Expert answer

Hi Tony,

Thank you for your query. I love the Fiat Panda. It is an honest, simple car and absolutely loaded with charm - and they cost from just €7,295 under the scheme, which is really great.

The only thing I would say Tony is that time is running out for you. It is not just the issue of having a Panda in stock and getting it registered before June 30, but you also have to make sure your old car is scrapped and the paperwork is done for it before that date too! So get down to that Fiat dealership near you!

Expert answer

Hi Maty,

Overall, the Nissan Qashqai is a great car and has been a huge success in Ireland. You didn't specify which diesel model you're interested in, as there's a 1.5-litre and a 2.0-litre. They're both good, though obviously the latter has more oomph and is better suited to the car if it's full of people and luggage all the time. Saying that, the 1.5-litre is no slouch so don't be put off by the engine size.

It's worth trying a petrol version too, as they're cheaper to buy and quieter around town. The diesel model is more economical, but that only pays off if you do high mileage. Saying that, over 83 per cent of the Nissan Qashqais sold in Ireland in 2009 were diesel, so there are not many petrol versions available.

Hope that all helps. If you want to know anything specific about the car come back to us.

Expert answer

Hi Philip

We spoke to Toyota Ireland and they had this to say about your issue. "There's very little info to go on but the clue seems to be in the fuel used. It could possibly be a knock sensor reacting to octane rating or fuel quality causing the light to come on."

It might be an idea to stick to the best fuel possible and check with your local Toyota service agent. Come back to us if you need more help.

Expert answer

Hi Declan,

I must admit that it wasn't a problem that I was aware of up until now, but there is quite a lot of literature about it on the internet. Here is a forum thread on the topic.

We also found a website that offers a cheap solution although we cannot verify its effectiveness. We will find out how bad the probem is in Ireland.  

It would seem to be that there is no real way of checking for this in advance because it doesn't appear to be on the service check list, though we do know that an improvement was put in place post-2004.

Expert answer

Hi Kevin,

Yes I recently had a conversation with the guys from Kia Ireland about this. There simply aren't enough of them being made and they can't make them quick enough. It is a problem that Kia have with the Sportage and Hyundai have with the ix35. Apparently they are going to add a new run on a different plant and this will help relieve the backlog, but we are being told that the delays are 'significant' and obviously with such a demand for them in right hand drive markets, especially in the UK, this is making the situation worse.

Kia Sportage - delays

There are a couple of unregistered ones around - so maybe these would be suitable if you are looking for one?

Kia Sportage - Naas Road, Dublin

Kia Sportage - Demo Model - Wicklow

Expert answer

I think the new BMW X3 is where the BMW X5 used to be and the Audi Q5 is a little like where the BMW X3 used to be, if that makes any sense!

The Q5 is a decent compact SUV and it comes in cheaper than the X3 at base level. While there is a 2.0-litre TFSI petrol Q5, if we ignore that (as you should in Ireland at least) then you are left with the 2.0-litre TDI model with 143hp for €42,350. In comparison, the BWM X3 has 184hp for €45,900. Even though the X3 has more power, it is cleaner, with Band C road tax compared to Band D in the Audi.

BMW X3 - 184hp - €45,900 - Band C

The problem right now with the X3 is that you simply can't get one. They are in very short supply, so you could be waiting months. There is a similar situation with the Q5, but we believe you would get one sooner than you would get a BMW.

If you are asking us to choose one regardless of that, then I would have to say I'd much prefer the new X3. I didn't really like the old model, but this one is now so much better than before.

Audi Q5 - 143hp - €42,350 - Band D

Expert answer

Hi Ciaran,

Thank you for your query. The Kia pro_cee'd is a good car, but thankfully the only thing negative about it is the silly name. We really rate the car and it would make a great second-hand buy. It has been a while since we drove a pro_cee'd so we called Kia Ireland to get a reminder on the engines. We were told that very few 1.4-litre petrol models were sold in 2008 and practically none in 2009 after the road tax laws based on emissions were introduced.

The first thing to note then is that the petrol models are scarce, but quite a bit cheaper than the diesels. A petrol model will cost you €9,945 while a diesel from the same year could cost you €12,950 - more than €2,000 more. You certainly won't save €2,000 in fuel and road tax in a hurry, so it depends on how long you intend to keep your car. If you change your car quite often and residual values are a concern then you probably need to get the diesel, but if you will be keeping the car for a long time then you should get the petrol, especially given the relatively low mileage that you do.

In terms of what to look out for, there is nothing. There have been no recalls that we know of and the car has few real faults apart from the fact that visbility isn't great out of the small rear window, but then you can expect that with any coupé-like hatchback.

Anyway, I hope this helps and doesn't actually make it more confusing! If there is anything else don't hesitate to come back to us.

Expert answer

Hi Joe,

There were four new Audi R8s bought in Ireland in 2007. Two were silver, one was grey and the other black. All were bought in Dublin.

Hope that's of some help to you

Expert answer

Hi Eileen,

I am presuming that you don't have windscreen cover through your insurance. This is something that you should certainly look at in the future. We contacted Fiat Ireland on your behalf and the cost of the windscreen, including fitting for a 2003 Fiat Doblo is €310. You might want to check with some independent outlets to compare prices though.

I hope this helps.

Expert answer

Hi Caroline,

Paddy here. Given your budget, I would say that you need something that is going to be easy to live with, cheap to run and reliable. 

The Suzuki Swift is a really easy car to own. It is reliable, spacious, cheap to run (tax, fuel, insurance) and good value too. This one I have picked out because it has really low miles (10,000km) and is about half way up your budget: Suzuki Swift

Another decent buy would be a Ford Focus 1.4 - which is a really good larger family hatchback with a big boot. This one we found has just 34,000km on the clock, comes from a good dealership and the price is good: Ford Focus

At the upper end of your budget would be a Volkswagen Golf. They are really good investments because they hold their value well. This one again has really low mileage: Volkswagen Golf

I hope some of these are of interest. I think the Swift would be a super choice for you guys though. 

Come back to us if you need more advice though.