Michael McAleeranswers your questions
From Don Palmer, Dublin:
I read a report in Motors of January 17th about Volkswagen's decision to go ahead with the estate version of the Golf. As a long-time fan of Volkswagen Golf estates, I have been waiting for the arrival of the new Golf/Jetta estate. It is on sale in Britain, but so far no sign of it here. Do you have any update on its release in the Irish market?
How would you expect the three-year residual values to compare with a Ford Focus 1.6 diesel or 1.9-litre diesel from Opel Astra?
The Irish importer of Volkswagens, Motor Distributors Ltd (MDL), has decided not to bring in the Golf estate. Tom O'Connor, sales manager for VW, says that the pricing structure from the factory would make the car uncompetitive on the Irish market.
"The first thing to note is that there is no regular 1.4-litre petrol version on offer, and that would have been our main seller," he says. He adds that the prices they were being given by the factory in Mexico, where the car is built alongside the Jetta, would have meant that even the larger engine versions would not have been competitive against rivals such as the 1.6-litre Focus or the 1.9-litre Astra.
"We are always open to bringing the car here, but the prices have to be better and we are in regular discussions with the factory on the matter. However, until they change, we will not be bringing the estate to Ireland."
From Patrick Moore:
We are all used to the familiar sight of two shunted cars stopped in the middle of the road, causing horrendous tailbacks, while their drivers stand around like headless chickens staring vacantly into the distance hoping for the imminent arrival of the gardaí. Why are these people not aware that it is not necessary to call the gardaí for minor accidents?
Why are they not aware that they should move their cars as quickly as possible to the side of the road to prevent traffic chaos? I believe they should be prosecuted for causing an obstruction. If I park my car illegally, no excuse under the sun will get me off.
While I agree with your sentiments about the inconvenience it causes, and the fact that in most instances they should pull to the side of the road, in many cases people are wary of missing details that may be relied on if a case ends up in court. In particular the fear of personal injury claims encourages some to contact the gardaí and get them to attend as independent witnesses.
One quick remedy for all concerned is to take photographs at the crash and then move the vehicles. Some rental companies now put disposable cameras in their car gloveboxes, and many motorists now have mobile phones with digital cameras installed. If it's a minor scratch, then there's no reason to take up the time of busy gardaí, particularly if you can get a quick photo of the scene and all the details from the other motorist.
From A O'Hara:
You had a query recently about a choice of diesel engines for a Toyota. I am in the market for a small-engined Auris and have been looking at the 1.4-litre petrol and 1.4-litre diesel. Will diesel save me money?
The 1.4-litre is arguably the best, both for fuel consumption and therefore CO2 emissions. However, I had a similar follow-up query from the correspondent of the initial e-mail. The case for the diesel is that it offers more power than the petrol, because of the extra torque on offer from diesel. Torque is that surge you feel when you push the accelerator. It generally sends your body back into the seat. It doesn't last very long in a diesel compared to a petrol, but it's a stronger, if shorter, burst of power, that can be important with overtaking.
When it comes to the financial benefits of a diesel over a petrol, things are far less clear-cut. Take the Toyota you are considering. A five-door Luna Auris 1.4-litre petrol costs €22,770 and does 40.9 mpg/6.9 L/100km (official average). A Toyota Luna Auris 1.4-litre diesel costs€25,440 and does 52.3 mpg/5.4 L/100km (official average).
Given that there is little in the price between diesel and petrol - taking €1.02 a litre as an average price - if you were doing 10,000km a year, that means in the petrol you'll use 690 litres a year (€703.80), while in the diesel, you'll use 540 litres (€550.80).
That's a saving of €153 annually, but you still have to make up a difference on the new car price of €2,670 between diesel and petrol versions with the same specification and features. If you're only doing 10,000km a year, it could take you 17 years to recoup that.
Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, Tara St, Dublin 2 or e-mail motorshelp@irish-times.ie