Comparison of motoring between Ireland and NZ
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:58 amAfter 3 months here, and having a car for about 6 weeks, I've seen some of the costs of car related items over here, and said I'd share some of them. This is not a post to gloat about how great things are over here and how everything is so cheap and the usual stuff that people write when they move to a new country first, but what it is for is to show more how Ireland is being ripped off and how things are outrageous over there. The prices I have quoted are for the FTO, so are a direct comparison to Ireland, I have also thrown in quotes for the Z at the end.
Anyway, here it is;
Tax - Ire: €614
NZ: $NZ248 (€114)
Insurance - Ire: €739 (my premium from Quinn last year)
NZ: $NZ448 (€219!!!)
Petrol - Ire: €1.20 (I think? Corrct me if I'm wrong.)
NZ: $NZ1.85 (€0.89)
Quick Service, as in 5L Castrol Magnetec 10W40 and filter - Ire: €55 (Do maybe 4 a year is €220)
NZ: $NZ45 (€21.60) (Do maybe 4 a year is $NZ180 or €86.30)
Parking in the city centre for a month costs me $100 a month, thats €48.
Its free on the weekends in the multi-storey car parks.
Now for the Z, a 3L V6; tax is still $NZ248 or €114, and the insurance quote was the same as the FTO, $NZ448 or €219. The insurance quote was with AA, so I havent really shopped around, it was just the first quote I came across. Could probably get cheaper if I did shop around. But its a sign of how ridiculous things are at home. They go on about needing high insurance for young drivers, drink drivers, people on the phone, etc, etc. Well I can tell you this, this place is boy racer heaven, friday and saturday nights are an endless drone and you often get woken up with the noise of 10s of loud revving engines passing by, because of the price of second hand high performance Jap cars, yet do insurance companies fleece them? No. Drink driving is pretty bad over here, the limit is about 2 pints I think, but again this is not reflected on the innocent ones who have never done it. If you get caught here fair enough you suffer, if you dont do it then you dont suffer. The law is just after coming in about driving while talking on the phone, no harm there. The point is, NZ has potentially more hazards on the road than Ireland, so why isnt the insurance as cheap back home? Petrol still has to be delivered to an island nation, so why is petrol so expensive back home? As does accessories and oils and filters etc. Also the version of Halfords over here is called Super Cheap Autos, yet these guys really know their stuff, and the amount of stuff they have stocked is unbelievable, anything you want they will have it. Repco is another place that does stuff but slightly more expensive than Super Cheap Autos.
In general, everything car related is much cheaper, washing a car in a valetters is pricey though, and you wash a car a lot more cause of all the dry weather, but thats about the only thing.
Not to mention the price of cars themselves, well most of them, the Z cost me €1,250, but Supras, FTO's and the likes are priced as back home. Skylines are often cheaper here, as are GTO's, Evo's, Scooby's.
Sorry for the long post.
Anyway, here it is;
Tax - Ire: €614
NZ: $NZ248 (€114)
Insurance - Ire: €739 (my premium from Quinn last year)
NZ: $NZ448 (€219!!!)
Petrol - Ire: €1.20 (I think? Corrct me if I'm wrong.)
NZ: $NZ1.85 (€0.89)
Quick Service, as in 5L Castrol Magnetec 10W40 and filter - Ire: €55 (Do maybe 4 a year is €220)
NZ: $NZ45 (€21.60) (Do maybe 4 a year is $NZ180 or €86.30)
Parking in the city centre for a month costs me $100 a month, thats €48.
Its free on the weekends in the multi-storey car parks.
Now for the Z, a 3L V6; tax is still $NZ248 or €114, and the insurance quote was the same as the FTO, $NZ448 or €219. The insurance quote was with AA, so I havent really shopped around, it was just the first quote I came across. Could probably get cheaper if I did shop around. But its a sign of how ridiculous things are at home. They go on about needing high insurance for young drivers, drink drivers, people on the phone, etc, etc. Well I can tell you this, this place is boy racer heaven, friday and saturday nights are an endless drone and you often get woken up with the noise of 10s of loud revving engines passing by, because of the price of second hand high performance Jap cars, yet do insurance companies fleece them? No. Drink driving is pretty bad over here, the limit is about 2 pints I think, but again this is not reflected on the innocent ones who have never done it. If you get caught here fair enough you suffer, if you dont do it then you dont suffer. The law is just after coming in about driving while talking on the phone, no harm there. The point is, NZ has potentially more hazards on the road than Ireland, so why isnt the insurance as cheap back home? Petrol still has to be delivered to an island nation, so why is petrol so expensive back home? As does accessories and oils and filters etc. Also the version of Halfords over here is called Super Cheap Autos, yet these guys really know their stuff, and the amount of stuff they have stocked is unbelievable, anything you want they will have it. Repco is another place that does stuff but slightly more expensive than Super Cheap Autos.
In general, everything car related is much cheaper, washing a car in a valetters is pricey though, and you wash a car a lot more cause of all the dry weather, but thats about the only thing.
Not to mention the price of cars themselves, well most of them, the Z cost me €1,250, but Supras, FTO's and the likes are priced as back home. Skylines are often cheaper here, as are GTO's, Evo's, Scooby's.
Sorry for the long post.
