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Hi Mark,

OK, we’ve found a few cars that meet both your budget and your small engine requirement, and can pretty easily handle the hack to Ennis and back.

All small car searches should start with a Fiat 500 — looks cool, is fun to drive, costs buttons to run and no they’re not unreliable.

Want something a bit more conventional? You should be able to track down a 2009-ish Ford Fiesta with the 1.25 engine. Terrific all-rounder.

If you want something cheaper to run, there’s the Kia Picanto (circa 2010),  which has a peppy enough 1.0 to be able to cope with the Ennis run.

Or finally a Toyota Yaris, with that brilliant 1.0 VVTi engine, would make a hugely sensible choice, but you’ll have to go for an older one to stay on budget — 2008 or thereabouts. 

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Hi Margaret,

If you’re looking for the new-shape Defender, there aren’t really any used examples around, although if you shop about you might track down a pre-registered, or dealer-demo model. As for the original Defender, they are VERY thin on the ground right now, not least because they’ve become a bit of an investment, with values firming, even rising, since the model went out of production. We have found a few here on Carzone.ie, but as we say, there aren’t that many available right now.

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Hi Dennis,

There are a couple of high-performance car specialist insurers such as TopInsure and Martins Insurance, but you’re always going to pay big for a car such as that in Ireland, sadly. Always a good idea to track down a good broker, too, as they can sometimes get access to deals that mere mortals cannot.

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Hi Margaret,

In theory, as a disabled driver, you’re allowed to be exempted from, or able to receive a rebate of, both VRT and VAT on a new car purchase, and the VAT on any costs of conversion to suit your needs. However, right now while the tax relief scheme is not suspended, the issuing of Primary Medical Certificates is — thanks to a high court ruling that has thrown the system that assess people for PMCs into confusion. It’s hoped that the scheme will be back on track soon, but the short answer is that we don’t know when that will be.

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Hi Tony,

As far as we are aware, only the items that failed the van in the first test will be re-checked, though of course, if a tester notices the ABS light, it might fail on that. And at the end of the day, the van's roadworthiness is your responsibility, so you really should get the ABS sorted, regardless of passing the test.

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Hi David,

OK, this one could be a bit of a problem. We’ve asked Mercedes about this but so far no-one there has been able to track down a correct or reliable figure. The problem is that the law states "If satisfactory evidence of NOx emissions cannot be provided the following maximum charges will apply: For Diesel vehicles that is €4,850.” Which is a lot of money.

If the car comes with an original certificate of conformity (unlikely) then the NOx figure may well be on that, but it was not a figure that many took much notice of in the nineties. Perhaps the best bet would be to wait until 2023, when the car will be 30 years old and then you can import it as a classic?

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Hi Abel,

Well, the tracks are actually always turning, driven by a chain, but when approaching steps, the wheelchair user presses a button to lower the tracked wheels, which then take over until up or down the steps.

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Hi Catherine,

You’ll probably get a very broad mix of quotes. Some companies will like the fact that you’re an older driver, with a relatively low-powered car, and assess you accordingly. Many others will simply look at your lack of an Irish driving history (and won’t take your Canadian history into account) and will simply try to charge you an absolute fortune.

Our advice would be to track down a good local insurance broker, who may well be able to help you find a better deal than you’d find yourself. Criteria? That would be expecting the Irish insurance industry to be open and transparent, and that’s simply not going to happen...

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Hi Mike,

Unfortunately, Revenue and the VRT process are inexplicably cruel in this regard. You have to pay the money before you appeal, but the good news is that more than 50 per cent of appeals are successful. It would be helpful to find some expert in Japanese vehicles (and I would suggest tracking down a garage that imports them regularly) to give you their opinion on the value, as Revenue is legendarily awful at coming up with reasonable values for unusual cars.

As for the NOx charge, I would ask for a statement in writing from the VRT/NCT office that you brought the car for inspection before January, but were told to come back afterwards. That might (emphasis on the might) get that waived when you make your appeal.

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Hi Aime,

As ever, welcome to the wonderful world of Irish car insurance… You’re totally within your rights to be able to use a van as a private car, and actually you’re doing the right thing by registering it for private use, and informing your insurer. Many people just break the law by driving a commercial for private use without ever paying the extra tax or informing their insurer. If you’re struggling to find cover, I would track down a good local broker — they’re usually much more clued into the market than the call-centre staff of insurance firms, and can often find deals that we mere mortals can’t.