Michael McAleer answers your queries
From John Cassidy, Dublin 16:
Any views on second-hand people carriers that would be good value for a couple with a growing family and between 10,000 and 12,000 to spend?
First off, your finances mean that as far as MPVs are concerned, you are realistically looking at pre-2000 models.
As a result, the boom in MPV, or people carriers, was in its relative infancy so there was not the same wide variety of options available as today.
However, that does not mean there were not some good cars on the market, suitable for just your needs. Any suggestions here are based on the understanding that your email gave us no clear idea of your living arrangements nor the number of children in your "growing family".
Your choice will also be influenced by the sort of mileage you are doing. If you are only doing short runs around town then you can happily stick with petrol engines.
If, however, you do high mileage, then you may want to consider diesel, though the quality common-rail diesel engines on offer these days only took hold in the passenger car market in 1999 and not all cars in your price range will have been updated to the common-rail system.
So to the options. Personally, if we had a family to act as a taxi to a host of children and couldn't afford the likes of the Ford Galaxy, we would begin my search with an eye towards test driving an Opel Sintra or VW Sharan for the larger families, and the Renault Scenic or Opel Zafira for the smaller family with big plans. However, you will probably not get a Zafira within your budget.
However, you should be able to get a 1998-1999 Sintra and definitely a Mitsubishi Spacewagon.
Other contenders include the Mazda Premacy or the Toyota Picnic. The Scenic and Zafira are probably more flexible than these but both are competent performers.
With all of these, remember to go through the basic checks when buying second-hand: keep an eye out for rust in cars over five years, check the interior wear against the claimed mileage. Is it too worn for a car with a claimed 30,000 miles? Look for service history and remember to consider the price of spare parts for your particular marque. And finally, take it for a test drive. We've heard of too many people who have bought cars without even driving them out of the garage. That's a gamble not worth taking.
From Maureen Hughes, Galway
Time is getting the better of me and, with age and mainly city driving, I'm getting tired of constantly changing gear.
Are there any automatics on the market within my price range? I'm looking for a town car, not some big family car.
There are several options open to you. If you are looking for a new car, the latest version of the Toyota Yaris features a new semi-automatic transmission on its 1-litre version, it features what Toyota call a multi-mode manual transmission.
Here you have the choice of full automatic or manual shifting mode, all without having to move your left foot. The benefits are that you have the ease of automatic but the ability, when required, to adjust the gears yourself if you want a little more zip to get you out of a tight spot.
While this version of the Yaris begins at €16,225, you might look at the used car market for the likes of the Nissan Micra automatic. Older models were popular with car hire firms.
You can pick up some good bargains at auctions and from the rental firms as they unload old stock.
Our report last week on car advertising stated that MG Rover offers zero per cent finance deals as part of its promotions. According to MG Rover Ireland, this offer is not available here.
Rover's promotions here include free petrol for six months on the Rover 25 and Rover 45, a free Performance Driving Course at Mondello Park and a mobile phone hands free kit on MG Saloons and three years free servicing on Rover 75s and MG ZTs.