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Hello David, 

In short - no. Anyone importing pays the same rate of VRT. 

Revenue has a full guide explaining VRT here. 

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Hi Irene,

We're a little surprised that those two cars are being compared, as the Avensis Tourer is quite a bit more expensive than the Grand Mégane. To buy new anyway.

Because of the price gap it should be no surprise that the Avensis is a better car. It feels of higher quality and has a great reputation for reliability.

Still, don't dismiss the Mégane just yet. Although the Renault is technically a smaller class of car, the Grand Mégane is huge inside and the boot is not a lot smaller than the Toyota's (491 litres vs. 543).

The Renault is crammed with equipment as standard too, especially if you opt for the new 'Irish Edition'. It's also cheaper to run than the Toyota and there are Band A versions of the Mégane available so annual road tax could be cheaper.

In summary, if your decision is based on value, running costs and price then the Renault wins, but if those are not your priorities then the Avensis is a better car.

If you need more information please do come back to us.

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Hi Pat,

For a start, looking at the prices of 1998 Avensis models, you would most likely be better off going with the scrappage scheme. You can get €3,360 off the price of a new Corolla, which is much more than you could hope to get for either selling your 1998 Avensis privately or trading it in against an older second-hand model. The cheapest new Corolla you can get is from €17,775 with scrappage.

If you decided on a 2007 or 2008 model then you might get €2,000 for your 1998 Avensis. The 2008 Corolla diesel would cost you €14,750 and a 2007 model would cost you €11,995 or perhaps €9,995 with your Avensis. Obviously these are our estimates on values. 

The choice depends on your budget, but if you want to keep your overall costs down then I think the 2008 model would probably be your best bet because you would avail of the new tax system and you could perhaps sell a 2008 model on again easier. If you have access to the money though, you might just want a brand new car! 

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Hi Emma,

I know this might seem like an obvious answer, but I would have thought that a main VW dealer would be your best bet. There are a number of 2005/2006 models on sale at the moment with varying prices, although obviously it doesn't need to be a main Volkswagen dealer as most outlets should be happy to take your Golf as a trade-in. 

Here is a Touareg 3.0-litre TDI with a V6 engine with 60,000 miles on the clock listed at €17,900. Depending on the condition of your GTI you might get offered between €4,000 - €5,000 for the car so you would need a balance of around €13,000 - €14,000 by our best guess. Bear in mind that the road tax on the Touareg would be over €1,300 per year. 

I hope this helps! 

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Hi Chloe,

The fact that you really seem to like your car would signify that perhaps you should simply change to the 1.7-litre diesel SXi version of your car and save yourself a few quid in the process. You will probably get around €11,000 - €11,500 for your car at current market prices, but that should leave you well placed to replace it with a diesel model without too much trouble.

There weren't too many SXI models in Ireland with diesel engines but there do appear to be a few Vauxhalls imported with this spec that might work for you unless you had any particular objections to driving a Vauxhall over an Opel. 

You could have a diesel version for in and around the same money so perhaps you could even get into a slightly newer model if you were prepared to invest a few more quid, but since money saving seems to be the aim here then maybe just swap into a diesel. 

Aside from that you could perhaps look at getting a Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion, which is incredibly fuel efficient. This would make a great buy for you really and something like this would be very cheap to run. 

I hope this helps,

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Hi Ronan,

We asked Ciaran Lowe, a former service manager for Nissan Ireland, to answer this one. He told us. "I can understand your reasoning for removing the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) because of the excessive cost of replacement. However, the DPF on diesel vehicles plays an important roll in reducing vehicle emissions. In fact these filters can reduce diesel soot emissions by up to 80 percent, so by removing the DPF it is interfering with the emissions on your vehicle. By re-mapping the ECU it is only tricking the engine management  system to see emissions within spec regarding the DPF system. However even with the ECM re-mapped the vehicle will still fail any future emissions tests. The fact your light is on indicates the system has identified out of range emissions."

I'm afraid the best solution all-round is to seek a used DPF filter.

We've talked to a few people in the industry and short of messing with the actual lights in the dashboard there is no way around this. We can't recommend this route, but it could be done by any auto electrician.

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Hi Jerome,

I have been on the wrong side of buying 'cheap' premium cars and thinking that I was very clever and to be honest it isn't that clever at all. Once things start to go wrong with some of the German models they can end up costing you an arm and a leg. That might not necessarily be the case with the Lexus IS, which, despite all the bad press the company has had of late, are incredibly reliable. 

However, if you are at all worried about running costs then there is a lot to be said for buying something new, say like an Opel Astra and getting three years of free servicing.

Come back to us if you need some help choosing.

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Hi Mairead,

I guess it depends on how bad your Ibiza is. You will generally get a better deal as a cash buyer, but it will also probably cost you money to get rid of your Ibiza if you bring it to a scrap yard. Sadly you don't qualify for scrappage. but there are lots of good offers around, especially from the likes of Renault, who will give you a great scrappage price on a car eight years old or over. You could have any Renault Mégane within your budget. We recently drove the GT Line version of the Mégane and it looks great with tons of equipment including a built in TomTom navigation system. 

The Mazda3 diesel is €19,995 and you get air conditioning, Bluetooth, cruise control and alloy wheels as standard and it is a cracker of a car. I think given your budget that this would be an excellent choice. It has low emissions too, so annual road tax is just €104. 

Feel free to come back to us if any of these suggestions don't work. 

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Hi Gerard,

That is a bit of a hard one. To be honest I would probably be looking in the direction of a pick-up truck and a Mitsubishi L200 would be the one I would go for with your budget. You would have to add a cover or find one with one, but something like this could really work.

Or if you needed a van, then this Renault Master could be ideal. It is within your budget and has lots of seats!