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Hi Jerome,

This change was made in December 2011 and as you rightly point out, imported used cars registered in Dublin start at 120,000. That's for each year of manufacture, so the first important car from 1994 will start 94 D 120000 and there could also be a 01 D 120000 for instance. Each of the counties has a different starting number appropriately higher than the highest number of cars sold in that county in any year. The list doesn't appear to be available online, but we've requested it for information and will pass it on as soon as we get it.

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Hi Derek,

First up, don't read anything into the Irish Army changing vehicles. That goes through a rigorous tendering process and no doubt price is a big part of it.

You're right though, the Patrol is known to have head gasket and gearbox issues from 60,000 miles on. Check the service history on the model you're looking at. If neither have been done then be wary.

Best bet is to have a full mechanical inspection done by an expert.

Best of luck

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Hi Finn,

Though the GT-R is not priced on Nissan Ireland's website, we're assured that, if an Irish buyer wants one, Nissan will be happy to help.

If you're having difficulty come back to us and we'll put you in contact with the right person.

Expert answer

Hi James,

We're not fans of the Civic Hybrid in terms of how it drives, but that doesn't mean it's a bad car necessarily. The pool of cars in Ireland is quite small so we've not heard anything negative about them from a reliability perspective, but the American forums seem to be full of owners with issues so perhaps it's best to do some research there to ascertain if the problems are likely to affect Irish cars.

Come back to us if you want more detailed assistance.

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Hi Eamon,

Why? Because the government can get away with it, that’s why. The EU has repeatedly told the Irish government that VRT is unfair, but then all the government has to do is wave in the general direction of Denmark, which also charges hefty taxes on cars. Basically speaking, at some point, the patience in Brussels will run out and VRT will have to be scrapped. But don’t get your hopes up — no government can afford to give up a €1 billion annual tax take, so VRT will simply be renamed and repackaged in some other form. It’s never going to go away.

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Hi Martin,

Best place to start is www.dacia.ie, as it has a "Find a dealer" facility. We're informed that there are cars in all dealers right now for test drives.

Let us know how you get on.

In case you've not seen it, here's our first drive of the Dacia Duster on Irish roads.

Expert answer

Hi Samantha,

Average mileage for an Irish car is about 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometres approx.) so this is definitely above average, but it isn't necessarily something to worry about depending on the car. A diesel car tends to be used more and high mileage suggests a lot of low-stress motorway use - unless it's a tax of course!

Hope that helps.

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Hi Brian,

Good timing! We have the GT86 on test this week. Here it is on the very twisty and very bumpy Dublin Mountain roads:

Review will be done in time, but I can confirm that it's even more impressive here than it was at the launch in Spain. Its small size and low weight are ideally suited to tight and twisty roads and though firm, the suspension deals with rough surfaces and bumps (even mid-corner) brilliantly. The none-too low profile tyres no doubt help with that.

On the open road it's hugely engaging and very fast. It feels weightless and while it goes where you point it there's a lot of movement underneath if you want it. Turn off traction control and it regularly slides too - though don't expect big drifts on the public road!

While it is lacking a little in low-down torque, it's only an issue for overtaking, as the car feels quick at all times, and is very quick if you use all the revs.

Away from driving for the fun of it, the GT86 is still brilliant. Some might not get it, and it's not quiet, but it even works well in town, where its small size, quick steering and relatively supple suspension mean it doesn't feel at all out of place.

Overall: a fabulous car. Really works on Irish roads. Really special.

Expert answer

Hi Chaz,

We put this question to vehicle records experts Cartell.ie and here's what they came back with:

"Upon importing a new vehicle into Ireland you must pay destination VAT, which means you pay the VAT in the country that it will be first registered. The vehicle is classed as new if it is less than six months old or has travelled less than 6,000 kilometres. If you buy a new car from the UK, you will pay the 20% VAT there. Then once you import the vehicle pay your 23% Irish VAT; you then reclaim the original VAT paid back from the UK.

Then you must pay the VRT, which varies from 14- to 36% depending on the CO₂ emissions. If the vehicle is being bought through a registered SIMI dealer then they should take care of all this and the customer should just get the car for the price agreed. I would recommend that the customer gets a copy of the VRT and VAT receipts to prove that both have been paid. I would also recommend that the customer checks with SIMI to make sure that the garage is still a registered member.

You would also want to make sure that the warranty is covered throughout Europe. The dealer you bought it from will cover the warranty but another Nissan dealer may not. Also some warranties are extended by a year or two in certain countries. For example BMW has a standard two-year warranty, but BMW UK extends that to three years - but only in the UK. This may or may not be the case but worth looking at."

Hope that helps. Come back to us if you need more assistance.

Expert answer

Hi John,

At the time of writing, Peugeot Ireland has not released any pricing information. The Irish launch is on July 9, so it's likely we'll have to wait until then to hear.

We'll do a news piece as soon as the details arrive.