Aware of costs, more motorists are going for diesel vehicles
Michael Denieff of Dooley Motors.
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Tuesday March 09 2010
MORE AND more motorists are choosing diesel over petrol as people are becoming more financially aware of the day to day running costs of a vehicle. Sales manager at Dooley Motors in Carlow Michael Denieff says he has seen a huge increase in the demand for diesel vehicles.
'We are selling a huge number of diesel cars because of changes in the road and the fact that they are greener,' he said.
Neil Lyng of Michael Lyng Motors, the Hyundai and Mitsubishi Dealers on the Sleaty Road, is in agreement as he says he has also found that people are trying to move towards diesel.
'The running cost of diesel cars is a lot less than petrol but there is really good value at the moment in petrol cars so people are weighing it up.
'If it is a car for town driving then the difference is not that much – but for greater distances this all changes.'
One of the bestselling vehicles at Lyng's this year is the Mitsubishi Lancer, which dropped ¤6,000 from last year.
'This is one of our bestselling vehicles,' he said. ' The Mitsubishi range stood back and reduced prices to suit the market and that has helped matters no end.'
Mr Denieff said he has certainly noticed an increase in the motoring market as new car sales figures from this January are up on last year.
Scrappage deals have also brought in a lot of interest and enquiries. Ford was one of the biggest selling cars in Carlow last year and he says this comes as no surprise as there is always a race on between Ford and Toyota.
Buyers in the past who visited the dealership at the Sleaty Road roundabout every two years are now stretching their car ownership for three years.
'People who would have changed their cars in January 2009 were back in this year. I think this three-year gap could be the new trend.
'People are redividing out the cost of changing their cars every three years instead of every two and it is working out cheaper.
'This year, for example, we had very few people coming in to change a 2009 vehicle.'
