Expert answer

Hi John,

You're in an enviable position. We're assuming you'd like to stick with an open-top car and rear-wheel drive. The Irish market isn't exactly flooded with €50,000 sports cars that match that brief so in your position we'd seriously consider importing from the UK.

Fabulous cars that fall within your budget include:

- Honda S2000 - very reliable and huge fun, though even newest ones are getting on now

- Lotus Elise - one of the most engaging road cars at any price; you could afford a relatively new one with the more reliable Toyota engine

However, we'd put our own money into a Porsche Boxster. You should be able to afford one of the last of the just replaced generation Boxster S. It's very quick, genuinely brilliant to drive and reliable too.

What do you think?

Expert answer

Hi Derek,

Revenue's online VRT calculator is very poor and tricky to use at the best of times. There seem to be loads of different 2.2-litre diesel Accords if it's to be believed and some of the calculations are nonsense, putting the car in the top 36% VRT band instead of the 19% band, where it should be. The best way to clarify the situation is to contact Revenue direct.

However, you can do some calculation of your own. Based on asking prices of similar cars on sale in Ireland, the maximum OMSP (Open Market Selling Price) of this car now is say €20,000. That means a maximum VRT bill of €3,800 (19%).

In reality Revenue should value this car much lower, bringing the bill down considerably.

Let us know if we can help any further.

Expert answer

Hi Niamh,

It depends — do you want diesel or petrol? Any small-to-medium car with a 1.4 to 1.6-litre diesel engine is going to be very, very economical (e.g. the Toyota Auris, VW Golf, Ford Focus and Skoda Octavia), but if you want a petrol engine, the choice is a little different. Here, we’d be looking at the Volkswagen Group cars (Golf, Leon or Octavia) with the 1.0-litre or 1.2-litre TSI petrol engines, which have excellent economy, or a Peugeot 308 with the 1.2-litre PureTech engine.

Expert answer

Hi Siobhain,

The RAV4 has a great reputation for reliability so once it has been fully serviced there should be no worries on that front. There are a few things to look out for though, including leaky sunroofs and diesel engines low on power because of failed sensors. Also, if it's a diesel RAV4 that has a tow bar fitted look for receipts and any work done to replace the flywheel and clutch, as these sometimes fail on tow cars. If it was a tow car and has not had this work done try to get a warranty.

In terms of price, without knowing its specification and engine, it looks to be at the top of the pricing for that year. There are others for less and with lower mileage available, though really you should be buying on condition and history above mileage alone.

If we can be of further assistance please do come back to us.

Expert answer

Hi David,

The latest BMW X5 xDrive30d uses 7.4 litres of diesel every 100 kilometres on the official combined cycle. That's equivalent to 38.2mpg. As ever, few cars achieve their official figures.

For the record, emissions are 195g/km.

Hope that answers your question.

Expert answer

Hi Val,

The answer probably boils down to personal preference and the trim levels being compared. Also, Volkswagen offers the 1.2 TSI in both 85- and 105hp guises, while the Focus 1.0 EcoBoost comes in 100- and 125hp states of tune. Purely in terms of numbers, the 100hp Focus is the most economical, though not by very much, and all four sit in Band A4 for tax.

Personally speaking, the new Golf moves the game on in terms of fit and finish, plus refinement and it's quite well equipped. The Focus still has an edge in terms of driver appeal, but there's not such a wide gap between them to make that a deciding point for most.

Best bet is to go test drive examples of both cars for as long as you can - and in as close a specification to what your budget allows as possible. I'd put my own money into a Golf.

Expert answer

Hi Vincent,

Our prices were correct at the time of each article - the date is displayed in each case. For clarity, at the time of writing this, the pricing is as follows:

- Dacia Duster Alternative: €15,990

- Dacia Duster Signature: €17,990

- Dacia Duster Signature 4x4: €19,990

All are powered by the same 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine producing 110hp. The front-wheel drive cars are in Band B1 and the 4x4 one is in Band B2.

Hope that clears it up?

Expert answer

Hi Gerry,

I'm afraid we've not driven the X3 sDrive. For those not in the know, that's the rear-wheel drive version of the BMW. It's offered in Ireland in '18d' format only, which means a 143hp 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine. It comes in manual and automatic guises and in SE or M Sport trim levels with on-the-road prices starting from €43,690.

Non-quattro Audi Q5s are powered by a 143hp 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine as well. While there are more trim levels offered (base, SE and S Line) this car can not be specified with an automatic transmission. On-the-road prices start from €41,760.

For the record, with a manual gearbox, both cars are in Band B2 for tax purposes though the X3 uses marginally less fuel on the combined consumption cycle (5.1- vs. 5.4 litres/100km) and it's a second quicker accelerating to 100km/h at 9.9 seconds.

Hope that helps in some way

Expert answer

Hi Alex,

Literally none. If it’s coming with a full service history we’d bet the heating money on it, to be honest. Honda makes massively reliable cars, so as long as this one’s been looked after and you look after it yourself, you should expect no major problems. 

Expert answer

Hi Cathy,

We understand your fears about ex-hire cars, as they have a reputation of not being looked after by hire car customers. However, so long as it has been serviced according to the manufacturer's schedule and it's in good condition there's not much to worry about. Have the body work and underneath looked at by a mechanic and closely look for kerbed alloys etc.

With regards to the mileage, for peace of mind you can get an inexpensive history check through Cartell.ie. That will reveal if there are any discrepancies.

Let us know how you get on.