HELPDESK Michael McAleeranswerring all your questions
From P Hill, Dublin: I'm confused. You have stated that the motor tax payable on used imports registered prior to this year will stay the same - based on engine size. However, on the website - www.motortax.ie - under motor tax rates it states that the new system sets out the rates of motor tax for brand new vehicles/imported vehicles registered in this country after July 1st, 2008.
Your confusion may be down to a misunderstanding over the reference on the website. We have visited the site and noticed the line you refer to, but found the link to the rates did not work in any case.
Motor tax is collected on behalf of the Department of the Environment and their official website is quite clear on the matter: "The new CO2 based system will not apply to second-hand imports that were registered abroad prior to 2008." These cars will be taxed in the same way as used cars registered before 2008 - in other words with taxes based on engine size.
From Michael Keane, New York: Im planning to return home to Ireland at some time in the not too distant future. I have held an American driving license for almost 30 years which included driving a taxi in NYC , driving coast to coast on many occasions. Will I need to go through the whole provisional licensing system? Will my many years experience mean anything?
Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but I'm afraid you have to start from scratch. You are allowed to drive here with a US licence if your stay is less than 12 months, but if you are moving back then you will have to go through the entire test. The good news is that the waiting list is seriously falling so it would be relatively quick and - given your experience - painless.
Citizens of other EU and EEA states can exchange their licences for Irish ones if they are moving here, as can motorists from: Australia, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, South Africa, South Korea and Switzerland.
Notably the US, Canada and New Zealand are not included in that list.
From Gerard Mulcahy: Having read the article about the VRT changes, it beggars belief that you can't get your facts correct. The Audi A3 1.4-litre TFSI falls into the C category per the SEI website and also the A4 2.0-litre TDI falls into the C category.
Audi has cleared up the matter. On the SEI website - and on the its own website at present - the information refers to cars built up to the last week of May.
Changes made by Audi to its line-up means that several cars - such as the ones you refer to - built from June 1st onwards have slightly lower emissions.
Therefore the information we carried, referring to cars on sale on July 1st is correct. The information on the Audi site refers to cars currently on sale and in stock but built up to May 31st.
Undoubtedly some of these may still be on sale after the changeover, in which case dealers will be informing customers that they carry a higher road tax band and will no doubt introduce some incentives to sweeten the deal on these cars.
From N Kelly: We are considering purchasing a second car now that our eldest daughter has reached driving age.
It will serve the dual purpose of a second car for golf days out for the boys and also for ladies' nights out. The family car is an Avensis. Can you make any suggestions for an 2003 car with a budget of around €6,000-€7,000. We had a VW Polo 1.2-litre in mind.
Finally, should we wait until the changes in July in the hopes of picking up a bargain?
A Polo is a good starting car, but I would suggest that it might not be well-suited to golf outings, particularly if you are talking about more than two sets of golf clubs.
For this sort of budget you could pick up a 2001 Honda Civic, for example, which will cater for the golf outings and stands up well in various reliability indices.
Alternatively I would also look to the likes of a Mazda3 saloon. Either of these two cars are on sale and seem to be in plentiful supply on the market. Given that you are a cash buyer as well, you should be welcomed with open arms by any dealer in the country. If ever there was a time when it was a cash buyers market, it's now.