Why is my neighbour's manual Zafira cheaper to tax than my equivalent automatic?

My next-door neighbour and I both own Vauxhall Zafiras of about the same age. Mine is 2004/04 registered and his is 2004/54. Both have 1.8 petrol engines. His is a manual whilst mine is an automatic. I...

Why is an auto more expensive to tax?

I purchased a Micra Acenta 1.2 automatic, which is four years old with 4,500 miles on the clock. It seems to be running perfectly after a few hundred miles. Does this car have a chain-cam drive? Why am...

Out of Focus

A friend is thinking of changing her 3-year-old Ford Focus Diesel manual for another car. Could you advise what types of similar mid range cars are available (including the Focus) but with an automatic...

Sane, but different

I am writing on behalf of my 86-year-old father. He has a 2004, 1.6 automatic, 5-door Ford Focus. He pays £210 per year for road tax, but has noticed on other Focus seen in car parks that none of them...