Michael McAleer answers your questions
From Damien Bennett:
I'm thinking of bringing in a Lotus Elise from England. It's from 2002 with a value of £14,500 (€21,300) and 22,000 miles on the clock.
Is Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) the only tax I would have to pay and if so, how much would it be? I can't find it on the Revenue website.
The Revenue website seems to only deal with mainstream models and unfortunately Lotus doesn't qualify. According to a spokeswoman from the Revenue Commissioners your 2002 Lotus Elise would be valued at between € 25,000 and €33,000, depending on condition. The Vehicle Registration Tax is 25 per cent of this value (for cars of 1401 to 1900 cc). That amounts to between €6,250 and €8,250, as I'm sure you have worked out.
The key fact to remember when importing a car is that the tax payable is not based on the price you paid for the car; rather it's on a price - estimated by the Revenue - for which the car would be on sale here. This is known as the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP). In this instance it is between €25,000 and €33,000 and not the €21,300 you will pay for the car.
You can find more details at your local vehicle registration office or online at revenue.ie
From Jim Cahill:
The user manual that came with my new diesel-engined car says to use only low sulphur diesel. However, I can only see Shell identifying their diesel as low sulphur. Is it safe to assume that all the other brands are low sulphur also?
The vast majority of diesel now sold on Irish forecourts is of the low sulphur variety. It's just that Shell have made the most of it in the publicity. Certainly the diesel sold on Esso and Maxol forecourts is of the low sulphur variety and has been that way for several years.
From Paul O Connor:
Do you have any timescale as to when the new Mercedes C-Class is debuting and when it will be available in Ireland?
Some sources say the debut will be the Paris Motor Show in September 2006, others Geneva 2007. I own a 2004 C-Class and wish to change it. I like the new BMW 3-Series but may regret changing to same if the new C-Class will be here shortly. Any updates you may have would be appreciated.
According to Mercedes, the new C-Class will not be on the market until autumn of next year, with plans to debut at the Geneva motor show in February. As to claims that it will "leave the competition standing" the jury is still out on that. Mercedes has a lot of ground to cover in this segment.
From BD, Co Dublin:
I've just bought a rather expensive new car and while I'm proud of my new purchase, friends have been warning me about the possible security risks. Someone mentioned that I should consider getting a tracking device fitted. Is it worthwhile?
It's a dilemma faced by many new owners. The problem is that while the latest car security systems make it increasingly difficult for thieves to steal cars by hotwiring them, the determined ones are now breaking into houses to get the keys. Perhaps the next stage is fitting a tracking device. That way it should be possible to recover the vehicle, if stolen. The prices for such devices vary from €600 to over €1,000, with annual fees of between €120 and €400.
You can opt for a simple tracking device that will text you when your car is on the move, or a 24-hour security service that will phone you and the Garda if the car is driven while the device is switched on.
Thieves are wary of tracker devices on expensive cars these days and often park them up for a few days to see if they are reclaimed. We have come across one instance where a car was stolen three times in a year and on every occasion it was recovered by the Garda thanks to its tracking device.
Trackers are not foolproof. The signal can be blocked. However, they do offer peace of mind, particularly when you consider that many of the more expensive cars are destined for export. If they go to the bother of stealing such an expensive car they are unlikely to damage it, and in the majority of these cases the cars are returned without a scratch. Also, insurance companies are usually willing to take tracking devices into account when quoting you a premium.
For those concerned about security, it's worth checking a vehicle's security rating. One of the most respected assessments is carried out by Thatchams and the results for nearly every model are available online at thatcham.org/security
Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, D'Olier St, Dublin 2 - or e-mail motorshelp@irish-times.ie