Expert answer

Hi Liliana,

Right, you need to be quite careful here. There's a lot of fly-by-night "we buy cars for cash" types out there who will give you a pittance, not destroy the car properly and then leave you with a massive headache when the motor tax office asks you to provide a certificate of destruction. 

So, the best thing to do is first of all to declare the car as off the road. You can do this by filling in a form that you can download from the Department Of Environment website.

Next, find yourself a reputable vehicle recycler. I'd try starting with a major firm such as Thornton's, but the basic rule of thumb if they don't have a landline number and only provide you with a mobile, then walk away. 

Now, the law says that you're not allowed to be charged for disposing of your vehicle as long as it's complete when you hand it over. Making money on it is another matter entirely. A recycler may well offer you something if there are useable parts on the car, but it will vary from firm to firm. 

If you're determined to make money on it, then your best bet could be a cheap classified ad to try and sell the car for spares and parts.

Expert answer

Hi Simon,

OK, for that kind of budget you have a wealth of options, new and used. How about a new MINI Cooper S 2.0-litre? Massive fun to drive, affordable to run (it'll do 50mpg and costs just €290 a year to tax) and they're really well built. Better yet, a brand new one starts at €27k so you have plenty left over for insurance, extras and servicing.

Not practical enough? How about the best hot hatch around at the moment then? The Volkswagen Golf GTI? Your budget just about gets a new one, but it'll be pretty basic. Better to go for nearly-new; get one with a bit of spec and make sure it has the optional Performance Pack fitted - it turns a brilliant car into a gob-smacking one.

Expert answer

Hi Ashline,

A tough call this one. Your annual mileage isn't really enough to tip you over into diesel territory, and the Corolla is likely to be the more reliable of the two cars. That said, the Passat would be much more comfy and cosseting on the journey and it costs €180 a year less to tax.

So I guess if comfort is your priority, get the Volkswagen. If it's reliability, go for the Corolla, which will probably also work out the cheaper of the two to run overall.

Expert answer

Hi Kevin,

We've done a bit of digging into this and... there is no good answer. As a general rule of thumb, a USD$2 fall in the price of a barrel of oil should translate into a fall in the price at the pump of between 1.5c and 2c. Since June, the price of a barrel has fallen by, as you point out, USD$18 so where's our 18c cheaper litre of petrol? Answer: no-one's saying.

All the oil industry analysts are pointing to a weaker global price for crude oil, in spite of the recent and current turmoil in the Middle East. US reserve stocks are up, usage in China is down a little, all of which puts the price of oil under pressure. 

In fact, the price of a litre of petrol in the UK, which takes its feed from the same Brent Crude contract as us, has fallen by a few pence per litre recently, but in Ireland the price has actually gone up by 2c on average. Inflation? Nope, that's not the cause - the Central Statistics Office has inflation pegged at a lowly 0.4 per cent right now.

So, are the oil companies and distributors just gouging us? Possibly, yes. None of those contacted for an explanation deigned to respond, and there has been no increase in fuel duty nor carbon tax from the government side so the only logical explanation left is... yup, gouging.

All we can suggest is to do the usual - shop around and try and find the best price you can. There's no point in popping across the border, sadly - the UK's price of around STG£1.29 for a litre of petrol equates to around €1.64 and that's before bank transaction charges.

Come on Apple Green, Texaco, Maxol, Topaz et al; your input cost has fallen significantly. Why aren't we consumers getting the benefit?

Expert answer

Hi Shane,

Ok, if you want to trim your tax, then your best hope is to get into a much more compact car. I'd suggest trading down to a five-door hatchback, and seeing as you do such low mileage, I'd suggest going for petrol - you'll find it much less trouble than diesel. 

How about a Skoda Octavia 1.2 TSI petrol turbo? Near to diesel levels of economy but no diesel particulate filter (DPF) to worry about, Band B emissions so you'll pay just €280 to tax it and it's also nice to drive and damn near as spacious as your old Mondeo.

Expert answer

Hi Sharon,

Short answer - yes, the clutch is one of the few major reliability weak points on the RAV4. The gearshift was always a bit heavy, so ignore that, but if the clutch feels wrong or is making any untoward noises, it needs replacing. Of course, an automatic version would get you around that issue, and there's no tax penalty for the extra emissions - both versions will cost you €750 a year to tax. Generally speaking it's best to get the lower mileage car, but the rule, as ever, is to buy on condition and history, not mileage. If the higher miles car has been better cared for, it's the better option.

Expert answer

Hi Mary,

Here's the official bumpf from the Department of Transport:

"If your motor tax expires around this time, and you have not received your motor tax renewal notice in the post, it is likely that you enrolled for the electronic service when your vehicle was last taxed online and have now received your PIN by email. Issue of your renewal notice electronically ensures instant notification of your PIN and easy access to the PIN when required. Please check the email address supplied with that online transaction to retrieve your online PIN.

"If you have lost or misplaced your PIN, have yet to receive it, or have recently purchased a vehicle and wish to retrieve your PIN, you can access the 'PIN Retrieval' link on our homepage, submit the requested details and your pin will be emailed to you if your vehicle is eligible for online taxing.

"In the case of the first taxing of a brand new or imported vehicle, the PIN is the last six characters of your vehicle's chassis number as printed on your RF100 form. You should have received your RF100 form either from your Motor Dealer or the Revenue Commissioners."

Hope that covers it?

Expert answer

Hi Yi,

As ever, it depends on mileage, condition and history but the taxi thing does push values down a good bit, so I'd say you're looking at a value of between €3,500 and €4,500.

Expert answer

Hi Marcus,

For 2006 and 2007 (and up to July 2008) the BMW 320d was taxed according to its engine size, which is 1,995cc. That is currently €710 per year (€394 for six months or €200 for three months).

If the car was registered after July 2008 then it is taxed according to its CO₂ emissions. Our data shows us that should mean emissions of 128g/km for a manual 320d or 144g/km with an automatic gearbox. The annual tax disc costs for those is €270 and €390 respectively.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Sinead,

I'd say your best bet is to seek out a Skoda Yeti. Really cracking car, high quality and good to drive. All-wheel drive 4x4 ones are a bit thin on the ground, but look hard enough and you'll find them. Expect to pay between €17-20k for a nice example.