MOTORING: BRIAN McDAID STEERS AROUND TAX BREAKS, THE LEXUS AND KNOCKALLA!

He has never owned one but in On The Road Again, our motoring columnist Brian McDaid sounds like he always wanted a Lexus!

Tax Break

This week we are looking at the secondhand car market, and unique opportunities which only seem to present themselves in Ireland because of our road tax system.

Around 7 years ago the way a car was rated for road tax in Ireland changed. Before that date the tax was based on the engine size but now it is rated on the amount of emission or pollution it puts out of its engine.

It was great news for new car buyers who could go for any engine size and as long as the emissions was low the road tax was going to be the same.

Second hand cars especially ones with big engines were to suffer from this system, It didn’t matter if it was one of the best built cars brands in the world like Rolls Royce, BMW or Mercedes because in Ireland the road tax system on older cars was a major stumbling point.

Enter the Lexus GS300, one of the most underestimated best built cars. With nearly 250 bhp going to the rear wheels from one of the most silkiest 3 litre V6 petrol engines about. For a motoring fanatic like myself this is a real “ full fat” car. I test drove the hybrid version when it came out years ago but never one of these.

So when local Letterkenny business man, John Watson who has a 2007 GS300 Lexus suggested that his car might be of interest to our motoring column I quickly accepted his offer.

This drive didn’t start out that good. Typical me not listening to instructions, itching to get behind the wheel. I drove this beautiful car for nearly a mile with the hand brake on. ( which is a foot brake by the way, that’s my excuse.) Then the owner of the car phoned me ,I thought to myself gosh this is some yoke, lets the owner know how the car is being driven. Brian ,have you the hand brake on? No I have not, why? . Yes you have because I can smell the heat off the brakes here behind you!!

When we got the handbrake off, driving this car was so relaxing, full cream leather upholstery, six-speed automatic and a petrol engine so smooth and quiet it was hard to know if was going or not. I could not help but notice the rev counter at idling is only 5 hundred revs, and at 100 kph is still only at 1,500 revs. In the hands of a light-footed driver this car would give better fuel economy that most wouldn’t expect. There isn’t an extra that you could think of that this Lexus has a standard.

The Cost on the road

This is where you have to think differently on the way to look at these beautiful big engined cars. When John looked at this car first, there was a rattle coming from the engine. He took a chance on it and bought the car. The rattle in the engine turned out to be a front engine pulley, which john replaced for €90, John’s next bill was the road tax which is whopping €1,494 per year. which will put most off this car right away. Not John ,The way he looks at it is , if he had a new car the leasing or payments plan would be far higher that he is paying plus his car has depreciated all its going to do.

So in summing up and I can’t really believe this, The car I drove this week is like a brand new car to drive even though it is 9 years old.

Lexus are over engineered which is great for anyone that buys them, as the picture will show its paint finish is like new and it drives the same and John Watson has this car on the road for the unreal price of just €5,000 including paying his road tax.

What a lot of car for so little money, and its the tax system with such a high price that frightens everyone off.

The only sad news I have to report for John is today the 31st of March your road tax is up Sir and you will need to tax this car again but in my view it is well worth the effort, what a car.

Knockalla

An old man once ask me where did I think heaven was, thinking to myself it was a trick question, I just answered with a roll of my eyes up to heaven, How far is it up? was the next question. “I don’t know how far” after a while he said. It might be only a foot above your head so that it would always be close to your heart.

So with them set of directions I headed down to Fanad to visit a small plaque placed on a hillside by friends of a man that passed away in October of last year.

The plaque was in Memory of the late Alistair Mac Intyre from Mull, Dumbarton in Scotland. He was known to his wide circle of friends as “AKA Rally Ally” including his hero rally driving ace, Frank Kelly.

Last week Frank Kelly landed in Co. Donegal with his beautiful Mk2 Escort to transport AKA Rally Ally on his last journey.

I wasn’t there but can only imagine the sound of that millington engine as it echoed off the natural stadium that is Knockalla. I have often sat on Knockalla in June at the Donegal International Rally waiting on the stage to start. To listen to the barks and roars of rally cars on the Fanad Head stage across the Ballymastocker Bay before they arrive at the bottom of the hillclimb like gladiators to do battle up the mountain pass.

Frank Kelly transported the ashes of the Late Alistair Mc Intyre in his rally car up Knockalla hillclimb to that famous hairpin. There a small group of his friends were waiting who helped scatter his ashes, The small plaque will tell every one how much the Scotsman thought of Donegal, His ashes rest here, He Lived for Rallying, Loved Donegal, and here was his favourite place on earth. Gone to soon.

Petrol prices on the rise

The best place for petrol this week in that i seen in Letterkenny this was in Tinney’s at Bonagee at €1.20 per ltr. Petrol prices to the pumps have increased in price and some have not put the price up to the customer. so it might be a good time to fill up before the next increase price.

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