Michael McAleer helps readers with their motoring problems
I'm trying to buy a car but I've a feeling I may get ripped off. What's the best way to approach the car adverts and what do I do when I meet these people? I've seen too many movies about car salesmen and heard too many stories about being stuck with a lemon and a phoney number and address.
- Philip Langan, Dublin
First off, compare the price you are being offered with the adverts for the same model with similar mileage. Try to get a good feel of the segment you are in and the cars on offer for your price. Maybe the car you think you can afford is actually the worst in its bracket and you could afford to move up the market, if you'll take on a higher mileage.
As for purchase, while you can go for dealer or auction, we take it from your email you are probably going for the private market. But be warned. It is not simply private on the market. A significant number of those advertising in classifieds from "home" can actually be dealers operating without the expenses (and responsibilities) of garages or guarantees. If the contact number is a mobile phone and the address is hard to pin down, be aware that there may not be a private owner to come back to if you have been sold a banger. However, don't be scared. Most private sales are genuine motorists preferring to sell privately than lose money trading in.
You are now in a good position to buy second-hand. With the massive upsurge in new car sales over recent years, the second-hand market is pretty full of quality used cars at great prices.
I make two or three journeys to Dublin from Galway a week and I constantly feel tired during my trips. I've avoided any serious accidents but I've had one or two near misses. Are there any tips to avoid dosing off behind the wheel, apart from taking time off during the trip, which only adds to the length of the trip.
- Jane Gallagher, Galway
It may sound patronising but it's better to rest for a while on the way, than for a long time in a hospital bed. While fatigue is very difficult to identify in motor accidents, research shows that 62 per cent of fatigue-related crashes or near crashes occurred when drivers had driven for less than two hours, often on everyday trips near home where most driving is done. So your trips to Dublin are not necessarily the only times you are at risk.
While we don't know what you do for a living, or if you get enough sleep (sorry for sounding like your father) but falling asleep at the wheel is reckoned to account for up to 20 per cent of accidents, especially on long journeys on trunk roads and motorways.
Danger times are between midnight and 6 am, when the "body clock" is in a daily trough. Another risk time is between 2 pm and 4pm. So, plan the journey well in advance and schedule stops at regular intervals. Also, stop for a 15-minute break every two hours on a long journey, and drink a cup of strong coffee followed by a short nap.
In the first study of its kind, Loughborough Sleep Research Centre looked at energy drinks such as Red Bull. The research revealed that half an hour after ingesting 250 ml of the energy drink there was a marked decline in the number of driving incidents associated with sleepiness. This improvement lasted up to 90 minutes.
I live in the city centre and run my own business. I've seen a piece in your paper about Smart cars in Italy and I've been told they are a big hit in London as well, and they're great for advertising. Are there any dealers for the small Smart cars in Dublin?
- John Mitchell, Dublin
Yours is far from the first letter we have received on the topic. Every few weeks we receive a letter or email about Smart cars. We're taking the opportunity to answer yours because we spoke with Debbie Hull from Smart at the Birmingham Motor show last week who told us that Isaac Agnew Ltd in Belfast has been appointed the dealer/distributor in Northern Ireland. However, there is still no distributor or dealer in the Republic. So, if you want one, you have to either import it yourself from Britain or the North, or get a friendly dealer to do it for you.