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Hi Nessa,

There are a number of companies that do GPS tracking in Ireland, so I guess that would be similar to the ones you are talking about. 

Here is an example of a company that does the service here in Ireland. 

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Hi Barbara,

It is always hard to give a proper price estimate on a car without knowing the mileage and condition but you should expect to be offered around €12,000 for the Avensis depending on the condition and the dealer you go to.

The RAV4 would probably be worth around €14,500 as a trade-in. It is not unheard of for two cars to be traded-in, but you generally have to find a pretty understanding dealer or one who really wants the cars you have to trade-in. Remember that a dealer has to service your trade-in, perhaps put new tyres on it and add a warranty, so this all adds cost. 

I hope this helps. 

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Hi Keith,

There are some really good independent dealers around these days, because there are so many people who bought high-end cars during the boom years and they find that they now want to spend less on servicing. With a 2001 Jaguar X-Type I wouldn't be rushing to a Jaguar dealership to get it serviced. These guys GTi Direct have a good reputation for servicing high-end cars at a good price, so maybe they would be worth checking out.

I hope this helps. 

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Hi there,

The simple reason that the Fiat Croma didn't sell very well was that number one, it wasn't particularly good and number two, it was way overpriced for what it was. The result was that there were 33 sold in 2007 and just five sold a year later in 2008.

Having said that, I've often thought they would make a good second-hand buy because while they weren't a match to their key rivals such as a Ford Mondeo or Toyota Avensis, they are superb value on the used market and the 2.4-litre diesel engine that you mention is a particularly good one. 

That is a great price you are being offered for that car and if it is good and the mileage is low then I have to say I would be tempted. It certainly should be up to the task.

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Hi Gavan,

That is a lot of car for very little money. There are a few things to consider here. It is a V6 model, so it is one of the lesser sold Breras. Yes, it is the best one, but it will also be pretty difficult to sell on again and 2-3 years down the line it could be pretty worthless. 

On the plus side though it has bags of character and that V6 is lovely and the Brera has been reasonably headache free.

With this car, it is entirely a heart purchase, the head doesn't come into it. Do all the relevant background checks, be surgical about how the service history is examined and have an Alfa expert run their eye over it and you could have a very nice car that makes the German clones look dull as dishwater. 

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Hi Tim,

I am presuming this is 56,000km and that the car is in good condition. You are likely to get offered around €16,000 - €17,000 for this car as a trade-in. But you might get a little more depending on what you are trading in against.

You can buy an example with about half as many miles as yours for about €19,000 as you see here. Generally the dealer will offer a little less because they have to service and prep the car before they sell it. 

Keep our estimate in mind as somewhere to start really. And also, don't to get fixated on what is being offered for your car, but rather the cost to change. And remember to shop around! 

I hope this helps,

Expert answer

Hi Justin,

It is important to use the right type of anti-freeze, though obviously you don't have to use BMW-branded stuff! Just note down the specifications from the manual and pick some up at a motor factors or service station.

We would always recommend that you top up fluids for yourself before bringing a car to be serviced, as some garages charge a fixed fee for topping up an item like anti-freeze regardless of how much they use.

I'm assuming of course that you're talking about topping up the system rather than draining it and re-filling. That's probably best left to the experts, as the system will require bleeding of air.

Make sure you mention the slow starting when you bring it in for your service and there's no harm in bringing it in early either.

Hope all that helps.

Expert answer

SIMI are the Society of the Irish Motor Industry and as such, buying from one of its members is the closest you can get to total security when buying a used car. Of course there are no guarantees when buying a used car but at least here you are getting a car that has gone through a thorough car history check, and the dealers also have signed up to SIMIs code of conduct so they are answerable to a higher power. 

A spokesperson for SIMI outlined some of the benefits of buying from a SIMI dealer. "SIMI have high membership standards. To become a member of SIMI the garage must pass an audit and inspection. The dealer must submit among other documentation a tax clearance certificate, proof of planning permission, and be nominated by 3 existing members. Should a dispute arise we have a standards department that will investigate the consumers complaint. The first step is mediation between the customer and the garage. If that does not resolve the issue we have an independent tribunal that is headed up by a former rights commissioner and also a consumer group. The tribunal decision is binding on the SIMI garage."

Cars from SIMI dealers tend to be better, but this is not to say that there are not good independent dealers who choose not to become members of the SIMI and pay their fees. There are good independent car history check websites around such as Cartell.ie and Motorcheck.ie and for a fee there are several layers of check you can do on these cars. So, no, we wouldn't say to avoid non-SIMI dealers, but SIMI dealers do come with some security as-standard. 

If you want to come back to us with an idea of your budget and needs, feel free and we will guide you a litte bit more.

Expert answer

Hi Patricia,

A total of 80,000 miles on a three-year old vehicles is indeed on the high side, but if the car was serviced properly then it shouldn't be a problem. If the garage or seller in question can show a full service history and if the price is right then I wouldn't be overly concerned - especially given that you don't plan to drive it a lot.

The issue is that once the car gets over 100,000 miles then the value of the car will decrease quite quickly and there will also be more repairs due because of natural wear and tear. If you only do about 10,000 miles per year then you should see three to four years of good service out of the Galaxy, but I must stress that this car must be perfect to begin with, with a full service record. 

I hope this helps

Expert answer

Hi Alan

The scrappage scheme has been good news and as you might have seen today SIMI is calling for an extension of this. Unless this happens, there would be no point in you getting a new car at the end of the year under scrappage because the €1,500 that you would get off this in the case of something like an Insignia would not be as much as you could lose eventually by buying a car later in the year. 

Sure enough, you could buy the Laguna and get €3,000 off. It isn't an awful car, but there really isn't anything remarkable about it and I personally wouldn't spend over €20,000 on one. I actually think the Renault Fluence is a better buy than the Laguna and it costs much less. It is a fine big car and really well equipped. 

However, with your budget we could do a whole lot better. Supposing that you get at least €1,000 for your Corsa, then you still have a generous budget. There is always the temptation to look at the German cars and as long as you realise that these can get pricey to service and run as they get older, they can be a great buy. 

You have a staggering amount of choice. For sheer ease of ownership I have noticed that Lexus IS models are really good value now. You can get a 2008 IS 220d for under €25k and that would be a pretty nice car to own. Here is an example. 

If you were buying new or almost new, this 2010 Subaru Legacy diesel is also within your budget. 

However, you could go a little larger and get yourself a 2007 BMW 520d. This example is from a main dealer and has tiny mileage and would be a really nice car to own. It has done just 20,000km and is an automatic too with a nice spec for just €28,000. I would find it very hard to pass up on this car to be honest. You could opt for one with a manual gearbox and get lower road tax, but to be honest, this is where my money would go.

I hope this helps