The reg. on the one in Clare was in the 300s and the Limerick one in the 200s.

Surprising lack of cars with 09 registrations. Is there a reason for a lull in January other than Economic devastation by the Megatonnage ?

I'll keep a look out in this neck of the woods.

I understand that people cant upgrade to a 2009 car because 2008/2007 cars is are unwanted as trade ins. Also credit is hard to come by at present.

D Reg in 500s.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

D Reg in 500s.

That's low for where you are in Ballsbridge innit ?

Tis nearly January out already.... How many are normally registered per year anyway ?

In Dublin about 70K per annum ?

Auditor #9 wrote:

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

D Reg in 500s.

That's low for where you are in Ballsbridge innit ?

Tis nearly January out already.... How many are normally registered per year anyway ?

I can't answer that definitively, but I brought in an 06 motor from Britain (our family car) which was registered here Jan 08. It must have been one of the last 06Ds, owing to being regged in 08, and is in the 80 thousands. That was presumably the motor trade's biggest year

Haven't seen a single one yet. I see thousands of 2008s though.

My girlfriend saw a 09, it was a Ferrari... some people obviously are still doing well .

expat girl wrote:

Auditor #9 wrote:

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

D Reg in 500s.

That's low for where you are in Ballsbridge innit ?

Tis nearly January out already.... How many are normally registered per year anyway ?

I can't answer that definitively, but I brought in an 06 motor from Britain (our family car) which was registered here Jan 08. It must have been one of the last 06Ds, owing to being regged in 08, and is in the 80 thousands. That was presumably the motor trade's biggest year

The D regs went over 100K in '00. About 110K I think.

There were 146,470 cars registered in 2008. This was a fall of 19% on the previous year (2007). However, January 2008 was the month in which the most car sales ever were made in a single month. It was in the paper a week or so ago that car sales for the first 2 weeks of 2009 were down something like 80% on the first 2 weeks of 2008.

A car sales pal reckons in general that the markets are down 70+%, but the cars he sells are doing better, lots of low consumption models. The dealers are pooling resources to some extent and they're taking cars to customers, even at long distances. Recessions do force efficiencies. I'd like to bet mechanics are on the up as more people make do and mend, but I have no stats for that, just a guess

I don't know if it was the oil price instabilities of last year, or just good ole fashioned Green party car tax/petrol increases, but 80% of cars purchased in the State now are the newer leaner meaner sub band D models. Good news for a change. Fiat is also sharing car designs with Chrysler so they can sell leaner meaner smaller vroom vrooms in the home of the gas guzzler.

Thanks for those lovely stats.

I don't know about ye but I'm haunted still by the spectre of 146c petrol. Maybe others are as well - maybe people are going through a transitional phase now that will involve more diesel buying. I should have looked to see if those two '09s were diesels.

A diesel is what I'll be aiming for for my next car anyhow and I might start stocking up on the veg oil already - it's still only 119c in Lidl.

Bit concerned about the auld diesel ackcherly....apparently the Chinese use it disproportionately and their Govt stats say their economy is still growing. Refining capacity, meanwhile, is petrol biased. I think a lean and mean petrol model may be a better bet.....the problem is that they were going to invest in more refining capacity, but with 40 bucks a barrel oil, they may not consider it worth their while....

expat girl wrote:

Bit concerned about the auld diesel ackcherly....apparently the Chinese use it disproportionately and their Govt stats say their economy is still growing. Refining capacity, meanwhile, is petrol biased. I think a lean and mean petrol model may be a better bet.....the problem is that they were going to invest in more refining capacity, but with 40 bucks a barrel oil, they may not consider it worth their while....

I was more thinking of this:

Quote :

Diesel engines can operate on a variety of different fuels, depending on configuration, though the eponymous diesel fuel derived from crude oil is most common. The engines can work with the full spectrum of crude oil distillates, from natural gas, alcohols, gasoline, wood gas to the fuel oils from diesel oil to residual fuels.

Pure plant oils are increasingly being used as a fuel for cars, trucks and remote combined heat and power generation especially in Germany where hundreds of decentralised small- and medium-sized oil presses cold press oilseed, mainly rapeseed, for fuel. There is a Deutsches Institut für Normung fuel standard for rapeseed oil fuel.

I think straight veg oil can also be used if it's mixed with ordinary diesel or it can be broken down using easily obtainable chemicals.

Sorry Audi... if you've got yer own biofuels supply planned, I take it all back!!!

I drive a lot across the Midlands and the East and haven't seen a single 09 car....

New car sales are slow because those who put off buying a new one to January because of John Gormley's rules have discovered that they now may not be able to keep up the repayments and are holding off.

Brother in law is in car sales and he says it's bad. They're taking huge losses on second hand cars to get rid of them, new cars are being bought in the north because it's so much better value. And there's some bizarre situation where if they buy in a car at 40k and sell it at 20k, the government still charges them VAT on the loss... He explained this to me the other day but I didn't believe him until I heard it discussed again on the radio with Pat Kenny this morning.

Indeed. There is also the "genius bank" factor.... they are foreclosing dealerships and dumping the stock for half value at auction. This is depressing value in the second hand market, which in turn, means that second hand cars are becoming harder to value. Which means that the banks are increasingly reluctant to lend moolah to people for second hand cars......and so it goes on. Sigh. Too many cheap good value second handers means fewer new car sales, too

Still haven't seen one, and the snowdrops are in full bloom, with the first daffs nearly out too...

I've come across at least a dozen '09 reg cars in and about Monaghan town over the last week, including the petrol guzzling 4x4 variety. Mind you, it seems to be the middle-aged and elderly people who can afford the new motors.

There are several one-off new build houses being erected in my local vacinity as well, and the odd estate house being sold at or near top asking prices.

I can think of only one prominent business that has gone to the wall, and that was because of rising rents (yes, you read it right!) and the fact the none of the children were prepared to take over a still profitiable business. Too much like work.

Recession. What recession?

Rising rents arent surprising. Most retail premises have upwards only rent reviews. Of course this will come back to bite the landlords eventually.

I saw a D in the low 2000's in Malahide.

cookiemonster wrote:

I saw a D in the low 2000's in Malahide.

2000 * 12 months = 24,000 cars potentially for Dublin this year - is that normal ?

Still driving our old rust buckets, on the principle originally that it was less environmental impact and more financially sensible than buying new ones, and now because like everyone else we have no idea if we will have any money in three months time. I like breaking a car in to my whims, and hate the smell of new cars, but bits are starting to drop mine at this stage.

I now foresee a time in the not too far distant future when I won't be able to afford to replace my dying car, and will have to drive my husband's groovy collector veteran item. As I am not an in your face kind of a person , that will be cause for personal embarrassment and cringes

Don't worry about your old banger, there will be plenty of boyracers around in a while who will turn it into a work of art.

You can now get a decent second hand car for a grand or two but maybe it's time to start preserving the old one you have and keep some money for doing just that including replacing the engine and other parts if necessary.

Celtic Tiger to Celtic Carrion. Sheeesh.

Just spotted Sean Dunne leaving the Courts in a 2009 Merc