Getting the car you want when you want it isn't always straightforward, as Hugh Oram reports
Anyone buying a new car can expect to go to a dealer and drive off with their new purchase.
Dealers and distributors don't expect that situation to change when they reopen on January 3rd.
But if you want special specs for your new motor, then the delays start creeping in and you could wait three or four months.
Some new models are in such demand, like the Lexus RX400H hybrid, that you could easily wait for this length of time.
If you buy a luxury marque, the waiting list supposedly adds to the rarity value. The longest wait is for an Aston Martin V8 Vantage; order now, and you'll get it around March, 2007.
Alan Nolan, deputy chief executive of Simi, says that with most popular cars, waiting lists have fallen off.
"Since we moved into an open market situation, it's become less of a problem. But if you want special specs, then you'll have to wait."
With a Volvo, speaking from his own experience, specifying a particular colour and finish can mean waiting about six to eight weeks, he says, whereas a similar Saab can be had "off the shelf".
However, Nolan says that with the European manufacturers in an over-capacity situation, no mainstream cars are in short supply now.
Jeff Davys, of Gowan Distributors, Dublin, responsible for Peugeot, says there's no problem about immediate deliveries, including new models.
At Renault Ireland, Brian Purcell says that they're already stocking up their compound in Rosslare.
In the new year, if there's any waiting, it will be two weeks tops. Special specs may mean a two to three month wait.
Neither does Steve Tormey, sales and marketing director at Toyota Ireland, expect any problems with immediate deliveries in January.
But the popularity of cars such as the Lexus hybrid, has created big waiting lists and special orders for a Toyota could see waits of up to four months.
At Ford in Cork, Denis McSweeney, says that 80 per cent of customers' options can be met immediately.
"If a dealer hasn't a particular colour in stock, they'll swop stock with other dealers."
Michael Herbert, chief executive of the Windsor Motors Group, Dublin, says that they've always accurately forecast demand and stocked accordingly.
"We hold quite a large stock, in addition to what Nissan Ireland has, so we deliver on the spot." Having a spec, like a navigation system, can hold up delivery.
At Fort Motors, Dublin, Fred Pope, says delivery times are "very good", adding, "we can deliver about 90 per cent of orders from stock."
Special orders can take eight to 10 weeks.
Richard Murphy of Tom Murphy Car Sales, Waterford, says: "We don't have an issue with delivery dates."
At the start of the decade, he adds, you could wait for four months for a new Mercedes, but now you can have more or less whatever model you want, instantly. It's the same with Audi and VW.
Kieran Griffin, of Kerry Motors in Tralee, a Ford main dealership, says: "The most popular models are readily available. For special models you could be waiting up to 10 weeks."