrap a car without the engine?

The question is in relation to my brother-in-law's car, which is being scrapped as part of the Government car scrappage scheme. Can he remove the perfectly running engine from this car and donate it to my brother before he sends it to be scrapped? My brother's engine gave up the ghost last week so it would save my brother the expense of having to buy a new engine. They both have the same make and model of car so it would be brilliant. I've been ringing the Revenue office but have not managed to make contact with anybody who seems to know anything and could find nothing on their website.

Zoe Stiles (Limerick)

Jan 2011 Filed under: scrappage

Expert answer

Hi Zoe,

We spoke to Shane Teskey from Motorcheck.ie as he is a bit of an expert in this area and he told us that the rules state that the car "needs to be complete", but the thing is that the car doesn't need to get there under its own steam. I would say that if you spoke to your local authorised scrap yard then they might be of assistance on the matter. I would imagine that if you swapped the engines there would be no issue. They just won't allow parts of cars to be used to claim the discount on the scheme.

We will check out this a little more for you.  


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