Discussion
So been looking for a golf gti for a little while and today found exactly what I was after.
Rang the dealer to discuss a few things and also get the refg number to double check the insurance should I go ahead.
Chap said it’s got a private plate and read it out. At the time I just thought it was one of those cheap Irish plates, but afterwards thought best to check and he confirmed, yes it was an Irish import.
Now 15-20 years ago it was always a no no to buy one, but has it all changed? Is there any difference and should it be the same money or cheaper?
Cheers
Dave
Rang the dealer to discuss a few things and also get the refg number to double check the insurance should I go ahead.
Chap said it’s got a private plate and read it out. At the time I just thought it was one of those cheap Irish plates, but afterwards thought best to check and he confirmed, yes it was an Irish import.
Now 15-20 years ago it was always a no no to buy one, but has it all changed? Is there any difference and should it be the same money or cheaper?
Cheers
Dave
I believe what you're talking about is the early nineties practice of exporting a Q plated mainland car, plated such for reasons of being stolen and recovered or rebuilt, and then having it put on a Northern Irish plate by the DVLNI. Such cars were then sent back to the mainland and either sold with the NI reg, or were re-registered with an age appropriate new, i.e. non-Q, plate. It was a way of disposing of a Q registration.
Nowadays the situation is different for two reasons: Q plates are seldom issued to normal cars and the DVLNI have started issuing Q plates of their own. That has caused the issue described to cease to exist; any exported car will go Q to Q where applicable.
How old is the Golf? If it's fairly new then I'd say it should just be treated as per any other UK mainland car.
Nowadays the situation is different for two reasons: Q plates are seldom issued to normal cars and the DVLNI have started issuing Q plates of their own. That has caused the issue described to cease to exist; any exported car will go Q to Q where applicable.
How old is the Golf? If it's fairly new then I'd say it should just be treated as per any other UK mainland car.
Edited by Missy Charm on Wednesday 22 March 20:42
Thanks for that, it’s a September 2017, so should be on a 67 plate but is on AAA 1234 for example.
My insurance company didn’t bat an eyelid to be fair, but I do want to put my own private plate on it and not sure if I’m going to hit any problems or indeed if it’ll be worth less if and when I move it on later.
DVLA website seems to imply it can only be run on and Irish Reg for 6 months then needs to be re-registered to a UK plate!
My insurance company didn’t bat an eyelid to be fair, but I do want to put my own private plate on it and not sure if I’m going to hit any problems or indeed if it’ll be worth less if and when I move it on later.
DVLA website seems to imply it can only be run on and Irish Reg for 6 months then needs to be re-registered to a UK plate!
The car is not an Irish car it is a Northern Irish car. That is a vast difference for matters such as registration and tax.
As above the NI car is just the same as any other mainland car and you simply do your homework and buy it or not. I bought my Porsche from the dealer in Belfast and left it on the NI plate as it is a way of hiding its age.
The DVLA does not require you to register a NI car after six months only an Irish car.
As above the NI car is just the same as any other mainland car and you simply do your homework and buy it or not. I bought my Porsche from the dealer in Belfast and left it on the NI plate as it is a way of hiding its age.
The DVLA does not require you to register a NI car after six months only an Irish car.
I had a feeling that N. Ireland and Eire (Ireland) were were being confused. 
I had an old Ford Orion with a N. Ireland plate on it for 6 months in 1997 and it was still on there when I sold it. For those old enough to remember there was a time when DVLA would issue you with a 'mainland' plate due to the activity of the IRA and the attention a N. Ireland plate would garner. In reverse, DVLA N.I. would issue on request local plates to forces personnel stationed over there with the cars they'd brought with them from the mainland.
I had an old Ford Orion with a N. Ireland plate on it for 6 months in 1997 and it was still on there when I sold it. For those old enough to remember there was a time when DVLA would issue you with a 'mainland' plate due to the activity of the IRA and the attention a N. Ireland plate would garner. In reverse, DVLA N.I. would issue on request local plates to forces personnel stationed over there with the cars they'd brought with them from the mainland.
sixor8 said:
I had a feeling that N. Ireland and Eire (Ireland) were were being confused.
I had an old Ford Orion with a N. Ireland plate on it for 6 months in 1997 and it was still on there when I sold it. For those old enough to remember there was a time when DVLA would issue you with a 'mainland' plate due to the activity of the IRA and the attention a N. Ireland plate would garner. In reverse, DVLA N.I. would issue on request local plates to forces personnel stationed over there with the cars they'd brought with them from the mainland.
As kids we travelled to N.Ireland for all our family holidays in an English registered car. It was so much better for getting through the border patrols. I probably never understood at the time the fear those soldiers had and looked on it as an adventure. I had an old Ford Orion with a N. Ireland plate on it for 6 months in 1997 and it was still on there when I sold it. For those old enough to remember there was a time when DVLA would issue you with a 'mainland' plate due to the activity of the IRA and the attention a N. Ireland plate would garner. In reverse, DVLA N.I. would issue on request local plates to forces personnel stationed over there with the cars they'd brought with them from the mainland.
We also got to meet the soldiers when they brought dynamite/explosives up to the quarry by helicopter. For obvious reasons, explosives in NI had to be handled by the military, so it was great fun going up in to the fields to watch them setting up a 'big bomb'.
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