Before rushing out to buy your first car as soon as you’ve got your provisional licence or passed your driving test, ask yourself if you really need a car. If you do decide that you actually need a car the most important thing to do is to assess what you need it for and if there are any practical restrictions on you – space, parking, etc.
Here are some points you should consider.
What do you need a car for – work of leisure?
Will you mainly be making short trips around a town / city or long haul trips across the county? Think about an automatic or manual model if you’ll be doing a lot of driving in traffic, or diesel versus petrol if you’ll be making long journeys regularly.
How much space will you need? Will you need space for extra passengers or sports equipment?
When will you be using the car – day time, night time or at weekends?
Do you have any parking restrictions?
Engine size will be a factor in running the car, insurance and road tax, thing about what you can afford. How much can you spend on petrol a month?
GETTING YOUR FIRST CAR ON THE ROAD – INSURANCE, TAX & FINANCE
Cost is one of the most important considerations when purchasing your first car and there are many to consider. Firstly, there is the initial cost of your first car and how you are going to fund this – are you going to borrow or finance it? Next to bear in mind is cost of car insurance (especially if you are a young car driver) and motor tax.
RUNNING YOUR FIRST CAR
It is important to factor in the day to day running cost of your First Car. This includes petrol, insurance, motor tax and servicing.
One of the biggest outlays after the initial purchase of your first car is insurance, make sure you factor this in to your budget. Run your details through us here at FirstQuote.ie for a competitive quote.
Regularly servicing and maintaining your first car is essential to ensure it runs smoothly. Consider servicing costs, if parts need to be replaced would they be easily found and inexpensive to replace?
New Motor Tax rates were introduced in January 2008 based on the C02 emissions produced by the car. Small engine, electric and hybrid cars produce the least pollution and therefore have the lowest motor tax rates.
FIRST CAR TLC..Lots of Tender Loving Care
All things need care and attention if they are to work properly – your first car is no exception. If you want your car to run properly and problem free you must be prepared to give it some TLC. This means regularly checking the oil, water, brake fluid and getting your first car serviced every 10,000 miles (this is usually once a year).
Spending a few minutes every week will ensure that you first car will run smoothly and you avoid running into expensive problems!
BUY YOUR FIRST CAR FROM A REPUTABLE DEALER
When buying your first car, and indeed all future cars, ensure that you purchase your car from a reputable dealer. This will go a long way to ensure you are buying a quality car and if any problems there will be someone available to help you. An advantage of purchasing from a dealer is that you can get warranty on your first car.
So call Gareth at 01 634 9333 or visit FirstQuote.ie to get a free car insurance quote & see what money you can save today.
Last day of January & a month of 2011 already over. And my professional Insurance exams are finally over for now anyway. Here’s a quick round up of what the papers had to say about insurance over the weekend.
New Ireland Movement - Seems David Mc Willliams thought it was an insurance company !!
And VHI gets critisised by consumer groups for not highlighting significant differences when changing policies. Brokers beware it is not enough to refer customers to the small print.
If you are a broker like me then you will appreciate the work involved in getting new business, maintaining & advising clients, and managing the brokerage on a daily basis. Then there is keeping up with all the red tape involved in the insurance industry now. In particular, the hours involved in Continous Professional Development (CDP). Regulation has added a lot of work to the insurance provider and brokers workload.
And for me anything that can save time and money, in my book, can only be a good thing. So it is good to see Caledonian Life have recently launched an online educational resource to help us brokers comply with the CDP requirements. You can check out Greg Dyer, Head of Sales & Marketing, from Caledonian Life introducing the Idea Zone here.
My last CDP exam is this Friday & once that is over I will be checking out their brokers centre & seeing what value it can add to my business. Have you tried it out? Let me know what you think.
Health Insurance prices are on the way up. This topic has gained a lot of media attention over the last few weeks.
To avoid a huge hike in your Health Insurance premium there are a number of things that you can do right now.
If you are insured with VHI and your renewal date is after 1st Feb this year I would strongly recommend contacting VHI as soon as possible to cancel your policy and set it up again, this can all be done in the same phone call. By doing this you can avail of the current rates, saving you a few hundred euros on your policy.
A link is included below so you can do a comparison on your current plan be it with Aviva, VHI or Quinn.
Compare the plans and excess that each insurer offer
Most of you know by now that I’m growing a moustache for the month of November. I’m doing it for several reasons. It’s fun to do, gets people talking, creates greater awareness around men’s health & most importantly helps raise much needed funds for Action Prostrate Cancer. It has been proven that us men, in Ireland are reluctant to visit the doctor & can end up not getting help soon enough for life threatening illnesses.
Here’s a bit more about how the whole Movember thing started….
“Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st clean shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month. The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.
The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia. The plan was simple – to bring the moustache back as a bit of a joke and do something for men’s health. No money was raised in 2003, but the guys behind the Mo realized the potential a moustache had in generating conversations about men’s health. Inspired by the women around them and all they had done for breast cancer, the Mo Bros set themselves on a course to create a global men’s health movement”.
So while I’m busy growing a moustache you can help us reach our target of €430. You can DONATE €1, €10, €50 or even a €100 whatever suits your pocket. Just click on Mospace and in six easy steps you will have provided Action Prostrate Cancer with badly needed funds.
Thank you. Together we can change the face of men’s health.
We ran a competition a couple of weeks ago to win €250 of your next insurance premium. The first video showed four objects and a jealous girlfriend. Something was going to get smashed. Well, here is the answer. Thanks for all your entries!
One of the world’s great sporting events returns this week in the shape of the Ryder Cup. Unsurprisingly Tiger Woods got picked by the USA captain Corey Pavin. Woods has featured on a couple of our lists on this blog including expensive celebrity divorces of all things! However the focus goes back on the golf this weekend. He must be one of the most expensive sports stars to insure in the world, given his success. The below video of a of a special Tiger Woods shot which demonstrates the brilliance of the man and why Europe should still be nervous of him come Friday.
Arthur’s Day kicks off at 17:59 today for the second year running and it looks like it will become an annual event. With thousands of people even signing an online petition to turn the day into a public holiday, we thought we would take a look at some of the best national holidays around the world.
Canada Day
Often called ‘Canada’s Birthday’, the 1st of July marks the anniversary of the 1867 joining of the colonies and provinces into one country. Canada Day celebrations see the maple leaf coming out in full force and include parades, carnivals, barbecues, fireworks and concerts.
Bastille Day
Oh la la! We can’t forget the day in 1790 when the people took the Bastille by storm, starting up one of the most bloody periods in all history. Remembering all those who lost their lives in the French Revolution, the birth of the modern French nation is celebrated on the 14th of July every year.
Independence Day
Before Will Smith fought the aliens, the fathers of the US drove out the British, adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Now, this federal holiday is celebrated in throughout the country and sees citizens remembering the day the US achieved independence with barbecues, picnics and fireworks.
Australia Day
The national holiday now known as Australia Day, which takes place on the 26th of January, has gone by many different names, including Anniversary Day, Foundation Day and ANA Day. A reported 7.5 million people around the world take part in the celebrations, which mark the day the first fleet arrived at Sidney Cove in 1788.
St Patrick’s Day
We couldn’t write a list of the best national holidays without including St Patrick’s Day! It is one of the most famous national celebrations in the world, possibly due to the large number of Irish living abroad. On the 17th of March each year, the colour green, parades and pubs take priority on the emerald isle.
Queens Day
An annual event in Holland, Queens Day’s takes place on the 30th of April. Although it has been celebrated throughout the country for the last 50 years, the real hot bed of activity takes place in Amsterdam. In the city the night before – known as Queen’s night – is celebrated with one massive party.
Dia de la Hispanidad
Known in some countries as Columbus day, the 12th of October was the day that Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World. It is a holiday in certain countries, including Venezuela, the Bahamas and Spain, where a massive military parade takes place each year.
With the success of last year’s celebrations to mark 250 years since the signing of the lease on Guinness’s St James’s Gate brewery, it’s not surprising that Arthur’s Day is returning again this year. Festivities kick off with a global toast “to Arthur” and his legacy at 17.59 on the 23rd of September and to prepare you, we have come up with a guide to just some of the events taking place around the country.
St James’s Gate – Dublin
One of the best places to be this Thursday will be right where it all started. 2,000 lucky ticket holders can expect performances from Snow Patrol, Manic Street Preachers, Biffy Clyro plus “very special guests”.
Vicar Street – Dublin
From 3.55pm, Vicar Street will host gigs from British pop/rock band The Hoosiers, popular singer/songwriter Eliza Doolittle, The Courteeners and more.
Folan Quay – Galway
Multi-platinum selling artist David Gray will be headlining the celebrations at Galway’s Folan Quay. He will be accompanied by a host of acts, including Dublin-born blues singer Imelda May and Sharon Shannon.
As well as taking over some of the country’s biggest music venues, official Arthur’s Day celebrations will be held in 28 pubs across the country. Tickets only cost €5 and attendees can expect an “intimate surprise gig from a studio artist”. Here are our picks for the best of the pub gigs.
Crane Lane Theatre – Cork
18-year-old Gaswegian singer/songwriter Carly Connor and up-and-coming Irish acts Keywest and DeBurca will be playing at the Crane Lane Theatre in Cork’s city centre.
Roisin Dubh – Galway
Along with the secret performance, the gig at this legendary live music venue will feature local indie/folk group A Band Called Wanda.
Baggott Inn – Dublin
One of Ireland’s best exports, David Kitt, will be playing at the city centre’s Baggott Inn, along with indie folk duo, Heathers.
Doheny and Nesbitt – Dublin
This atmospheric pub in Dublin 2 will be celebrating Arthur’s Day with Corkonian folk singer/songwriter John Spillane and Scottish rock artist Colin McLeod, who is better known as The Boy Who Trapped the Sun.
