Expert answer

Hi Liliana,

Right, you need to be quite careful here. There's a lot of fly-by-night "we buy cars for cash" types out there who will give you a pittance, not destroy the car properly and then leave you with a massive headache when the motor tax office asks you to provide a certificate of destruction. 

So, the best thing to do is first of all to declare the car as off the road. You can do this by filling in a form that you can download from the Department Of Environment website.

Next, find yourself a reputable vehicle recycler. I'd try starting with a major firm such as Thornton's, but the basic rule of thumb if they don't have a landline number and only provide you with a mobile, then walk away. 

Now, the law says that you're not allowed to be charged for disposing of your vehicle as long as it's complete when you hand it over. Making money on it is another matter entirely. A recycler may well offer you something if there are useable parts on the car, but it will vary from firm to firm. 

If you're determined to make money on it, then your best bet could be a cheap classified ad to try and sell the car for spares and parts.

Expert answer

Hi Dylan,

Ok, there is a problem here. Modern water-based car paints can indeed be affected by the metallic contents of sun screen, and Volkswagen Group cars seem to be particularly vulnerable. The solution, at least in part, seems to be a full-body mechanical polish, although you could take your chances and have a go yourself with T-cut. It's unlikely to cure the problem entirely though, so the only viable option could well be a full respray.

Of course, if the car is younger than three years old it should be covered by Volkswagen's paint defect warranty. We've heard that Volkswagen (and other companies) won't honour paint warranties where sunscreen is concerned (because it's not strictly a manufacturing defect) but you could try and argue it out with them. Certainly, it seems obtuse to us to argue that reactions to something as common as sunscreen indicate a serious lack of quality control in the painting process.

Expert answer

Hi Michael,

Right, the base spec is going to be harder to sell on again, so you're better by far going for the S line as long as you can live with the firmer ride. 

In terms of the difference between the cars in mileage and warranty - it's down to condition and history. If the 80k car is in as good nick, and has a full service history, then there's nothing to worry about and you can always buy an aftermarket warranty to keep yourself covered.

Let us know which way you go

Expert answer

Hi James,

Yep, it sure is. European Union directive 2008/89/EC requires all passenger cars and small delivery vans first type approved on or after 7 February 2011 in the EU to come equipped with daytime running lights. The mandate was extended to trucks and buses in August 2012.

There's a lot of grumbling about DRLs or using dipped beam all the time - people (grumpy, ill-informed people) still seem to think that it's going to wear their bulbs out or something. Think on this though - in Sweden, the most safety conscious country of all, lights on with the ignition has been mandatory for decades while former F1 world champ Keke Rosberg, when asked what one thing he would change about motoring, said "make daytime lights mandatory."

It's not about making bulbs burn out quicker, it's about making cars easier to see (yes, even on bright, sunny days) and trying to stop us crashing into each other quite so much. 

Expert answer

Hi John,

The Cayman and Boxster are both utterly, gloriously brilliant cars but if you can find a good, full history 911 in your budget, get that - it's the full Porsche experience whereas the Cayman and Boxster, for all their brilliance, are like Porsche tasting menus.

Expert answer

Hi Simon,

OK, for that kind of budget you have a wealth of options, new and used. How about a new MINI Cooper S 2.0-litre? Massive fun to drive, affordable to run (it'll do 50mpg and costs just €290 a year to tax) and they're really well built. Better yet, a brand new one starts at €27k so you have plenty left over for insurance, extras and servicing.

Not practical enough? How about the best hot hatch around at the moment then? The Volkswagen Golf GTI? Your budget just about gets a new one, but it'll be pretty basic. Better to go for nearly-new; get one with a bit of spec and make sure it has the optional Performance Pack fitted - it turns a brilliant car into a gob-smacking one.

Expert answer

Hi Tina,

Well, it all depends on what kind of car you want. Trading in your old Golf and adding €7,000 probably gives you a budget of between €8-9k and that, thankfully, means the world is your motorised oyster.

 If you want to be sensible, you could just stick with what you know - there are plenty of 2008 Golf 1.9 TDI models around in your price range and there are few cars that are better to be honest. Plenty of Focus, Astra, Auris and Kia cee'd options around too if you fancy a change. 

Expert answer

Hi Pat,

Your commenters are right. Although the Fluence is reasonably well built, it cannot hope to match the likes of the Prius or cee'd in the reliability stakes, and it will be far, far duller than either. If your driving is mostly around town, I'd say go for the Prius - city driving is its natural environment. If you're doing a lot of longer journeys (drives that destroy the Prius' economy) then go for the Golf or cee'd. 

Let us know which way you go

Expert answer

Hi Ashline,

A tough call this one. Your annual mileage isn't really enough to tip you over into diesel territory, and the Corolla is likely to be the more reliable of the two cars. That said, the Passat would be much more comfy and cosseting on the journey and it costs €180 a year less to tax.

So I guess if comfort is your priority, get the Volkswagen. If it's reliability, go for the Corolla, which will probably also work out the cheaper of the two to run overall.

Expert answer

Hi David,

OK, a couple of points to deal with there. I can well remember my first drive in the Dacia Duster, which was a left-hand drive 4x4 model and I happened to drive it from Galway to Waterford and back on some of the wettest days of 2012. I can honestly not remember feeling that the wipers were inadequate to the task, and I'm generally pretty sensitive to things like that, so I'd say you might be crossing the car off your list somewhat unfairly. I can certainly remember thinking that the Duster felt unusually well-planted on the road and sure-footed in what were truly appalling conditions.

Incidentally, it's worth noting that we also take almost all of our test cars on week-long tests, and occasionally even longer ones. The full CompleteCar.ie team also endeavours to drive each car personally so that we can put together a fully rounded opinion on every model, and we always try to drive them in as many different conditions as the prevailing weather will allow.