Michael McAleer answers your questions
From K Molloy, Galway:
I've just bought a new Fiat Grande Punto 1.2-litre, listed in last week's Motors supplement as being priced at €16,425. However, I paid €17,100 for mine. When I noted the price you listed, I contacted another Fiat dealer in my area and was quoted the same price: €17,100. It was not only the fact that the new prices were the same, but on my trade-in I was quoted virtually the same price - €200 in the difference by the two dealers.
This despite the fact that one of the dealers offered me the quote over the phone without even seeing the car. Was the price wrong in Motors? How come the dealers are quoting so close together.
The price we quoted is correct, but as with all the car prices they are only recommended retail prices and do not include delivery charges and any other costs that dealers may add.
Previous attempts to include the cost of delivery charges and other additional prices in price listings by some car firms led to accusations of price fixing.
According to a spokesman for Fiat Ireland: "We only issue recommended retail prices and have no control over the prices they charge." The car industry is very sensitive about accusations of price fixing after a recent Prime Time programme on the issue.
As regards the similarity in quotes for your car, it would seem that both dealers are working off guide prices for used cars that are common in the industry, rather than specifically pricing your car. It's not that dealers agree the price for trade-ins - that would be virtually impossible given variations on marque, model, age, mileage, state of repair. Instead they have a very rough estimate of what a particular model with a certain mileage should get and they are offering up that price.
Buyers should be aware that listed prices are nearly always ex-works and in some instances the difference can be €2,000 to€3,000. Start adding on optional extras and the price will soon shoot up as well.
When it comes to trade-ins, always shop around and haggle with the dealer. Make sure all the salient points about the car - a full service history, near-perfect paintwork - are taken into consideration at the time. Don't accept quotations over the phone.
From Seán Donnelly:
My girlfriend and I are provisional drivers and we are in the market to buy a used car. Our price range is €2,500 to €3,000. We have seen lots of cars that appear to suit our budget, mainly Volkswagen Polos and Opel Corsas.
My question is how important is mileage when trying to decide which car to choose? I saw a Volkswagen Polo this morning that has 115,000 miles on the clock but the car is in good condition and has its NCT. Could the fact that mileage is so high lead to problems in the future or does the fact that the car has an NCT mean that mileage is not important and the car should be fine?
First thing to say is that within your budget the mileage is always likely to be quite high.
While having an NCT is a great benefit when buying a car, it only means it's far from a full inspection. Asking whether a car will break down with that sort of mileage is like asking your doctor whether you'll live to 70 or 75.
The key criteria is that it is in good condition. If it has a full service record that means the important parts that need changing - such as disc brakes etc - will have been replaced at the 70,000 mile service and these should be good for another 70,000. There will of course be added costs as you go along, with various parts needing replacement as you clock up the mileage.
The advice would be to make sure that all the relevant services were carried out during the life of the car and if it is in good condition then it should keep you motoring for years to come.
Send your queries to Motors Helpdesk, The Irish Times, D'Olier St, Dublin 2 - or email motorshelp@irish-times.ie