AA predicts increase in car sales

Car sales are set to rise in 2014, according to the AA.

Research carried out by the motoring body predicts a substantial increase, with 3% of respondents confirming they would be buying a new vehicle this year.

The AA consumer panel survey also indicates that the used car market will continue to thrive, with the average age of an Irish car now nine-years-old.

"We're just not buying new cars the way we used to, before the recession began," said director of consumer affairs with the AA, Conor Faughnan.

"Typically, we were getting over 180,000 cars sold in a year. That figure collapsed by over 50%.

"The practical effect of that is that as each year goes by, the average age of Irish cars is getting older and older. And we're actually seeing that first hand in the AA, the sort of breakdown that we're attending to are associated with wear and tear on older