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NEW CAR SALES in Ireland have jumped by 24% in the first six months of the year, with almost 66,000 vehicles sold so far in 2014.
Industry website motorcheck.ie said that if the trend continues to the end of the year new car sales could clear 90,000 for the year.
The increase is largely being driven by positive consumer sentiment returning to the economy in the latter stages of last year, with many buyers deciding to go ahead with purchases that they had been putting off during the recession.
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Data from the CSO shows that the auto trade has been among the strongest performing sectors in the economy, with spending on cars a main driver of resurgent retail spending so far this year.
Motorcheck.ie managing director Michael Rochford said that the market is also being helped by trade-in and vendor finance offers currently being pushed by major manufacturers.
He said that around 26% of new vehicle purchases are completed with the aid of some sort of vendor finance.
The top selling brands in Ireland so far this year are Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford and Hyundai, with the VW Golf, Nissan Quashqai, Ford Focus and Toyota Corrolla the most popular models.
Businesses are also re-investing in commercial fleets, with a 43% increase in units shifted during the first half of 2014, with the Ford Transit, Volkswagen Caddy, Citroen Berlingo and Land Rover discovery leading the pack in sales.
Could you afford to buy a new car this year?
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My car is 17 this year, it’ll be able to vote next year if it lives.
Bet it’s drinking like a fish now though..:-)
Brilliant! Comment of the month award. For what it’s worth then, my car will be doing the junior cert next year!
More credit please, I want to catch up with the Jones’s.
Yea but in fairness, you have a point,
The wife is on at me changing her car, She dose be saying that she feels the neighbors will be talking, Its only three years old.
But yes for some people getting a new car is really important social statement, also what car you drive also has an impact, so probably will end up getting her a new one.
I’d be trading the wife in for a newer model rather than the car if I was you.
Hard to trade in an old banger
or in his case , a wagon
I’ll take her, she just needs a new horn
Sean are you serious??. Around here if you driving anything over 2000 your fine. Drive an 8 year old car with over 200k miles on it. No one thinks any less of you and those that do ain’t worth bothering with.
I can see the attraction of a new car, No NCT cheap road tax and up to date safety features, But i will stay wit my 99D with it’s high road tax, 1 year nct {for the same price as 2 years} What a government we have.
I would love this
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/98-clk230-convertible/7158708
You nct is there for safety reason and your tax is high because of the emissions!
Actually pre 2008 car’s tax is calculated on engine size!
So wrong John,
According to your way of thinking only cars ten years old travel high miles,As for road tax and emissions that’s a joke Ireland wont save the planet it just make driving less enjoyable.
Ha ha in your face John Williams
We should campaign to have the NCT changed to every two years instead of every one year. A year is too short.
We have enough to be doing without heading back to the NCT test centre constantly.
Ease off the peddle towards our total Nanny State.
Don’t understand anyone buying a brand new car. Drive off the forecourt & you’ve already lost 10% of the value. Better to be a buyer than a seller when in the market for lemons!
Exactly. Its a waste of money buying a new car. Just buy a 3 or 4 year old car that won’t depreciate as much.
Buying a brand new car means you can look after the way you want and knowing that it hasn’t Mistreated. Some people are in it for that and some are in it for the novelty. Even if you buy a car that’s a year old it could have major problems from not being looked after, as in oil never been changed and driven hard or crashed and repaired etc… So 10% or so more is worth it.
Paperboy, but the risk of the car being mistreated or in poor shape, i.e. a lemon, is overpriced. The used car market is based on the average car, or the midway between a cherry & a lemon. So if you buy a new car and look after it well, you’ll effectively lose money when you sell it on. But buy a second hand car & maintain it well (assuming you know a bit about cars beforehand so as to avoid buying a complete lemon) and you get a relative bargain.
It’s the smell! No amount of cleaning a second hand one can get you that new car smell!
Bought my first new car last week. Collecting it sometime over the next few days/week! Had a 9year old vw for the past couple of years, unfortunately it was in and out of the mechanic frequently. Was spending more than the car was worth on it the past year.
That 100% no was me :(
I bought eight new cars this year so that one hundred percent yes was me at 3.40 pm
Happy Motoring to all, in your shiny new cars.
Is that taking hire drive and lease car’s into account? or are they all private?
Saw my first 142 reg car today, an audi–posh feckers!
How many of these cars were company cars/fleets and how many were rental company vehicles?
New or used you are more than likely going to be financing. Sure the dealer will have you go down the new route with low apr, free servicing, low road tax, guaranteed future value and you will be tied into their dealer network. Not for everyone but pcp has brought life back into the motor industry.
Spot on about pcp. But the market will be saturated in three or four years. Good news for potential buyers then, some serious bargains will be had!
We are never given a breakdown of the figures.
What type of car, high range, medium low.
Well done Enda and Co. Onwards and upwards!!
I’m going to put my car from ’91 back on the road just for the laugh.
There aren’t enough old cars on the road in Ireland, all the same boring Kia econoboxes
Recession my arse..
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