Buying a car from Northern Ireland???

[Pete102]

Hi,

I can advise on this situation as I bought a car from NI last year, it was pretty straight forward and just required re-registering with the DVLA in england. - as people have said theres the irish equivlent. I flew from Doncaster into Belfast, met the seller at the airport, did the deal and then drove down to Dublin, got on the ferry to holyhead and across country home...all in all i was gone for about 16 hours but it was well worth it - like a mini road/air/boat trip!

[Clark]

Roan said:

shamrock said:

va1o said:

I think calling a car from NI an import is borderline offensive to NI residents

ETA: Why not just ask your insurance company?

Edited by va1o on Monday 25th May 20:05

Not really considering the majority of the residents are Irish, there's no real border and it will be part of Ireland again someday.

Let's not get political - the majority of residents are by definition, Northern Irish, not Irish. There is of course a border, otherwise NI wouldn't exist... Northern Irish residents who call themselves British are also incorrect.

Back on topic, there are no issues taking a car from NI to Britain or vice versa. You do have to surrender your tax and apply for a new tax disc from either the DVLNI in NI or the DVLA in GB. The DVLNI will soon be fully amalgamated with the DVLA so the process is probably quicker than when I last did it a few years ago.

I must get my passport corrected then, under nationality it says "British Citizen".

[Jonleeper]

L33 said:

I'm usually quite good buying and selling cars but one has caught my eye in Northern Ireland and I don't konw whats involved:

1. Can I HPI the car? The HPI type websites state they do not cover Northern Ireland. Is there a similar company based in Ireland I can check the car through?

As already stated yes you can with the exception of the VIN as the database is held in a different location.

L33 said:

2. Import tax? I'm guessing not, but can anyone advise me please?

No import tax is payable on either route (GB to NI or visa versa) and I have done this several times, often with the same vehicle and it is a very straight forwards process.

{quote=L33]3. Logbook. Would an Irish log book be any different? Is it easy / expensive to register the car in England?

Logbook looks identical, the only difference is the it is issued by DVLA(NI) not DVLA. It does not cost anything to change, just one form to fill out and you can choose to keep the existing plate or get a NI / GB plate as required.

L33 said:

4. Payment. I'm guessing going into the sellers bank armed with a visa card and cleared funds in my account is an option? I'm guessing no exchange rates to worry about between England and Northern Ireland?

The only problem you will encounter is that if you get change in NI notes most shops in GB will not accept them! They are Sterling but, as with the Scottish ones, they look different.

L33 said:

5. Bring the car home. Anyone know if I can simply turn up at the ferry port in Dublin and by a ferry ticket to bring a car back to England?

Your best bet is to book a cheep flight to Belfast International or George Best (Belfast City) and either get the train or get the person you are buying from to pick you up. Book the ferry back, the registration is not as important as they make out, I have changed vehicles on several occasions and the ferry company's have not blinked about it. Just make sure that the ticket is in your name and you will be fine. Remember that you can sail to Troon and Cairnryan from Larne or Stranrar and Birkenhead from Belfast. The Birkenhead ferry is about 10 hours though and quite a bit more expensive. Dublin to Holyhead is an option, as long as you are insured to drive the car, it is about the same distance to anywhere are Birkenhead but the ferry only takes about 4 hours.

L33 said:

6. Is there any other risk I should worry about?



Thanks in advance.

Not really, as I said I have personally done the re-licensing a number of times and it is not hard. As for buying the car you are on your own! ;-)

[Jonleeper]

shamrock said:

va1o said:

I think calling a car from NI an import is borderline offensive to NI residents

ETA: Why not just ask your insurance company?

Edited by va1o on Monday 25th May 20:05

Not really considering the majority of the residents are Irish, there's no real border and it will be part of Ireland again someday.

I think that the majority of the Northern Irish would disagree with you. A majority would not consider themselves to be Irish and the vast majority, including a significant number of those who think that they are, would not favour unification. Sweeping statements like yours only serve to give credence to a few criminals who should be treated with all of the disdain they deserve.

[shamrock]

Jonleeper said:

shamrock said:

va1o said:

I think calling a car from NI an import is borderline offensive to NI residents

ETA: Why not just ask your insurance company?

Edited by va1o on Monday 25th May 20:05

Not really considering the majority of the residents are Irish, there's no real border and it will be part of Ireland again someday.

I think that the majority of the Northern Irish would disagree with you. A majority would not consider themselves to be Irish and the vast majority, including a significant number of those who think that they are, would not favour unification. Sweeping statements like yours only serve to give credence to a few criminals who should be treated with all of the disdain they deserve.

You think incorrectly hence an all Ireland national Rugby team and the All Ireland Games.

[Jonleeper]

Roan said:

shamrock said:

va1o said:

I think calling a car from NI an import is borderline offensive to NI residents

ETA: Why not just ask your insurance company?

Edited by va1o on Monday 25th May 20:05

Not really considering the majority of the residents are Irish, there's no real border and it will be part of Ireland again someday.

Let's not get political - the majority of residents are by definition, Northern Irish, not Irish. There is of course a border, otherwise NI wouldn't exist... Northern Irish residents who call themselves British are also incorrect.

OK, but only on a technicality. It is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and they are citizens of the UK. As there is no collective term for that they call themselves British.

Roan said:

Back on topic, there are no issues taking a car from NI to Britain or vice versa. You do have to surrender your tax and apply for a new tax disc from either the DVLNI in NI or the DVLA in GB. The DVLNI will soon be fully amalgamated with the DVLA so the process is probably quicker than when I last did it a few years ago.

[HellDiver]

shamrock said:

Not really considering the majority of the residents are Irish, there's no real border and it will be part of Ireland again someday.

Really? Somehow I don't think either of those statements are true.

Edited by HellDiver on Wednesday 27th May 15:50

[Jonleeper]

shamrock said:

Jonleeper said:

shamrock said:

va1o said:

I think calling a car from NI an import is borderline offensive to NI residents

ETA: Why not just ask your insurance company?

Edited by va1o on Monday 25th May 20:05

Not really considering the majority of the residents are Irish, there's no real border and it will be part of Ireland again someday.

I think that the majority of the Northern Irish would disagree with you. A majority would not consider themselves to be Irish and the vast majority, including a significant number of those who think that they are, would not favour unification. Sweeping statements like yours only serve to give credence to a few criminals who should be treated with all of the disdain they deserve.

You think incorrectly hence an all Ireland national Rugby team and the All Ireland Games.

Just because they play a bit of sport together does not mean that the majority of the population wants to unite. They still play football as two separate teams and that is a more popular game than either of the two examples you use.

[shamrock]

Jonleeper said:

shamrock said:

Jonleeper said:

shamrock said:

va1o said:

I think calling a car from NI an import is borderline offensive to NI residents

ETA: Why not just ask your insurance company?

Edited by va1o on Monday 25th May 20:05

Not really considering the majority of the residents are Irish, there's no real border and it will be part of Ireland again someday.

I think that the majority of the Northern Irish would disagree with you. A majority would not consider themselves to be Irish and the vast majority, including a significant number of those who think that they are, would not favour unification. Sweeping statements like yours only serve to give credence to a few criminals who should be treated with all of the disdain they deserve.

You think incorrectly hence an all Ireland national Rugby team and the All Ireland Games.

Just because they play a bit of sport together does not mean that the majority of the population wants to unite. They still play football as two separate teams and that is a more popular game than either of the two examples you use.

Wrong. Again.

"Throughout the country a wide variety of sports are played, the most popular being Gaelic games (such as Gaelic football, hurling and camogie), soccer, rugby union and boxing. By attendance figures, Gaelic football and hurling are by far the most popular sports in Ireland,[1][2] (34% of total attendances at sports events being to football and 23% to hurling).[3] Golf and soccer (including 5-a-side) are the most played at 17% of the population each.[4]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Ireland

It would seem that education via the British tabloids is a very poor substitute.

[Jonleeper]

shamrock said:

Jonleeper said:

shamrock said:

Jonleeper said:

shamrock said:

va1o said:

I think calling a car from NI an import is borderline offensive to NI residents

ETA: Why not just ask your insurance company?

Edited by va1o on Monday 25th May 20:05

Not really considering the majority of the residents are Irish, there's no real border and it will be part of Ireland again someday.

I think that the majority of the Northern Irish would disagree with you. A majority would not consider themselves to be Irish and the vast majority, including a significant number of those who think that they are, would not favour unification. Sweeping statements like yours only serve to give credence to a few criminals who should be treated with all of the disdain they deserve.

You think incorrectly hence an all Ireland national Rugby team and the All Ireland Games.

Just because they play a bit of sport together does not mean that the majority of the population wants to unite. They still play football as two separate teams and that is a more popular game than either of the two examples you use.

Wrong. Again.

"Throughout the country a wide variety of sports are played, the most popular being Gaelic games (such as Gaelic football, hurling and camogie), soccer, rugby union and boxing. By attendance figures, Gaelic football and hurling are by far the most popular sports in Ireland,[1][2] (34% of total attendances at sports events being to football and 23% to hurling).[3] Golf and soccer (including 5-a-side) are the most played at 17% of the population each.[4]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Ireland

It would seem that education via the British tabloids is a very poor substitute.

Wikipedia's results about sport in Ireland now that's conclusive then. Wikipedia's results about sport in Northern Ireland might have had more credibility but even then I would not be convinced.

Now I know that I am not the most popular person in the Province, I never have been, but I am in the Province and have lived here on many occasions for prolonged periods and in several different areas. My wife works in the community and my kids go to school here. I have spoken to any number of people, from both sides of the political divide, and at all levels of social standing from the Lords Lieutenants and Mayors to the parents of other kids in schools and the majority do not want unification with Ireland. The economy over there is not as good as you might think and the impact on taxes and other factors mean that it is not that attractive to normal people.

[David911RSR]

One word of caution. Cars that have been given a Cat rating due to accident damage can have their HPI histories cleaned by being registered in either NI or Ireland. I once looked at a GT3, originally registered in the UK, suffered substantial damage, salvage sold to a guy in Ireland who had the car repaired to a budget. Car returned to the UK, HPI did not show the car's previous CAT D rating

[mrmarcus]

Stop talking politics, its about the cars, but I cant help but add that you would hardly be able to tell when you crossed the border between republic and northern ireland..... kinda like when you cross the severn and go from england into wales except that you got to pay to get into wales, its free to get into england....hmmm

When your checking out the car have a good look around the wheel arches/ underside if you can. Cars tend to get covered in mud/ dirt alot more over being more rural that urban and winter gritting salts get trapped in mud.

[boomboompow]

Afternoon all,

Needed to dig this up as I'm in the same position as the OP (potentiall buying a car in NI to bring back to Scotland); from what I've read on the thread I should be able to do the sale no problem, get my insurance activated for driving back to Scotland that day, and then fill out some transfer papers which are submitted to the DVLA when I get back home - is this all correct?

Cheers

[MiniMan64]

Yes.

[boinging]

Sorry to bump this thread, but if I bought a car in Northern Island that was registered on 1st March 2007 there, how would I get insurance to drive it in the UK as it would need an MOT in England?

[Roan]

boinging said:

Sorry to bump this thread, but if I bought a car in Northern Island that was registered on 1st March 2007 there, how would I get insurance to drive it in the UK as it would need an MOT in England?

Until the car is registered to GB with the DVLA it's still a NI car so won't need an MOT until it's 4th birthday. When you register it with the DVLA it becomes a GB car and only then subject to your MOT rules etc. There's a certain amount of flexibility in the system as long as you follow the correct procedures.

When I turned up at the MOT centre in Belfast to get my VR6 MOTd a few years ago after bringing it back from England (it was 10 years old at this point), the 'technican"' grunted "this motor never been MOTd mate?" ...

[Rum Runner]

Does anyone now then if its classed as a import for insurance purposes ?.

[MiniMan64]

Rum Runner said:

Does anyone now then if its classed as a import for insurance purposes ?.

No.

Not an import.

[e21Mark]

Excuse the thread bump but would like to be sure there haven't been any regulation changes?

Going to Ireland on Friday and might be bringing an old car back with me. It's over 20 years old and originates from the EU. This may be a stupid question but will there be any import duties?

Also, my current insurance gives me third party cover on vehicles loaned to me. Could that cover include driving back here, or should I take out specific cover? If the latter, should it be taken out using the chassis number or the Irish registration?

Finally, are there any other things I need to be aware of, with regard to importing an old car from Ireland? (not N Ireland)

Thanks in advance.