Blogs

Blogs

Posted by Bob Aldons – Northstar Motor Group

The long-awaited Pulsar SSS 1.6-turbo four from $29,240.

A full-scale small car price war means buyers are winners.

Nissan has fired the latest salvo with a record low $18,990 sticker on its Pulsar hatch. In showrooms next month, the five-door is $1000 under not only the sedan but its counterpart of 20 years ago. The razor-sharp price is a response to Holden's $19,490 entry to its revised Cruze range, the lowest price of any Australian-made car since the late 1980s.

Most main players in the small car segment, which is expected to tally some 250,000 sales this year, now have a sub-$20,000 starting point, though this is inevitably for the low-volume manual variant. The automatic option adds up to $3000, then there are on-road charges. Even so, most contenders are otherwise fully equipped.

Mitsubishi has sharpened its Lancer pricing with $19,990 drive-away on its Special Action Model edition. Based on the entry 2.0-litre ES, it comes with metallic paint in a choice of four colours, 16-inch five-spoke alloys, Ralliart front bumper and grille, VRX high-rise boot spoiler and extra bling.
Mitsubishi says its “compact sedan” concept will become the next Lancer but it could be three years away. That's bad news for the Japanese maker as almost every other player has brought in, or is on the verge of, new models.

The reintroduction of an old name has boosted Nissan toward the promised it once enjoyed in the small car market. It has not looked back since ditching the derided Tiida name for the old faithful Pulsar earlier this year.

The Pulsar hatch range kicks off at less than $19K for the ST but for not much extra the ST-L looks to be the better package. The meat of the range, however begins, with the $24,990 ST-S which runs the same 1.6-turbo four as the long-awaited SSS ($29,240).

Opel has not bothered the statisticians to any great extent but its Astra range (excluding the hot GTC and OPC) gets free on-road costs, dealer delivery and three years' scheduled servicing if you buy before the end of June. Its smaller Corsa sibling is $16,990 and the medium Insignia is $39,990, both drive-away and with free on-roads and dealer delivery but not the servicing offer.

Suzuki has added the capped price service program and a five-year warranty to its arsenal. The guarantee is for fixed service prices from $199 for the Alto and Swift, although Queensland and northern NSW have different arrangements due to a separate distribution deal.

Even Volkswagen has introduced capped-price service on its passenger and commercial vehicles. The Germans brought the program in on the Up late last year. It covers six years or 90,000km on all VW passenger vehicles sold from January 1, 2013.

For the Up, maintenance starts from $280, the Polo service prices kick off from $347 and the new Golf 7service costs start from $272, down from the previous-gen Golf that starts from $357. The small-car sector is virtually static in sales, up 0.9 per cent year-to-date, but the buyer demand for compact, fuel-efficient cars means there are no signs of the sector weakening.

It remains the largest individual segment in terms of volume -- more than 22 per cent of the total market with 62,034 sales so far this year, almost twice that of light cars, 4WD utes and large and medium SUVs, the next biggest segments.

If you want to experience Volkswagen in person, call into Northstar Volkswagen at 322 Anzac Avenue Kippa-Ring on the Redcliffe Peninsula. We're only 15 minutes or so from Brisbane Airport and a leisurely drive down the highway from Noosa, Bundaberg, Maryborough, and a short trip from Nambour, Caloundra, Mooloolaba and Bribie Island. We also get a lot of our customers as FIDO - that's not a dog by the way, that's fly in drive out. With cheap airfares, our customers come in from Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Mt Isa and even Sydney, Melbourne and as far away as Perth.

We'll happily arrange a drive home registration and you know the best thing about this? The drive home gives you just the best running in you'll ever get. New engines love a long drive to bed everything in and you'll get the best economy you've ever experienced. Alternatively if you're time or distance poor, check us out online at www.northstarvw.com.au or read more reviews at www.mycarreview.com.au . Finally, if you can't come to us, we'll come to your home, workplace or worksite - call Northstar on 1300 NTH STAR or 1300 684 782.

Source: www.carsguide.com.au

Blogs

Posted by Bob Aldons – Northstar Motor Group

My darling wife Suzi, decided to get me a really nice Bag for my birthday recently.
I carry office paperwork around – it needs to be pretty secure – and I need something that will take my I Pad and other business related things, including keys, wallet and so on.
She ventured into Brisbane City last weekend, (and that’s a BIG thing in itself) contended with unfamiliar parking meters, reverse parking and the like. We have shopped together at Hugo Boss in Edward Street in the past – suits, shirts, Tux and so we think we’re a pretty reasonable customer just based on the spend.

When Suzi went into the store, the 2 people behind the lower floor counter pretty much ignored her. No hello, I’ll be with you in a minute, not even an acknowledgement. Upstairs she went to look at their luggage – no-one came upstairs.

She went back down, smiled at the staff and left. Now my wife is a feisty girl, so she decided to up budget and went to Louis Vuitton in the Queen Street Mall. She was dressed nicely but casually. When she entered the store, she was pretty much looked up and down by the doorman and wandered around again without anyone asking if they could assist. After a while, Suzi went to the counter and asked for assistance. Again she felt that the attitude of the staff wasn’t as professional as you’d expect in a significantly upmarket retail store.

When she was assisted, she found a chair and asked the staff member to bring out a range of luggage, different styles, colours and price ranges. She selected a Damier Graphite satchel and indicated that she’d buy it. Funny – the attitude of the staff member immediately changed and suddenly she became a customer that had money to spend. Even the snobbish door man changed his attitude from looking down his nose, to making eye contact. Mission accomplished? Almost.
On her way back to the car, she dropped into? You guessed correctly. The Hugo Boss store.

Entered, smiled, said hello to the staff, showed them the very large LV shopping bag and then turned around and walked back out. She didn’t wait for any reaction, but I’m sure it would have been great to have seen what surely would have been some sheepishness. But then again, probably not. I’d expect some derogatory comments from shop staff that didn’t even bother to say hello in the first place.

Morale of this Story?  Just like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, If you own a retail store, where customers are your reason for being there, you better make sure that your staff are welcoming and professional.

Blogs

Posted by Bob Aldons – Managing Director, Northstar Motor Group

EOFY is getting closer and closer, June 30th will be on us before we know where we are. It’s high time to look at maximizing all available tax deductions on items that you may be contemplating over the next six months and as importantly, Julia Gillard still has the accelerated deprecation offer on the table for eligible businesses for purchases prior to June 30th.

Tax minimization is legal and in fact is encouraged by the vast majority of accountants. Don’t leave for the Tax Man what you can legally deduct. Remember the old proverb – The Tax Man Giveth and the Tax Man Taketh away. Reduce what he takes and keep what you can.

As a small businessman myself, I encourage you to look at every conceivable way to reduce your taxable income.  Have a close look at any equipment. If it’s at the end of its life or old technology is costing too much to repair, the impending financial year closewould be the ideal time to upgrade.

When you finance your equipment replacement, the payments will be classified as business operating expenses and deductions can be claimed on them immediately. If you choose to use Goods Mortgage as your preferred method of finance, you can claim the interest content of that payment and depreciate the item as well. And a bonus till June 30th is that you can claim the accelerated depreciation on this item up to $5000. Be warned though – you can’t claim the depreciation if you lease it. It must be done through a hire purchase style arrangement - and besides equipment, Northstar Financial Services can also help you with your vehicle replacement. The same rule applies for the accelerated depreciation – Hire Purchase is the way to go here too.

Our car dealerships currently have some amazing end of financial year offers on the table – Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Volkswagen, Mahindra and of course Isuzu Ute.

Northstar Financial Services can work with you to arrange your finance before EOFY arrives – competitive rates and terms, a great understanding of what your business requires and also competitive insurance products as well.

Contact one of my Finance and Insurance Professionals directly. You’ll find their wealth of experience and attention to detail refreshing.

• Car Loans
• Truck Loans
• Horse Float Loans
• Equipment Loans
• Bike Loans

Northstar continues to expand its brand portfolio. Along with the original Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands since 2003, Isuzu Ute and Volkswagen since 2008, Mahindra in 2012, Northstar now has Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Fiat Professional, and Abarth.

We'll happily arrange a drive home registration and you know the best thing about this? The drive home gives you just the best running in you'll ever get. New engines love a long drive to bed everything in and you'll get the best economy you've ever experienced. Alternatively if you're time or distance poor, check us out online at www.nsmg.com.au or read more reviews at www.mycarreview.com.au . Finally, if you can't come to us, we'll come to your home, workplace or worksite - call Northstar on 1300 NTH STAR or 1300 684 782.

Blogs

Posted by Bob Aldons – Northstar Motor Group

The Mazda6 is cheaper than the Camry in the US but dearer than it in Australia ($33,460 versus $22,968).

Australian buyers pay more for cars than those in the US.

New-car prices are at record lows and driving a sales boom, but a survey by News Limited has found Australians still pay more than buyers in the USA. In some cases the prices are more than double.

The Nissan Pulsar and Toyota Corolla have both limboed to $19,990 locally in the past six months -- the same price they were 10 years ago. But the same models in North America start at between $16,140 and $17,850 respectively. The Australian dollar has had parity with the US dollar for two years.

Australia’s top-selling car, the Mazda3, has a recommended retail price of $20,330 locally (before on-road costs are added) but the same car starts at $18,370 in North America.

The gap widens as prices rise. A Toyota Camry starts from $30,490 locally but the same model is $24,460 in the USA.

Mazda’s mid-size sedan, the Mazda6, has an even greater price disparity -- more than $10,000. It’s cheaper than the Camry in the US but dearer than it in Australia ($33,460 versus $22,968).

Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver said standard equipment varies from country to country: "We look at how we compare to our rivals and we are happy with our prices. We believe we offer good value for money."

More glaring examples begin in the $50,000 price bracket. A BMW 320i sedan in Australia costs $58,600 (just below the Luxury Car Tax threshold) but in the USA can be had for the same money as a Holden Commodore: $35,805. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan has a greater disparity: $67,900 here versus $35,350 there.

The car industry argues new-car prices are higher in Australia because it costs more to recoup the development costs of right-hand-drive cars given that the markets are smaller.

“Volume is king and more cars are sold in left-hand-drive countries than in right-hand-drive countries, so the customer has to pay,” said Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy. “We have worked hard to make our cars as affordable as possible, and put more equipment in them, and still make a profit.”

McCarthy said shipping costs are also higher because the distance is greater and the car carriers mostly leave Australia empty: “it’s a one-way trip”. The cost of financing vehicle orders also ties up more money because of the longer delivery time from Europe. “We as a wholesaler pay for each car as it leaves the factory gate, then it’s in transit for up to three months before the customer pays for it.”

German sportscar maker Porsche last week slashed prices across its range – by as much as $36,000 in some cases. But Australians still pay more than double than those in the USA for one of its speed machines.

A Porsche Carrera 911 was $229,400 in Australia before the price cut, but will drop to $206,500 from June 1. That might be cause for celebration for some, but the champagne loses its fizz when you discover the same car starts at $92,730 in the USA.

Australia’s Luxury Car Tax accounts for an extra 33 per cent of the Porsche’s price above $59,133 (the threshold set by the Federal Government). But that still doesn’t explain why the Australian price is more than double what it is in North America.

When asked why there was still such a large price anomaly, Porsche Australia spokesman Paul Ellis said: “You don’t price your car against what it costs in other countries, you price it against its local competitors. It’s market positioning.”

Prestige brands have strongly opposed Luxury car Tax since its inception in 2000, even though Toyota now pays more LCT than any other brand due to the large number of SUVs it sells over the threshold.

Porsche says the LCT is a “discriminatory tax”. “There isn’t a tax on other luxury goods. Cars are seen as a soft target,” said Ellis.

Call into Northstar Motor Group at 320 Anzac Avenue Kippa-Ring on the Redcliffe Peninsula,  739 Deception Bay Road Rothwell, or at 266 Morayfield Road Morayfield (Opposite Bunnings Warehouse)

 We're only 15 minutes or so from Brisbane Airport and a leisurely drive down the highway from Noosa, Bundaberg, Maryborough, and a short trip from Nambour, Caloundra, Mooloolaba and Bribie Island. We also get a lot of our customers as FIDO - that's not a dog by the way, that's fly in drive out. With cheap airfares, our customers come in from Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Mt Isa and even Sydney, Melbourne and as far away as Perth.

Northstar continues to expand its brand portfolio. Along with the original Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands since 2003, Isuzu Ute and Volkswagen since 2008, Mahindra in 2012, Northstar now has Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Fiat Professional, and Abarth.

Source: www.carsguide.com.au