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Previously answered questions
Just moved to Ireland - need car insurance...
Hello,
I've just moved to Ireland and I will be staying here for about two years, which means I will have to apply for an Irish driving licence. I have a clean Malaysian driving licence, which is five years old. I am 36 years old and female, and I have a car insured in Malaysia that has never gone through any accident claim (knock on wood). I had driven in Malaysia for one year before moving to UK between 2015-2018, and in all those years I only drove when I went home for long holidays.
I have my eyes on a second hand 2012 Ford Focus 1.6 petrol (automatic). I live in a house with two large parking spaces. How much should I expect for first insurance? Or should I just settle on a 2010 1.0 Yaris instead? If I have a budget of €1,200 for first insurance, what's the best car I can get?
Thanks in advance!
Zura Adnan (Cork)
Apr 2019 Filed under: insurance
Private motor tax on a Ford Tourneo?
How much to tax a Ford Tourneo nine-seater privately?
KEVIN MCGUIRE (TULLAMORE)
Mar 2019 Filed under: taxation
Where to get 24-hour car insurance?
Where can I get insurance for 24 hours on importing a car from UK to Ireland?
Pat Kenirons (Ballinasloe)
Mar 2019 Filed under: insurance
Which new hybrid SUV to go for?
I am a disabled driver and use hand controls for the brake and accelerator. For the last 12 years I have driven a Honda Accord 2.0 petrol automatic. It has been a fantastic car and now has 260k km on the clock. I am looking for a higher vehicle, an SUV, and am looking at the Honda CR-V Hybrid, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and the Volkswagen Tiguan (I could wait for the hybrid later in the year). I live in rural Ireland and handling on twisty roads is important and accelerating to pass slower moving cars on those all too few straight stretches of road. Is this a good shortlist, and if so, which would you recommend?
Robert Joyce (Clifden)
Mar 2019 Filed under: hybrid
Thoughts on the Subaru XV with CVT?
Hi,
Every so often I take it into my mind to change what is by now a seven-year-old car. And when I do a lot of questions come to mind and hence my recent questions on long term costs of hybrids (which seem to be taking over the market) and on the Hyundai Santa Fe. The latter I wouldn't really have considered, except I was in a dealership and was very taken by it.
But on mature reflection, the cost of changing simply can't be justified. Recently I came across material on the Subaru XV 1.6, which hadn't been on my radar, but which seems on paper to have a lot going for it. But I'm rather concerned about the CVT gearbox. There's an American mechanic on YouTube who seems very experienced who argues that this technology has yet to prove its long-term reliability and that after 60k miles (sic) they can give rise to problems. Even Toyota, with its claim to excellence, has recently done a recall in the States to replace the transmission.
Secondly, also there are conflicting views on whether the engine might be described as gutless. Anyway, that's where my researches have got me and I would very much welcome your views.
Thanks in advance
Philip
Philip Donegan (Ballina)
Mar 2019 Filed under: reliability
Are pick-ups as comfortable as the Discovery?
Hi,
Read your article about commercial vehicles with interest. Just wondering how these crew cab pick-ups would compare to the Land Rover Discovery Commercial. As a daily driver that is. Are the refinement levels of the Discovery still far beyond these?
Thanks
David Mulvany (Navan)
Mar 2019 Filed under: commercial vehicle
How much VRT on an imported VW T-Roc?
Hi there,
I am looking to buy a VW T Roc in the UK for £20,000. It is registered in 2019 so wouldn’t have to pay VAT in the UK or here, but wondering what I would have to pay in VRT? It is 1.6 TDI.
Thanks.
Richard O H (Kk)
Mar 2019 Filed under: VRT
Looking at importing a Porsche 911...
Hi!
I’m looking in to getting a Porsche 911. I’m interested in the 997.2 released in 2009. They’re going for about £30,000 at the moment, but I’m worried VRT will make them really pricey. In Ireland at the moment there’s a massive €20,000 difference in price between a 2008 and 2009 model because of fewer issues after the facelift that year and cheaper road tax. And I have a feeling this will massively impact VRT figures. What rule of thumb would you apply here and what steps could be taken to minimise getting a shock bringing the car in?
Andreas Eriksson (Rush)
Apr 2019 Filed under: importing
My Mercedes GLC seems to bottom out!
I have a 2016 Mercedes GLC 220d 4Matic. I love the car but I find that, with an adult or two in the back, the suspension feels very soft and even feels like it bottoms out on hitting even a slight undulation on a good road. Are these cars noted for soft suspension? Please give me your opinion. It is under warranty and I took it to a Merc dealer yesterday where I bought it, but I think he was trying to fob me off and said he couldn't find fault with it.
Gary Butler (Athlone)
Apr 2019 Filed under: comfort
Have you a list of all the hybrids in Ireland?
Do you have a list of hybrids?
Thanks
Tony O'Brien (Shankill, Dublin 18)
Feb 2019 Filed under: hybrid
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