Why are cars so much cheaper in Northern Ireland?

Why are cars so much cheaper in Northern Ireland?

Author
Discussion

stroberaver

Original Poster:

196 posts

167 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
A pre-registered, delivery mileage example of a car I'm interested in has recently appeared in Northern Ireland, at a useful 6-11% cheaper than used, year-old examples with 10,000 miles on this side of the Irish Sea. The spec/options on the NI car is very slightly lower, but nowhere near enough to account for that level of difference.

Looking through the other cars on offer from the dealer and also from other marques, the prices all seemed remarkably lower than I'd expect - especially at the higher end of the market.

Why is this? Just because NI is a smaller market and thus less demand? Or are there any other reasons behind it - are there spec differences on NI cars (surely they're all standard UK spec and trim?), or is an NI registration somehow worth less?

I can't understand it, because at face value it doesn't cost much to pop over there and bring a car back on the ferry - certainly a lot less than the price difference!

Bear Phils

891 posts

135 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
Eh?

It's usually the other way round laugh

Edit: Aren't pre-registered cars significantly cheaper anyway? I've heard many times about pre-registered models being cheaper new, than some used examples


Riknos

4,700 posts

203 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
Bear Phils said:
Eh?

It's usually the other way round laugh

Edit: Aren't pre-registered cars significantly cheaper anyway? I've heard many times about pre-registered models being cheaper new, than some used examples
Pre-regs being cheaper is true, I can't understand why a pre-reg would be cheaper than a 1 year old 10k car though? Unless sellers of said cars have their ambitions too high!

I know someone who got Porsche to bring his Cayman over from NI purely because it was cheaper than every other similar spec model in the UK!

liner33

10,642 posts

201 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
Insurance and road tax is much higher though i believe

Bill

52,479 posts

254 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
Is it a Mini with a Union Flag roof?

cuprabob

14,419 posts

213 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
liner33 said:
Insurance and road tax is much higher though i believe
Road Tax is the same as NI is part of the UK. I think you may be mixing it up with Eire

cuprabob

14,419 posts

213 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
liner33 said:
Insurance and road tax is much higher though i believe
Road Tax is the same as NI is part of the UK. I think you may be mixing it up with Eire

Bear Phils

891 posts

135 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
liner33 said:
Insurance and road tax is much higher though i believe
We have the same tax...

Insurance is a bit higher though

mccrackenj

2,041 posts

225 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
cuprabob said:
liner33 said:
Insurance and road tax is much higher though i believe
Road Tax is the same as NI is part of the UK. I think you may be mixing it up with Eire
Insurance is probably not much different now either, with the arrival a few years ago of some more of the big national insurers. Used to be much, much higher.

ETA: one individual car is hardly a representative sample. I think, on average, prices here are still a bit higher.

SMcP114

2,916 posts

191 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
The cars here are half the price because they are half as good and half as well looked after.

That is a stereotype, yes, but there is a huge element of truth to it, particularly with performance cars.

wolfy1988

1,426 posts

162 months

Friday 11th January 2013
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SMcP114 said:
The cars here are half the price because they are half as good and half as well looked after.

That is a stereotype, yes, but there is a huge element of truth to it, particularly with performance cars.
This ^ in my experince is true, even more so in the Republic of Ireland

GC8

19,910 posts

189 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
Bill said:
Is it a Mini with a Union Flag roof?
hehe

I can only driven on high days and holidays! biggrin

TheTurbonator

2,792 posts

150 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
Bill said:
Is it a Mini with a Union Flag roof?
laugh Very good.

Rally2

850 posts

134 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
Car iInsurance in Ireland is through the F-ing roof, plus a Limited market to sell to, I find cars in cornwall to be cheap becuase it's a long way out there generally

johnnyr6

281 posts

194 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
I just bought my subaru from NI. The seller was saying insurance is mad and most were hit pretty hard with the recession making cars that are expensive to run out of the reach of most.

Johnny

ArmaghMan

2,398 posts

179 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
SMcP114 said:
The cars here are half the price because they are half as good and half as well looked after.

That is a stereotype, yes, but there is a huge element of truth to it, particularly with performance cars.
Given that this is PH might I venture this, if the car is sporty/ performance type 99% of people here will ignore it totally.
The vast bulk here want diesel motors. My dad 74 yr old retired , wanted a Skoda Octavia and the garage were thrilled to get rid of a mint one owner petrol car. The difference was about £5 grand from memory from diesel to petrol and he does 5 maybe 5 1/2 thousand mies a year!

Sir Bagalot

6,463 posts

180 months

Friday 11th January 2013
quotequote all
Bill said:
Is it a Mini with a Union Flag roof?
laugh

If it's a lower spec then I would check it's not a ROI import. NI cars should have same spec as mainland cars although specs are lower in ROI

Edited by Sir Bagalot on Friday 11th January 22:52

tbc

3,017 posts

174 months

Saturday 12th January 2013
quotequote all
johnnyr6 said:
I just bought my subaru from NI. The seller was saying insurance is mad and most were hit pretty hard with the recession making cars that are expensive to run out of the reach of most.

Johnny
hit hard by the recession my balls, you only have to drive after Belfast on an afternoon and you will see some cracking cars

although

we live in mud huts, and st in a bucket too

then at the end of the week we bury it it at the bottom of the garden

and weed after we sow potatoes


true story

not really

XplusYplusZ

241 posts

140 months

Saturday 12th January 2013
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is it just this one car or across the board?

GreatGranny

9,097 posts

225 months

Friday 22nd May 2015
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Sorry to resurrect an old thread.

I'm tentatively looking for an XC90 (for my wife, her car needs to sell before we can buy).

Had one a few years ago and can't believe how the prices have not really decreased since we sold it.
We want a 2007 or newer for the lower tax and all issues were sorted by then (hopefully)

There's one I've seen which is in NI and its at least £1500 cheaper than those for sale in England.

Is it purely because of the reduced market and cost of ownership over there?