Michael McAleeranswers your questions
From F Wyse, Co Meath:
I have my eye on a couple of 2004 Mitsubishi Lancers, all under 40,000 miles and all in the 1.6-litre Comfort range.
My price limit is €14,000 and I hope to keep the car for as long as possible, so I am buying the newest model I can afford.
I drive around 12,000 miles per year but this may increase.
Will this car give me value for money? I currently drive a 1996 Mitsubishi Colt Gl 1.3-litre which has never given me trouble so I'd like another Mitsubishi.
It depends on the condition of the cars, but I would expect to pay less than €14,000 for a Lancer Comfort with 40,000 miles on the clock. I think you should be looking to get it for €12,000, though that may vary depending on the trade-in offered on your Colt. Remember, it's never really about the cost of your "new" car but rather the net cost of change.
Another reason for seeking a better price is that the manufacturer's warranty will have run out this year, along with the three-years' roadside assistance offered by Mitsubishi. If you are buying from a dealer, then be sure to get warranty cover from them added into the package. As you are planning to keep the car for some time, it's worth noting that a new Lancer is due for launch this year and that will impact on the resale value of your car. When it is launched, expect a significant number of 2004 models to hit the market. That's something you can also use to get the price down. The 2004 Lancer was never something to set pulses racing, but if you are happy with the brand, then it should not cause you problems.
From M Dunne, Clonsilla:
My wife needs to apply for her driving test for automatic transmission only, but I cannot see which licence to apply for.
Do you apply for a B licence and inform the tester on the day or is it another form to fill in?
Your wife should apply for a regular B licence and when she sits her test in an automatic car, it will be noted on her licence that she is only qualified to drive automatics. There is an EU-wide set of codes that appear on new licences and the number 78 is added if the driver has only passed for an automatic.
Similarly, there are other codes that are added when necessary, such as "01" if the driver must wear corrective lenses or "71" if it is a duplicate licence. These numbers appear under the restrictions side of the licence, next to the expiry date.
From BA:
Several articles have appeared in the papers recently about the number of used British cars coming into the country with false mileage. I recently bought a used car from an Irish dealer that was a UK import. I worked out I saved about €3,000 on buying an Irish equivalent, plus its better equipped than the Irish versions. However, what if the car is clocked? How can I find out and what can I do?
The best way is to check the history of the car. To do this, you need the UK registration, the Vehicle Identity Number (VIN) that's on the car and then visit www.hpi.co.uk. This firm does a background check on the car and reports are pretty comprehensive. They include mileage, crash reports and outstanding finance.
If the car has been clocked, then there is little you can do but contact the Garda and let them take the matter up with the dealer. For peace of mind, anyone buying a used car from Britain or the North should always carry out a HPI check.
From D Coakley:
A colleague has told me that there are live images from the traffic cameras available on the web but all I keep finding are still images. Even then, not all of them are working. Is there somewhere you can watch the camera images and see where the bottlenecks are?
The traffic camera site is run by Dublin City Council but it's not very clear how to access the camera section from their homepage so we find it easier to get it via www.aaroadwatch.ie. At the bottom of their page there is a link to the traffic cameras.
It's better than nothing, but the current offering has some limitations. For example, while there are more than 150 traffic cameras within the M50 limits, only a handful seem to feed the site. Also, cameras are used by Garda and bus inspectors, so when they are pointing anywhere other than their pre-approved direction, the site shows a broken image. Every time we are on the site there are one or two of these.
Finally, it is not a live video feed on the webpage and there are time delays of a few minutes on most of the still images.
This delay is actually increased during rush hour as the cameras are in use by the control room staff and that can lengthen the delay in images being updated.
Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara St, Dublin 2, or e-mail motorshelp@irish-times.ie