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Hi Mairead,

It depends which model you mean. An automatic 2.0-litre VVT-i petrol RAV4 from 2008 has CO₂ emissions of 212g/km, so will cost €1,200 a year. The manual version has CO₂ emissions of 202g/km so costs the same. It gets a bit better with the diesels. The 180hp 2.2 diesel has emissions of 185g/km so costs €750 a year while the 150hp version has emissions of 173g/km so costs the same €750.

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Hi Paul,

Somewhere around the €5,000 mark should be a fair price.

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Hi Liam,

This is a bit of a grey area. The NCT manual that the testers are supposed to adhere to makes no mention anywhere of a rear wiper, but generally we find that, if a car has something and it's broken, the testers will often flag it up as a possible failure. We wouldn't take the risk, especially as wipers are so cheap to replace.

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Hi Lurdes,

OK, lots to deal with here. Let’s go through it piece by piece. Theoretically, you will always get better value buying second hand than buying new. 'Buy at three, sell at five' (years old) is the rule of thumb to maximise your value and minimise your exposure to depreciation. But, you’ve been burned in the past by unreliable cars (been there, I feel your pain) so I would say that buying new is actually the best thing for you this time around, especially as you want to hold on to the car for an extended period.

Of the two cars you’ve mentioned, the Toyota Verso should be the most reliable. Nothing much wrong with the Ford, but if reliability is your priority then always buy Japanese. Happily, a manual 1.6 diesel Verso seven-seater is just inside your budget, at €29,100 and there is currently a €3,000 trade-in offer on that model, which means you’ll get a lot more for your old Scenic than you would if you traded it in normally.

There is only one hybrid people carrier so far, and that’s the Toyota Prius+, but to be honest, we couldn’t recommend it. For a start, a new one will bust through your €30k budget barrier, but beyond that it’s a disappointing car – far too thirsty unless all of your mileage is done in town at low speeds. The Verso is a far more versatile car.

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Hi Karen,

Try 'double turning' the key in the actual door lock to see if it opens the boot. Sounds weird, I know, but works for some Fords. Failing that, bring the car to a Ford dealer for some advice. 

There are no specific tests that the boot opens in a car in the NCT, but there is mention of ensuring that the catches are operating properly, to prevent fumes etc. Technically speaking the boot would have to be opened and closed to check that. I'd guess that you may get away with it, but there's a chance you won't as well.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Mark,

With a car like that what really drives the value is the history and condition, so if it’s perfect and if all the stamps in the service history book have a Porsche crest on them then it should be worth around €35-37,000.

The VRT export rebate process isn’t especially difficult but there are a lot of forms to fill out and you’ll need a lot of proof of where the car is going and to whom it’s been sold. You can find all the necessary details here:  http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/export-repayment-scheme/faqs.html

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Hi Larry,

The seven-speed DSG automatic works very well with the 2.0-litre TDI engine. Around town and in traffic is makes driving relaxed and easy while the long top gear means the engine revs remain low on longer motorway journeys. In fact, the noise insulation in the new Tiguan is very good and you'd almost forget that you're driving a diesel.

I also drove the manual version, and to be fair it drive very well too. If you can afford the price jump to get the DSG automatic though I would recommend it. 

Read our Volkswagen Tiguan review in full

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Hi Niall,

I wonder if you've given us the exact description or if it has been described to you incorrectly. The only mention of 'anti-slip' in the NCT manual is with regard to the rubber pedal pads in the car. It can fail the NCT if they're missing or no longer effective. However, that has nothing to do with the rear axle, so I suspect your car failed on rear wheel side slip, which means there's a misalingment issue in your rear suspension. The limit is pretty lenient so yours must be pretty bad. I'm surprised the tester didn't say more about it. 

Bring the car to a good mechanic to have it sorted. Hopefully it's just something that can be adjusted and no actual damage.

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Hi Patrick, 

It should pass without a problem. The NCT manual has a section on wipers for the front window only.

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Hi Shine,

Probably around €3,000 - possibly a bit less depending on the dealer.