SIMI talking sh*te...

Eoin

Darragh29 wrote: »

What is needed is a new representative organisation for the Irish Motor Industry where your continued membership is dependent upon you being audited once a year, and reaching/exceeding a pre agreed standard, including an audit/survey of your customers.

The problem I have is that I don't think a lobby group for the industry should be the same group that is responsible for auditing standards and pricing etc. It's like a trade union being the people who write the HR policies.

SIMI have their place as the voice of the industry, but I think there should be an independent body that looks after accreditation. However, that means another government body, or a dedicated branch of an existing one - and that won't end well.

Darragh29

eoin wrote: »

The problem I have is that I don't think a lobby group for the industry should be the same group that is responsible for auditing standards and pricing etc. It's like a trade union being the people who write the HR policies.

SIMI have their place as the voice of the industry, but I think there should be an independent body that looks after accreditation. However, that means another government body, or a dedicated branch of an existing one - and that won't end well.

The problem with the SIMI is that they are only a voice for one particular section of the industry. They should be acting as advocates for the customer and there should be no problem whatsoever with kicking out rogue members.

As an organisation, the SIMI has no future, it is full to the rafters of old school clowns so will not know how to operate in the future. Change will happen, with or without their consent...

YourCourier.ie

Darragh29 wrote: »

in all reality, how many cars ten years or older are on the roads now??? I imagine the folks who are driving these cars are driving them because they cannot afford a new car.

Now THAT'S sh*te

Rowley Birkin QC

I drive an 11 year old car, partly because I can't afford anything else at the moment but also because I don't see the point in getting into debt for the sake of a numberplate.

When I decide to change I won't be buying anything newer than 5 years and it will probably have started life with yellow plates.

Seth Brundle

Darragh29 wrote: »

in all reality, how many cars ten years or older are on the roads now??? I imagine the folks who are driving these cars are driving them because they cannot afford a new car.

I drive a 97 523i. It was deemed an economic write off last year yet because I like the car and its quite well specced, I chose to have it repaired and put back onto the road. I could have boutght another car, possibly a new car but I didn't want to!

Darragh29

kbannon wrote: »

I drive a 97 523i. It was deemed an economic write off last year yet because I like the car and its quite well specced, I chose to have it repaired and put back onto the road. I could have boutght another car, possibly a new car but I didn't want to!

Agreed, but your keeping the car on the road becasue you want to. Do you ever think you would trade it in for a 2009 Megane if a new scrappage deal was available??? The older cars I see on the roads are mainly Starlets, Micra's, Civics and Colts, that are not causing problems for the drivers so why change them, scrappage deal or no scrappage deal???

Daithi McGee

SIMI are a complete waste of space. They offer nothing to the industry or the consumer.

Pretty much like the Government.

Seth Brundle

Darragh29 wrote: »

Agreed, but your keeping the car on the road becasue you want to. Do you ever think you would trade it in for a 2009 Megane if a new scrappage deal was available??? The older cars I see on the roads are mainly Starlets, Micra's, Civics and Colts, that are not causing problems for the drivers so why change them, scrappage deal or no scrappage deal???

Absolutely not. I keep it because I want to! I don't care about any scrappage deal and I certainly don't want a Megane 2009 or whatever!
I plan on getting an E30 325i or possibly an M3 soon also. Again its because I want one and for no other reason.

Car-dealer

Just noticed the "recommended" price list on SIMI website.

Am I living on Mars - just checked out guide price for a 2005 Volvo V50 S D Estate - Im selling for €11000 --- SIMI's recommendation €32000; granted my car has 80k+ miles and an average car of this age would have around 40k+ - but where does the extra 21,000 come from?

They are mad!

miju

3 words to describe that "head in sand"

-Chris-

Car-dealer wrote: »

Just noticed the "recommended" price list on SIMI website.

Am I living on Mars - just checked out guide price for a 2005 Volvo V50 S D Estate - Im selling for €11000 --- SIMI's recommendation €32000; granted my car has 80k+ miles and an average car of this age would have around 40k+ - but where does the extra 21,000 come from?

They are mad!

AFAIK, that's an archive of new car prices.

Car-dealer

OK - knew there had to be something wrong as it was way out --- still SIMI remain a bunch of knobs that are working to ensure that car prices in Ireland are overinflated!

glenamaddy

Car-dealer wrote: »

OK - knew there had to be something wrong as it was way out --- still SIMI remain a bunch of knobs that are working to ensure that car prices in Ireland are overinflated!

Car Dealer
You should check your facts before you go off on a rant!!! The SIMI has nothing to do with the second hand value of cars, the market sets the price its self just like in the housing market. used car prices are falling right now in the republic because of a number of reasons mostly imports from UK and the state of our economy!!! The only reason the cars are so cheap in the UK now is because the sterling has lost 25% of its value in the last 6 months or so. I work in the motor trade here and I have never known how used car prices could be fixed/inflated!!! But if you know all about it explain how its done, I am all ears!!!
If you want to blame any one for the price of cars what about your government they take nearly 50% tax on all new cars, the UK government take 15%!!!! There is no VAT on used cars in UK while there is 21% VAT on used cars in Ireland, do you see why you pay so much for your cars here in Ireland???
Just about the posts at the start of this thread the SIMI proposing to the government to take english reged cars off the road here in Ireland, if the article was read correctly they want the government to make sure all taxes (VRT) are paid on imported cars just like the car dealers have too when they sell a car here in Ireland. Is it fair that you and I pay all our taxes and a guy down the road doesnt?? Think about how many people you know driving english registered cars that live in the south? It has to be a level playing field!!!:):)

FGR

Darragh29 wrote: »

On the subject of (B) above, in all reality, how many cars ten years or older are on the roads now??? I imagine the folks who are driving these cars are driving them because they cannot afford a new car. This is no poor relection on anyone, but the folks I see driving older cars now seem to be mainly foreign nationals, who are probably the group most likely to be leaving the country at this time, so why would they buy a new car under a scrappage scheme???

Oi. I'm Irish, driving a 99 Lancer having downgraded from a 07 Golf. I changed the timing belt in her, got it NCT'd and am going to keep her until she dies. Got to keep costs down during these recessive times!

eringobragh

Darragh29 wrote: »

On the subject of (B) above, in all reality, how many cars ten years or older are on the roads now??? I imagine the folks who are driving these cars are driving them because they cannot afford a new car. This is no poor relection on anyone, but the folks I see driving older cars now seem to be mainly foreign nationals, who are probably the group most likely to be leaving the country at this time, so why would they buy a new car under a scrappage scheme??? Also, they seem a put a greater importance on the value of money than the Irish and might be happy enough with a ten year old car that is just for around town, and on this basis wouldn't be in the market for a new car.

Well I could buy a 60k car tomorrow and not be a penny in debt (not bad for a 25 year old, and i ain't from any wealthy background... SSIA FTW), but my 14 year old primera ticks all the boxes currently, however I'll never buy a brand new car as thats just nonesense, scrapage scheme or not..I feel it would be a crying shame to throw all the money I worked so hard for into a car. So next car could more than likely be another same gen Nissan/Toyota while I avail of some cut price property.

barochoc

It's as simple as that for me. I recently sold a '92 BMW 520i to a guy. He couldn't believe how well it drove. It not only sounded better than anything he could have bought new... It looked better. Classic styling!

I drive an E32 '87 BMW 735i now! Originaly bought it for weekends etc but just couldn't even dream of using the 520, so it had to go.

I have full leather, it's automatic, on-board computer telling me average fuel consumption, miles left in tank & a cr@p load of other stuff. It has aircon that blows ice cold, heated seats, sunroof, is all electric, it even has the automatic dimming rear view mirror. It just passed 200,000 miles last month & is still pulling like a train.

It leaves most boyracer muppets for dust thanks to a little help from an ECU remap which also helps the fuel economy. I drove all the way down to Alicante in Spain & back last summer & it just chewed up the roads.

If something goes wrong I'm confident I or my friends & I can fix it easily. I service it myself for less that €100. All this can be bought for less than €1000 but you could stretch to €2000 for a minter with full service history etc...

Now somebody please give me one good reason to part with €100,000+ for an '08 or '09 model. Seriously!!

I could probably buy an E32 7 series for the money the BMW dealer will want everytime I brought the '08 '09 7 Series in for a service! Tell me I'm wrong!

It just makes no sense for me to buy new unless the company is paying for it!

SIMI are a bunch of wasters who charge dealers €100's every year for a sticker & the right to use the SIMI logo / membership so that the dealer can charge anything up to 3-4 times more for simple work carried out on cars.

Don't anyone dare come on here & tell me they are a dealer & that this is cr@p. You're all the same. I have experienced this 1st hand & the work carried out was appauling. So bad was the work carried out that the dealer (A SIMI Registered Citroen Dealer) missed very important faults while carrying out an inspection after a service that it ended up costing me €1000's more on top of the ridiculous bill they charged me.

I took my Van to a local independant dealer & he carried out the work for a fraction of the cost. I now know why. He wasn't SIMI registered. He was the one who spotted all the faults that the SIMI dealer never did. I took it back to them asking for an explanation for the exhorbant bill & the lack of professionalism & I got a blank look.

I told them I'm complaining to SIMI as I was disgusted at the service & I thought they were Cowboys. Guess what? More idiots at the end of the phone in SIMI & a lame reply to a letter saying they were investigating my issue then I sent another months later & got a reply saying they were still investigating the matter.

Enough ranting. Sorry. But the mention of SIMI in here hit a nerve. Muppets is all they are & I hope they crash & burn because they are usless. Just like a watch is to a blind man.

RiverWilde

Given that the Euro and Pound are fairly close these days I thought what the hell and had a look at the ford.ie site and the ford.uk site. I had a look at the Galaxy and compared prices. Here in rainy auld Ireland, with less options to choose from I could have gotten myself a ghia spec, car for 51K give or take a few euros. The same car in the UK varied in price from about 23k to 28k depending on what bells and whistles you wanted. Both cars had ghia styling. So long as vrt props up this tiny little market and flies in the face of EU free market principles I'll never buy any sort of new car in Ireland. My current car is 14 years old and it does everything it's supposed to do. I won't be changing it anytime soon.

Riv

Car-dealer

Glanamaddy


I totally stand by my comment that the SIMI are: remain a bunch of knobs that are working to ensure that car prices in Ireland are overinflated!

1. adds on the radio saying do not buy UK cars when in fact so many dealers in Ireland that are SIMI registered buy direct from the UK -- so a total double standard.

2. I think the SIMI supported VRT and its protectionism

3. SIMI guide prices are overinflated

4. SIMI do in fact advise the Revenue on car prices that the revenue use to set false over inflated OMSPs; where they hell would the Revenue can any data from other than car dealers of the SIMI

5. SIMI work to prevent an open market - why - they would be f-ked by real open competition!

Sorry rants can be supported with facts - perhaps you should check yours!

If you are looking at getting a new car in the UK bear in mind this exchange rate situation isn't going to last forever.

Even if the exchange rates stays where it is now, their weak sterling will feed into an additional cost to them of importing cars. So in a few months time buying a new car in the UK will not be much cheaper (if at all) when VRT is added.

thegen

SIMI's own dealers are quoting prices they land swimmers from the UK to lower the value of a trade in. SIMI should concentrate on policing its own members. They are the ones destroying their industry.

The Gen!!!!!

kluivert

Car-dealer wrote: »

Glanamaddy


I totally stand by my comment that the SIMI are: remain a bunch of knobs that are working to ensure that car prices in Ireland are overinflated!

1. adds on the radio saying do not buy UK cars when in fact so many dealers in Ireland that are SIMI registered buy direct from the UK -- so a total double standard.

2. I think the SIMI supported VRT and its protectionism

3. SIMI guide prices are overinflated

4. SIMI do in fact advise the Revenue on car prices that the revenue use to set false over inflated OMSPs; where they hell would the Revenue can any data from other than car dealers of the SIMI

5. SIMI work to prevent an open market - why - they would be f-ked by real open competition!

Sorry rants can be supported with facts - perhaps you should check yours!

I agree with all the above posts. Why is there a motor industry lobby group advising a government department as to what the selling price of second hand cars are.

hobochris

kluivert wrote: »

I agree with all the above posts. Why is there a motor industry lobby group advising a government department as to what the selling price of second hand cars are.

+1
looks like they have a nice little racket going with the government there.

They advise government on over the odds market prices, government charges an extortionate amount in vrt to those who do import. those who get put off by high vrt prices, look to a local dealer for a new car and get robbed from them instead of the government. Everybody win's except the consumer.

Good thing about a recession is it gives people a bit more cop on when it comes to their money. ahhhhhhh the poor dealers(I hope you all go under and leave the car market to more honest indy's)...