Is it just me??

LegacyUser

hey guys

is it just me or does there seem to be alot of people out there driving alot of very very expensive cars?

it used to be a case where if i saw an Aston Martin,Bently,TVR,Porsche id be nearly in spasims trying to get a pic on my phone ...but now they seem so common its just not the same.

For example this week alone iv seen 3 Bently Continental GT V12 Flying Spur... 1 in Lucan,1 in Ballsbridge and another at the airport. Now correct me if im wrong but arent these cars about €250,00

Fey!

There are at least 5 new DB9's in Galway, each running at €280k a pop. First service is nearly €1,500!!!

colm_mcm

Isn't it brilliant!

AJ!

Bentleys have really become more common around Dublin since the Continental GT was released. Des Cullen sold 11 new Bentleys in January alone. I think 6 of them were Continental GT's and the other five were Flying Spurs. No new Arnage models were ordered. This is because of the depreciation that the Arnage suffers from.

A new at the time, Bentley Arnage sold for 395,000EURO in January 2005. In May 2006 the owner got about 60% of it back. He drives a Continental GT now. Most people who buy Continentals and Flying Spurs could easily afford an Arnage but they just don't want to take the hit when the time comes to trade up. The Continental GTC will be seen around Ballsbridge and Foxrock in the next few months but the only Bentley model I'm interested in seeing is the new Azure. Other than that, I wouldn't take a second glance if I saw a Bentley on the road.

A Ferrari would still grab my attention. Des Cullen sold 4 Ferraris in January compared to 11 Bentleys. Only three or four more have come in since compared to another nine or ten Bentleys. There isn't a huge difference in the price, it's just because Ferrari don't make half the cars Bentley do each year. It's also extremely difficult to get a new Ferrari because of the waiting list. Before the F430 was revealed it had a two year waiting list. Michael Cullen has connections with Ferrari and this gives him an advantage over other dealers that have to wait. That is why he can get a new F430, enjoy it for about 5,000 miles and still sell it at a profit, because if you don't get it from him you'll have to go over to the U.K.

Like the Bentley Arnage, the V12 Ferrari will never steal sales from the entry level model which is the F430 in this case. Heavy taxes and depreciation is again the reason behind this. People will always go for the smaller V8 F430, not only because it is the better car, but also because it is the safer option in the long run. If you think there are a lot of supercars around Dublin now just think to yourself what it would be like if there was no VRT;)

colm_mcm

Never really considered it, but think of the VAT and VRT paid on supercars...

Anan1

colm_mcm wrote:

Never really considered it, but think of the VAT and VRT paid on supercars...

Actually, this thread is a pretty good argument against the abolition of VRT;)

opus

I'll only accept Ireland has truly arrived when there's a Ferrari garage in Dublin!

LegacyUser

I take it Micheal Cullen is part of the Des Cullen group??

Like...my father in Law just picked up his new merc ( S 320) and it cost € 115,000 and he is retired now. It just seems to me that the cars thast once held a position of prestige i.e B.M.W ,Merc and Jaguar just dont seem to cut the mustard any more. The 5 series B.M.W now seems along with the E class merc to be the corprote car of choice these days....like they seem to be ten to the penny.

I suppose its a symptom of the Celtic Tiger eh??

I notice that there are more and more people who now listen for the latest news on intrest rates and keep a close eye on the financial sections of the paper yet without hesitation go out and sign finance agreements on brand new cars.

By the way AJ......i took my wife out to show here Ailsbury Road a couple of weeks ago and while driving down Elgin road spotted a 06 D Bently Arnage!!!

Have to say a stunning car but if i ever had the money I would spend it on the GT.

AJ...could you briefly describe the Azure to me. I think i saw one in Antrim before christmas but not sure...Could it be described a 2 door sports tourer??


One more Q...has anyone seen a Rolls Royce Phantom in Dublin...thought I saw one in Brown Thomas car park

Thanks for the comments guys

qz

kaiser1 wrote:

One more Q...has anyone seen a Rolls Royce Phantom in Dublin...thought I saw one in Brown Thomas car park

There's one going around with a British reg, "JSY blankblank", and Citywest Hotel own one aswell I'm sure. Saw it doing the rounds in town as a wedding car.

AJ!

kaiser1 wrote:

By the way AJ......i took my wife out to show here Ailsbury Road a couple of weeks ago and while driving down Elgin road spotted a 06 D Bently Arnage!!!

I've seen a few Arnages too:rolleyes:



Fair enough, you saw an Arnage - but how many Continentals and Flying Spurs have you seen?

kaiser1 wrote:

AJ...could you briefly describe the Azure to me. I think i saw one in Antrim before christmas but not sure...Could it be described a 2 door sports tourer??

The Azure is a convertible based on the Arnage. The old Azure was based on the Continental and it was produced from 1995 to 2003. The new Azure started production earlier this year.

kaiser1 wrote:

One more Q...has anyone seen a Rolls Royce Phantom in Dublin...thought I saw one in Brown Thomas car park

I've seen two Rolls Royce Phantoms in Dublin. The black one was outside The Merrion Hotel. The champagne coloured one belongs to Mannsfield, the owner of The Citywest Hotel.

optiplexgx270

Des Cullen head offices are a bit bare at the moment used to be a steady ~8-10 mix of Astons, Bently, Ferrari, CL's/SL's, Maserati and my everyday fav the Audi S4 but all seem to be gone now and the Des Cullen spaces are empty these days bar a flying spur last week.

unkel

AJ! wrote:

Bentleys have really become more common around Dublin since the Continental GT was released. Des Cullen sold 11 new Bentleys in January alone. I think 6 of them were Continental GT's and the other five were Flying Spurs. No new Arnage models were ordered

They have indeed become more common in the last year or two!

@AJ! - where are you getting your sales info from?

Funxy

Not in a bad way but bentleys, ferraris etc Their just not special anymore. I would have said bentleys were until the continental but now they are everywhere. Ferraris have never been my favorite, way before they became quite this popular. Why people would buy a top of the range ferrari and not go for a lambo or alot of proper (and better) supercars for the same price is beyond me. I reckon it must be for posing alone. Sorry start the flames

prospect

I kinda agree with Funxy.
If I had the dosh I'd go for a Muircelago (sp) over a ferrari.
However, there are few supercars that are better than the F430.

maidhc

It is interesting how you see these cars in Dublin a lot, but rarely in Cork. Even less exotic stuff like Boxters are a common sight in Dub, but not here.

I suspect it is because there are more cars and more rich people in Dub, but then a boxter isn't exactly expensive so I don't know. Maybe we are more modest.

prospect

maidhc wrote:

Maybe we are more >modest<.

Insert: >tight<:D

mikedragon32

With the number of large BMWs, Mercs & Audis floating about, you'd have to wonder just how many are subject to finance agreements and what the repercussions of a decline in the economy might mean, if it's as iminent as some would have us believe.

I'd agree with the poster who said earlier on that we're seeing more luxury cars like AMs Bentleys etc about the place because it seems like everyone is driving BMWs and Mercs so they're not distinctive any more.

cargrouch

maidhc wrote:

It is interesting how you see these cars in Dublin a lot, but rarely in Cork. Even less exotic stuff like Boxters are a common sight in Dub, but not here.

I suspect it is because there are more cars and more rich people in Dub, but then a boxter isn't exactly expensive so I don't know. Maybe we are more modest.

Sure Cork city is like Baghdad, you'd have to hire lads to lay tarmac ahead of you.

jozi

I feel it is only a good thing for us not so lucky to buy a nice car from new, wait a few years and they (some i hope) will be within our grasp.

I dont mind seeing the odd prestige car makes for a change from every day cars

Scráib

is it just me or does there seem to be alot of people out there driving alot of very very expensive cars?

Yeah just yesterday I walked out of work to find an orange Lamborghini Gallardo parked outside my office :eek: People were stopping and staring, impressive car!

qz

Scr&#225 wrote: »

Yeah just yesterday I walked out of work to find an orange Lamborghini Gallardo parked outside my office :eek: People were stopping and staring, impressive car!

Around Fitzwilliam Sq.? Frequents there. Have a look in the "Here's What I saw Today" thread for loads of pics.

prospect

There is a school near my parents place, and every morning and afternoon it has a pile of SUVs and MPVs outside.
But now days every second one is '06, and I am not talking Santa-Fe's or Rav-4's, they are nearly all Range Rover Sports, and Disco's, and X5's, and Lexus Hearse's, and XC90's, and even a Cayenne (rotten looking yoke alltogether).

el tel

The vast majority of these cars are financed and ownership is for a limited period. Very few people could afford to purchase outright and those who could probably also have decent enough business minds to know that buying these cars outright is the one of the worst financial decisions that can be made. The dealer's ideal customer is one who needs a finance deal. Usually within the first 6-12 months of payments these guys realise they are shelling out a few grand per month on a car they never get to use and so can't afford/justify it. The virtually unused car goes back to the dealer (who has made profit on the financing),possibly with a with a penalty payment, and the dealer can then re-sell or re-lease and keep making money on it.

BTW - my time is split between Dublin and Belfast. I still think the North maintains an historic edge on the numbers of Ferrari/Lambos/Massers/Porsches but for sheer wealth and potential customers Dublin wins hands down.

unkel

mikedragon32 wrote:

With the number of large BMWs, Mercs & Audis floating about, you'd have to wonder just how many are subject to finance agreements and what the repercussions of a decline in the economy might mean

I'll get my second hand luxobarges even cheaper :cool:

AJ!

Funxy wrote:

Why people would buy a top of the range ferrari and not go for a lambo or alot of proper (and better) supercars for the same price is beyond me.

If you buy a Ferrari F430 today and sell it in twelve months you won't lose a penny. If you buy a Lambo Gallardo today and sell it tommorow you'll lose 20%. Lambos depreciate like nothing else and at the end of the day that's why Ferrari will always outnumber Lamborghini.

Ferrari are better anyway:rolleyes:

unkel wrote:

@AJ! - where are you getting your sales info from?

http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2005/12/18/story10535.asp

el tel

AJ! wrote:

Lambos depreciate like nothing else and at the end of the day that's why Ferrari will always outnumber Lamborghini.

That fact that Ferrari has a much larger production capacity and vastly greater dealer network obviously has nothing to do with it...

AJ!

el tel wrote:

That fact that Ferrari has a much larger production capacity and vastly greater dealer network obviously has nothing to do with it...

That's because Ferrari have to satisfy customer demand. Lamborghini doesn't have the same demand and that is why they don't have a production capacity or dealer network like Ferrari.

unkel

AJ! wrote:

http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2005/12/18/story10535.asp

Ah, cheers

el tel

AJ! wrote:

That's because Ferrari have to satisfy customer demand. Lamborghini doesn't have the same demand and that is why they don't have a production capacity or dealer network like Ferrari.

You said orginally:

AJ! wrote:

Lambos depreciate like nothing else and at the end of the day that's why Ferrari will always outnumber Lamborghini .

So you are telling us that for the reason of their depreciation, there are fewer Lamborghinis than Ferraris?

I'm saying that there are many reasons for the number disparity - including production capacity and distribtion channels. You added another yourself above - demand. I just think it's silly to say that deprection is the reason that there will always be fewer.

AJ!

el tel wrote:

So you are telling us that for the reason of their depreciation, there are fewer Lamborghinis than Ferraris?

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I thought depreciation was the only reason.

I know where you're coming from but he asked why people buy Ferrari when they can get a Lambo for the same money. Production numbers isn't the problem (have you ever heard of a 3 year waiting list for a Gallardo?) and if you have that amount of money to spend on the car, getting it shouldn't be a problem to you. I just think one of the reasons why people would buy a Ferrari instead of a Lambo is because of the depreciation that Lambos suffer from.

maidhc

AJ! wrote:

I just think one of the reasons why people would buy a Ferrari instead of a Lambo is because of the depreciation that Lambos suffer from.

They could buy an octavia, it would be more cheaper, more practical and would have a bigger boot... or maybe issues like practicality and price dont matter when you are trying to buy a supercar.

My own opinion is a Ferrari is a "Ferrari" while a lambo isn't a "Ferrari", in fact it shares its name with a (crap) Italian tractor manufacturer. For people who know more about what they would like to be seen driving than they do about cars I think the name matters a lot.