Michael McAleer answers your queries
From Michael Flynn:
What amount of VRT is charged on an standard 1.6-litre motor? Is this calculated on invoice-price when car comes into country or is it after VAT has been applied?
Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) is charged at what is called the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) the expected retail price, including all taxes in the State. It's a VAT inclusive price. As for the amount due on a 1.6-litre, there are three rates: 22.5 per cent for cars up to 1,400 cc; 25 per cent on cars between 1,401 and 1,900 cc; and 30 per cent on cars over 1,900 cc. Therefore you would face a 25 per cent tax on the expected selling price of whichever car you are considering.
From Paul Lennon, Monaghan:
With so many cars looking the same these days, it's a pity that when one good designer comes up with something original, the conservative stalwarts cry foul and force a rethink. I refer in particular to the piece in last week's MOTORS about the BMW 7-series getting a makeover in response to critics who thought it was too retro.
More and more cars look the same these days and those that dare to be different, such as Renault with the Vel Satis and Avantime, and BMW with the 7-series and now the 5-series, come under strong criticism. It's a sad reflection on the motoring industry that these people can pull all the strings.
We agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments on design. Too often these days a particular form or shape dominates a car class and for years ahead the competitors bring the features into their new models. The end result is a range of stereotypical cars. It turns the original innovation into some bland uniformity that is only to the detriment of the market and to originality. While aesthetics is very subjective, it's only by continuing to push the traditional boundaries that we can hope to avoid boring the audience.
In their defence, car design is a high risk venture, with initial blueprints drawn up several years before the cars go into production. To strike the right note, a designer needs to have the ability to see into the future and identify links to ever-changing popular culture. It takes a brave CEO to agree to invest millions in a design that might be before its time. In these more chastened times for the industry, it's always better to opt for as much of the tried and tested as possible.
We can only hope that as levels of uniformity reach new heights, a few forward thinking designers and CEOs may shake up the market with some retro designs. Recently we've seen the introduction of the Megane, the Z4 and some of the sharp and stylish coupés coming our way, so we should not be too downbeat. It's only in the mainstream family saloon market where there's a certain reticence on the part of manufacturers to be bold and daring. However, with designers such as Chris Bangle at BMW, Patrick Le Quément at Renault and Walter de Silva with VAG, there's always hope.
From Charles O'Kelly:
I've never bought a new car but I might be able to afford one sometime soon. Do you think I should worry about the financial health of some marques . Every now and then I read about problems at Ford or Fiat or GM (Opel). . . should I avoid these brands. I mean, say I bought a Punto and Fiat folded six months later . . . would I still get parts for the life of the car.
While some of the main marques are suffering a great deal of economic uncertainty, it's unlikely any of them will disappear in the near future.
If one of them were to go bankrupt, it's likely another firm would buy out the marque.
Even in your worst case scenario, where a particular car firm closed and nobody took it over, car parts are mostly produced by separate firms such as Bosch and Delphi among others.
These firms would continue to serve the market and local garages could still get these spare parts. With so many cars from these main marques on the road, it would pay to produce and supply the parts.
While the dealerships would close, the cost to you would then be in locating a mechanic who would service your car. You might also lose out on the warranty. But that's all worst case scenario.
Send your queries to
Motors Help Desk, The Irish Times, Fleet Street, Dublin 2 - or e-mail them to motorshelp@irish-times.ie