CompleteCar
Search Ask Us Anything
Showing 591 - 600 results (out of a total of 609) found for "vat" in Ask Us Anything

How much is my 2003 VW Golf worth?

How much should I get for a trade-in of my VW Golf 1.9 TDI, 2003 reg with two years' NCT and 175,000 miles on the clock?

Trevor Friffin (Limerick)

Jan 2011 Filed under: used car values

Expert answer

Hi Trevor,

You are probably likely to be offered around €3,500 - €3,900 for you car. You could try and sell your car privately for around €4,300. 

I hope this helps.


What are average prices for the 2007 Toyota Corolla and Avensis?

How much can I expect to pay for a 2007 Toyota Corolla or Avensis without a trade-in? 

Martina Watson (Longford)

Nov 2010 Filed under: used car values

Expert answer

Hi Martina,

You can expect to pay from around €9,250 to €14,950 for a Corolla of varying mileage. Wipe about €800-€1,000 off this for a cash deal if you push hard. 

You will pay €8,945 for a high mileage Avensis diesel at one end or as much as €17,000 for a low mileage example. These prices are all from SIMI dealers. You might pay less for a private car or from an independent dealer. These prices are at extreme ends of condition and mileage too. 

Again, perhaps take €800 - €1,000 off these for cash buying. There is always the chance a dealer hasn't a lot of 'value' in a car so might offer less, so shop around!


How much is our Ford Focus worth?

Hi,

We have a 2005 Ford Focus 1.4 petrol with 114,000km on the clock. The car has alloys, a sun roof and cruise control. I wonder what is the approximate value of this car, please.

Regards, Donal O'Shea

Donal O'Shea (Midleton)

Oct 2010 Filed under: used car values

Expert answer

Hi Donal,

If you were to sell the car privately it would be wise to advertise it at about €6,800 and be prepared to take about €6,500. You may get perhaps a little more than this if you trade in the car against a new car or newer used car at a dealership.

This is an approximate figure, but it will give you a ballpark I hope.


A new estate with a diesel engine and four-wheel drive?

I want to buy a new station wagon with a diesel engine, automatic transmission and four-wheel drive. There seem to be very few options, e.g the Volvo XC70, which is too expensive. Can you recommend any alternatives?

Pat Norris (Clonakilty)

Oct 2010 Filed under: choosing new car

Expert answer

Hi Pat,

This is a very particular car that you are looking for, but thankfully there are some options for you without spending the sort of money that you would need for a Volvo XC70. For a start you could choose something from the Audi range, which has some Avant models with quattro all-wheel drive. You could have an Audi A4 allroad quattro, which could be just about right for what you need as it has a good 2.0-litre diesel engine and has an elevated ride height so it can cope with the odd muddy field. It is a handsome thing too. This starts at €45,400 and while it isn't very well known it is a cracking car.

A cheaper option but along the same lines would be the Skoda Octavia Scout, which has a 140hp diesel engine, a decent 4x4 system and loads of luggage space. The emissions are a little high though, at 173g/km, which makes it Band E in terms of road tax. 

Another really good choice would be the Subaru Outback, which comes with a superb 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine and all-wheel drive. Subaru is really talented at making this sort of vehicle and I've driven this car and really rate it. It has 150hp, 350Nm of torque and it still comes with reasonable emissions of 156g/km, putting it in motor tax Band D. There is no automatic option for this car though, so that perhaps rules it out for you. 

If you could cope without an automatic transmission then the Subaru would be the best buy, but I guess the Audi with quattro in an A4 Avant is your best choice. However, you are going to have difficulty with the A4 allroad in terms of you cannot have an automatic in the 2.0-litre TDI it seems, only in the 2.0-litre FSI petrol or the 3.0-litre TDI. 

Hope that helps anyway


What will I replace my Mitsubishi L200 with?

Hi,

I am driving a Mitsubishi L200 pick-up, but I am thinking of changing. I like the height of the driving position, but I am looking for lower tax and a diesel engine that's more economical. Any suggestions?

Marie Finucane (Clare)

Sep 2010 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Marie,

We had a chat on the phone to get more information and now know that you would prefer to sell the L200 privately and use the cash to buy your next vehicle, so your budget is about €10,000 - €12,000.

The difficulty in getting something with height is that the SUVs going back a few years tended to be diesel with fairly large engines, so before 2008 these engines were in some cases cheaper to tax than they are now. Emissions were higher, but you were charged - as you are probably aware - for the size of your engine. I'm sure you don't want to get landed with a high road tax bill per year, but we will explore some options. 

The first is a 2004 Toyota RAV4. There is a model in a dealership in Louth, which I realise is quite far from you, but this diesel model is a beaut and is at a SIMI dealer so this brings with its some safeguards. This RAV4 is under €10,000 and has low mileage, though is going to cost €823 to tax each year. 

The Kia Sportage fiesel would be a great little buy for you. This small SUV has proven to be very reliable and very well liked by owners. This one in Cork is a little over your budget, but as a cash buyer I would think you could bargain down the asking price of €13,900. 

A car that you might not have thought of, but I have always rated as a good little car, is the Fiat Sedici. This small SUV has four-wheel drive, a diesel engine and is cheap to buy and run. We found a 2009 model in Laois with just 23,000 miles on the clock and the asking price is just €11,750. This would be a nice little runabout and it still retains some of the height of the SUV. This will cost you €447 per year to tax. 

Another good choice, although the annual tax will be the same as the RAV4's, is the Nissan X-Trail. This is a really nice example from 2005 that has a 2.2-litre diesel engine and would be a nice vehicle to own. Again, if you couldn't cope with the high annual road tax then it might not be the best option for you. 

I'd be inclined, if it were me, to buy that RAV4, as it would be a nice vehicle to own. 

I hope this helps!


What are the costs of importing a used car from the UK?

Hi there,

Can you tell me if VRT is the only additional cost to buying a car in the UK or is there also VAT to be paid?

Also, how accurate is the Revenue's online VRT calculator?

Regards

Ray

Ray Owens (Enfield)

Aug 2010 Filed under: importing

Expert answer

Hi Ray,

VRT is the only charge you have to pay (aside from transportation costs) when you import a car from the UK because once VAT has been paid on an item in the EU it cannot be paid again. As regards the accuracy of the online calculator I would say that it can be hit and miss but this can both work for or against you. 

VRT is calculated as a percentage of the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) and this is pretty much estimated by Revenue based on what cars are selling for and some other combinations that only it seems to know the answers to!

Sometimes the prices can be really high and sometimes they can be thankfully low. You do have the right to appeal a VRT price if you feel it is unduly high. Certainly the calculator will give you a good idea of what you will pay and as such is the same system that a VRT office official will use. From there, they may decide to start charging you for any optional extras that there are on the car and they now have better access to this information. 

Full details of the charges associated with VRT can be found here

Take the estimate as a guide price, but be prepared to have to spend a little bit more if your car is subject to a full inspection. 

I hope this helps


Why are cars a rip-off in Ireland?

My question is: why are cars in Ireland a rip-off compared to the rest of the world? I live in the USA and just bought a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe top-of-the-line model with leather, navigation, Onstar system and many more items for just $21,000.

Hyundai changes a few things on each of its models every year. The Santa Fe in Ireland has been the same since the model was realesed in 2007. Why are the specs so bad in Irish cars? And why are the people putting up with it? Who makes the decision to sell cars like that in Ireland?

The cars in the UK are much better spec wise. If you look at people carriers, the options in Ireland are so small and silly. Take a look at the new 2011 Toyota Sienna. It is a very nice car. Why can Irish people not get these kinds of cars?

Thanks, Raymond

RAYMOND FINUCANE (USA)

Aug 2010 Filed under: taxation

Expert answer

Hello Raymond,

One word: tax. The United States and our near neighbours the UK aren't subject to anything like the taxation that we are when it comes to cars. The base price of our cars before you add VAT and Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) have always been among the lowest in Europe. But when you add the taxes obviously the cars start becoming expensive. 

But also, because these taxes are also on optional extras (including safety features) then car distributors often have to bring in very basic versions so that the ordinary buyer can afford them. Hence, items that you would normally see as standard in other markets have often been taken out, even if this is something like ESP, which is a life-saving safety device. 

Those selling the cars have to do this because of how much of the car's value is going to the Government coffers. It has long been an issue in Ireland and one that the EU have taken a strong interest in too, because it sees it as double taxation on an item, which is against EU law. 

There are also other issues in relation to strengths of currencies at any given time and also that the USA has a manufacturing supply, so specific US-built cars are sold there and aren't treated as imported vehicles. Of course the US is a massive market and hence economies of scale come into play, where as Ireland is a tiny market in comparison.

Prices have come down here because at least now cars are taxed on their CO2 emissions and not their engine size, which was the case until July 2008 and made little sense. It meant that nobody bought diesel cars but instead bought small, underpowered petrol ones instead. 

With petrol (or should I say 'gas') much cheaper in the US, it has always been easier to buy V6, V8 or even V12 petrol cars there too.

Obviously it isn't ideal for us here in Ireland, but in Europe there are many countries just like us, including Denmark, Norway and Portugal so we are not alone. Just count yourself lucky that you are buying in the US!

I hope this answers your question.


How much should it cost to replace a head gasket?

How much would it cost to have a head gasket replaced in a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe diesel?

Regards, John

John Dunne (Dublin)

Aug 2010 Filed under: servicing

Expert answer

Hi John,

We contacted Hyundai direct and the cost of the parts required - assuming nothing else needs to be done of course - is €250 plus VAT of course. Hyundai quotes about nine hours of labour. The actual hourly rate will vary from garage to garage so try to get a fixed quote before you get the work done. With head gaskets there's always the possibility of other work required too, such as skimming the head.

Hope that helps,


Which small car will have the best resale value?

Hi,

We're looking at changing my wife's car for something smaller as our daughter is learning to drive. The car is a 2002 Volvo S60 (2.0T petrol, tax €600) and from talking to dealers will be hard to sell privately or get over €2k trade-in.

We were thinking of going for a Skoda Combi (1.2T petrol, €105 tax), but are concerned with resale value. Other smaller cars (e.g. Ford Fiesta, VW Polo) are more expensive, offer less kit and space, but might have better resale values in five years. Any thoughts of suggestions on what to do, or go for?

Pat Rowan (Dublin)

Aug 2010 Filed under: choosing new car

Expert answer

Hello Pat,

As a trade-in it would probably be accurate enough to assume that your Volvo would be worth about €2,000, although you might get a little more if you sold it privately.

When you say the Skoda Combi I am assuming that you mean the Fabia Combi, which is Skoda's small estate model. It is indeed a nice little car, but perhaps something of an odd-ball and it might not be the best car to choose if you are focusing on resale value. 

There is really only one car that stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to residual value in the small car segment and that is the Volkswagen Polo. If you look back at the classifieds you will notice that these command a used price significantly higher than any other car in the class, so if you are buying with a view to the car being worth something in five years, this is where you should be putting your money.

It isn't necessarily the best car in the segment though - for us the Fiesta would claim that particular title. There is no doubt that if your budget is restricted then you won't get a Polo with tons of equipment thrown in and it might be shorter on power than some of its rivals, but I'd go for a 70hp 1.2 Comfortline Polo in a safe colour (silver, black or red) and you will get decent money for this car in five years time.

I hope this helps


I need a mid-sized family car for about 10,000km a year

Hi there,

I need to buy a mid-sized family car that has to do me for about five years. Both my wife and I cycle to work so it would be in the driveway most of the time though I'd say we still clock up about 10,000 km a year.

My budget is between €9,000 and €10,000 and I was hoping to buy a 2007 car. I had been looking at the Ford Focus diesel estate as it is economical, roomy and decent to drive, but any out there in my price range tend to have a lot of miles on the clock.

I'm now looking at petrol Jettas, which are nice cars but the fuel economy concerns me as I know petrol cars are falling out of favour. Any advice?

Mark

Mark Jordan (Dublin)

Aug 2010 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

Thank you for contacting us. I can understand your dilemma in that you are going to be using your car quite sparingly, but you need it to be something that can last a long time. We know from speaking to you since that you have a Ford Focus that you might sell privately or hope to get around €2,000 for as a trade-in, so given that your budget is around €10,000, which is decent enough.

I take your point on the Ford Focus diesel estates. They tend to have quite hard lives as many are bought by business users more so than private individuals and they often have mega miles on them and hence can be tatty. They also often have the older 1.8-litre diesel, which is a bit of a tractor to be honest.

You mention that you are going to be keeping this car for about five years, so as such I wouldn't worry too much about whether petrol cars are falling out of favour because your used car is unlikely to be worth a whole lot in five years with another 50,000km on the clock.

You don't really do a lot of miles per year anyway, so running a petrol car might not end up being too expensive. Also you could perhaps look at buying something with slightly higher mileage (as long as it is diesel) because these cars would be well able to put up with your low mileage. For example, you mentioned the Volkswagen Jetta, which is a fine car. You could have a diesel version, with slightly more mileage, for well within your price range. Here is one from a SIMI dealer for €8,900.

I would be inclined to go for a VW Golf with your budget. You could have a 2005 model with low mileage for €9,000. This one here caught our eye. It comes from a main dealer and will have a good warranty. These cars will put up with lots of mileage and are also likely to hold their value well. This example would still have lots of life left in it after 50,000km and might actually be worth a few quid too.

I hope this helps. Come back to us by adding comments below if you want to discuss this further.


-->