Michael McAleer answers your question
From A Bartels: I drive a 2004 BMW 520i and am interested in replacing it with a different but newer car.
As yet I am not sure what type of car and am open to suggestions but I would very much like to exchange it in a straight swap, without any extra costs. Is this a good idea or not?
Not really. Your 520i is probably worth in the region of €47,000 but for a trade-in you'll probably get about €42,000. Please note, however, that these are only rough estimates.
You could go on to get a new entry-level 3-Series, Audi A4 or the like. Alternatively you could go more mainstream and opt for a Ford Mondeo, Peugeot 407, VW Passat or Toyota Avensis.
However, if you were to continue to use this method to avoid depreciation, you'll be driving a Fiat Panda before long. Eventually you have to bite the depreciation bullet.
Dealers are keen to get their hands on cash, but will do a straight exchange if they know they will have a buyer for your car.
However, you are likely to take a hit on the trade-in value.
Perhaps if you want to avoid such large depreciation drops in future, you should look to buying older used cars. It's an oft repeated line - but true nonetheless - that the greatest single depreciation takes place when you drive the car off the forecourt.
For your sort of money you can buy anything from a 2003 M3 or a 2001 M5, through to a host of people carriers or SUVs.
The advice would be to always look at the cost of change when buying a new car. It's not simply what you can afford to buy, but also what it will cost to run and, most important of all, what it will cost you in depreciation. That's the real cost of ownership and should be added to the monthly repayments to get a real estimate of costs.
From PJ Boyle: When will the new-style Irish driving licence be introduced? A credit card-style licence was promised. Any progress?
As with everything, the wheels of Government move quite slowly. Back in 2002, the then Minister for Transport said he was committed to introducing a credit card-sized driving licence by the middle of 2003.
According to a spokesperson for the Department, it is currently preparing a "request for tender" for the contract, which they plan to issue before the end of the year.
While it's been three years since we originally reported on this, there seems to be a general confidence that it will - eventually - be introduced.
That is because the move towards credit-card style driving licences is being pushed by the EU in an effort to get some form of standardised licences across the member states.
More recently, it was listed as one of the goals of the latest road safety strategy, published last year. It claimed that these new-style licences will eventually include a data chip containing information on points and disqualifications. We can only wait and hope. Certainly the new rules that require drivers to carry their licences with them at all time is having a detrimental effect on the quality of the licences. On holiday recently I saw an Irish motorist hand over what seemed like a lump of sticky tape to a car rental company when asked to present his licence.
From T O'Keefe: Is leather trim worth the extra cost?
It really depends on the car you are looking to buy. While you own it, leather trim is a personal choice.
However, never shop from the options list purely on personal taste, unless you plan to keep the car for a long time. Leather on an executive car will pay dividends upon resale, but on a small family hatchback or city car, it will add nothing to the resale value.
Send your queries to Motors Help Desk, The Irish Times, Fleet St, Dublin 2 - or email to motorshelp@irish-times.ie