200,000 used cars on our forecourts???

Henry Ford III

Ice_Box wrote: »

My frinds 06 Laguna was first advertised at 18k. Eventually sold for 10.

Great cars

Robertr

Not surprised for a few reasons:

We can import cars but can't de-register and export them. While there are savings to be made importing from the UK it does also work the other way on some cars, especially as the market gets more swamped, if we could get back the VRT (based on the same calc for a used car).

Car dealers have been building themselves up for this for a while. They have been doing stupid offers like 'buy now and change next year for a new model', 50/50 finance, etc... Basically anything to get us out of our one/two year old cars and into new ones and flooding their own market.

Also, I think that the scrappage scheme (way back) gave the car industry too much of a boost. Car dealers did everything they could to keep sales at the same level even though they were no longer scrapping the trade-ins.

There has also been a major change in people’s mentalities in the last ten years. We have fundamentally changed the way think about our cars. We now look at the car as almost a disposable item that you get rid of once it’s a bit worn. This is how a car is viewed in the US. Journalists always complain about US cars not being made well and having cheap interiors etc.. That’s not due to the manufactures not knowing how to make a good car. They just recognise that people don't want a car to last for more then 5 years so why build something that will last 10 – 20 years. It’s just a different mentality. We had always thought a car that lasts for a long time is a better car. It makes no difference to me if my car is going to be here in 10 or 20 years time! I know I won’t be the owner. I’m not saying this is right. Far from it but its all part of the wasteful society that has been created by the Celtic Tiger. We have to have the latest and greatest of everything. The car dealers are just guilty of being very short sighted or I suppose you could say they were making hay while the sun was shining. Either way it was inevitable.

Before people start lashing into me I’m not trying to preach to anyone here. I’m more guilty of gluttony them most. Just the way I see it.

T J Hooker

NiSmO wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Tough times is all I can assume. I just noticed on Merlin Motor City's site that they are having €1000 off any car this weekend, looks like at this stage in the year its more about moving units than it is making a fortune.

edit: just realised that it looks like I'm plugging Merlin Motor City! So on a side note, I'm not affiliated with them in any shape, size or form. I've just been watching prices drop/change all over and noticing desperate times.

Zube

Robertr wrote: »

It makes no difference to me if my car is going to be here in 10 or 20 years time! I know I won’t be the owner.

Actually, you have this exactly backwards. The premium brands like BMW, Audi and Mercedes have been expanding for several years at the expense of large mass-market cars from the likes of Ford and Opel. From smallest to largest cars, people have for many years now been moving towards spending more on their cars to get better perceived quality.

And from a financial standpoint, poor quality cars are worth a lot less at trade-in, so your cost to change something like the big Fiat Croma could be more than the cost to change a 3-series.

bbability

Just compared the price of a 2005 BMW 520d M Sport for sale at a used dealer in the UK to the same make and model here in rip-off the public of Ireland. To bring in the vehicle from the UK including the VRT will set you back between €31-32K. The cheapest I can find her so far is €42k. Now that's some saving.

Sponge Bob

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Back in the mid 90ies I can remember going to Al Hayes Motors in Portumna. He would have fields and fields of used motors dating back to the early 80ies and would sooner let them rot away than let them go below the cost that he wanted on them.

They were still there in 2001, and were all post 1990 by then but now they are IN Portumna

Brabus

Heard on radio today ad for Mordaunt Group ( in the south east ) knocking 5K off '05,'06 & '07 cars in all their garages.

Thought i was hearing things...

Then i heard another story of a guy who went to trade in an '07 car with 14k on the clock for a new model & was refused by the garage cos they were overstocked.

Strange times we live in. How it has changed so quickly.