People carriers are rarely about fun

HELPDESK:Answering all your motoring queries

From J Combe: I’ve just passed my driving test in my parent’s Hyundai Accent and want to get my own car now. I’ve spotted a Daihatsu Terios for sale. It’s going for €9,000, is registered in 2005 and has 30,000 miles on the clock. Would it be a good starter car? I work night shifts so need a reliable car for night driving.

You are, I suspect, one of the many people who still hold a soft spot for SUVs, even if the finger-wagging classes want them banned from our roads.

Proof of this fondness – if needed – is in the strength of sales of Nissan’s Qashqai in the midst of a massive downturn and the arrival of models like the Ford Kuga among others.

The early versions of the Terios has a novelty value as one of the dinkiest cars in this class. For me, it would not be a serious contender.

Daihatsu is part of the Toyota family and as such carries strong reliability. However, as the Terios was designed for urban Asian streets, the early versions were not well-suited to Irish rural roads. The ride was pretty tough, and its high centre of gravity meant it leaned in corners – not a nice car to drive.

Later versions - from 2005 onwards - were somewhat better, but we’d still argue that the performance is rather weedy, the handling poor and the overall car a bit pointless.

So, in conclusion, I think you’d be better off in a more regular car, even if it doesn’t quite ignite your enthusiasm.

From BL, Offaly: We’re a young family in need of a people carrier. Any advice? We were considering an Opel Zafira. Is it any fun to own?

People carriers are rarely fun. If you need one, you’ve already had your fun. There are several seven-seater options for you to consider, but you are right to hone in on the Opel Zafira. Few match it in terms of ease of use, sturdiness and practicality.

It looks old and was never a head-turner at the best of times, but for most buyers looking for a seven-seater, they accept that fun is no longer going to be part of their vocabulary in most areas of life.

The alternative is something like the Ford S-Max, but prices might not be in your favour. The final option would be the Peugeot 307 SW, which offers the added benefit of bootspace.

Be studious about buying used in this market, however. Remember that, for any busy family, car maintenance ranks about as high as nail manicures in terms of importance – so the car might not have received the love and attention it should have. That’s why we’d be extra-rigorous when buying second-hand people carriers.

From Janet L: We’re going to rent a place near Malaga for three months in October and we know we need a car over there, given the location of the apartment. We were considering buying a car there, but wonder if we can drive our own car over there for that long or whether we’d be better buying. Finally, do we need to change our licences or get international licences or something?

As an EU citizen you can drive your own car in Spain on its Irish licence plates with Irish licences for up to 182 days in a year, provided it has valid Irish tax and NCT.

However, while it’s a lovely drive down to Spain, daily use of a right-hand car on rural Spanish back roads can be tricky. You will also need to inform your insurance company that you will be away for that long, as not all firms cover this length of foreign travel.

Indeed, motorists should always check with their insurance firms before leaving the country at all as many policies only cover the car on this island.

In terms of purchasing a car, there is some paperwork required to own a car in Spain, not least the fact you will need to have some evidence of residence in the area. Such paperwork is not usually available to someone renting for less than 12 months or who doesn’t own a property there. Your other alternative is to take a long-term rental deal.

Rental is relatively cheap in Spain and this might well be the best option. We made a query with one long-term rental firm at the airport and found you could get a small car with full insurance and unlimited mileage from October 1st until December 20th for €980.