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Hi Catherine,

The 2008-onward Ka model, which shared a chassis and engines with the Fiat 500 and is built in Fiat's factory in Poland, should be rust free - the cars are well treated for rust when being built and offered with a lengthy anti-perforation warranty. If you come across a rusty one, chances are it's had accident damage, which has left bare metal exposed.

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Hi Alison,

Audi has never had a 'Sport' trim on the current A3, so I suspect if you've seen one advertised it's the seller getting confused and mis-labelling the S line trim. Over and above standard specification, the SE trim adds 16-inch alloy wheels, nicer seat trim, front fog lights, rear floor mats, aluminium interior trim, a front centre armrest, extra map lights, cruise control, rear parking sensors, a colour display for the trip computer and an iPod connector.

S line gives you Xenon headlamps with LED running lights and LED rear lights, 18-inch alloys, black cloth headlining, Audi Drive Select (which means you can toggle between Sport, Normal, Comfort and Eco modes), a three-spoke flat-bottomed steering wheel, sportier exterior body kit, bucket seats, S line logos everywhere and lower, firmer S line suspension.

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Hi Donal,

The Cactus is actually quite a small car, smaller than a Focus, so I think you'd struggle to get three kids in the back, on top of which the boot is quite small. If it's a roomy, kid-friendly Citroen you fancy you'll probably need to upgrade to the C4 Picasso MPV.

Relevant reviews:

Citroen C4 Cactus review

Citroen C4 Picasso review

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Hi Marie,

It's just what it says - a check-over. There's no way a car would need an actual service at just 1,000km, but it's a good idea for a dealer to have a car back in at that point just to make sure all is well with both car and customer, and gives them a chance to quickly rectify any issues that may not have been caught at either the factory or in the pre-delivery inspection.

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Hi Philip,

It is a problem, right enough, but while Mercedes security systems are good, they're not infallible, and any car is vulnerable to this kind of electronic attack.The only thing you can reasonably do is to stand as close to the car as possible when flipping the lock, so as to minimise the signal spread and make it harder to 'capture' the signal between the key and the car. If it's a keyless-entry car, keep the key as far away from the car as possible when it's parked up outside.

Beyond that though, the sad and unpleasant truth is that if a determined and well-equipped thief really wants your car, they're going to have it... Maybe consider getting a tracking device fitted, and police forces are generally advising going back to the more old-fashioned methods such as a steering wheel bar or a driveway post. Anything that makes the crooks' life harder is a good idea.

(Oh, and no limit to the number of questions either. We are generally inundated with questions so once you don't expect an instant answer we'll all be happy.)

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Hi Frank,

The triplets of the Peugeot 107, Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo are pretty good - nippy and reliable. The last generation Suzuki Alto is also a good option. If you need something a bit larger, track down a Toyota Yaris 1.0.

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Hi John,

Basically it's what you do when you can't find an already-calculated Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) for your car. You look instead at similar models in the UK market, calculate an average and then calculate the difference between that and the average price for similar models in Ireland. Basically, it's a quasi-official guesstimate and Revenue has some helpful tips and hints here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/faqs-vrt.html

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Hi Eamonn,

Auto petrol SUVs are hard to find in most manufacturers' ranges, but there are a few you can have a look at - Skoda Yeti 1.2 TSI DSG, Nissan Qashqai 1.2 DIG CVT or Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI DSG, for example. All frugal, good to drive and well under €40k even with options.

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Hi John,

The BMW 330e is, I have to say, a hugely impressive car and based on a recent drive you can squeeze as much as 65mpg from it. You can charge it from a domestic socket if that's any help, but if you're put off by the charging thing then the Lexus IS a great choice. Aside from the occasionally irritating CVT gearbox it's delightful to drive and, with a bit of practice, you can get decent economy from it. It should be staggeringly reliable too. Here are our reviews to help you choose:

BMW 330e Saloon review

Lexus IS 300h review

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Hi Briege,

OK, couple of things to deal with here.  No, your repayments won't change as your car ages - the repayments on a PCP deal are fixed from the start and run for the life of package.

Actually, if you get a bank loan, you own the car from day one because you're paying cash (or cheque I guess) up front - you just have to keep paying the bank back the money and, when you come to sell the car, the entire second hand value is yours. 

That's the point of a PCP really - it insulates you from unpredictable depreciation because you know what the value of the car will be at the end of the agreement and the leaving of the bubble payment to the end reduces the cost of the monthly repayments.