Irish BMWs...

[fid]

Bit expensive, aren't they?! I've just been looking at their Irish website...55,400 Euro for a new 330i, that's around £38k! And Almost £50k for a 525 estate with 1000 miles on it! :confused:

[up-the-dubs]

Yup. No fun.

Dads E240 with not many extras tipped in at over 70. Mums 1.4 307se @ €22k is just silly.

[mybrainhurts]

Eh wot?

Are they ripping Ireland off now?

I thought we could import new motors from Ireland and save a bundle....?

[fid]

€173,800 for a 760Li! £120k!! That's a serious amount of tax!!

How does this affect used values? Might have to take a few cars over to sell...

>> Edited by fid on Friday 22 July 19:19

[up-the-dubs]

While there is higher tax on new cars we pay less on petrol (it just hit the €1 barrier). But we pay alot on new cars. I would suppose that the resale value is higher due to the initial higher costs. But if you were to bring in cars, as alot of people do, the buyer would have to pay VRT (the % escapes me) on the estimated current value of the car in Ireland.

A friend is looking at a 320ci in the UK and will pay about €8k tax if he brings it here.

[BliarOut]

Funny how you miss Brucie when he's gone

[Eric Mc]

Irish householders still pay some sort of "House Tax" don't they.

I remember back in 1977 Fianna Fail abolished Domestic Rates as an election ploy but since then alternatives "Rate Type Taxes" were introduced to replace them - or am I behind the times?

[off_again]

And this is the reason why the Irish have taken to Japanese motors so readily. Either through official imports or secondary-market imports - Japanese cars are extremely popular over their.....

[Eric Mc]

Japanese cars have been popular in Ireland for decades. They really started taking off in the mid 70s with lots of Toyota Starlets, Corollas and Crowns and Datsun Cherries and Sunnies.

I made my first trip to England in 1976 and was amazed at how FEW Japanese cars there were in the UK compared to Ireland back then with far more UK made vehicles floating about, mainly Escorts, Marinas and Allegros.

>> Edited by Eric Mc on Saturday 23 July 10:38

[up-the-dubs]

Eric, you're right. We don't have yearly taxes on houses although now we pay tax for our water and refuse collection. If, like me, you buy a house in a new estate, then we have to pay "management" fees whichs covers water, bins, local area maintenence, street lights, road maintenence etc. Although, when buying a house theres still tax on the price of the house.

Off again, the Jap car obsession has thankfully died down a bit. Alot of taxis and hackneys still use them but there's not nearly as many as there was about 5 - 10 years ago. New car sales in Ireland has gone through the roof since a lowpoint of the early 90's, so I would suppose that there's just more second hand cars knocking about. Plus, people cottoned on to the problems of Jap import ownership.

Edit: Sorry, thought you ment second hand imports.

>> Edited by up-the-dubs on Saturday 23 July 10:40

[Eric Mc]

The ironic thing about Japanese cars in Ireland in the 70s was the fact that Ireland is generally rather damp and Jap cars of that era were real rust buckets. The two factors didn't always go together very well.

Fiats were also more popular in Ireland compared to the UK - my first car was a Fiat 127.