Any pitfalls with a NI reg car?
Discussion
Hi all,
I’m after a bit of advice, I’m in the market for an M135i and have found a nice looking facelift (2015>) model with only 18k miles on it, however, it’s currently wearing a Norn Iron plate which I don’t think is a private one, so it’s a NI car. I’m aware that these are no longer considered to be imports but are there any other pitfalls I need to be aware of? Due to the age it won’t have had an MOT so my concern is it could have been clocked prior to making it to the mainland?
It’s also a real poverty spec example (not even park sensors!!!) but that doesn’t necessarily bother me as the price reflects that; essentially I can get a speccy pre-facelift or a non-speccy facelift for similar money so I’m tempted by the newer car with the lower miles and BMW warranty remaining.
Any advice?
Thanks
Dave
I’m after a bit of advice, I’m in the market for an M135i and have found a nice looking facelift (2015>) model with only 18k miles on it, however, it’s currently wearing a Norn Iron plate which I don’t think is a private one, so it’s a NI car. I’m aware that these are no longer considered to be imports but are there any other pitfalls I need to be aware of? Due to the age it won’t have had an MOT so my concern is it could have been clocked prior to making it to the mainland?
It’s also a real poverty spec example (not even park sensors!!!) but that doesn’t necessarily bother me as the price reflects that; essentially I can get a speccy pre-facelift or a non-speccy facelift for similar money so I’m tempted by the newer car with the lower miles and BMW warranty remaining.
Any advice?
Thanks
Dave
R1 Dave said:
I’m aware that these are no longer considered to be imports
They never have been - NI is part of this country, after all - but the registration system has been part of Swansea for several years now.R1 Dave said:
so my concern is it could have been clocked prior to making it to the mainland?
Why would that differ to a car from anywhere else in the country?Thanks all. I’m sure my concerns were unfounded, it’s just that I’ve never bought a NI vehicle before and wondered if there were any issues. A friend of mine sold his UK car recently (a white Audi A4) and two chaps from EIRE flew over to Bristol to collect it from him, they said the reason they got their cars from England was “back home people are up to all sorts so finding a genuine one is a nightmare as they’re all clocked/nicked/bodge repaired”. I think they were more talking about Southern Ireland tho.
king hell, you surely must realise that Northern Ireland is IN THE UK?No issues at all bringing a car from NI to mainland other than the ferrytime table.
There's no fast sailing out off Belfast to Liverpool, so you either on the bloody thing all night or all day on the truck ferry or driving down from Cairnryan on the mainland or driving to Dublin from NI to catch the fast ferry into Holyhead.
I'd do the Dublin one personally as the road surface on the A75 and the top half of the M6 is in a very bad state.
I've bought three cars now in England (Luton, Manchester and Birmingham) and no issues at all - I can't see you having any issues the other way round.
And before you ask the reason I go to England is the cost saving & and usually I'm after a particular spec of car which usually isn't available in NI so a cheap easyjet flight and debit card sorts me out.
There's no fast sailing out off Belfast to Liverpool, so you either on the bloody thing all night or all day on the truck ferry or driving down from Cairnryan on the mainland or driving to Dublin from NI to catch the fast ferry into Holyhead.
I'd do the Dublin one personally as the road surface on the A75 and the top half of the M6 is in a very bad state.
I've bought three cars now in England (Luton, Manchester and Birmingham) and no issues at all - I can't see you having any issues the other way round.
And before you ask the reason I go to England is the cost saving & and usually I'm after a particular spec of car which usually isn't available in NI so a cheap easyjet flight and debit card sorts me out.
R1 Dave said:
...I’ve never bought a NI vehicle before ... A friend of mine sold his UK car recently
NI is part of the UK.R1 Dave said:
two chaps from EIRE flew over to Bristol to collect it from him, they said the reason they got their cars from England was “back home people are up to all sorts so finding a genuine one is a nightmare as they’re all clocked/nicked/bodge repaired”. I think they were more talking about Southern Ireland tho.
The Republic of Ireland is a different country to the UK.I unknowingly bought a car that was on English plates that after a bit of digging turned out to be a NI car previously. Only difference was the spec (non recaro in NI version). So just check the standard spec is identical to the English one, or if anything is different that you are aware of it in advance.
manracer said:
I unknowingly bought a car that was on English plates that after a bit of digging turned out to be a NI car previously. Only difference was the spec (non recaro in NI version). So just check the standard spec is identical to the English one, or if anything is different that you are aware of it in advance.
What is the car?Having one version for Northern Ireland and one for Great Britain makes no sense, like having one for Lancashire and one for Yorkshire
You will be fine, i'd do Belfast to Cairnryan and drive back, its a really nice trip. Just pay the extra for Stena plus and all your drinks and snacks are free. The crossing is just over 2 hours. When flying over just make sure you pick the closest airport. In fact go for the weekend as the people and really friendly.
As others have commented, it's still the UK and the re-registration still goes via Swansea. It's still UK spec, so no tax, insurance or servicing differences to worry about.
In general, too many 'bais' over here want a DERV, Sometimes you can find a petrol performance model that's been overlooked by buyers.
I was a watching a 2013 135i at a local non-franchised dealer last year. It sat on the forecourt for a few months, and the sticker price had dropped £2000 before it went.
If distance to view is an issue, ask the dealer for a walkaround video of the car done on their smartphone?
In general, too many 'bais' over here want a DERV, Sometimes you can find a petrol performance model that's been overlooked by buyers.
I was a watching a 2013 135i at a local non-franchised dealer last year. It sat on the forecourt for a few months, and the sticker price had dropped £2000 before it went.
If distance to view is an issue, ask the dealer for a walkaround video of the car done on their smartphone?
Edited by Darryl247W on Thursday 8th February 20:07
Edited by Darryl247W on Thursday 8th February 20:08
manracer said:
I unknowingly bought a car that was on English plates that after a bit of digging turned out to be a NI car previously. Only difference was the spec (non recaro in NI version). So just check the standard spec is identical to the English one, or if anything is different that you are aware of it in advance.
That's the best one I've heard in a long time. Excellent.
manracer said:
BelfastBlack said:
That's the best one I've heard in a long time. Excellent.Please let me know the details.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff