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Hi Martin,

Go for the Octavia or Avensis according to taste - both have superior reliability (crucial when you're buying an older car) and the Avensis will, just slightly, have the edge in that respect.

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Hi Peter,

As an import, each car is individually inspected and rated for VRT,  which is probably why Revenue is being evasive - they really don't like to pass judgement on something they've not seen, even if it is nominally the same as an Irish market car. Ultimately you shouldn't have any problems - if the X5 can be categorised as an N1 vehicle, it should be fine, but check to make sure as to whether that's with five or seven seats. Seven seats are optional on the X5 and could cut the boot space to under the N1 limit.

On the VAT thing, it just depends on the age of the car. If it's less than six months old, and/or has fewer than 6,000km on the clock, it's liable for Irish VAT on arrival - no ifs, ands or buts. 

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Hi Dave,

The Land Cruiser is indeed getting a new 2.8-litre diesel engine, which is claimed to be nine per cent more efficient than the old 3.0. It has CO₂ emissions of 194g/km, 177hp and 420Nm of torque. Shared with Fiat though? No - Fiat does have its own 2.8-litre diesel, but it's a commercial vehicle engine, usually used in the Ducato van. For its passenger cars (Jeep Grand Cherokee, Maserati Quattroporte, etc.) the Fiat group uses a VM Motori built 3.0 V6 diesel.

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Hi Joe,

This is a serious issue at the moment and the Government is, typically, sitting on its hands over the matter. Insurers, beginning with Aviva, decided last year that, actuarially speaking, ten-year-old cars and their drivers were at higher risk of accident than average, and so decided to either (a) refuse to quote altogether, or (b) issue massive quotes that were effectively the same thing. Frankly, it's a scandal and of course, insurance being something of a cabal industry at the best of times, the other major firms are following suit. Sorry - that isn't actually of any practical help to you, but it's the facts of the matter.

The best suggestion I can offer is to find a really good local insurance broker and see if they can help you find a solution. Please do let us know how you get on.

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Hi Hugh,

Well, a Mondeo or Passat would be a more sensible choice - more around to choose from and slightly cheaper running costs. And that's the Achilles' heel of the X-Type - running costs. While the diesels are reasonably frugal, and in general it's a well-made and reliable car (after some serious horrors on early-build examples back in 2001 and 2002), the X-Type can be expensive to fix if and when it does go wrong, and don't go assuming that because it's based on a MkIII Mondeo that you can use more affordable Mondeo bits; there's still a lot of bespoke Jag in there.

Still, it's a lovely car to drive, and the 2008 facelift (new grille, slightly squarer looks) made it much more stylish. Shop around carefully, don't buy anything that doesn't have a full service history and check for any noises coming from either the transmission or the suspension.

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Hi Martha,

It's a sad, but increasingly common story - Irish insurers are currently crushing owners of cars that are 10 years or older simply because, actuarially, they're more likely to be involved in an accident. I'm afraid that, unless more operators come into the Irish market to offer some competition, or unless the Government intervenes (which seems hugely unlikely) then there's very little that can be done. 

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Hi Andrew,

Well, of the posh-badge brigade, my personal favourite is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class - it's supremely comfy, beautifully made and really satisfying to drive, but, to be honest, you couldn't go wrong with any of those cars, it really is down to personal taste.

Your other question is an interesting one though. If you can live without the posh badge, and aren't quite so worried about driving dynamics, then a Skoda Superb is pretty much unbeatable. Same mechanical make up as the Audi but far bigger and way better value. Try a Ford Mondeo or Mazda6 if you want something with a keen chassis or a Toyota Avensis if you never, ever want it to break.

Some relevant reviews for you:

Updated BMW 320d review

New Audi A4 2.0 TDI review

Jaguar XE review

Mercedes-Benz C-Class review

Volkswagen Passat Highline review

Skoda Superb review

Ford Mondeo review

Toyota Avensis review

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Hi Catherine,

The Ford's not bad actually, but make sure that it has been fully serviced and that the 1.6 diesel has had a steady diet of high-grade oil.

Your Passat should be worth about €7,000 to €7,500 as a trade-in.

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Hi Brendan,

Worth checking out the Mazda6 2.0 SkyActiv-G estate, and the Ford Mondeo 1.5 EcoBoost isn't bad. Also have a look at the Skoda Superb 1.4 TSI although that's only available in Ambition spec.

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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!