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Hi Alison.

As your car is ten years old this year scrappage seems like the right solution and there are some amazing discounts on offer in addition to the Government's current incentive. The cars you mention are three of the best superminis on the market and because you use the car for quite a lengthy commute a diesel could be the best solution for you.

All three of these cars have diesel options. Opel's Corsa comes with a 1.3-litre 75bhp diesel with emissions now down from 119- to 114g/km. Prices for this start at €15,905 for the three-door version.

The Mazda2 is another very good option. With a 1.4-litre 68bhp diesel, emissions are just 114g/km so again you pay road tax of just €104 per year. The Mazda2 diesel starts from €15,930.

The Fiesta also has a 68bhp 1.4-litre diesel engine and emissions of 110g/km and this starts at €16,645.

All three of these cars qualify for the Government Scrappage Scheme, so would get a discount of €1,500. Much of the additional discounting available on any of these models is on the petrol models however, as dealers try and clear stocks of slow-selling petrol versions.

Of all these three cars the Mazda and the Fiesta are better cars so it would be down to these two in our opinions. We like the Mazda2 a lot, but we'd still say buy the Fiesta based on its looks and the way it drives. The Fiesta has been the outstanding small car over the last few years so if budget allows it is the car we would chose.

Expert answer

Hi Paul,

That is a very interesting question. You only have to look at the difference in pricing through various different genre of cars to see that we have not had cars as cheap here in Ireland in years and even when you compare them to prices in Europe things are favourable. This is of course little solace to those who find obtaining credit virtually impossible.

Manufacturers are constantly streamlining methods of production and there is much greater co-operation between manufacturers in terms of powertrain sharing and platform sharing, but the simple explanation of the reduction in prices here in Ireland is of course the easing of taxation slightly. New cars, as I am sure you are aware, are now taxed according to their CO₂ emissions and this means that cars that might once have been subjected to 30 percent VRT under the old system are now only subject to 16 percent, because of advances in engine technology. When you look at cars like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series now with emissions of less than 140g/km, as long as the present taxation system is in place, prices will remain quite low. Manufacturers are also likely to keep prices low to their retailers as every incentive needs to remain in place to keep sales moving throughout a sluggish global economy.

In answering your question, I would say that the lowering of prices certainly hasn't finished, especially here in Ireland. This year there has been a lot of discounting from manufacturers such as Renault who is aggressively targeting market share. Even when scrappage ends in December I can't see an end to this straight away, as next year, without the scrappage incentives, manufacturers and retailers will need to come up with a whole new set of incentives to draw nervous buyers back into the showrooms.

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Prices have not yet been announced, though we're told that it'll start from €23,000.

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Hi Paul,

VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax) is the main cost. VRT is chargeable on registration of a motor vehicle in the State. All motor vehicles in the State, other than those brought in temporarily by visitors, must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners. A vehicle must be registered before it can be licensed for road tax purposes.

In the case of cars and small vans, the tax is a percentage of the expected retail price - including all other taxes in the State. This price is known as the Open Market Selling Price or OMSP. The VRO will calculate this tax for you or you may obtain the details online at Vehicle Registration Online Enquiry System.

Full details on how VRT works and all the charges can be found here.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

That is a very good question. The scrappage scheme makes sense to a certain number of people, but it certainly isn't for everyone. It was set up to clean up the nation's car park and to that effect is designed to get cars of 10 years or more off the roads. Plus, there is the additional clause that any car bought under scrappage must be from Band A or B, with CO₂ emissions of less than 140g/km, which isn't going to suit all buyers either.

The Government has offered €1,500 off the VRT of the car and while you might argue that you could haggle this off in a cash deal, the fact is that you will get this for even the worst car that could be worth barely €50. Even the most skilled haggler is unlikely to get more than €1,000 off the price of a small car from a cash deal, but you will get this in a scrappage trade-in.

Also, in many cases the manufacturers are offering further incentives for scrappage deals such as additional discounts. In the case of Renault for example, there are thousands given to owners of cars of 8 or 10 years or older that you wouldn't get if you were buying in cash. So in this case scrappage is a strong incentive and is worth it.

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Firstly, there are probably more diesel automatic cars in Ireland than you might think, but they tend to be executive models rather than mainstream family cars because it seems that there still isn't a huge demand for them.

Toyota does in fact sell an automatic version of its Avensis. It is a 2.2-litre 150bhp diesel and that costs €35,530. Since you mentioned the Toyota Avensis we must assume that you are after a family saloon or hatchback so for a start you could have a Ford Mondeo 2.0-litre TDCi Style Auto for €32,225 - that comes as a saloon, hatchback or estate.

For you a few quid more you can have the run out version of the Jaguar X-Type 2.2 Diesel Auto for €32,995 or you could have the Mercedes-Benz B180 CDi Auto from €33,640.

There are loads of versions of the excellent Opel Insignia available with a choice of 130- or 160bhp diesel engines in saloon, hatchback or estate body styles. There are 24 different Insignia diesels available in total. Prices start at €30,380. You can have a Renault Laguna 2.0-litre dCi 150 TomTom Edition for €36,890.

A Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI with the excellent DSG gearbox will cost you from €35,960 and Skoda will sell you something with DSG for even less. How about an Octavia RS 2.0-litre diesel with 170bhp and DSG for €31,195? For us, that last car is the top choice. However you could stick with Skoda and go much bigger and that would be the Superb. You can have that with DSG and 170bhp for €31,195.

There is a fuel economy penalty in some cases and that is because the traditional automatic transmission has a torque converter. Automatic cars are generally a little heavier too, to the detriment of economy. Saying that, the latest generation of dual-clutch automatics and some of the newest conventional autos have massively improved.

Fuel economy and CO₂ emissions are directly linked, so often the manual version of a car can be in a lower tax band than their automatic siblings, but this is starting to change as mentioned above.

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For this we spoke to Gerry Devine in Team PR Reilly: "There are three things that need to be done to fix this problem. Step 1, remove the bird poo from the car with Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover. Spray some Bug and Tar Remover onto the affected area and leave for approximately 45 seconds to let it work. Wipe off all bird poo and residue. Step 2 is to rectify the burnt spots on the car. We suggest you use a cutting compound to try and get rid of the mark left behind (we recommend Turtle Wax Safe Cut liquid). Step 3 is to polish the car using a polish with a slight cut in it (we recommend Turtle Wax Original). Make sure the car is clean and dirt free before polishing. This should do the trick. If the bird poo has been embedded on the car for some time, the burnt spot may be too bad to remove yourself and you may need to get the job done professionally."

Hope that helps Maura.

Expert answer

We checked with Mark from www.micksgarage.ie and he told us, "One of the guys here has worked as a service advisor and warranty manager in the past and can confirm that if you buy genuine service parts and service the car yourself, the warranty is unaffected. Also, for those looking to undertake the jobs themselves, the Haynes website has some useful videos on oil changes, filter changes and spark plugs etc."

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The crew cab did enjoy a golden period in the early part of the last decade when there was a considerable tax break, with minimum VRT being charged on them. As a result, sales boomed for a period until this loophole was closed. Sales of the crew cab models aren't as strong as they used to be, especially since the building trade has been so badly affected by the economic downturn.

However, for someone like you they might still make an awful lot of sense because they offer the best of both worlds. They are useful as work vehicles with generous load bays and strong diesel engines that are capable both of high mileage and also towing duties. As everyday passenger vehicles they aren't as comfortable as a regular car and in some cases they aren't even as comfortable as a normal SUV, as most have a pretty basic chassis.

The main choices are between the Mitsubishi L200, the Toyota Hilux and the Nissan Navara. The L200 Double Cab €26,995 new - that includes a significant price reduction recently. It has a 2.5-litre diesel engine that puts out 136bhp. CO₂ emissions of 228g/km mean that it will cost you €2,050 per annum to tax, which is pretty high.

The Navara has a 2.5-litre diesel engine with 171bhp and that is quite a bit more power than the Mitsubishi and it too has emissions of Band G, at 264g/km. Prices start at €34,135 for the Navara Double Cab.

The Hilux comes with a choice of 2.5- or 3.0-litre diesel engines, with 120- and 170bhp respectively. The Hilux has emissions that are in Band E, so you at least save yourself €1,000 in road tax. Prices start at €29,575 for the 2.5-litre Double Cab model.

Having said all that, the best options are likely to be used where there are huge savings.

A 2007 Navara will cost you €16,500 from an approved SIMI dealer: http://bit.ly/d0uIC8 for example

Or a 2007 Toyota Hilux will cost you €19,000: http://bit.ly/bLloV5

Or a 2006 Mitsubishi L200 will cost you €14,950: http://bit.ly/97foEZ