Should I go for a new Ford Fiesta EcoBoost?
Hi,
I am interested in buying the new Ford Fiesta EcoBoost 1.0-litre. I am an old age pensioner and badly need a reliable small car. Which car would you advise me to buy: the Fiesta Zetec or Fiesta Titanium? The road tax is cheap either way. I have a 2005 Skoda Octavia 1.4 petrol my local dealer said he would give me €4,400 trade in for. I don't know much about cars so any advice you give me would be appreciated. Or is there something else similar out there I should look at?
Thank you
Billy Mc Elligott (Tralee)Mar 2016 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Billy,
The Fiesta EcoBoost is a really sweet little car, lots of fun to drive, roomy and very frugal. It's a little difficult to know how reliable it will ultimately be in the long-term as the engine itself is a relatively new design and hasn't been around long enough for us to be able to tell exactly how robust it is. That said, Ford's quality record has been good of late, so I'd say it's a reasonably safe bet.
As for which model, it just depends on what your priorities are. A Titanium will have more standard equipment, but it may well be that there's a lot of extras that you simply won't need nor use, so you're probably better off going for the better value of the Zetec.
Other cars that are worth considering would be a Toyota Yaris, Mazda2 and Skoda Fabia. Hope that helps.
Relevant reviews:
How much to tax a Lexus GS 450h hybrid?
What is the annual road tax on the 2006 Lexus GS 450h? Is it based on CO2 or engine size? Do you get any benefit from the fact that it's hybrid?
William Grogan (Cork)Mar 2016 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi William,
Unfortunately not - all cars registered before Jan 1st 2008 are on the old engine capacity system so with a 3.5-litre engine you'll have to pay €1,808 a year in motor tax.
When does a car become exempt from tax?
When does a car become exempt from motor tax?
Patrick Mcnally (Mayo)Mar 2016 Filed under: classic cars
Expert answer
Hi Patrick,
There’s no such thing as a total exemption from motor tax, but when a car is 30 years old or older, it becomes eligible for (the slightly erroneously named) Vintage Tax, which is a flat rate of €56 a year.
Which folding hardtop convertible to go for?
I'm looking at hardtop convertibles and have narrowed my choice to a BMW 3 Series post-2007 or a Volvo C70. Then saw a 2001 SC430 Lexus - what's your opinion as regards tax/running/repair costs if I'm not a rich kid? Well-old kid really!
Liz
Liz Mitchell Mannion (Galway)Feb 2016 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Liz,
Get the BMW or Volvo – they’re practical, good to drive and at least reasonably economical. The Lexus would be, generally, more reliable than either, but the SC430 was an abomination of a car – big, heavy, not at all sporting and really awful to drive. Plus it has a 4.3-litre V8 engine so tax and fuel costs are extortionate.
Can I find identity of previous bike owners?
Can the motor taxation office reveal the identity of previous owners of vehicles? I bought a vintage motorcycle a few years ago, fixed it up, got a replacement logbook because its own was lost. A man saw it one day and thinks his father owned it years ago. He is interested in buying it back but he is not certain it's the same bike. How do we find out?
Patrick Mcnally (Mayo)Feb 2016 Filed under: logbook
Expert answer
Hi Patrick,
We asked vehicle check expert, Cartell.ie, for a steer on this one. Here's the response:
"Identities of previous owners have been covered by the rules on Data Protection for some time now and cannot be disclosed. Vehicle history check companies like Cartell do not hold this information either. In exceptional cases the Gardaí may assist or you can contact the VRU in Shannon for advice."
If a car has been off the road, is tax due?
My daughter has a SsangYong Rexton she has not been using, but did not declare it off the road. There is no road tax on it for about two years. She would like to sell the car. Would she be liable for the tax?
Wendy Quirke (Cork)Feb 2016 Filed under: taxation
Expert answer
Hi Wendy,
Um, I'm afraid you're into a bit of bother here. Since 2013 if a car is going to be taken off the road, you have to declare it in advance with a form available at all Garda stations. Failure to do so is quite a serious offence, and 'forgetting' won't be accepted as an excuse.
I hope you've got a good solicitor...
I'm struggling with buying a petrol car...
Hi,
Trying to buy a replacement for my 1999 Avensis and the scarcity of petrols and abundance of diesels on the market baffles me. I don't think it wise to buy diesel for my standard drive of eight miles to work and home and same six days a week with road trip round 300 miles just six times a year.
This is supposedly "economical" and "green driving" even though in London it costs more for a permit going into city with diesel car and trends in London have historically impacted directly on us in three to five years. I would love to know of a diesel car 2008-2011 (for cheap tax) with no necessary DPF that I have to worry about, or will I stick to petrol believing that in five years time petrol is a more saleable/popular engine than diesel is? Then there might be a hybrid to suit. Volkswagen, Japanese or any good 1.4+ hatch or saloon suggestions?
Thanks,
Pauline.
Pauline Anne Connor (Galway)Feb 2016 Filed under: petrol vs. diesel
Expert answer
Hi Pauline,
You're absolutely 100 per cent dead right - diesel is not for everyone and especially not for those with overall low mileages and short commutes. And as the recent emissions scandal has shown us, diesel exhaust can be staggeringly bad for your health.
As for finding a diesel without a DPF filter, I'm not sure you'll be able to. In order to meet the particulate emissions legislation under EuroV and EuroVI regulations you pretty much had to have one. Some people have, of course, removed the DPF to avoid maintenance issues, but then you're just spewing out a plume of highly carcinogenic soot particles as you drive...
So, I think your best bet is to go for a compact turbocharged petrol engine or, just maybe, a hybrid. The Toyota Prius would potentially be ideal for your daily drive, but could be a bit of an over-thirsty pain on that six-time-a-year longer journey. Try instead a car fitted with the Volkswagen Group's excellent 1.2-litre TSI turbo petrol engine (Golf or Skoda Octavia are the best ones), a Ford Focus with the 1.0 EcoBoost engine or maybe an Opel Astra 1.4 Turbo. Here are a few relevant reviews for you to consult:
Can you help me calculate import VRT?
Hello,
I'm about to register an imported car from NI. The model is not widely available in the Republic and therefore not listed on the Revenue VRT calculator so I have to complete a VRT estimate form myself, which involves calculating the 'ratio of UK to RoI price'. What exactly does this mean?
Thanks in advance.
John, Tralee
John Duggan (Tralee)Feb 2016 Filed under: importing
Expert answer
Hi John,
Basically it's what you do when you can't find an already-calculated Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) for your car. You look instead at similar models in the UK market, calculate an average and then calculate the difference between that and the average price for similar models in Ireland. Basically, it's a quasi-official guesstimate and Revenue has some helpful tips and hints here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/faqs-vrt.html
How much would VRT be on a Kia Optima?
Hi,
I am thinking of buying a Kia Optima in the UK. It costs approximately £14,000/£15,000. How much would the VRTcost?
The car will be brought to Ireland.
Thanks
Paul MC Namara (Cork. Ireland )Feb 2016 Filed under: VRT
Expert answer
Hi Paul,
I can't tell you as you won't get a final figure until you bring it to an NCT centre for assessment, and Revenue will give you the cost of the VRT. Anything I tell you is mere speculation, but if you want a very vague ballpark figure, a 2014 Optima will probably be judged to have an Irish Open Market Selling Price (and that's what Revenue will base its assessment on, not the price you pay in the UK) of around €24,000. With 136g/km CO2 emissions, that means you're in Band B2 for tax, so that means 19 per cent of OMSP, which works out at roughly €4,500.
But, please, don't take my word for it...
What is the best hybrid car to buy?
What is the best hybrid car to buy?
Kathleen Cleary (Thurles)Feb 2016 Filed under: choosing new car
Expert answer
Hi Kathleen,
The new Toyota Prius looks to be rather impressive, and with just 70g/km of CO2 it'll certainly be cheap to tax. We reckon you should probably look beyond the Prius though, to the new generation of plugin hybrids that can offer significantly longer electric-only range (as much as 50km) and which still have a petrol engine and a decent fuel tank for longer journeys. Have a look at the Volkswagen Golf GTE or Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV for example.