Expert answer

Hi Glen,

Somewhere in the region of €6,500 to €7,000 as a trade in I would think.

Expert answer

Hi Paul,

Yes, and no. And a bit yes. It still depends on your lifestyle and driving habits. Lots of short journeys, mostly around town? Don't mind taking the time to plan long journeys carefully and be prepared to take breaks for charge ups?

Things are getting dramatically better though. Nissan has just updated the Leaf with a new 30kwh battery (read our review of it here) that extends its range to around 250km, which is a lot more useful, and if you're suitably loaded a Tesla Model S can go for 500km between charges.

If you're not quite ready to take the full electric car plunge, how about a plugin hybrid? Short hops under electric power with a petrol engine for longer journeys. Try the Volkswagen Golf GTE, Audi A3 e-tron, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV or a Volvo XC90 T8.

However, if you're looking for a second hand car, your options with electric power are severely limited, as sales have been slow so far.

Expert answer

Hi Graham,

I'm afraid not - it's simply not a model appearing on the official Volkswagen Ireland price list. You could try sweet-talking a Volkswagen dealer but they'll essentially just have to privately import it themselves so they'll just pass on the same costs to you.

We double checked the situation with Volkswagen Ireland and it confirmed the same.

Such a shame!

Expert answer

Hi Simon,

If you go to the settings menu and see a menu heading titled ‘App Connect’ then yes, Apple CarPlay will work, but you might need to go to your Volkswagen dealer to get an activation code.

Expert answer

Hi Stephen,

The change interval varies depending on the engine fitted to your Golf. Our information is that the 1.9 TDI BlueMotion, 1.9 TDI PD, 2.0 SDI and 2.0 TDI all need their belts changed every 80,000 miles (nearly 129,000km), whereas the 2.0-litre petrol models (FSI or GTI) have 120,000-mile intervals (193,000km or so). Regardless of mileage, the belt should be changed at least every four years.

As to cost, that's not so easy to answer. An independent garage will charge a different rate to a main dealer and it may well depend on which version of the Golf you have. Best to ring around.

Expert answer

Hi Stephen,

It depends. If it's the old non-turbo 1.4 75hp engine, then there shouldn't be any problems. It's a solid old lump, and as long as it's been kept serviced, it should be fine. If it's the more recent 1.4 TSI turbo or turbo + supercharger, then be a little more cautious - they're more complicated engines and I'd insist on the car having a full and complete Volkswagen dealer service history before buying.

Expert answer

Hi Amanda,

I'm guessing you're looking at a Golf? I'd say go for the 1.6. It'll be cheaper to buy up front than the diesel and your longer trips really aren't all that long. Driven with a bit of care, that 1.6 should still get well over 40mpg.

Expert answer

Hi Stephen,

Both pretty good but I'd lean on the side of the Golf - it's roomier and more refined than the Focus, and that 1.2 TSI petrol turbo engine is a cracker.  The Volkswagen 1.6 TDI engine is smoother than the Ford's too.

Expert answer

Hi Riccardo,

We checked with Volkswagen Ireland and the official response was this: "CarPlay and Android Auto will not be available in Ireland until late 2015 or early 2016 at the earliest in combination with third party apps (e.g. Spotify, Facebook, etc.). This is currently being tested in combination with third party apps for the UK and other larger European markets but there is no set release date for Ireland yet."

Expert answer

Hi John,

The critical question here is how much road tax and insurance pain are you willing to take? An early 2000s Porsche 911 will crack 5.3 seconds 0-100km/h all day long but you'll pay through the nose for tax, disc and servicing. And never, ever buy one without a full Porsche or Porsche Specialist service history.

Most Mercedes-AMG models from the same era will do similar but again the same caveats on servicing and running costs apply.

A BMW M3 Evolution will do 5.5 seconds, but watch for ones that have been badly fiddled with or modified.

Probably better would be a Ford Focus RS or a Volkswagen Golf R or R32. Both are pretty rugged in the reliability stakes but again you have to be wary of cars that have been modified or altered from standard. 

However, possibly the best bet is a Honda S2000. As long as you don't need back seats it's a fantastic thing to drive, will do 6.0 seconds 0-100km/h and it's rock solid in reliability terms. Loads around well within your price band but again watch carefully for badly done modifications or cars that haven't been cared for.