HELPDESK: Michael McAleeranswers your motoring queries
From B Cunningham: In a feature last week in Motors, there was criticism of insurance companies for insuring foreign registered cars in Ireland.
This facility is essential, however, for non-Irish residents who take jobs in Ireland on a contract or seasonal basis and bring their cars to Ireland for a temporary period.
Given the extent to which people now travel for work within Europe, it's essential that migrant workers, of whatever nationality, are not left in the situation of being unable to insure their car for extended periods when they leave their own country temporarily to take up contract work in another country.
I have had personal experience of the reverse situation, taking my Irish-registered car abroad for 10 months, and successfully insuring it in another country for that time.
The criticism from various groups quoted in the piece is largely to do with Irish drivers insured on foreign cars rather than foreign drivers. The most common complaint is that the law on used imports is not being enforced as rigorously as it should, and that this is enticing people to delay registration and the payment of Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) on these cars.
In your case, I would suggest you are quite lucky, for I was speaking with someone from Northern Ireland last week who was re-registering a car from the Republic there, and had great difficulty getting insurance, even on a temporary basis, while the car was going through the various testing procedures and paperwork needed when importing a car into Britain. In Ireland it would seem to be far easier to import than it is for our neighbours.
They were initially denied insurance until the car was re-registered and then finally granted it for seven days on the basis that the car would be re-registered in that time.
From C Hughes: I'm seeking a mid-range family hatchback that will allow for three children in the back and a dog in the boot, caged of course. The budget is €14,000.
For that money and seeking that size I think you will need to be opting for a used car. Without knowing the age of your children - or the size of your dog for that matter - I would suggest you opt for an estate to maximise your load carrying ability. The good news is that there are plenty to choose from. Take a look at the likes of the Skoda Octavia estate or the Ford Focus estate. A quick perusal on several websites threw up some attractive offers within your price range and only three or four years old.
As with all used cars, reliability is as dependent on the care and attention it received from the previous owner, as it is on the brand or model. If you want some reassurance then I would suggest you opt for a dealer purchase, as these will normally come with at least a one-year warranty. That's a good safety net if things go wrong, and worth a lot more than most people consider.
From A Sexton: I've been told that one way to save money on buying new is to opt for a former rental car. I'm a bit worried at the way these cars are treated, however. I've rented abroad myself and I've seen the state of some of the cars on the foreign fleets. Any opinion?
The ex-rental cars are making their way on to forecourts at present. In reality, the timing is far from ideal for dealers already carrying used stock, but it's good news for buyers.
While there are plenty of examples of inconsiderate tourists treating rental cars like dodgems, most of this fleet doesn't get to do much mileage and so are relatively unharmed. Also, they go through a thorough check and repair when they return to the forecourts and broken parts replaced.
The simple fact is that they're low mileage, relatively new and have likely received a thorough overhaul.
Like every used car, they come with the proviso that you give them a decent test drive before buying, but as with our other response this week, there is the reassurance of the remaining warranty on them.
The most attractive feature of all is that the biggest hit in terms of depreciation has been taken by someone else, so you make a good saving while getting a recently registered car. Well worth a look in my opinion.