Michael McAleeranswers your questions
From BH Dublin:
I read in The Irish Times last week that a man was jailed for attempting to sell a stolen car. He had advertised it in Buy and Sell and a garda had contacted him intending to purchase. Before he did anything, the garda ran the car through the gardaí's Pulse system and discovered it was stolen. Can everybody do this? Presumably the garda was acting in a private capacity, so it makes sense that a member of the public could. How does one go about it?
According to a Garda spokesman, you can simply call into your local Garda station with the registration details of your proposed purchase.
They will be able to tell you if it is stolen.
From J Rigby-Jones:
Can you recommend a reliable used car for a 17-year-old 6' 3" provisional driver? Obviously we are hoping to get a small engined car to keep the insurance costs to a minimum, but also need a car that can accommodate his height.
There has been a significant shift in the size of small cars and while he will find that older models are a little tight inside, the new versions of these cars are more than capable of accommodating your son.
If you are prepared to buy new then you should start by considering the new Opel Corsa which has very generous head and legroom up front, plenty of seat travel and good visibility.
Most of the more recent superminis have grown to such an extent that, for the driver at least, space is not a concern.
If it has to be a used car, then you should look to getting a used Ford Fusion or Mazda Demio. Neither has much to offer in terms of image for a 17-year-old but they will be well-priced, roomy and relatively safe.
Another option is a pre-2000 Mercedes A-Class. You could get one of these for less than €5,000. Whether you want your son in a Mercedes is another matter.
From S Guider:
Could you please advise on any useful websites or other sources of information which compare various 4WD vehicles in terms of fuel economy and CO2 emissions, especially relating to commercial vehicles?
Perhaps you may also know a handy conversion factor from L/100km to mpg. Have you any preferences when it comes to purchasing new commercial four-wheel- drive vehicles?
One of the best websites for finding out emissions levels and official fuel consumption for cars - and being able to compare them - belongs to the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) in Britain. The URL is: www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk
By clicking on the various headings on the tables, you can adjust the listings to give you everything from the most fuel efficient SUV to the lowest CO2 rating for a people carrier.
As for converting L/100km to mpg, it's not simple, but one quick way is to divide 282.5 by the L/100km figure. I don't think it's the sort of arithmetic many can do in their head.
Finally, if you are ever using online conversion calculators, remember that US gallons are different from the imperial ones we refer to over here. Roughly 1.2 US gallons is equivalent to one imperial gallon.
As for your query about commercial four-wheel-drive vehicles, I would point you towards the indestructible Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200.
If you don't want a pick-up, then it's Toyota again for the Land Cruiser commercial with a very attractive price of €40,930 for the long-wheelbase version.
From A Morgan:
Our Volkswagen Passat is due for service but we are heading to mainland Europe for a few weeks and will be bringing the car. I was wondering if I could get it serviced while abroad?
Of course, though if it's still in warranty then you should get it serviced at an approved VW service centre, and it will probably be cheaper than over here.
There are plenty of these on the Continent and particularly in its home nation of Germany. You will need to book it in, so choose a city you don't mind staying in for a day or so.
From C Mahon:
I have a 2006 Opel Astra (1.6 SXI) which I am planning on changing next year. I would like to get something fun, maybe a two-seater.
I have about €10,000, plus whatever I get for my car as a trade in. I had been looking at a 2004 Chrysler Crossfire and a 2002 Audi TT. Can you recommend anything? It doesn't need to be practical, just something fun.
The new TT is a good buy, but the old one was little more than a dressed-up VW Golf, while the Crossfire is neither fish nor foul: a mix of US interior with German underpinnings that shows why the DaimlerChrysler operation had to disband.
Instead, consider either a Mazda MX-5 which handles like a go-kart, offers open-top motoring and is great to drive. It's not to everyone's taste, but it's the only two-seater that can truly hark back to the glory days of cars like the MG Midget. There are other two-seaters out there, but few have the rock-solid reliability of the Mazda or the strong residuals.
o Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara St, Dublin 2, or e-mail motorshelp@irish-times.ie