Buying a used car in Ireland guide

bazz26

Rust, rust, rust and more rust. If it's a first generation Ka then they suffer from terrible rust. There is no way I would buy one that hasn't a fresh and long NCT as rust is a big killer that sends alot of them to the scrap yard. In fact I'd probably look at something altogether.

sandydan

you might be able to get it checked by AA, costs around E270 ,

thegeezer

Thanks to all for advice. I am asking him outright about mileage and tax, see what the result is.

rosmoke

I'm looking at buying a second hand car and when I asked since when he owns the car he said "I'm selling it for my friend who is after emigrating he owned it for about a year".
Wouldn't be illegal to sell something which he doesn't own ?
Normally I would imagine he would need a certified written permission from the owner .., am I right ?

Thanks !

bazz26

Could be genuine but could also be dodgy as feck which would make me not take a chance and walk away. You hear too many stories of people being scammed with this sort of thing.

sandydan

rosmoke wrote: »

I'm looking at buying a second hand car and when I asked since when he owns the car he said "I'm selling it for my friend who is after emigrating he owned it for about a year".
Wouldn't be illegal to sell something which he doesn't own ?
Normally I would imagine he would need a certified written permission from the owner .., am I right ?

Thanks !

ask for name and get it checked by AA or other car check.

AAwill run full check on finance , condition and some other issues, costs 270e and is good value for money.no matter who you buy from garage or private,

rosmoke

I know, but that would still be classified as illegal and won't protect me in case the owner goes to guards and say that he actually didn't sold the car, was stollen from him.

sandydan

rosmoke wrote: »

I know, but that would still be classified as illegal and won't protect me in case the owner goes to guards and say that he actually didn't sold the car, was stollen from him.

i dont get your point,without actually ringing AA to clarify the matter , i presume it can be established prior to sale if person has authority to sell or not, and money should not be paid for item without reg book, as i said it needs clarification by AA how a car check work

TitianGerm

rosmoke wrote: »

I know, but that would still be classified as illegal and won't protect me in case the owner goes to guards and say that he actually didn't sold the car, was stollen from him.

But if you pay him by bank transfer or something similar obviously there would be a paper trail to show you did buy the car.

If your paying in cash I'd always bring along someone else as witness.

sandydan

its kinda tough to give a legally correct answer to that one,
imo. best bet is ask seller for owners written approval if worried. or local garda"s opinion
person buying stolen property forfeits property

rosmoke

emmetkenny wrote: »

But if you pay him by bank transfer or something similar obviously there would be a paper trail to show you did buy the car.

If your paying in cash I'd always bring along someone else as witness.

A bank transfer would only show that I transferred some money to a random guy who is not even the owner.
Indeed it would help proving that I didn't steal it but in a court I would end up without car and probably without money if the middle man is not caught or doesn't have money to pay me back.

rosmoke

sandydan wrote: »

its kinda tough to give a legally correct answer to that one,
imo. best bet is ask seller for owners written approval if worried. or local garda"s opinion
person buying stolen property forfeits property

Would a written approval need to be certified somewhere to have a legal ground?
And if so, where?
If not, than that doesn't make sense because anyone can write anything on a piece of paper and sign it.

Thanks!

agfasfos

This seems very tricky, put simply, how can you anything from someone who doesen't actually own it in the first place ?.

sandydan

if not willing to go route already previously recommended, gardai etc.
why not ring AA and ask whats covered in their car check, or any other organisation for that matter offering that full car check service, its not cheap at e270 or whatever,
explain situation and let them explain how process works
decide what you are doing if really interested in that car,if its still available that is, or move on to recognized dealers, cars only, for peace of mind, good luck

Reactor

Hi, can someone help with the basics of buying please? Say I spot a 1L Micra in swords in Bangernomics that I like, I go see it, give the guy the money then I have to leave it there for a few days while the insurance comes through on it? How does it work? I see you can be banned for driving without insurance, I never realised this. The same issue for NCT although Ill probably not buy anything without a valid NCT.

Do you just chance it and tell the Guard you just bought it or what?

bazz26

Driving a car with no insurance will always result in a court appearance, hefty fine and driving ban, otherwise nobody would bother with insurance. You just prearrange your insurance cover to start at the time that you are collecting the car. Insurance companies can do this over the phone during normal working hours and some have the facility to do it online. Never chance driving without insurance.

Never pay the full amount for a car until you are actually collecting it, I would not be giving some stranger all the money for a car and then telling them hold on to it for a few days. Whats to stop them from selling it to someone else or running off with your money and car? Leave a small deposit with the seller to secure the car if you cannot arrange insurance at the time of sale.

Reactor

Nah Im not talking about falling for a money scam, I wouldn't do that.

Im talking about sorting the insurance out before you buy a secondhand car, so you just have to cross your fingers and hope they give you a good deal? What if you arrange insurance to activate on the day you're collecting the car and it turns out the grand you were expecting to pay is actually 4 grand? Is it all luck of the draw?

bazz26

What you need to do is take a few examples from donedeal of the cars your are interested in buying and then ring a few insurance companies for quotes. That will give you a ballpark of what you will be paying for insurance.

acronym Chilli

It's a bit trickier if you've no insurance on any car. Moving the insurance from one car to another has been relatively smooth in my experience. I phoned the insurance company in advance, told them what I was planning to do (hope to buy model xyz, tomorrow, what would be change in cost of policy?). They quote and if I was happy enough I'd go and try to buy the car. After agreeing price with the seller, I phoned insurance company, told them what I was doing, the reg number, and that I wanted to transfer immediately from that point on. They record the calls and timestamp it so it's nearly as good as in writing so long as you tell them all the facts.

Car may of course cost more or less to insure than your old one, plus there may be an admin fee (Axa charged me this once, then didn't another time when all I was doing was buying 1 year younger version of the car I already had).

If you've no insurance at all, then it's a little trickier. Quotes usually have a validity for a few days/1-week at least. It'll simplify things if you limit your hunt to 1 or 2 make/models (e.g. Nissan Micra and Toyota Yaris) of similar vintage, spec, etc., so that you'll have an idea of insurance cost while assessing specific cars-deals and negotiating with seller. If you've a quote lined up, all your personal info with the insurer etc., then confirming the car is the easy bit so long as it's more or less the same machine you used for your initial quote (if you were feeling good you'd have given the insurer the reg as well, so all ready to go), so finalising it over the phone should be simple enough.

There's also a 14 day cooling off period on new insurance policies, so you'd have 2 weeks to ring around again and try and find a cheaper policy. The original policy will charge you pro-rata for the days you've used, plus may charge you an admin/cancelling fee. It's good to know the option is there, but to do things right and get the best deal you need to shop around earlier and have all ducks lined up before you're negotiating final purchase with seller.

Finally, as bazz26 has said, never ever drive without insurance. If you get stopped by the law it'll be one sort of problem, and probably a pretty serious one. But if there was an accident of any type, let alone one with injury, then it would be a whole world of trouble and pain.

pabloazazel

Im interested in buying a used car, just looking for opinions about models. Budget 4000 maximum, 1.4 litres maximun, Hatchback and not older than 2005. I have in mind Volkswagen Golf, Toyota corolla, Seat Ibiza, Opel (vauxhall) Astra and MAZDA 3. Your advice would be most appreciated.

corblimey

My googling has let me down, so hopefully someone here will know. Picking up my "new" car next week and just wondering what to bring. NCT cert, VRC, insurance details for transfer of insurance, all keys and the money. Nothing else is springing to mind, but it's a bit of drive between here and the dealer, and I don't want to waste the journey.

TSQ

Am thinking of buying a 2012 or 2013 Citroen Berlingo, either a car or van body, am not fussed as I mainly need it for hauling (lightweight) supplies for work.

Have seen a 2014 van type with very low mileage and a good price, but most likely a UK import (no reg plate in the photo). Is it possible to check the history of a UK car. I am a bit suspicious because the price is very low for the mileage, and I also seem to remember that the insurance companies ask whether a car you are insuring is an import.

Anyone out there driven a Berlingo? would you recommend it for mostly local but occasional long haul travel? and any common faults to look out for second hand?

Thanks for your opinions.

SusanC10

If buying from a Main Dealer (2nd Hand) should you still get the AA inspection on the car ? Also what length of Warranty should you expect ?

Thanks in advance.

TSQ

I have seen a car I like but it has what I consider high mileage for the age - nearly 70,000 miles for a March 2013 Dublin reg.- and it is apparently an ex-company car. It is being sold by a dealer, and when asked the type of business that previously owned the car, dealer couldn't say. They have taken it in from another dealership. The dealer has 3 of these cars from the same source, all have between 62,000 and 70,000 miles on the clock. What are the pro's and cons of buying an ex-company car? should I be wary of buying?. It is an automatic, and Dublin registration.

bazz26

It could have been used as a sales rep car or it could have been an ex rental depending on who leased it.

Ex company sales rep advantage would be that it was probably serviced on time as this is normally included in the leasing costs to the company leasing it. So look for a service history with it. Of course depending on the driver the car could either be tatty or in good condition.

Ex rentals are a whole different ball game, they get dogs abuse due to the nature of the game they are in. They are driven by a large number of people who generally don't care about them that much. They tend to be more prone to damage or accidents too along with bits going missing. Probably don't see a service as much either. Wear and tear is alot higher on them especially the longer they are hired out. I'd avoid one with 70k miles on it at this stage.

waffleman

This is great I used a lot of this buying a car this week.

Sound advice.

I havent received the registration cert yet - is there anywhere online you can check when a car is first registered?

Car is due for NCT Jan 2018 so I assumed it was first bought Jan 2008.

He states on his sales page tax is 280 but for it to be this amount would mean it was first registered after June 2008.

I hope the car has been put through the NCT early or I could be lookin at tax of 358 based on engine size.

adrian522

You can stick the Reg in here and it will tell you what the Tax will be:

https://www.motortax.ie/OMT/menu.do?page=motortaxinforeg

waffleman

adrian522 wrote: »

You can stick the Reg in here and it will tell you what the Tax will be:

https://www.motortax.ie/OMT/menu.do?page=motortaxinforeg

280 it is. Thanks!

colm_mcm

waffleman wrote: »

This is great I used a lot of this buying a car this week.

Sound advice.

I havent received the registration cert yet - is there anywhere online you can check when a car is first registered?

Car is due for NCT Jan 2018 so I assumed it was first bought Jan 2008.

He states on his sales page tax is 280 but for it to be this amount would mean it was first registered after June 2008.

I hope the car has been put through the NCT early or I could be lookin at tax of 358 based on engine size.

For an 08 pre July car, You automatically get whichever rate would have been lower.

Bravobabe

TSQ wrote: »

I have seen a car I like but it has what I consider high mileage for the age - nearly 70,000 miles for a March 2013 Dublin reg.- and it is apparently an ex-company car.

Hi - Is the car petrol or diesel?
What make & model is it - is it a 1.5DCI?
It would not be unreasonable for a Diesel car to do 20-25k miles pa

A neighbour of mine recently purchased an ex-rental diesel automatic 2012 with 130000km (81250 miles).
The car is impressive, very clean interior (I was shocked). Few minor scratches/chips (shrubs or stones) on paintwork.
Car drives well and she got a 12 month warranty with it & 2 year NCT.
Have to say I was impressed with it, so much so that Im seriously considering that option (posted here and other treads).

Many people talk about rental cars being abused. I rent a car at least 3-4 weeks every year. Even with extra insurance, I'm always super careful with the car driving and parking (car rental is so completive they have to make money somewhere).

I can't really see middle aged American couples rallying cars from Shannon to Dublin to Cork - I presume that's the market the autos are geared at.
If the car is well serviced, has NCT, comes with a warranty and is at the right price - it could be considered and compared to the other options and your requirements

FUTY2211

Hi there, just wondering if anyone on here had any advice - looking at getting an oldish (05-07 reg) 5 series BMW as a few people have told me that the engines on them were extremely reliable and they'd do quite a bit of mileage. They seem affordable enough around the 8-10k range. Has anyone on here had any experience with them positive or negative? Also any advice on spec would be greatly appreciated!

pabloazazel

I see http://www.mywheels.ie/ is the cheapest web to get a report of the car, is this web reliable?

PatL23

Looking at 08+ Saab 9-3 ttid from the UK atm. Anyone here know about saabs of this era? Bad points in terms of reliability? I'd imagine price of parts would be expensive let alone trying to find a mechanic to fix one.

Any input would be great.

Sarah Hogan

I'm going to buy my son (22) a used car this Summer. Has anyone any suggestions. I want to spend less than €1000 if possible on a 1 litre.

biko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDv5bUR_Plo

colm_mcm

Sarah Hogan wrote: »

I'm going to buy my son (22) a used car this Summer. Has anyone any suggestions. I want to spend less than €1000 if possible on a 1 litre.

One thing you'd be wise to do at this stage is check insurance. They penalise cars over 15 years old. Also check insurance on 1.1 and 1.2 cars as you have more chance of getting something half decent for €1k if you go up a little on engine size.

A 1.0 Seat Ibiza/VW lupo/seat aroma would probably do what you want while still being reasonably likeable - but again check insurance due to age.

Bravobabe

As advised very Important to check out the Insurance first (its only going up).
Is he going to be a named driver (on your policy) or have his own insurance.
Has he a full licence or is he going to do the test shortly?

As Colm pointed out there is probably going to be better value in the 1.1 - 1.4cc range available.
If he is a named driver then the extra engine size may not (1.3 v 1.1) be excessive.
From a safety point of view - I think I would prefer a slightly larger 1.3 (buts that a personal opinion and depends on the driving style/ability and condition of the roads usually travelled)

Balky

Hi,

I'm planning to buy used car from my colleague at work. They are moving from Ireland, I need a car, and it seems like a great opportunity for me.

But, here comes the issue.

I tried 10 insurance companies last week (website quotes), and all of them, after filling boring forms, gave me "sorry, we can't offer you insurance now".

Now, that car is insured (as per that disc) till 07-16, and on the disc there's a date "04-08-15" (I assume when insurance was acquired a year ago?)

If I buy car now, do I have to pay my own insurance before buying car and transferring the ownership to my name, or is car OK to drive till 07-16.

I'm confused because in Croatia (where I'm originally from) driver is not tied to the insurance. We buy insurance for the car, and when you sell it, you are selling the insurance too. Anyone can drive as long as the owner is OK with it.

I'm not sure that's the case in Ireland, especially with all insurances telling me that they can't sell me the insurance as I never had any car here.

Confused.

What should be my step-by-step to transfer the ownership / get the insurance / can drive car legally here?

I do have full Irish license, exchanged from Croatian.

Also, I need this resolved within 10 days, before they move out from the country.

Thanks

colm_mcm

call some insurance brokers rather than using online.
insurance is on the driver/car rather than on the car.

insurers don't like risk so If the car is old or powerful they won't really want your business.

you can own a car without insurance. you just can't have the car in a public place.


what is the year/make/model/engine size?

Balky

It's 2005 Nissan Primera 1.6

Not too old, not to big, regular family car. (Or at least should be)

Balky

Also, what confuses me is "exchanged" driving license.

I have 20 years of driving experience, but I got Irish license just last week (EU exchanged from the original Croatian one).

Do I consider this license 9+ years old, or 0?

I mean, it says on the license that I acquired B category in 1997, so I assume 9+.

colm_mcm

Ring Munster Group 0656841766. they're usually fairly on the ball.

your issue is you don't have any no-claims bonus.

Balky

colm_mcm wrote: »

Ring Munster Group 0656841766. they're usually fairly on the ball.

your issue is you don't have any no-claims bonus.

Thanks, Will give them a shout.

As well, some companies, sometimes (and there's no clean information when is that sometimes) accept no-claim bonus from Croatia.

I do have my no claim bonus from there, expired 2.5 years ago. Since then I drove here a couple of times, but only rented cars.

colm_mcm

far as I know. no-claims bonus goes stale after a while.
mention it but I don't think it will work.

Bravobabe

As advised, I think you should call a few insurance companies to explain the situation

For comparison purposes - You may consider having a friend/colleague applying for insurance on this type of car (2005 1.6 primera).

In Ireland: insurance is owned by the person to drive a certain car rather than on the car (as road tax is in Ireland).

You may have filled one of the online questions incorrectly (or not given the answer you were looking for).

see this link for more information: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/insurance/validity/ireland/index_en.htm

Please post updates - Good Luck

Bravobabe

Hi you might have a look at this tread - people with similar issues
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=93832293

maynooth_rules

Is it madness to buy a car privately if you can't bring someone with car knowledge with you? There is a car I have seen that I would really like being sold privately. It's the other end of the country from me and really I can only view it in my own. But I'm a little hesitant as its over 10k so a lot of money when I will be taking a little chance

Bravobabe

Getting a car checked out before buying

You must be careful (to protect yourself from potential loss/fraud)
You have options
- You could get a mechanic from the local area to check the car out for you (you may find on Adverts. Donedeal etc or garage services in the general area)
- You could use the AA http://www.theaa.ie/aa/vehicle-checks/car-inspection.aspx
or other similar services in the area http://www.motorcheck.ie/used-car-pre-purchase-technical-inspection/
- You SHOULD get a full car history check (AA & other companies provide this service)
- NCT is it recent (or is it due)?

When you say the car is at the far end of the Country - do you mean South or North?
If the car is an import from the UK - you will have to make sure that the history reports includes UK details.

Double check the ownership (have heard of a couple who bought a car (great deal) only to have the car taken off them by the Gardi after they went to tax it (not registered in their name), the car had been purchased a week before with a stolen (non-valid) bank draft and they had paid cash - let the buyer beware.

The majority of car sale transactions go smoothly and are bone fide - just be careful not to get caught by fraudsters. Most people sell their cars privately as they feel the trade-in values offered by garages are not high enough and can get a better value when buying without trade-in.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

maynooth_rules

Thanks very much for that, very helpful. It's in th south of the country. When I take it for a test drive can I bring it to a local garage there and get them to have a quick look over it?

Bravobabe

Hi

I presume you could (bring the car to a garage on the test drive). But the owner will probably want to go with you (so both of you would be at garage).
I think with the AA or Motorcheck - they will actually go to site for you (You don't have to be there - you can arrange it with vendor, they will check the car out and let you know the condition of the car).
If the seller is not prepared to let you carry out an inspection (why would they?) - best move on
If your happy with the report - you can then do a test drive and negotiate with seller (if not you can move on to the next vehicle).