Want to know the best seven-seater.
Want to know the best seven-seater on the market.
Bridget Enabulele (Dublin)May 2013 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Bridget,
Do you mean medium or large seven-seater? If it’s a medium one, then the best ones are the VW Touran, Kia Carens, Toyota Verso, Citroen C4 Picasso, or Renault Grand Scenic. If you mean a bigger one, then the best ones are the Ford S-Max or SEAT Alhambra. Here are our reviews of them all:
Have you a review of the Honda Civic 1.6?
Have you a review of the Honda Civic 1.6?
Gerard Marron (Limerick County)May 2013 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Gerard,
I’ll take it that you mean the last-generation Civic 1.6 iDTEC diesel? If so, it’s a terrific car. The looks of both the outside and cabin won’t be to all tastes, but it has a truly brilliant diesel engine (frugal, but refined and powerful too), tonnes of space in the cabin and boot, sharp handling and quality that means a well-cared for one will last for half of forever. A cracking purchase. Read our review of the Honda Civic 1.6 here.
What's a good medium, auto SUV?
What's a good small/medium size SUV that has reasonable tax and fuel consumption, but is also automatic? It's for my wife so not a Nissan Qashqai, too common; Kia Sportage, build quality not too hot; and VW Touran is just too boring.
Any suggestions welcome, but has to be auto.
Eoin Heaney (Ennis)Mar 2013 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Eoin,
Have you tried the new Peugeot 3008? Great-looking, good to drive and comes with an (optional) six-speed auto. The 1.2-litre 130hp petrol turbo engine is the one to go for. Alternatively, you could try and grab a run-out Skoda Yeti (always one of our favourites and built like a tank), or have a look at the Toyota C-HR Hybrid, which is striking to look at and really good to drive. Here are our relevant reviews:
How best to put my Avensis through NCT?
I had my car serviced in November with four new tyres and is now due for NCT in April, it is a 1999 Toyota Avensis. Should I just do the test and fix anything that fails if it fails? Car is serviced every year.
Ronan Ballantine (Sligo)Mar 2013 Filed under: NCT
Expert answer
Hi Ronan,
Generally speaking, it’s best to get the car serviced beforehand, and let the garage know that it’s going in for its NCT. That way you’re dealing with all issues that are there, not just what the NCT picks up on. That said, with it being a Toyota, and you having serviced it every year already, you shouldn’t have any major issues I suspect.
Read our Eight top tips on how to prepare your car for its NCT feature
Which seven-seater with boot space is best?
Guys - brother is looking for a seven-seater to accommodate a growing family. Needs to have room for buggy or two in the boot if possible. His budget is about €10k. Nothing too big engine wise to keep running costs down. Any advice appreciated - thanks.
Barry Delaney (Dublin)Mar 2013 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Barry,
The hard bit here is having buggy space in the boot in a seven-seater — seven-seaters keep their extra seats in the boot, so you can have extra seats, or luggage space, but normally not both. Our favourite ones are generally the VW Touran, the Ford S-Max, the Kia Carens, the SEAT Alhambra and the Toyota Verso, but all of those will have the seats/space issue. If they need something bigger, do let us know. In the meantime, our relevant reviews:
How do I bring a car in from the North?
I reside in Ireland. If I buy a car with Nothern Ireland registation, what do I have to do to change it to Irish and how much would it cost me?
Olga Kulikova (Waterford)Mar 2013 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi Olga,
How much it will cost you will depend on the car. To re-register a car in the Republic of Ireland, you have seven days from the point of arrival in the country to book an inspection with your local NCT centre. At that point, it will be inspected by the Revenue Commissioners to determine its Open Market Selling Price (OMSP), which is the price they think you would have paid, had you bought an identical car in Ireland.
That figure, and the car’s CO2 emissions rating, will determine the amount of Vehicle Registration Tax, or VRT, you will have to pay to complete the process. From the point of entry of the car into the country, you have a maximum 30 days to complete that process.
You can find much more detail here from the Citizens Information Board
Or read our guide, 'How Much VRT is Paid in Ireland'
How to work out a 2009 SUV's tax?
Where can I find out the current tax rate on a 2009 SUV? All I can find is the band rates, but how do I find out what rate the car is to begin with? Found two websites and two different rates for the same car. Plus dealer told me another rate...
Grainne Flynn (Waterford)Mar 2013 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Grainne,
Well, if you could tell us the exact make and model you’re looking at, we can tell you. All motor tax rates since 2008 are calculated on the CO2 emissions of the car (unless it’s a commercial version) and that can be affected by everything from the engine to the gearbox to items of trim and equipment. The more detail you can give us, the more precise an answer we can give. For reference, read our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained guide.
Petrol Ford Focus or Opel Astra?
Can you compare the Ford Focus EcoBoost Titanium against the Opel Astra 1.4 Elite?
Paul Cleary (Dublin)Nov 2012 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Paul,
Do you mean the EcoBoost engine, versus the Astra’s 1.4 Turbo? It’s a very close match, especially if you’re looking at the current models. The Astra is exceptionally good to drive, and that 1.4 Turbo is a good engine too. The Focus’ EcoBoost three-cylinder engine is, theoretically, more economical, but it depends very much on how you drive it. The Focus’ chassis and steering responses are better than those of the Astra, but then the Astra has the nicer interior. Depends where you priorities lie, really...
Thoughts on the Skoda Rapid?
I just wanted to know your opinions on the Skoda Rapid. I would be interested in the base model in either diesel or petrol. Which engine is better for about 30,000km per annum? Is this car very similar to the VW Jetta or SEAT Toledo?
Thanks
David Clarke (Dublin)Oct 2012 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi David,
The SEAT Toledo and Skoda Rapid are basically the same car, but with different badges. There’s no close relationship to the Jetta (other than minor systems and bits and pieces under the skin). Actually, the underpinnings are a combination of old Golf and old Polo bits, mixed and matched together. They’re decent cars — reliable and roomy — but not the most sophisticated. You’ll have to put up with a narrow cabin, slightly crude rear suspension and a fair bit of noise inside. If you’re doing 30k a year, you’re probably best off with the 1.6 TDI diesel. You should easily squeeze 55mpg out of that.
Is that a fair price for my Honda CR-V?
Hello I need some advice please. I have a 2004 honda CR-V with 119,000 miles on the clock. I have been offered €4,000 for it and I would like to know if you think this is the best price I can hope for. Thanks.
Sheila Conway (Cork)Oct 2011 Filed under: used car values
Expert answer
Hi there Sheila,
If it is against a new or reasonably recent used car then it really isn't that generous. Presuming that it is in decent condition you could push for about €500 more, but as we always say here on CompleteCar.ie, don't look at how much you are getting for your car, but rather the 'cost to change' as this allows you to shop around with more clarity. You could try and sell your car privately. The cheapest one I have seen for sale privately is asking €5,250, so you could try that price and if you got €4,500 you would still be quids in! I hope that helps Sheila.