The latest edition of our partner eZine eDrive is available for view now. The edition features some excellent content (aside from featuring some cutting edge Cartell statistics on the dot.com car crash! which has received quite a bit of attention in the media!) it also contains a good editorial on why the Government should not penalise buyers of fuel efficient vehicles – like the 520d and a good article on the “shite old days” when older equivalents of modern-day vehicles didn’t quite drive so well, or look so well.

There’s a good feature on vans too with a focus on the new VW Caddy and an interesting statement by VW Spokesman Niall Philips that the Caddy Maxi Life should be a realistic alternative to the Touran – based primarily on practical considerations like load-carrying.

We particularly like the feature on the Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing (1954) which is priced at $1,000,000 as tested by the team at eDrive. Now that’s some achievement: test-driving one of those. In fact, here in the office, we couldn’t think of many other vintage supercars we’d like to step into (the Ferrari 250 GTO the obvious exception). Nice to see a focus on high-value vintage classics! One for the enthusiasts!

BMW 3 Series E90 Saloon – 2005 – 2011

Overview:

The benchmark in the small executive class for a number of years, the E90 generation 3 Series has now been replaced, meaning prices are coming down on what is an excellent car.

Tell me all about it:

The E90 was a massive leap forward from the model it replaced, with radical styling (at the time) and a massive improvement in road manners, but this was not at the expense of BMW’s famed ‘ultimate driving machine’ handling characteristics, which simply became more refined. This generation of the 3 Series saw the introduction of cleaner engines, which meant impressive fuel economy returns and low road tax and running costs.

Anything I should look out for?

A really good maxim to go by with any used BMW is that there is no such thing as a cheap BMW. It is often very tempting to look at older model examples and ‘think’ that you see a bargain, when in fact big parts prices and big labour costs can lead to big bills. Make sure that you spend within your budget and that you also budget for repairs, as they will come. Having said that the 3 Series is built to be a high-mileage motorway cruiser and you don’t necessarily have to be afraid of cars with a lot of kilometres on the clock. As with any model range, as the years pass certain problems start to become apparent and this is no exception. Given that the most popular model, both as a domestic sale and a personal import, is the 320d, we can focus on this car – and there have been isolated reports of blown turbochargers on these. If you do opt for one of the four-cylinder petrol engined models, and there are a few of them about, make sure to check for coil and injector problems, which may be apparent from rough running or slow starting. A word to the wise: always have someone with some tech savvy look over your potential purchase and always get a Cartell check, especially if it is a private sale.

What are my options?

There was a pretty massive range of engines in this E90, but not all of these sold in volume here in Ireland. The majority of sales came from the 318d and 320d, followed by a small enough number of 318i petrol models. In later years the 316d was launched and there are a few of these around. Despite the misleading badges, the 316d, 318d and 320d are all in fact powered by different versions of the same 2.0-litre diesel engine, with 116- 143- and 184hp respectively. All of them are exceptionally clean, with the 316d and 318d residing in the current lowest motor tax band, Band A. There was also an ultra-clean EfficientDynamics version of the 320d with 163hp and emissions of just 109g/km.

How much will it cost me?

Late 2005 or early 2006 models start at around €8,000 for a high-mileage 320d. As with most BMW launches, it pushed its bigger engined models first, so these are the most frequent on the used car forecourts of this era. Move up to 2008 and a 316i petrol model will set you back around €10,500. Cross 2009 and things get more expensive, with a 2009 318d likely to be advertised for about €20,000. A more recent 2010 316d will set you back about €5,000 more.

This review was produced courtesy of completecar.ie

Well done on a tremendous result! In the national section Barry Meade (Liam Moynihan) topped the podium in their Mark II Ford Escort and an Escort also won the Historic event as driven by Wesley Patterson (Martin McGarrit). The junior section was won by Gary Gazza Dineen (Damien Fleming) also in a Ford Escort. The podiums for the four event are as follows:

International Podium

National Podium

Historic Podium

Junior Podium

Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes 2012

Killarney, INEC, May 4^th – May 6^th 2012

The May Bank Holiday weekend has long been associated with rallying – it’s the weekend of the Rally of the Lakes an international event of prestige which features – at Molls Gap – one of the most picturesque stages in Irish Rallying.

Cartell.ie are proud to announce title sponsorship of this years event and have committed to supporting it until at least 2013 – a testament to our commitment to assist in the continuing development of motor sports in Ireland and the Irish motor industry generally.

Jeff Aherne, Director of Cartell.ie, says: “Rallying in Ireland has been as much affected by the current economic climate as any other industry. And while a lot of people contribute their time voluntarily, both in the lead up to the event, and around the time of the event itself, there are still many cost overheads which event organisers incur and fees which competitors must contribute. That is why, especially these days, title sponsorship of events can make a difference.”

This year, as in previous years, the Rally of the Lakes will attract large numbers of visitors to Killarney, many of them from abroad as well as from across the country. This will help to boost the tourism sector in the South West of the country.

Cartell.ie is proud to be title sponsor for the foreseeable future – we first sponsored the event in 2010 and we’ve been back every year since – ensuring the rally continues to provide entertainment to the thousands who will flock there for the spectacle of watching cars navigate the lakes area around Killarney over the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend.

END

For further information please contact John Byrne (Cartell.ie) on + 087 4199018 or email john@cartell dot ie or check out www.cartell.ie for further information.

The BMW M5 is powered by a 4.4L V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo (consisting of Twin Scroll Twin Turbo Technology) making 560-hp between 6,000 and 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 502 lb-ft from 1,500 rpm.

Mated to a 7-speed M Double Clutch Transmission Drivelogic (with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters), the 2012 BMW M5 goes from 0 to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds, 0 to 124 mph in 13 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph or 190 mph with M Driver’s Package.

In terms of looks the new M is surprisingly understated – it doesn’t stick out at all and you could probably get away with using it for your weekly shopping in the local supermarket. This leads us onto our next point which is how adaptable this vehicle is on the road: serving as a luxury tourer or potent racer at the drop of the clutch. This is the most amazing feature of the new M5: its split personality.

But trust us: under track conditions this vehicle is an absolute beast! The sound from the v8 surely rivals anything on the road today.

Following them off the start ramp will be another former winner Tim McNulty who will be anxious to avoid the mechanical failures which put him out of the rally on the third stage last year while in the lead and cruelly robbed him of victory in 2010 when the gearbox failed while holding a comfortable lead with just three stages to go. Despite his early exit from the Lakes last year Tim and Paul Kiely went on to win the Tarmac Championship and completed a unique double by also winning the National Championship.

Having missed the Circuit McNulty’s total points to date are 15, a long way off the lead but its’ a long year and if Tim’s work commitments overseas permits he could well be in the shake-up by the time the series reaches its final round in Cork in October No 3 has been left available for a crew who are still trying to finalise a deal which hopeful will come together during the coming week. Next up at 4 is current Tarmac Championship leader Darren Gass, whose victories on the opening round of the Tarmac Series in Galway and the Circuit of Ireland at Easter have given him a 12 point lead over Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner who are on a total of 34 points, 7 clear of Gary Jennings who currently holds third overall in the Championship and leads Group N .

At No 7 Aaron McHale is the sole representative of the McHale rallying dynasty who have had such success in Irish rallying over the years. No doubt Aaron, a former National Champion, would dearly love to emulate the feats of Austin and Gareth who have both won the Lakes in the past.

On the 16^th of April 2012 Cartell.ie attended the Road Safety Authority (RSA) International Conference on Recidivist Behaviour and Driver Rehabilitation Programmes held in Dublin Castle. One of the most interesting speakers among the many of interest was Olivier Carston from the Institute of Transport Studies at the University of Leeds.

Professor Olivier Carston spoke about Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) which is very controversial indeed. Essentially ISA is about monitoring the speed of a vehicle and alerting a driver of the speed limit in the area to which the vehicle is travelling. But and this a big but, the system can mandate the driver to remain within the speed limit. That is correct, it can ensure that a vehicle does not break the speed limit. The first question that needs answering is why would we need big brother controlling our speed?

2011 had the lowest number of road deaths recorded in the last 50 years. The number of people killed on the roads has more than halved over the past decade with 411 people having died in 2001. The worst year for road fatalities was 1972, when 640 people died on the roads, marking a steady increase since 1961, the year records began, when 332 people were killed. Therefore if our roads are getting safer then why do we need ISA.

According to Professor Carston,  an increase in speed on a given road of 2%  related to a squaring of the number of injuries (4%) and a cubing of serious injuries (16%) and deaths to the power of four (256%). According to the experts, speed is a contributing factor in 30-40% of all fatalities. This fact is true even though in the UK alone there are over 6,000 fixed and mobile speed cameras while over 1.7 million speeding tickets are handed out annually. That said the average percentage of cars breaking the 30mph speed limit have fallen from 72% in 1995 to  46% in 2010. But there has been very little percentage change of speed on the “faster” roads such as motorways where attitudes seem to be indifferent on motorways for example. And this is where the debate really heats up. Attitudes towards those who hog the outside lane doing 120km/h can be seen everyday on our motorways ranging from the flashing of lights to the bird or both fingers.Road deaths have been falling across Europe with the introduction of Anti-Drink driving campaigns and penalty points and manufacturer improvements such as air bags and SRS. Each one of these measures according to Professor Carston yields a drop of a certain percentage but no more. In other words seat belts will save a certain number of lives but they can’t save every life.  He feels that technology is the next outpost.

ISA is speed management for the digital age. It requires four components

1. Position: a GPS based navigation system

2. Information: a digital road map with speed limits added

3. HMI: Tell the driver the speed limit – A voice alert like your satnav

4. Control (if wanted): a link to the drivetrain

The cost of the technology is now cheap compared to the last time Cartell.ie researched External Vehicle Speed Control (EVSC) back in 2005 as it was then known but the technology was new whereas with the advent of smart phones the technology is now mature.

There are three ways in which the technology can be used to reduce injuries.

• In Advisory mode the system warns the driver when speeding but takes no action
• In Voluntary mode the system warns the driver when speeding and takes action which can be overridden by the driver
• In Mandatory mode the system warns the driver when speeding and takes action which cannot be overridden by the driver

My main problem is with Mandatory. What if I want to overtake a vehicle which is travelling less than the speed limit? Can I break the speed limit to overtake safely?

On the safety side, the following figures show how the three different measures can reduce injuries

For those who believe this to be a pipe dream, this system has been tested in Lancashire UK where a speed limit map was fully developed. 402 drivers drove for 9 months covering 3.4 million km of road with the data tracked over the GPRS mobile phone system with 1 message per second (1Hz) received.

And just to stir up the hornets nest, the data is stored on the vehicle which could be used in the future for all aspects of the vehicles travel. There is no doubt in my mind that the Irish Data Protection Commissioner may have an issue with this.

So when can we expect to see it? Well the only thing that is stopping the potential implementation of the system is the mapping. It would cost £6 million in the UK to create the detailed maps with the speed limits on them. One might assume a similar cost here. However the RSA have confirmed that there is a review being undertaken of all the speed limits in Ireland and therefore the maps could be imminent as the cost of a single fatality to the state is over €1 million. Then it’s just legislation but I find it hard to imagine that it could only ever be implemented on either an advisory or voluntary basis.

ENDS

For further information please contact John Byrne (Cartell.ie) on + 087 4199018 or email john@cartell dot ie or check out www.cartell.ie for further information

The Mercedes victory last weekend, by driver Nico Rosberg, was that team’s first win since the 1950s – although Mercedes has not competed as a stand-alone team for most of that time. Still, it was refreshing to see the reaction of all those involved last Sunday in China when Rosberg took to the podium. Even Ross Brawn, no stranger to success, was emotional over the victory and when interviewed by the BBC after the race he acknowledged it was one of his all-time great achievements.

The Mercedes victory proves how evolving the sport of F1 has become. Last years runaway winner Sebastian Vettel qualified in 11th place on the grid in China – failing to make it into Q3 of qualifying. Vettel, apparently, refused to adopt a new setup for his car this year, preferring to stick with the set-up that brought him the World Championship last year.

The German driver claims he doesn’t regret that decision but surely he does! The other interesting thing about the Red Bull Car this year is how it performs in the middle of the pack where its straight line speed (never something the car was renowned for) is a clear disadvantage. The jury is still out on whether Red Bull can turn things around this year. But to be honest, I don’t think many neutral observers are too distressed over the difficulties at Red Bull Racing: a dominant car makes for a boring F1 season.

Another interesting development is the performance of Scudaria Ferrari in this years season to date. Widely condemned as one of the ugliest Ferrari GP cars ever to participate in F1 the team has also performed horribly in qualifying. Yet, principally due to his brilliance as a driver, Fernando Alonso managed to carve out a victory in the wet in Round 2 of the season. This has postponed any imminent sackings at Maranello but not for long surely. F1 needs a competitive Ferrari. It is the most prestigious car manufacturer on the grid and must account for a considerable percentage of the revenue and interest the F1 circus gains every year (as an aside the F1 competition is set to be floated on the Stock Market soon). 

In any event, whatever of the trials and tribulations at Red Bull and Ferrari, this is gearing up to be the best F1 season in years!

For those who don’t want to splash out on tickets in these testing times then you can simply line out at the barrier on the day. The race route loosely resembles the parade route for St Patrick’s Day: O’Connell Bridge and Dame Street feature prominently. We still think Custom House quay is the best point to watch if you want to hear the sound of an F1 v8 engine along the straight before breaking heavy. We can’t wait!

The 33rd Rally of the Lakes will be a counting round of The Irish Tarmac Rally Championship 2012, the Irish Tarmac Historic Rally Championship , the Irish Tarmac Modified Challenge , The Windscreen Company Southern 4 Championship and the Citroen Racing Trophy. 2012 Clerk of the Course Dermot Healy has decided to run this years rally on the exact same route and timetable which he used in his first year as Clerk of the Course in 2011.

Old favourites like Beallaghbeama, Caragh Lake and Shanera are retained on Saturday with the all time classic loop of Healy Pass, Cods Head, Ardgroom and Killmackillogue featuring on Sunday. Total stage distance is approximately 240 Km. As is traditional, each day starts with the iconic Molls Gap, which is used twice on Saturday and once on Sunday. Entry fees have been retained at last years level with the International at € 850, National at €800.

The event will start with a ceremonial start in Killarney town centre on Friday evening at 8pm and will finish at the Gleneagle Hotel at approximately 5pm on Sunday after 2 hard days of rallying over some of the worlds greatest tarmac stages. Exceptional accommodation deals are available at Rally Hq, the Gleneagle Hotel, for crews and followers alike.

Bookings and information at 064 663600. Further information is available at www.rallyofthelakes.com

Design Trending

Future concept vehicles can be released to show the design direction a company is intending on taking. This is an example of a company using a future concept in a proactive way to prepare the public for a change of direction. Ford Motor Company is excellent at this type of approach. In 2005, at the Frankfurt Auto Show, for instance, Ford presented the iosis concept (see photo). This was the public’s first glimpse of Ford’s kinetic design full of sweeping arcs, crisp lines, and dramatic wheel arches.

This was the design direction Ford rolled out across its range in Europe – most evident in the multi-award-winning 2007-2012 Ford Mondeo.

Furthermore, at the time, the iosis was seen as a last ditch attempt at survival. Ford was in the red, and its financial situation was perilous. There were informed commentators in the  industry who were already predicting the demise of the brand. Taking a chance with iosis was a big step but many saw it as a game-changer.

In-Demand Concepts leading to Production Equivalents

The Range Rover Evoque was first introduced in 2008 at the North American International Motor Show, described as the Land Rover LRX. Many observers assumed it was a concept design, so different was it to anything Land Rover had put to market up until that point. 

However the Evoque, effectively the market name for the LRX, was introduced to the public in 2011. By February 2012 Land Rover had sold 50,000 units with a back-order of 60,000 units. This represents a huge success for the company.  The Evoque takes a familar concept, a Range Rover, and reduces its size, making it more appropriate for city-driving while softening its design without compromising its off-road capabilities. It also drives “completely differently” to the Range Rover despite still carrying Range Rover badges.

Futuristic Design Concepts flagging direction for industry

There are times when future concept vehicles truly give us a glimpse of a distant future we can only vaguely imagine. Mercedes produced such a vehicle recently when they released a “road-going space-ship” …can you imagine parking beside the boss in one of these…

Dot.Com Boom Bursts for Year 2000 Vehicles

Cartell.ie today reports that year 2000 cars are no longer the most prominent on Irish roads after twelve years at the top of league tables. Cars registered in that year – which recorded an unprecedented number of new car sales – were the most popular on our roads but have now been surpassed by vehicles registered in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Year 2000 was a boom year for vehicle sales owing to a combination of the ‘millennium factor’ the dot.com boom and a successful scrappage scheme. There were 225,269 indigenous new vehicles registered in 2000 and a further 42,450 imports were subsequently added to that number. For understandable reasons, numbers of vehicles on Irish roads from the year 2000 have dropped off as vehicles fall into disrepair and receive end-of-life certificates.

However, it is testament to the number of cars registered that year that 2000-registered-vehicles are still number 4 on the list of most popular vehicles by registration year in Ireland – showing the Millennium Bug didn’t affect vehicle reliability! Millennium cars are now surpassed on the table by the Celtic Tiger boom year cars. – those from 2005, 2006 and 2007. People are holding onto cars longer due to galvanised bodies and anti-corrosive manufacturing methods – principally due to computing and computer modelling and robotics.

The table of the most popular cars on Irish roads today (by registration year) reads as follows:

ENDS

For further information please contact John Byrne (Cartell.ie) on + 087 4199018 or email or check out www.cartell.ie for further information

This monster of a roadster, the fastest in the world, has a 16.4 litre W16 engine pushing out 1,200BHP. Unfortunately in Ireland with its C02 at 867 g/km, it would fall into tax band G which is €2231 a year to tax and the VRT is at 36% although I’m not too sure you would be too bothered seeing as it would cost more than €2 million to buy!

My personal favorite everyday car is the BMW M550D X-Drive. This is BMW’s new 3 litre Triple turbo Diesel which pushes out 376 BHP, and does 0-100 Km/h in 4.7 seconds, top speed of 185 Mph or 300Km/h (when unrestricted). And the best about this marvel from BMW is the efficiency of this rocket, 6.3 Litres of fuel per 100 km or 44mpg in old money, and the C02 is just 165 g/km meaning the tax is just €481 and fits into tax band D. Its hard to believe the stats for this eco-friendly Concorde! Lets hope we’ll see it arrive in Ireland.  To see all our pictures from the show and to enter our competition for your chance to win an Android Tablet, just like our Facebook fan page, www.facebook.com/cartellcarcheck

Nissan Micra: 1992 – 2003

Overview:

The Micra has been teaching people to drive and ferrying around pensioners for decades now and this reliable little model is a great place to start if you want a cheap and pain-free used car.

Tell me all about it:

The second generation Micra arrived in 1992 and was quite a considerable step forward from the very basic, wedge-shaped first-generation version. While small in size, this Micra uses clever packaging to make the most of the available space and there is quite a lot of headroom available in particular. There was a revision to the car in 1998 so versions from then on feel considerably more modern and have improved safety features.

Anything I should look out for?

With older cars it is always advisable to get a Cartell Car Check. The thing about the Micra, and let’s try and be kind here, is that many of its drivers were learning how to drive and might not have been that mechanically sympathetic to the cars there were in. There will be plenty with knackered clutches, bashes, scrapes and other war wounds and so it can be hard to find one in mint condition.

Luckily, mechanically, the Micra is tougher than its diminutive size would suggest and is also easy to put right too. Parts and labour are inexpensive so this makes it an ideal first car because the running costs are very low. Early cars didn’t have power steering, which makes them pretty pointless so make sure to get one with it fitted. It is said that these are particularly easy cars to ‘clock’ so be cautious of cars with mileages that seems unrealistic for the age and condition. 

What are my options?

There really aren’t that many pre-1997 cars around and even if you did find some they are probably best avoided at this stage. From here on in, even a half decent quality 1997 model is only going to cost you around €700 so it really is very cheap motoring.  While there were a couple of engine options – 1.0-litre and a 1.3-litre – the 1.0-litre is the most plentiful and it is worth remembering that these were all 16-valve engines at a time when you had to pay extra for this on a Volkswagen Golf GTI. The 1.0-litre engine puts out 53hp and this isn’t bad considering the car weighs around 835kg, so it always feels quite nippy. There are some really ragged Micras around so it’s best to try and get something post-2000 as they haven’t aged as badly.

How much will it cost me?

Early pre-1997 models are virtually extinct on the Irish used car forecourts at this stage, but even if you did find one don’t pay more than a couple of hundred Euros for it. The earliest example we could find on reputable classifieds was a 1997 example that looked tidy enough and that was €800. Work upwards from here in stages, but the most you should expect to pay for this generation of ‘K11′ Micra is around €2,500 for a very late low-mileage 2002 model.

This review was produced courtesy of completecar.ie

First held in 1905 the show is widely considered the premier annual motor show in the world where manufacturers debut new vehicles and concepts. Located next to the airport in Geneva the event is held every year in the Geneva Palexpo. Through the years the show has given the public the first glimpse of some of the most significant vehicles ever manufactured and 2012 will be no different. The event is also renowned for its glamour.

Vehicles we can’t wait to look at this year include: the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. This vehicle is a convertible version of the Veyron which sports a removable targa-style roof and outputs 1,200-horsepower, through its 8.0-litre quad-turbo V-16. It’s an astonishing machine in both looks and performance; the Lamborghini Aventador J is the latest iconic vehicle to leave the Lamborghini stable. However this time there’s a catch: Lambo will only build one of them! They’re billing it as the “the most uncompromising open super sports car of its entire history”; in terms of ‘ordinary’ vehicles we’re looking forward to checking out the all-new Mercedes-Benz A Class which debuts at Geneva. This vehicle will target younger drivers with a next-generation screen interface and an integrated version of Apple’s Siri speech-processing technology. It has been completely redesigned too; also debuting is the new Audi A3 Hatchback which brings this compact hatch up-to-date with the “freshened design cues of the rest of the Audi lineup”.

We’ll bring you exclusives on all of these vehicles and a lot more! So keep an eye on our site this week!

His remarks are in connection with the recent Department of Transport announcement that a nationwide audit of speed limits is planned to ensure all speed restrictions are both safe and sensible. While the speed limits are set by the Minister, the restrictions are made in consultation with local authorities who consult with the Gardai. In respect of national primary and secondary routes the Department of Transport engages with the National Roads Authority. The stated aim of this review is to overhaul inconsistencies nationwide. On this point the Minister remarked: “We all know of cases where speed limits are inappropriately low or inappropriately high. I understand that there is some confusion among drivers about the various speed limits which should and do apply, as well as the approach to speed limit signage on national, regional and local roads.

“There are also allegations that local authorities are not consistent in how they decide on the appropriate speed limit, which has also contributed to driver confusion. Last year a new set of guidelines for special speed limits was published. This audit will follow on from that publication.”

Motorists afflicted by a heavy cold or flu suffer a major loss of concentration when behind the wheel, putting themselves and other road users at risk, new research by UK-based Insurance company Young Marmalade shows.

While many of us may have some notion that we are not at our peek behind the wheel when suffering from a cold or flu the extent of the impairment is actually very significant. Safety experts found a dramatic increase in poor driving when victims of a cold were subjected to scientific tests.

Reactions times dropped sharply and sudden braking became much more frequent, as the motorist was less aware of surrounding traffic, while cornering also became erratic. Driving ability was estimated to drop by over 50%, the study found – the equivalent of 4 whiskies.

Insurance company Young Marmalade who carried out the research in association with Halfords said a participant who had an “excellent” driving rating of 95% when healthy dropped to 60% when suffering from a cold. At this level an insurance company would expect the victim to be involved in an accident.

Young Marmalade said the trail provided a warning for motorists not to drive with heavy colds or flu.

“In the case of this one particular driver this was totally out of character and we arranged for someone to take him home. We would advise a common sense approach. A heavy cold can impair a driver’s mood, concentration and judgement, if you don’t feel well don’t drive,” said Nigel Lacy, Young Marmalade.

The experiment was carried out using a black “telematics” box, which records driver’s speed, braking, and cornering. While there are no official figures for accidents caused by sneezing and cold and flu symptoms, the insurance industry suspect motorists are responsible thousands of incidents while “under the weather”.

Halfords Winter Driving Expert Mark Dolphin said: “We want our customers to stay safe. You shouldn’t drive if you are not feeling well. The best place to be when you have flu or a heavy cold is at home, but if you really must go out, get someone else to take you and avoid driving.

Insurance studies say that drinking a double measure spirits decreases reaction time by 11% times would add 1m (3.3ft) to stopping distance if travelling at 30mph (48km/h) – on top of a normal distance of 12m (40ft).

The device they developed plugs into a car engine and relays information about erratic driving to a phone application, and from there to a cloud computing platform, allowing drivers and car owners to monitor where and how the dangers are being created. “It will alert the user to speed, to hard cornering, sudden acceleration, in other words things we learn from the gravitational force,” said James McNamara, one of the IT Sligo team members. “We consulted with Garda crash forensic experts during the development process to give us a better insight into what the dangers are”. The team’s solution used embedded technology, Windows Phone 7, Bing Maps and the Windows Azure cloud computing platform to create the product which they hope will change driving habits and reduce road deaths. As well as James the team included Calum Cawley, Aíne Conaghan and Matthew Padden. Their team mentor was Padraig Harte, a lecturer in the Institute’s Department of Information Systems. James pointed out that there is more to the ground breaking device than allowing vehicle owners like parents to be “virtual passengers” who can monitor how a car is being driven from their homes. It will also encourage the drivers to beat the technology by driving safely and according to the student it will make driving safely, rather than driving fast, fun. “We think one of the attractions of the product will be the computer game angle”, explained James. “Many young people love playing computer games and improving their gamer scores, we believe we can piggyback off this and use it to incentivise safe driving”.

Well done to the IT Sligo Team!

The NMR acquired 170,000 readings in January meaning it surpassed the 6 million mark. The Register is always looking at new ways to obtain additional sources of mileage. One of these is the National Car Test (NCT)  readings. Cartell has placed pressure on the Government to obtain these readings and will continue to do so. At the moment these readings are not available in bulk to anyone  - we feel this should change.

The following is a guest blog from a long-standing contributor to Cartell.ie: Daragh Ó Tuama

This week I had the pleasure of spending a night at the Ritz Carlton near Powerscourt in Wicklow. And if I was a hotel reviewer, instead of a motor hack, I’d certainly have to give it the full five stars. But I don’t review hotels. Instead I talk about cars, car issues and generally moan a lot. But cars, however, are the reason for me spending a night in the luxury of the Ritz Carlton.

We were at the Ritz to help celebrate 150 years of Opel as a manufacturer, to have a look at their new GTC Astra (also featured in eDrive), the 2012 Insignia and to have a sneak peak at the pre-production Opel Zafira.

Now today I’m not really reviewing these cars, that’s another week’s work. Today I’d like to talk about the image that is Opel. I mean they’re celebrating 150 years and they’ve had an incredible sales turnover since establishment. They also have a reliable name to match their sales over the years.

So lets look at points of their past. I’m not going to give any of you a history lesson – you can go to Wikipedia or the likes and check dates etc for yourselves. Nope, I want to bring you back to the 80’s and the 90’s in this wonderful island of ours. When by 1990 it was still common to see a yellow 1983 Opel Kadette humming around the roads and streets of Ireland (and if you had a Kadette E (1984-1991)…you were clearly loaded! Do you remember being a fan of Italia 90 and gladly sporting an Irish jersey on your person with a big OPEL logo across your chest? I remember thinking as a young fella that Opel was a uniquely Irish brand…and then these imported Vauxhalls started showing up and I was educated to the fact that there was indeed a world outside of Ireland.

I have to be honest; a lot of my memories of that time remind me of yellow, orange or green Opel Kadettes. It’s sad really, that there are very little to be seen nowadays (wow I’m starting to feel old!). I’m sure some of your memories include one of these driving by.

Then came the 90’s, and the Kadette transformed into the Astra and the Opel Vectra was becoming more popular – especially with An Garda Síochána. Opel was getting more and more curved and aerodynamic as the years went on – as was every brand I suppose. But despite high sales of the time I feel the 90’s right up to about 2008/2009 was when Opel were at their most boring. And in terms of style, they just weren’t at the races. True, they had a good reputation for safety and reliability, but they had a serious lack in the style and excitement department.

Now, however, it’s beginning to be a different story. I don’t always buy into TV and radio ads, but two car manufacturers really stand out for me. Skoda, because their ads make me feel like they’re being honest “Good made better” – it’s quiet modest when you think about their current range of cars. And for some reason “The Insignia is the best we’ve ever built” is one I’m beginning to believe. And I’m not just talking about its driving capabilities and its safety features, etc; I’m also talking about its style.

I mean from my experience the Insignia is wonderful. It’s stylish, powerful when it needs to be, jam-packed with safety equipment; it’s comfortable and has an interior as interesting as European cars should be. But, before I get too off-track here, this is not a review on the Insignia, that’ll come in a few weeks. What I am doing however is giving them a bualadh bos. I believe in giving credit where it’s due.

Anyway, 150 years of Opel, a nerve wrecking 2012 ahead for the whole motoring industry. How will things fair for Opel on this 150^th year in existence? How will other manufacturers fair? The range Opel have in line for 2012 is very exciting, as are other ranges coming from their competitors, but will their prices entice Irish customers to start spending their money? Will banks start lending more to ensure this market becomes more buoyant? Will the government see some sense and realise that we need the scrappage scheme back as a long term incentive to buy? Watch this space and we will see. In the meantime I would like to wish Opel a happy birthday, and to all manufacturers out there and to the Irish motoring industry in general, Good luck and let’s hope for a great one.

Daragh Ó Tuama

It looks at the new Ford Mondeo – still a year away and remarks, similar to other publications, that it does look a bit like an Aston Martin! The Mondeo will certainly have the option of the 1.6 and 2.0 Turbo Diesel-aspirated engines in its lineup but it might also include the new 1.0 litre turbo 3 cylinder engine.

The eZine also features Cartell’s recent media story on the breakdown of imported vehicles in the Irish fleet. Remember, a used-car buyer has almost a 1 in 2 chance of buying an imported vehicle if they gun for a 2009 car. That’s no bad thing necessarily – just remember you have to add all the previous owners and previous history to the Republic of Ireland history to get a complete view of things before you make that all-important decision whether to buy or not!

eDrive also considers the new Opel Astra Sport Hatch – a competitor to the successful Golf GTi as well as the Zafira Tourer – a vehicle which ‘looks, feels and drives the part”!

You can check out the latest edition on the eDrive site. (No download required)

Volkswagen Polo Mark III – 1994 – 2002

Continuing our series of Used Car Reviews by completecar.ie we focus on this popular model.

Overview: Regarded as the quality choice in the segment, the Volkswagen Polo Mark III carried on this tradition. While not the company’s most exciting work, the Polo does however make a great used buy, even if prices remain quite high.

Tell me all about it: The third-generation of the Polo might seem light and a little flimsy by today’s standards but back when it was launched in 1994 it had a solidity that few of its rivals could hope to match. At launch the engine line-up consisted of a 45hp 1.0-litre and a 55hp 1.3-litre, although the overwhelming majority sold here in Ireland had the 1.0-litre engine. It was also the first time that the Polo became available with five doors and – in small numbers in Ireland – with a diesel engine. The 64hp 1.9-litre diesel wasn’t particularly powerful or refined. There was also the option of an automatic transmission for the first time and in terms of safety a driver’s airbag was introduced.

Anything I should look out for? With older cars it is always advisable to get a Cartell Car Check. It is also good to bear in mind that power steering isn’t something that came standard in the Polo until much later in the life of the Mark III (circa 2001). If you are taking a test drive, make sure to check if the gear change is smooth, as some of these cars have had pretty tough lives with less than mechanically sympathetic drivers. Spanish-built models weren’t always up to the quality you would expect from Volkswagen. Check for patches of rust low down and also make sure to check front brake discs and front pads. The front discs tend to need replacing every 50,000 kilometres or so.

What are my options? The options here in Ireland are reasonably limited – most early examples are going to be the 1.0-litre models and while these are tough little cars, do expect them to feel a little tired at this stage. If you find a saloon in good condition, these are a lot of car for very little money. Most of these will be powered by a 1.4-litre petrol engine, but there are some 1.9-litre diesels around too, though they aren’t turbocharged and can be sluggish and pretty noisy.

How much will it cost me? The early examples, from the mid-1990s are now very cheap and start from as little as €700, but you get what you pay for in this instance. Face-lifted 2001 models will have an asking price of around €1,800 and the most you should be asked to pay for this generation of Polo would be €3,000 for a very clean, low-mileage 2002 example with the round headlamps.

This review was produced courtesy of completecar.ie

Continuing our popular series – Used Car Advice – we want to start 2012 by helping Helga and her husband Gerry buy a vehicle. They contacted us over the holidays:

“We heard through the grapevine that Cartell does case studies on people looking at buying second hand cars?? And that you give recommendations…? Gerry and I know absolutely zero about cars so we would be so grateful for any recommendations from people who know about cars.

We are looking just to buy a good, cheap little motor run around – something like a Ford Fiesta (little, zippy, older, reliable, runs on the smell of an oil rag). We had one once and I loved it but other cars of this calibre would be fine too. We only want to spend around €4000. Oh it would have to take carseats – but sure they all do these days right?”
Helga (mum of two)

Ok, so, lets quickly deal with the child seats issue first: The safest child seat is iso-fix for group 0-1-2 (Babies up to 2/3 years old). However these came into being around 2006/7 so it would have to be assessed which vehicles fitted them in our price range: €4,000. In other words, it’s something Helga and Gerry are right to take a closer look at when they’ve picked out a few options for their next vehicle!

Reliability

Helga and Gerry are looking for something reliable – that’s the key concern here. They have €4,000 to spend and they want this cash to go as far as possible. What they don’t want is to spend the money on an unreliable vehicle that causes countless trips to the garage, stress, money down the drain…that’s the worst possible scenario here because the capital they invest is completely wasted in that case – they can’t even sell the car onwards until it’s repaired – a real nightmare.

Service History

The most important thing for Helga, regardless of what model she goes for, is that a full service history comes with the vehicle. We’ve all heard about ‘one lady owner’ which is a phrase thrown around in showrooms around the country – but the reality is often quite different. Lower-value-vehicles often have several previous owners so the most recent one, whether she’s a lady scooting around town or not, doesn’t matter so much. What does matter is that the vehicle has a service book with full set of stamps – that’s the vital consideration. Also, look to get a solid warranty from a dealer. Getting a dealer close to home would facilitate any fixes that might occur within the warranty period. Obviously you’d like to get a warranty from a dealer that survives the recession…otherwise you’ve lost cash…but then it’s hard to know these things…and anyways we like to think positively at Cartell!

Low Mileage

Buying a lower mileage vehicle is more preferable if you’re looking to stretch your cash further in terms of longevity. Helga doesn’t appear to be too worried about the style, or even the size, of the vehicle, and that’s a good thing: it means she can opt for a cheap and cheerful low mileage vehicle instead of looking for a higher mileage, snazzier, alternative.

Options

Helga mentioned the Ford Fiesta so lets begin with it. For €4,000 she could buy something like a 2005 Fiesta Steel 1.25l petrol, 5-door. We’ve spotted one on the market at the moment for €3,999 and with 52,383 miles on the clock. That’s exactly the type of vehicle Helga might like to test-drive. The Fiesta for that year is considered a pretty reliable car – provided it’s been well maintained – and there’s plenty of space in the boot for shopping and other bits and pieces. The 5-door gives easy access to the rear seat – an important consideration for children.

Another option in this price bracket is the  VW Fox. This vehicle is not as popular in Ireland as the VW Polo but there are some bargains out there. We spotted a 2006 VW Fox 1.2 litre with 45,000 miles on the clock for €3,850. This could be a decent shout if it’s been well serviced. The draw-back will be the number of doors. In that price range Helga would be looking at a 3-door option: so if access to the rear seats is paramount then the Fiesta is still a better bet.

Finally, we recommend she considers the Toyota Yaris. This was generally a popular vehicle with its owners when it was first launched in Ireland – and included many innovative cabin features. On the downside, the popularity of the vehicle reflects in the relatively high residuals: bottom line: Helga would have to drop down to a 2003 Yaris if she’s looking for a 5-door or 2004 if she’s prepared to settle for a 3 door.

Cartell Recommends…

Faced with these three choices Cartell would opt for the 2005 Fiesta – it’s a newer vehicle and provided it’s been fully serviced it should be relatively trouble-free. Dropping from registration year 2005 to 2003 for an equivalent Yaris is probably not a wise move. Good luck!

Trend continues in 2011

The Irish Sun today (Mark May) publishes an article relying on Cartell statistics displaying the percentage of imports in the Irish Fleet (Private/Hackney/Taxi) since 2000. The figures show a significant increase in the prominence of imports in the fleet over the 12-year period. While the 2009 figure is particularly high this was due to the large fall in new car sales of indigenous Irish vehicles resulting in the number of imports achieving a higher percentage of the fleet that year. Still, it stands to reason that a person in the market for a 2009 vehicle should be aware that they stand nearly a 50:50 chance that the vehicle they wish to purchase has a “hidden” history from the UK or Northern Ireland.

The figures from 2011 show a trend in the market consistent with 2010 – imports are around 30% of the fleet total. Overall the figures show that a person in the market to buy a car up to five years old has between a 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 chance of buying a vehicle with a hidden history. And those in the market for a 3-year-old car, or newer, will have approximately a 1 in 3 chance of hitting an import. Through various research drives Cartell has consistently highlighted the problems with imported vehicles: as many as 30% of imports have finance outstanding, or were previously written off, or have been clocked. Remember also that a “hidden history” reveals previous owners which the purchaser may not have been aware of – leading to increased risk of incurring mechanical problems resulting from different driving styles and vehicles that are not well serviced and maintained. Always check the history of a used car before you purchase it.

The chart published today by Cartell runs as follows:

Ford Fiesta Mark IV – 1999 – 2002

Overview: The Fiesta has been immensely popular in Ireland for several good reasons and it remains a top used car choice. The Mark IV was a real step up in quality for this popular little car, especially following its facelift in 1999.

Tell me all about it: The fourth generation of the Ford Fiesta marked quite a significant departure from the Mark III, as the car’s design began to come in line with the recently launched Ford Focus, and it was quite a fundamental update from the rather doe-eyed looking predecessor. This was not a totally radical redesign, however, and the car was still cramped in the rear. This model isn’t blessed with great luggage capacity either.

Anything I should look out for? With older cars it is always advisable to get a Cartell Car Check. Unfortunately, this model was still prone to rust so make sure to check over the car thoroughly. The Fiesta was not always bought by buyers who took great care or attention of their vehicles and this showed at times. So look for signs of basic maintenance and ask for a service history. It’s not a good sign if any services have been missed. Check the front suspension too, as this is often prone to wear and the brakes should be noise free. Avoid the 1.3-litre petrol engine and the 1.8-litre non-turbo diesel where possible, as they are not the best.

What are my options? The choices in Ireland in this model Fiesta weren’t huge. There was the 8v 1.3-litre petrol engine, which unfortunately was found in large numbers of the early models and was underwhelming. Putting out a miserable 59hp it took the guts of 16 seconds to get to 100km/h and as an illustration of how things have moved on, it had emissions of 161g/km. Much better was the 16v 1.25 Zetec engine, which eventually was to become the big seller. This newer unit boosted power up to 73hp and shaved more than three seconds off the 0-100km/h time. Also available, but sold in tiny numbers because at the times were taxed by their cubic capacity, was the 1.8-litre diesel engine. With 59hp, this engine was pretty noisy and slow and is best avoided.

How much will it cost me? Early 2000 1.3-litre models will set you back around €2,950 from a SIMI-registered dealer, but you can find cheaper 1.25-litre models and this is the better engine. We found these from as little as €2,000 and they make a great starter car. The most you will pay for a 2001 model is around €3,000 with low mileage so consider both of these prices as your price range. The best thing about this model Fiesta is how easy and cheap it is to maintain and service.

This Blog was reproduced courtesy of Completecar.ie

In total 7,703 vehicles were exported out of Ireland this year to November with an estimated annualised value of €100 million. This represents an increase of 16% year-on-year, while exports have risen by 64% in the last five years.

This trend is set to continue following Budget 2012 when the Government further emphasised the importance of vehicle exports by offering a VRT rebate. This was reported as one of the final changes made by the Government to the Budget. However, a relatively small number of vehicles are exported out of the State in comparison to those imported into Ireland – especially from the UK.

Nonetheless, the 16% increase recorded in 2011 is not the highest in the last five years: in 2008 a year-on-year increase of 23% was recorded – just as the Celtic Tiger economy began to wind down. The figure for exports in 2008 and 2011 are significantly higher than in other years.

Of the vehicles exported this year 31% were classed as goods vehicles. The economic problems, particularly the housing crash, would have significantly contributed to this development: as the market contracted in Ireland these vehicles would have proven costly to retain domestically.

Of the private vehicles exported there was an almost identical distribution between petrol and diesel variants. While it was anticipated that a higher number of petrol vehicles would be exported, particularly larger engine variants (which are costly to tax in Ireland since 2008), the statistics do not point to such a distinction. In fact, considering diesel is still in the minority in the Irish fleet, it appears that private diesel vehicles and goods vehicles are more likely to be ear-marked for export than any other.

The number of vehicles exported has remained consistently higher in the post-boom years. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, the economy took a crash and there was no market for large commercial vehicles; second, fluctuation in currency valuations meant that second hand vehicles could be resold for more on export; and finally, Irish residents brought vehicles with them as they emigrated.

The trend shows that both year-on-year increases and total numbers of vehicles exported will continue to rise over the following years.

Resulting from analysis conducted by Cartell.ie it was discovered that approximately 10% of commercial fleet exports have finance outstanding. In many cases the sums involved would be significant in these cases. These vehicles would be sold onwards to unsuspecting buyers in the UK who are unaware that an Irish finance house can repossess the vehicle.

Finally, of the commercial vehicles exported 118 fell into the mobile machinery tax class: 22 were dumpers or forklifts, and 19 were general haulage vehicles.

END

For further information please contact John Byrne (Cartell.ie) on + 087 4199018 or email or check out http://www.cartell.ie/for further information.

Toyota Corolla 2007 – 2011

The following is the next in our series of used car reviews written exclusively for Cartell.ie by Completecar.ie

Overview:

The Toyota Corolla isn’t exciting but it is popular for a good reason. It is a model of reliability and offers a pain-free motoring experience.

Tell me all about it:

The Corolla has been a family favourite in Ireland for generations and despite the fact that the Corolla isn’t offered in most of Europe or the UK, the Corolla saloon remains on sale alongside the Auris, which replaced the last-generation Corolla hatchback. The Corolla is a handsome enough saloon, if not dramatically styled, but these sober looks have aged well since it first arrived. A major plus point for the Corolla saloon is the fact that it is such a generously sized car for such little money.

Anything I should look out for?

Of all the cars that you could buy used, a Corolla saloon is one of the most painless to own. The Corolla is incredibly well built with hugely reliable engines and whether you choose either the 1.3-litre petrol or 1.4-litre diesel engines, both will have low maintenance costs and will be more than capable of racking up huge mileage. Make sure any diesel models have been serviced properly and that the particulate filter is in good condition.

What are my options?

The choice is very simple in the Corolla saloon; you can have a 1.3-litre petrol engine or a 1.4-litre diesel. The 1.3-litre petrol has 99 horsepower and has low emissions at 133g/km. It is a better value choice on the used market and it will return close to 50mpg on the combined cycle. The diesel model is more expensive and holds its value better. It makes a shrewd used-car buy if you intend to rack up higher mileage or if you will be buying a higher mileage example. A word of caution though, a poorly serviced diesel car won’t last as long as a poorly serviced petrol one, so make sure not to take any shortcuts.  

How much will it cost me?

Early 2007 petrol saloon models will set you back around €8,000 for the 1.4-litre petrol version from a main dealer with a full service history and this is perhaps the least you should spend on any model. You might find some cheaper examples but they would not be economically sound. You’ll only pay about €9,000 for a 2008 model, again with petrol versions more plentiful. The 2007 diesel Corollas start at around €9,000. A 2008 1.4-litre petrol model will set you back €10,500 and there were few diesels sold in 2008, so you’ll have to get into a 2009 diesel, which will cost you around €11,500. 

This Blog was produced courtesy of completecar.ie

Cartell welcomes Government review of Motor Taxation

Band B Motor Tax Hit Hard – as we predicted

In a recent blog Cartell proposed an alternative method of generating motor taxation. We were delighted with the coverage our proposal got, both in social media, and here on the site. While not everyone agreed with us – and we never expected any different – it was heartening to see discussion generated. It was also noticeable that motor taxation is an issue that Irish people are keen to see re-considered.  Here are some of the comments we received and a few points we’d like to make:

Jon Cashman didn’t like the fact that motor tax is set too high in Ireland – and set to increase again. Tom Murphy liked our proposal that we pay less tax as our car gets older while Greg didn’t accept our methodology here at all – saying that older cars are cheaper to maintain as they can be serviced in street-corner garages as opposed to the main dealer network while the car is in warranty: it’s a valid point. M Keeshan felt there should be a greater effort to collect tax saying that 10-15% of vehicles have no taxation at all.  We agree with this. In our blog earlier in the year on a related point Cartell noted that more effort will be done to track down vehicles with unpaid tax using the SORN system if that system is introduced in Ireland. Another point that was mentioned by both Eddie and Anuj in our first blog on this issue was the merits of abolishing road tax altogether. While this idea is in line with our general theory that increases in tax may take some vehicles off the road – or outside the tax net altogether – it’s difficult to envisage the Government actually abolishing road tax  as its such an important revenue stream – in a recession every revenue stream is important. Finally, both Donal and Greg weren’t too happy with our proposal to use power as a variant. On this point we have a slight clarification: in our original workings on this issue power was penciled as a factor for electric vehicles, predicting a rise in their use in the future, however in the final analysis it was entered in its PS/BHP/Kw context to create a certain uniformity across electric, petrol and diesel aspirations.

Band B Motor Tax up to EUR 225 from EUR 156

In any event Cartell was not surprised with today’s announcement to increase motor tax in 2012, to be applied from 1 January. Band A Motor Tax is up to EUR 160, Band B is up to EUR 225 and Band C is up to EUR 330. The bands themselves remain unaltered. These increases are in line with our prediction that Band B would be hit hard. We are also interested in the Government announcement to review motor tax (and VRT) in consultation with the motor industry. We welcome this initiative.  In the spirit of that dialogue we want to continue by offering another alternative aside from the formula which we proposed last week: Instead of continuing to focus on CO2 as the sole determining factor for calculating motor taxation we propose an emphasis on the original manufacturer value of the vehicle with discounts for vehicles with lower CO2 emissions. This would incentivise manufacturers with higher base-value vehicles to curb their CO2 emissions in a bid to keep taxation lower. Like last week’s proposal it’s only a suggestion. Still, it appears for another year at least we will continue to calculate our taxation on the basis of CO2 emissions – and at least it’s relatively easy to formulate.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s historic rally in Killarney. Below are the winners and their times:

Historic

1: Ray Cunningham/Ross Forde – Morris Mini Cooper S – 1:19:53.2
2: James O’Mahony/Paddy McDonnell – Volvo 144 s – 1:22:30.8
3: John Spiers/Suzanne Niedrum – Porsche 911 - 1:24:13.4

Post-Historic

1: Denis Moynihan/Eamonn Hayes – Ford Escort Mk1 – 1:14:26.3
2: Mark Falvey/Colin Moynihan – Ford Escort Mk1 – 1:14:59.0
3: Keith McIvor/David Burns – Porsche 911 - 1:16:27.2

Classic

1: Tomas Davies/Eurig Davies – Ford Escort – 1:14:12.4
2: Diarmuid Lynch/Mark Horgan – Ford Escort Mk2 - 1:15:43.1
3: Todd Falvey/Gerard Conway – Porsche 911 – 1:18:28.3

Modified

1: Wesley Patterson/Martin McGarrity – Ford Escort RS Mk2 – 1:12:06.3
2: Mike Quinn/Grainne McEnery – Ford Escort Mk2 – 1:12:39.5
3: Kevin O’Donoghue/Joe O’Leary – Ford Escort Mk2 – 1:13:43.3

Cartell offers alternative motor taxation calculator

Like everyone else who drives a car in Ireland we were all disappointed in the Cartell office to learn the news that the Minister for Finance is set to increase motor tax in the upcoming budget. We are told he will increase motor tax and adjust the motor tax bands. To be honest we are not surprised. The reality of taxation is that it follows the revenue stream. Motor Taxation, adjusted by the Green Party/FF Government in 2008 was always liable to be adjusted upwards – principally this is due to the enormous impact the 2008 revision had on consumer spending. 

Remember, before the change in 2008 motor taxation was calculated on the basis of engine size, so, regardless of whether a vehicle was diesel or petrol motor taxation was the same. The system penalised those who drive vehicles 2.0l or above, in particular, and benefited those who drive smaller cars. It all made sense, in many respects, until the Green Party endorsed a move to save the environment. Instead of calculating taxation on the basis of engine size, it would be calculated on the basis of CO2 emissions. The effect was startling. Overnight two prominent events took place: (i) the value of pre-2008 petrol vehicles plummetted in the second-hand market, and (ii) the consumer switched allegiance from petrol to diesel. Immediately new-car buyers opted for diesel vehicles, which produce significantly less CO2 and which record higher MPGs making them cheaper to run.

Something else became apparent too: something which the Government had not been aware of: the car manufacturers started to roll out new technology which made their vehicles emit less and less CO2 meaning they qualified for lower and lower rates of motor tax. Perhaps the most startling of all was the BMW 5 Series which qualifies, in its basic form, for Category B road tax – one of the cheapest around. This is a luxury vehicle, its owners are more than capable of forking out a few bob extra in taxation. Yet, the news that it qualified for annual payments of €156 must have impacted on Government thinking. Certainly the vehicle manufacturers were several steps ahead of the Government. They had been working on lower-emission vehicles for decades and the Government were caught blind-sided by the technology. What the Government assumed was  that lower emission vehicles would continue to be a niche in the market. What they didn’t realise was that these vehicles were ready to go mainstream – and the Irish buyer was more than willing to save a buck or two by buying them.

In its previous blog post on ‘Buying New or Second Hand?’ Cartell pointed out the savings when buying a new car if you make your calculations over several years and take into account motor tax and MPGs.

Of course back to the obvious problem: as more and more consumers opted for the diesel vehicles, and as the vehicle manufacturers rolled out more and more fuel saving enhancements, and better fuel-efficient engine technology, the Government purse strings were more adversely affected by the lost revenue stream.

Enter budget 2012. So, what will the Minister do? While the most likely thing is that the Minister will adjust the CO2 emission bands – most likely in line with Departmental research which points to estimates of how many vehicles would be caught by the adjustments, it’s likely he will also increase the amounts paid. So, gone will be Category A at €104 and Category B at €156. We’re guessing Category A will increase to €130 and Category B will increase to €198 – but these are just guesses! At the middle end of the scale Category C at €302 will likely increase to above €350 and Category D currently set at €447 will almost certainly go beyond €500 maybe to €560. At the top end of the scale, Categories E, F and G will all be hit hard. We won’t be at all surprised if Category B and Category C vehicles are hit hardest as these are where the vast majority of sales have taken place since 2008.

New Approach Needed

In any event, we think the Government approach is wrong. We think a complete re-think of motor taxation is in order. We think there should be more focus on Power as a variable and an all-encompassing approach. For that reason Cartell proposes the following formula:

Motor Tax =[Power x A + CO2 x B] minus Age x C

The A, B and C values could be fixed by the Government: perhaps set at a certain fixed amount like 2 and 0.5 and 10.

So a 5-year-old vehicle with 123 BHP and producing 140 grams of C02 would work out as follows:

Motor Tax = [123 x  2 + 140 x 0.5] minus 5 x 10 = €266

Currently the Ford Mondeo 1.8l Econetic variant, which roughly fits these variables for CO2 and Power (but which has not been around 5 years yet), is listed at Category B €156 motor tax. Of course we could adjust the variables: maybe to 1.5, 0.4 and 10. This would result in the following result:

Motor Tax = [123 x  1.5 + 140 x 0.4] minus 5 x 10 = €190.50

This figure, of €190.50, is more or less what we expect the Category B figure to look like at the end of the Budget. We also think this is a fairer system for two reasons: it would mean motor taxation would get slightly cheaper as a vehicle gets older – which is only fair considering servicing costs will increase, and it would also mean that a broader range of variables are taken into account: Power, and CO2 and Age.

The downside with introducing a system like this is that it could only apply prospectively, or into the future, meaning it would only start to apply from January 1, 2012. This won’t happen for two reasons – first, a system like this, while fairer, is probably more complicated to implement and form calculations, and secondly, the Government wants extra revenue now so it will most likely apply increases to the old system before it will introduce a new system.

Still, food for thought, none the less.

The edition is available now for viewing online (no download required). It announces the launch (Summer 2012) of the new Ford Kuga which is larger than the current version and will be larger than the Focus (currently the Kuga and Focus are built from the same platform). The new Kuga, which is popular in many European countries (though not so much in Ireland), is considered a more significant launch than the upcoming Mondeo launch principally because Ford anticipates selling more of these – although that remains to be seen.  For racing enthusiasts it features an article on the Peugeot 908 Le Mans which Cartell blogged about last year. This car is incredible powerful but also incredibly silent (relatively speaking) for a vehicle with over 700bhp. What is more interesting is the fact it runs on Diesel fuel. Check out the following video by one enthusiast (from 0.27). Le Mans vehicles are perhaps not as stylish as F1 cars, it’s a question of taste, but in terms of performance they are unbeatable over long distance. The Ezine also features a piece on the innovative new future technology by Citroen for vehicle fuel entitled EHDI. This technology is premised on the assumption that we will continue to use fossil-fuel-based vehicles for at least another 30 years, and therefore technology which reduces consumption will remain critical for that time frame. The technology uses a combination of diesel, battery and gearbox to achieve this. BMW and Rally School of Ireland (in Monaghan) also feature for their focus on the benefits of the Winter tyre. There’s a piece featuring Cartell too where we write about some coverage we received in the National Media for our work on seeking the criminalisation of vehicle clocking – something we feel very strongly about. All-in-all then the latest eDrive is a great read.

Thanks to everyone who entered our competition to win the Cartell jacket. We had a great response. I can confirm that the winner is:

Declan Casey from Banteer, Co. Cork

Congratulations. Your jacket will be posted out to you this evening. We also have 11 Hi-Vis waistcoats to give away to those of you who shared our competition amongst your friends on Facebook. The 11 winners are:

Gerard Brett

Sean Walsh

Eugene O Connor

Una Ni Chinnseallaigh

Jules Thomas

Garrett Mccord

Lorraine Brennan

David Lysaght

Ellen Bow

Jonathan Scales

Kieran Glover

Congratulations to you all. In order to receive your prizes, could you all please email facebook@cartell.ie with your names and addresses so we can post out your prizes.

Keep checking our Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/CartellCarCheck for you chance to win more great prizes. And dont forget as a Cartell fan on Facebook, you can get a 20% discount off our two and three star checks!

Today’s Sunday Independent credits Cartell.ie with prominent drive to criminalise vehicle clocking in Ireland

In a piece written by journalist Shane O Donoghue Cartell is mentioned in connection with drafting a Bill which seeks to send out a clear message that vehicle clocking is a serious issue worthy of criminal penalty as well as data which highlights the extent of vehicle clocking. Cartell has estimated that 208,978 vehicles in Ireland are clocked. These numbers apply to both imported vehicles and indigenous vehicles alike with as many as 11% of all imports from the UK showing false mileages.

An imported Audi has higher risk of being clocked

In June 2010 Cartell presented to the Oireachtas a Bill which sought to introduce the offence of clocking of a motor vehicle among related offences. This Bill received the support of the Labour Party and recently was firmly endorsed by AA Ireland. Cartell continues to call for the introduction of this offence in a climate when consumers must be especially careful about unwittingly parting with hard-earned cash for a vehicle which is potentially unroadworthy.

The article states: “The AA renewed calls to criminalise the act of car ‘clocking’ in Ireland following a report last month (October) that revealed that up to 11 per cent of car imports from the UK have false mileages. Data from Cartell.ie, the official vehicle records experts in Ireland, was also used to illustrate how the number of imports has increased substantially in the past decade, putting Irish buyers at risk. “Some Irish consumers are being taken for a ride as Ireland is seen as a dumping ground.” Says AA Ireland public affairs manager Conor Faughnan. Yet there is no legislation to prevent the act of changing a car’s mileage reading (‘clocking’), nor to penalise those that knowingly sell clocked cars.

The AA referred to Ireland’s existing laws as weak and has called for clocking to be made an offence. John Byrne, Legal and PR Manager of Cartell.ie, drafted a Bill to make clocking and interfering with an odometer a specific offence and submitted it to the then government for inclusion into the 2010 Road Traffic Act. The Bill was not passed.

The AA say clocking has never been easier

Amid fresh calls to criminalise the act of clocking the AA points out that it’s not just fraud, but potentially dangerous: “Clocking is a major safety concern as a vehicle with more mileage than indicated may not have had the correct servicing at manufacturer’s recommended intervals. This makes breakdowns more likely and increases the chances of an expensive repair like a timing belt. More seriously, critical parts such as braking and power steering systems may be in need of repair without the driver knowing it. ”

It was hoped that the advent of more sophisticated instruments would make clocking impossible, but in fact it’s easier than ever. The AA cites the availability of the technology to carry out the clocking for less than €100 – and it’s rarely necessary to dismantle the dashboard nowadays. In effect, there is precious little deterrent for a non-scrupulous seller to alter the odometer reading. “If you are planning to bring in a car from Northern Ireland or Great Britain make sure that you check its history.” Says Faughnan.

While the new data refers to imported cars, the National Mileage Register (NMR), operated by Cartell.ie, reveals that Irish cars are far from exempt, with mileage discrepancies across the board. The NMR holds over five million readings and was set up to protect consumers. To further boost the usefulness of this database the AA would like to see the release of the NCT mileage readings. Anecdotal evidence suggests that NCT test centres regularly observe mileage discrepancies, but they are not bound to act on this. It is proposed that the penalty for vehicle clocking would be a fine of up to €5,000 or up to three months imprisonment on summary conviction or up to €10,000 and up to two years imprisonment on conviction on indictment. Jeff Aherne, Director and co-founder of Cartell.ie commented: “It is time that Ireland sends out a clear message that it will not allow its citizens be ripped off and put in harm’s way when laws can be passed to protect them.”" END

For further information please contact John Byrne (Cartell.ie) on + 087 4199018 or email or check out http://www.cartell.ie/for further information.

In a widely-read blog published in October 2010 Cartell highlighted the signifiance of binary code and computer technology in the development of the automobile. Today we consider another important numeric code: 111111  - which is the date tomorrow. Of course, as we pointed out in the earlier article in this series, we are missing a couple of important digits because tomorrow’s date in full should read: 11.11.2011 which does not make it operable as binary code. Still, the basic premise still stands.

A photograph of the original Benz Patent-Motorwagen, first built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the concept (according to Wiki)

So, on the day that’s in it, we thought we’d look at the significance of the number 1 to cars and car technology. The best place to start is with the first car. A quick look at that most reliable of sources – Wikipedia – tells us that steam powered vehicles have been in existence for some time – since 1672 to be precise. However, the automobile as we know it today takes its origins from the 1885 Benz Patent-Motorwagen (see picture).

The first factory mass-produced affordable vehicle was the Ford Model T – the precursor, both in design and manufacture, to the modern motor car (see picture). It’s interesting that both Benz (a fore-runner of modern-day Mercedes Benz) and Ford have largely retained their titles as innovative manufacturers who are first to bring innovative concepts to market. The Mercedes Benz S-Class is probably the most significant passenger road car of modern times: introducing innovations like airbags, accident avoidance, ABS braking, traction control and Electronic Stability Program (ESP). Likewise the Ford Mondeo was the first car to introduce a drivers airbag in all of its versions.

as reigning F1 World Champions Red Bull have produced the best performance car in the world

Of course the number one has been a significant number in other aspects of the car industry too: Formula 1 for instance is a motorsport featuring high velocity cars requiring a team of qualified engineers to construct every time the vehicle is set to race.

These light and highly sophisticated vehicles are the best performance cars in the world over shorter distances and present a spectacle viewed by millions worldwide annually as well as spawning a multi-million dollar industry of marketing and advertising.   Of course Formula 1 is a sport too and with the money involved it attracts the best talent globally both to the ranks of its engineers and drivers.

The number one is also an important number within the context of vehicle technology and the computers required to build and enhance that technology. At the moment, the most important concept is fuel consumption, diverse fuel and engine types, and fuel-saving measures employed by the industry to combat the ‘fossil fuels’ issue and protect the environment.

Among the manufactuers leading proceedings here are Honda – who are looking at Hydrogen as a fuel option – Toyota – who were among the first to introduce electric engines – and BMW – who are looking at various ways of increasing fuel consumption levels to rates unimaginable a few years ago.

Finally, we admit, this article could just as easily be about the number 11. So, with that in mind, check out this blog here.

Oh, and by the way, remember Cartell is the first and number one car history check company in Ireland

Cartell is delighted to announce our nomination for the prestigious eircom Golden Spiders 2011. This is the first time the company has been nominated. Cartell is nominated in the EBusiness category.

The Ebusiness eircom Spiders 2011 award, sponsored by webfactory, is for exclusively web-based businesses that provide site visitors with an intuitive, user-friendly and viable means of doing business securely online. This category applies to e-Business, e-Commerce, and B2B and B2C websites and excludes portals. Judges will be looking for innovative tools and processes with a clever use of contextual technologies or an original use of the internet to trade or deliver a service.

Reward for 5 years of work

Cartell has been in business for 5 years and we are proud to be the first company to bring the car history check to Ireland. We consider this nomination as reward for the years of hard work we put into setting up our business, both at the front-end which customers interact with, and where we always strive to provide the highest levels of customer service and personal attention to detail; and at the back-end where we continue to strive to improve all aspects of our business and service delivery.

We’re delighted to be listed beside other prestigious companies in the EBusiness category. The complete list is as follows:

• Adverts Marketplace
• BoardsDeals
• Bonkers.ie
• Cartell.ie
• Grab One
• Siternity
• Smurfit Kappa Direct
• Winetimes.ie

Update 14/11/2011

Congratulations to BoardsDeals on winning the eBusiness category and our thanks to the Spiders team on putting on a very enjoyable event and excellent networking opportunity. See you next year.

The results of research released by Cartell partners AA Ireland says that clocking of imports is a significant problem. AA Ireland say from a survey of 5,430 cars imported from the UK this year 11% of the cars have had their mileages doctored – or ‘clocked’. The report also lists the vehicles most likely to be clocked saying these are:

Audi 14.30%
Honda 13.70%
Mercedes 13.10%
Toyota 12.70%
VW 11.70%
Ford 11.30%
BMW 10.10%

The AA Press Release calls for the creation of an offence of clocking of a motor vehicle saying:

“Most people are surprised to hear that clocking a car is not an offence in itself under Irish law. You may not mislead a customer about any aspect of a car, and you cannot sell a car that is unroadworthy but no law says that you cannot change the odometer dial. The AA wants to change this and introduce the offence.”

It also mentions a Bill drafted by Cartell.ie which was presented to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport:

“In 2010 a Bill was submitted to the then government for inclusion into the 2010 Road Traffic Act to make clocking and interfering with an odometer a specific offence. While it was moved by Labour at the Transport Committee June 16, 2010, it was not passed. The AA would also call for the release of the NCT mileage records to further boost the NMR.”

Vehicle advice experts Completecar.ie also cover the story and refer to our work on this issue:

“Cartell.ie has consistently highlighted potential issues with imported vehicles. It previously estimated that as many as 30% of imports have finance outstanding, were previously written off or have been clocked. On top of that, the importation process may mask the true number of owners a car has had. Overall the figures show that a person in the market to buy a car up to five years old has between a 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 chance of coming across a vehicle with a hidden history.”

The latest edition of our partner ezine – eDrive – is now available for free view. The edition features some cracking content including:  a great review of the Suzuki 4×4 SX4 which describes the new vehicle as: “a hidden gem in the Suzuki range”; a great piece on the Megane RS Trophy with some superb press shots describing the new hot hatch as “hot, hot, hot” and informing us that it’s expected to go on sale in Ireland for about €39,000 – “one of the best performance bargains of the decade”; and it also includes the results of research by Cartell which points to green cars being “not so lucky” after we noticed they are considerably more likely to be written off! 

You can view the issue here – all completely free of charge!

Completecar.ie report on the unveiling of the new Series 3 BMW: 

Turbo power seems to be the name of the game in the all new BMW 3 Series, revealed today (October 14). For the first time all variants of the best-selling car in the premium segment will feature BMW’s TwinPower Turbo technology from the 116bhp 316d up to the twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-pot under the bonnet of the 335i.

The 316d and 318d diesels will produce 116- and 143hp respectively, while the 320d will come in both a 184hp version and an EfficientDynamics model that produces 163hp, just 109g/km of CO2 and combined consumption of 4.1 litres/100km (68.9mpg).

On the petrol side of things both the 320i and 328i will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine with 184hp and 270Nm of torque for the 320i and 245hp and 350Nm for the 328i. Many have lamented the death of the naturally aspirated six-pot, but with the new 328i recording a 0-100km/h time of 5.9 seconds and fuel consumption of 6.4 litres/100km (44mpg) it at least goes some way to making up for it. The big-six’s only outing is in the guise of the 335i that uses the same engine as before. Not that Irish buyers care for anything other than a diesel engine in this segment of the market. All cars will be available with a choice of a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearboxes.

In addition to BMW EfficientDynamics technologies like start-stop, Brake Energy Regeneration and Optimum Shift Indicator expect to see advanced features such as a full-colour heads-up display, active cruise control, lane change warning system and the BMW Connected app for social networking on the go.

The new BMW 3 Series will make its public debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2012 and will go on sale in Ireland soon after.

Blog Reproduced courtesy of completecar.ie

In its press announcement this week Mazda said they were now in a position to ‘better accommodate the demand for finance’ a clear indication that high street options are drying up for consumers. We spoke to BMW spokesman James Dullaghan, from Murphy & Gunn BMW who told us: “the vehicle manufacturer is confident in the resale value of the vehicle so a finance package directly from the manufacturer makes sense. It provides access to credit for certain purchasers which in turn helps maintain high residual values for vehicles across the brand.” The Renault Ireland Press Release, announcing that Renault would be offering finance from this September, said it was launched at a time when “people are finding it more difficult to access finance”.

There’s no denying that these various vehicle-manufacturer packages are filling a gap left by the High Street banks inability to meet consumer demand. It’s a smart move by the companies because they can accommodate buyers needs in the showrooms at a time when new vehicle sales data shows a slowdown since the abolition of the scrappage scheme.

However, while offering finance direct to consumers is a good move, it probably isn’t ideal for the car-makers – owing to extra overheads among other issues – and we’re sure they’ll be secretly hoping the banks move back into the business of lending to meet demand sooner rather than later.

The following is the second in our series of used car reviews written exclusively for Cartell.ie by Completecar.ie

Overview:

The Volkswagen Golf is well built, reliable and one of the most desired cars in the segment. Currently in Ireland there are 99,346 Golfs on the road – meaning the car is not quite as popular as the Ford Focus – featured in our first review.  Of those on the road 44,409 fall between the years 2004 – 2008 (14,660 diesels and 29,749 petrols).

Tell me all about it:

The fifth generation of the Volkswagen Golf marked quite a significant departure from the Mark IV, yet the design of the car has only ever  gradually changed over the years. But this model saw a step-up in quality and was much less meagre than the model it replaced. It also saw the introduction of some more powerful engines throughout the range. 

Anything I should look out for?

Volkswagen Golfs are usually bought for their reliability, but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t check every example thoroughly and put each car you see through a thorough Cartell Car Check. The Golf has sold massively in Ireland and the Mark V was no exception, but many were also imported from the UK during this period due to poor equipment levels on the Irish models at that time, so these examples need to come with a proper service history and a mileage check. Early examples of the DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission were prone to mishaps and some of the diesel models on sale will have put up with high mileage and may have had diesel particulate filter (DPF) problems.

What are my options?

Like most cars at this time before the change to the emissions-based tax laws, the majority of sales were the lowest capacity petrol engines, so you will find plenty of 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol examples from this generation, but it would appear that the 1.9-litre and 2.0-litre diesel models, while expensive at the time, have perhaps lasted a little longer and will age better. The 1.4-litre 75hp petrol model, while plentiful, isn’t really that good, but the 1.4-litre TSI models that came later are much better. The GTI is always a good buy and they are great value now, but many have been thrashed so tread carefully.

How much will it cost me?

Early 2004 examples from a main dealer will set you back around €5,800, which will get you a high-mileage 1.4-litre five-door with a full service history and one-year warranty. A sum of €7,000 will get you a 1.6-litre petrol version from 2005 and this for us would be a better place to start. Diesels tend to be more expensive and the first of the 2004 1.9-litre TDI models will cost you around €7,000. The 1.4-litre Golf GT makes a great buy. A 2008 example will cost you €9,500 and this is a super car. A 2006 GTI from a main dealer with 70,000km on the clock will set you back less than €11,000, which is a serious amount of car for the money.

This Blog was produced courtesy of completecar.ie

Our data, provided to Completecar.ie, shows that – on the basis of all finance checks carried out by Cartell on behalf of our customers in 2011 to date – the manufacturer-own-banks are already featuring in the overall picture – significant because these banks have only been lending for a relatively short time – since the crisis started – and yet have already made their mark. This suggests that these banks are lending at high volumes for the years in which they operated in the Irish market. The overall top-nine reads as follows: (remember these statistics do not represent market-share)

1 – Irish Permanent Finance – 20%

2 – Lombard and Ulster 18%

3 – Bank of Ireland Finance – 17%

4 – Allied Irish Finance – 15%

5 – Bank of Scotland 11.5%

6 – Woodchester (GE Money) – 10%

7 – Friends First Finance – 4%

8 – BMW Financial Services – 2%

9 – Volkswagen Finance – 1.6%

And as the guys at Completecar.ie rightly point out: “A finance check, like that offered by Cartell.ie, is a necessity when buying a relatively young used car. It will indicate if there is any outstanding finance, which could become the responsibility of the new owner.”

Statistics published today by Cartell.ie indicate that buyers have a 1 in 5 chance of purchasing a three year old or four year old vehicle with finance outstanding. From a sample of over 5906 vehicles offered for sale and checked on the Cartell.ie website in 2011 the figures show that for 2008 and 2007 registrations, the percentage of vehicles on finance is 21 and 20% respectively.

Another noticeable development is the overall increase in the numbers of 2011 vehicles offered for sale in the first half of 2011 which are still on finance. Prospective buyers are advised to check the financial background of a car they are interested in with a vehicle checking company such as Cartell. With most car finance running for between three and five years the percentage of cars offered for sale with loans declines in older vehicles although, shockingly, there is still a 1 in 10 chance of buying a 2004 vehicle on finance. 

Jeff Aherne, co-founder and director of Cartell.ie, comments on the figures:  “While the trend up until 2009 showed a year-on-year increase in the numbers of vehicles sold on finance that figure dipped last year, probably because finance was more difficult to obtain. The first half of this year indicates a return to increased-numbers of vehicles sold on finance. One explanation for this is that while the recession made it more difficult for buyers to secure finance from High Street Banks car manufacturers stepped-in to offer loans which were more obtainable.”

Finance Probability by Year

*Results as of Q3 2011, percentages rounded to 0.5%

You can read our equivalent report on 2010 finance levels here.

 

With January fast approaching – traditionally one of the worst months in the year for expenses – Cartell offers some advice to consumers.

January is a miserable month for most of us: Christmas is over, the turkey is eaten, the beer and wine consumed, and then it’s back to reality – with a bang. Credit Card bills, central heating bills, and other household expenses fall due before anyone even mentions the car.  What many people ignore is that January is generally the worst month for vehicle expenses. There’s a very simple reason for this: most people buy their cars in January.

And this simple fact affects everyone in the market – not just the original purchaser. Where a car is bought in January it means the insurance premium, by and large, falls due to be paid in January; it means the NCT – after 4 years – falls due; it means the motor tax on the car will fall due; it means the car will need its annual service in January. These four things together could set back a vehicle owner €2,000 – and that’s before you’ve gotten around to paying off the money owed on those Christmas presents! And, as we say, even if you bought your car in the used car market, remember that it’s likely your car was originally bought in January so these expenses will – generally speaking – still fall due.

Is there anything the owner can do about this?

One option is to look to spread your capital payments across the year – rather than allow them all fall due in the same month. There are two ways to achieve this: 1. You can pay by instalments therefore spreading the pain over the entire year; or 2. You can move the capital payments to another month.

On the first option many insurance companies, for instance, will allow you to pay your insurance premium in instalments across the whole year. The Motor Taxation office, too, will allow you pay for your tax quarterly or 6-monthly instead of annually. The downside with both those options is  they are more expensive. If you spread payments across the year like this you will be charged a premium for that luxury: i.e. your annualised costs will be higher than if you paid the entire capital amounts when they fall due.

NCT

The second option may be more inviting to some of our readers. With this option you are looking to spread the burden of the capital payments across the year without paying a premium for doing so. For instance, as regards your motor tax, you could pay motor tax in January for the first 3 months of the year. In March, when your tax falls due again, you could pay for 12 months – meaning that you consequently move the 12 month anniversary for your tax from January to April each year. Likewise instead of having your NCT in January, with your other expenses, why not apply to have your car test carried out early: the company who carries out the NCT will allow the test to be carried out up to three months before the due date, for a second or subsequent inspection (6 months for a first inspection). Ditto your servicing – you could have your service done earlier in the year too, therefore moving the due date for your annual service. It might serve you well to do these two before the Winter anyway – good opportunity to check your brakes, lights and tyres before the snow season starts.

Applying a few strategies like this will help to avoid incurring several large capital payments together.  Hope this helps!

Today’s Irish Sun, in a feature written by journalist Mark May, features statistics provided by Cartell which show that Green is the riskiest car colour in Ireland – by far. Following extensive research based on a sample of 5,430 write-offs taken from the Irish Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register (MIAFTR IRELAND), Cartell.ie uncovered that 11% of the total number of vehicles written off were green-coloured. This was less than the corresponding number of green cars in the fleet making green the highest risk vehicle to drive.

A write off is where a vehicle sustains damage sufficient for the vehicle to be written off the books of the insurance company These are categorised from Category A to Category D.  While the highest number of vehicles written off were blue-coloured (22%) this corresponded with the number of blue coloured cars in the fleet and so blue is not considered a higher risk colour.

Similarly red, silver and black are written-off consistent with fleet averages. At the other end of the scale the colour white is the clear winner for safest vehicle colour. A very small number of white vehicles were recorded as written off (6%) in comparison with the fleet average for that colour. The research indicates that a driver of a green car is more than 40% more likely to have their vehicle written off than a driver of a white car.

The reasons for the colour green appearing at the top of the list may include:

- hedgerows in Ireland are green coloured making green vehicles more difficult to spot

- the army use green vehicles because they are easier to camouflage (which strengthens the argument that green is more difficult to spot on the road)

- green vehicles may not be picked up as quickly by the human eye – particularly using peripheral vision

-  the colour green calms the mind which may – theoretically – lead to slower reactions times when confronted with a green vehicle

- In terms of air navigation Aer Lingus are green coloured but in the sky they are set against a blue/white background making them easier to spot – they also use navigation lights

- And Remember: all drivers should use day-time running lights for road safety. It is now mandatory in the EU for all manufactured cars and light commercials to be sold with day-time running lights (since February 2011)

Ford Focus 2005 – 2011

The following is the first in a series of used car reviews written exclusively for Cartell.ie by Completecar.ie

Overview:

The Ford Focus has been a top seller in Ireland for more than ten years now and with good reason. It is well-built, good value and excellent to drive. There are 109,729 of them on the road in Ireland today. By far the most popular Focus is the Mark II – 52,822 are still on Irish roads. Most of those have petrol aspirated engines (35,656 petrol vs 16,650 diesel) with a smallish number sporting flexible fuel capabilities (516). 

Tell me all about it:

This second-generation Focus followed on from the hugely popular first-generation model, which itself had replaced the iconic, but ultimately poor Ford Escort. There is always plenty of choice on the used car market, as it continues to be a big seller. 

The Focus competes against cars like the Volkswagen Golf, Opel Astra and Toyota Auris. It is generally regarded as the ‘driver’s car’ out of this bunch, as it is considered to have the best chassis in its class by most experts.

Anything I should look out for?

By and large the Focus is a pretty well built car, with few major issues in terms of engines, electrics or components. We have noticed that some early models can have problems with flaking paint and you also need to make sure that the Irish roads haven’t taken their toll on the suspension – look out for knocking noises and have someone check the shocks. Interior quality can be a little brittle in places too, so make sure that everything is intact and working properly.

The bonnet opener, which was operated by a key behind the Ford badge, was prone to damage. Make sure on diesel models to check the quality of the diesel particulate filter, as this is an expensive fix (circa €950) to put right.

What are my options?

The overwhelming majority of early models of this generation of Focus in Ireland had a 1.4-litre petrol engine. This unit wasn’t very potent but it was ‘adequate’ in terms of acceleration and wasn’t too heavy on fuel. There was a 1.6-litre petrol engine available on earlier models too, which provided a little bit more pep and it is a better engine to go for in an early second-generation Focus.

When it comes to later examples, you are going to find lots of 1.8-litre and 1.6-litre diesel models available and the latter is the engine to choose, if your budget allows. They will probably show up as more expensive than petrol versions, which are starting to become unloved and unwanted, but they will put up with higher mileage – although they need servicing intervals to be adhered to strictly. In terms of trim levels the entry level was the LX, which was available as a special edition ‘Steel’ specification, but there were Zetec and Ghia grades available too. Zetec and Ghia grades had air-conditioning as standard and alloy wheels so they’re still more desirable. 

How much will it cost me?

Early models will now start off at around €5,000 from a main dealer with a full service history and you will tend to have to spend about 15-25 per cent more to get a diesel version in most instances. On the old taxation system the 1.4-litre petrol is going to be the cheapest to put on the road each year, but this obviously changed when you get to 2008, where the 1.6-litre diesel models are the cheapest to tax. In terms of fuel economy, the diesels are king, but check your mileage, because you might not earn back the extra money that you will almost certainly pay for a diesel model if you are a low mileage driver.

… and of course don’t forget to get a Cartell Vehicle History Check on the vehicle before you buy!

This Blog was produced courtesy of completecar.ie

An article in today’s Irish Independent advises consumers to service vehicles themselves and look at other cost saving options in a bid to keep household expenses down. John Cadden writes:

“It will probably come as no surprise to learn that our cars are getting older. After all, new car sales fell off a cliff in 2009, and only recovered last year thanks to the scrappage scheme, which ended in June. According to figures from car history checking website Cartell.ie, the average age of a car in Ireland has risen from less than six years old in January 2006 to 7.4 years in January 2011, with a month-by-month increase.”

Shane O’Donoghue, director of Completecar.ie, says: “People are holding onto their cars out of necessity and not, in my opinion, because they suddenly think that older cars are just fine now.” 

The article continues by saying that skimping on the servicing of a vehicle is a false economy. It relies on anecdotal evidence from garages which suggests that while people are holding on to their cars for longer, many are putting off their service or repair work until something serious goes wrong – quoting the Society of the Motor Industry (SIMI).

The paper notes that  while the cost of maintaining a car begins to rise once it reaches four years old there are lots of ways to save money on running costs without skimping on essential maintenance. 

Representatives for both SIMI and Completecar.ie are in agreement that cars are inherently more reliable today than they were 20 years ago. However, the downside of this is that with this advancement in technology cars have become complicated machines much too difficult for the average punter to service themselves.  Conversely, the complexity of cars which assists their reliability also means more things can go wrong with the car – catch22!

There are, however, lots of simple checks that can be done by the average motorist to save money:

“Before you bring your car to be serviced, check all the lights and fluid levels for yourself, as it’s easy to do and garages charge more than it would cost you to remedy anything for yourself,” says O’Donoghue.

Suzanne Sheridan, spokesperson for SIMI, says motorists can still carry out basic maintenance themselves on a regular basis, such as checking tyre pressure, thread depth, oil, coolant levels and so on, “which will all make the car run more smoothly and improve a car’s miles per gallon”.

The article also advises consumers intent on carrying out their own servicing to consult the Haynes manuals, still regarded as the bible of the DIY mechanic with its easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, which can be bought at Halfords or from online car parts retailer Micksgarage.ie for about €25-30 — well worth the money.

The article explores various other options for savings including savings on a major service, mobile mechanical services, and options for acquiring replacement parts cheaply.

Cartell provided the newspaper with information showing the car fleet in Ireland is aging – there has been a significant shift in the last five years: in January 2006 the average age of a car with up-to-date motor tax in Ireland was less than 6 years. That figure had risen to 7.4 years at the start of this year. The statistics also showed a month-on-month increase over the entire period.

Reasons for the increase include the increased reliability of cars over time including the fact that significant rust issues are largely a thing of the past and the fact that drivers are consequently happier to hold onto cars longer. Other contributing factors include the drop in new car purchases  particularly in 2009 – which can be attributed to the global recession and credit crunch.

Completecar.ie, who analysed the results, say the figures reflect a larger than normal number of used imports into the Republic of Ireland in 2009. In fact nearly half the total number of cars registered in Ireland in 2009 were used imports.

You can read more about the Cartell results here.

Ireland’s population is aging. But it’s not just the good citizens of the State; it’s their cars too. That’s what the latest data released by official vehicle records experts, Cartell.ie reveals as we approach the final quarter of the year and car buyers consider their options for 2012.

In January 2006 the average age of a car in Ireland was less than six years old. By the start of 2011 this had risen to 7.4 years, with a month-by-month increase.

The simple reason for this is that significantly less new vehicles have been sold in Ireland since 2009. Cartell.ie’s data reveals a less well publicised factor, in that nearly half of the cars registered in Ireland in 2009 were in fact used imports. That too will age the overall fleet of cars in the country.

You don’t need to be an economist to know that the sharp drop in new car sales in 2009 was primarily to do with the credit crunch and an ensuing global recession. However, it’s believed that drivers are happier to hold onto their cars for longer too, as reliability and durability has improved dramatically in the past decade. Significant rust is a thing of the past too.

This is illustrated by the considerable number of cars on the road that were originally registered in the year 2000. That year saw the most registrations in Irish history, and nearly 220,000 cars from that year are included in the current national fleet.

During the boom times more people bought more cars, the effect being a larger overall fleet and more cars per capita than ever before. Now those cars are aging and, despite the scrappage scheme, less are being de-fleeted.

Figures for 2011 to the end of July suggest that there is a slow down in the aging process, with the average age of a car seemingly flattening out at a little less than 7.4 years. It’s too early to tell for sure if the scrappage scheme has had an effect on that, though Cartell.ie’s data to the end of 2012 will surely answer that question.

What does this mean for the Irish economy? Well an aging fleet requires more maintenance and more NCTs so it will sustain those industries and jobs, though if new car sales remain suppressed the downside is fewer jobs in retail and a lower overall tax take.

About Cartell.ie

Cartell.ie’s tagline, “You find the car… We’ll tell the story” says it all. Following a free car identity check a buyer has a choice of four different reports on the history of the car they are considering buying. It ranges from a useful history and mileage check to a report that also looks for any outstanding finance in Ireland or the UK. Cartell.ie even offers an engineer inspection. Thousands of Euros may be saved by using this service.

About CompleteCar.ie

Along with the delivery of concise test drives and news, our experts are at your disposal to assist with any motoring matter. Most importantly, our advice is completely free and independent. Visit CompleteCar.ie for more information.

Cartell.ie is delighted to announce a new partnership with car advice experts Completecar.ie. Fronted by Ireland’s leading motoring journalists Shane O Donoghue and Paddy Comyn, Completecar has already established itself as one of the foremost Irish sources for consumer buying advice – offering practical and readily accessible information in a unique and authoritative way. As a result of this partnership you will find unique Completecar information appearing regularly on the Cartell site as well as other exclusive features.

In an environment where money is understandably more valued consumers are anxious to make the right decision and to seek advice from a trusted source before making a car purchase. The new partnership between Cartell and Completecar is principally designed to assist the consumer, but also to provide informative information to the motoring enthusiast and those with a special interest in the automotive market and its development.

Our new partner, Completecar.ie

Set up in 2010 Completecar.ie is fronted by: Shane O Donoghue, Ph.D. in automotive engineering, who founded the Car Enthusiast Editorial Agency in 1999, writes regularly in the national media, and is a member of the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA) with a vote in the annual Irish Car of the Year awards; and Paddy Comyn, who has been writing about cars in Ireland for over 10 years, is a regular contributor to The Irish Times, and frequently appears on radio and television stations. Paddy is likewise a member of the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA) and has a vote in the annual Irish Car of the Year awards.

Cartell very much looks forward to this new venture.