Michael McAleer answers your queries
From Mark Rooney, The Ark, Temple Bar, Dublin 2:
I read with interest that the new Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, has said he will consider pressing the Department of Finance to introduce a tax break for cars with extra safety features.
In light of this proposition, would he also consider introducing tax breaks for motorcycle safety equipment - helmets, leathers, boots etc?
The high tax imposed on these items may sometimes mean the difference between buying these essential pieces of safety equipment or not.
We contacted the Department of Transport but have had no response as we go to press. However, things may not have changed since last year, when we spoke with the then Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, about the matter.
While he understood the merits of tax breaks for helmets and leather etc, it seemed the major hurdle to such a measure would be resistance from the Department of Finance.
The Government's moneymen fear that such a move would open a pandora's box of appeals from everybody from builders to skateboarders for tax breaks for anything they could qualify as a safety item.
The comments by Mr Cullen suggest that he is more amenable to recognising the long-term cost savings to be garnered from safety equipment, with a reduction in serious injuries and thereby a cut in the already overburdened health system.
It would seem logical that, if the Governement does introduce a VRT reduction for safety equipment, similar reductions would be made on bike equipment.
However, without wishing to pour damp water on your idea, the moneymen on Kildare Street may just argue that the tax breaks are through the VRT scheme while what you seek is a reduction in VAT. That, for them, is an entirely different matter.
From Gavan Barlow:
As the current Toyota Celica/MR2 are now just five years old (November 1999), can we expect a model launch for winter 2005 for a 2006 plate? The current cars were revised for January 2003. I currently own a 2002 Celica.
The Celica has a history of four-year to seven-year life cycles over its seven generations, while the MR2 has only had three generations since it was launched in 1984, which were 1990 and 1999 respectively.
The official line from Toyota is that there are no plans to replace either next year. However, it would not be outside the bounds of possibility to suggest that we shall see new models by 2007.
European car firms tend to work on a life-cycle pattern of seven years, with a facelift or upgrade after four.
In the US the trend is to update the model every year. Bob Lutz of GM has said that, with the aid of computer design, it takes about 36 months to get a new vehicle into the showrooms - the first 12 months going on working out what sort of a vehicle it should be and the next 24 on design and engineering.
Signs are that the Europeans are heading towards US practices, so we can expect shorter lifespans for models. The days of the long lifespan are coming to an end.
From Geoffrey Kay, Deansgrange, Co Dublin:
I enjoyed your test report in Motors on the revised Citroën C5. One point about the article caught my particular attention - your "problem" with the C5's height-adjustable suspension. You raise the question: "Who goes off road in a C5?"
Answer: Presumably quite a few French farmers (MPVs not being too popular there for reasons of "unsustainability").
I have found this feature very useful on numerous occasions - flood avoidance, access to beaches, etc.
Incidentally, the "low" suspension setting is particularly useful for hitching up a trailer - one of the reasons why Citroëns have such a splendid record in Britain's annual "towcar of the year" awards.
Thanks for your informative comments, Geoffrey. I never really considered the benefits of the lower suspension for caravaners.
Presumably it's a useful family car for such trips, given its comfortable, supple ride. I do recall several neighbours in our area who drove the old BX models and who all had caravans.
However, your line about the French farmers is presumbably a shot in the dark. I really can't picture too many French farmers heading across the Ardennes in their C5, even if they don't see the sense in opting for a Land Rover or Toyota Land Cruiser.
Send your queries to
Motors Help Desk, The Irish Times, Fleet Street, Dublin 2 - or e-mail them to motorshelp@irish-times.ie