New car sales start to recover from slump

January 1991

Louth car sales recover from the slump of the 1980s, with new vehicle registrations for last year totalling 2,890.

While this is not an alltime high, it does show a significant increase of 460, or almost 19%, on the 1989 figure of 2,430 and is way above some of the disastrous years of the ‘Eighties.

In 1978 there were new sales of 3,512 recorded.

However, as the economy faltered though the 1980s, the motor industry reflected that trend, and registrations barely exceeded the 2,000 mark most years.

The slump reached rock bottom in 1987 when the revamped registration was introduced, and it revealed that only 1,690 new vechicles were sold in the county as re-registrations were not included in the yearend tally.

Jude Rogers, Rogers’ Garage, Park Street, Dundalk, Nissan dealers, finds that people are underpinning their new car purchases by spreading the repayments over longer periods.

‘Years ago the loan period would be three years. Now, people are spreading it over four or five years. They are working to the same budget they did before, but are making the repayments over a longer period so they can work to that budget.’

Over the past number of years private individuals are entitled to lease cars just the same as businesses, and some motorists are taking advantage of that to get new cars, Mr Rogers adds.

‘ This is the way the vast majority of cars are being financed thesedays.’

Dermot Marmion, of Opel dealers, McChesney’s, Clontibret, feels that low interest rates help sales as finance is cheap and freely available, which encourages people to buy.

Meanwhile, 1991 registrations are being fitted with a compulsory new number plate which bears the EC flag above the letters IRL.