Immigrating with classic, need advice

Eric318

Dear Classic Cars buffs, I will soon move to Dublin from France and settle here for some years. I am trying to find out whether or not it makes sense for me to import my classic(s) as I have heard horror stories related to import tax, VRT and most importantly the impossibility to find proper garaging facilities (like a house with an attched garage or garage parades with electricity).

I own a 1975 Jaguar XJC in excellent condition (me daily transport), a 1975 MGB Roadster and a 1952 Citroen Light 15 (11BL). All three have absolutely no rust and the idea of having any of those cars suffering from the Irish rain non stop, breaks my heart.

Does anybody have advice for me.

Thank you so much,

Eric

Dades

Welcome Eric,

Assuming you have owned your cars for over six months each, you will not pay any VRT as you are actually moving to Ireland indefinitely. You may be liable if you sell one within 12 months - though it seems this isn't what you intend.

Having said that cars first registered over 30 years ago would be exempt from VRT in any circumstance, so it might depend on when your in 1975 your younger two were first registered. If you found you were a couple of months shy of the 30 year mark you could lay them up for that period before registering them for VRT.

Regards garaging I can't really help. Depending on where in Dublin you will be living the cost will be different. I don't know anyone with room for 3 classics in their garage, given the cost of houses here! Some of the others here might be able to advise you on where you could store your babies.

No doubt ds20prefecture will have some advice on where to put your Citroen.

G'luck!

ds20prefecture

Hi Eric

The Irish rain is not as bad as people make out, but nonetheless you should garage your classics if you can.

A friend (with an 11BN) built a steel shed in his back garden that can house 3 cars at a pinch. If you are buying a house, make sure that you can put up a structure such as this in your garden and that you have sufficient space to drive down the side of your house. Go for an older house - something older than 1950 typically has a good sized garage. My house, built the same year as my DS, has a tiny garage that you would struggle to park your MG in.

The big problem is that the cost of old houses with large gardens in Dublin is ridiculously high. If you are not buying, I don't know anywhere that provides reasonable long-term storage. Perhaps you might be better moving just outside the city?

Let us know when you arrive, I can get some Citroën friends to welcome you.

Eric318

Hello Atheist and DS20Préfecture!!

How refreshing, finally some sound and useful advice. I now feel better about possibly taking the Jag (first registered in Jan 1975!! so over 30 years) up to Dublin. So no import tax and no VRT, fantastic news!! I think that the two others will stay in France for now.

So, great, you advise a house outside of Dublin with a barn right? It sounds like a dream with many 000s at the end of the cheque !!! Oh dear.

I will be working in Blanchardstown (which I hear is not a pleasant place to live in...) and going to the airport frequently. Any advice on where you guys would live if you were me (ah, I also have a wife and soon a baby... so railway arches and disaffected warehouses are no longer viable options)? It is all hard to gauge from the map and the estate agent my contact is of course trying to get me to commit before I get there out of what she has on file... Anybody knows a place called "Mountview" just north of Dublin?

Is there a Classic Car club in Dublin, sort of "all brands of old bolts and nuts". It would be great to havea support network to tap into on arrival, for car maintenance, and .. a few beers...

In any case it is GREAT to have found this Forum (although it took me no less than 4 days from registration to being able to post anything...). I bet that you will see lots of me.

If anybody wants parts for a Citroen Traction, let me know as I can put some stuff on the truck before it leaves France.

ds20prefecture

Hi Eric.

My brother lives in a place called Dunboyne - quite close to Blancardstown and the airport. It is a nice small village, but the houses are very new, and mostly without garages. Basically, you should look in Co. Meath close to the N3 or N2 roads. Navan for example is a bit far from Dublin, but easily commutable to Blanchardstown and the airport.

The further out you go, the less expensive the houses are, and the more likely you are to get a enough land for a garage with them. You could construct a good 3 car garage for about €5000-€6000 if you were handy yourself.

Thanks for the offer for parts for the Traction - I'll ask my friend if he needs anything.

Eric318

Thanks DS20, indeed I was eyeing County Meath... I will be in Dublin from Sep 9th (probably witha rental car) and will start looking from then.
Cheers

ds20prefecture

Eric318 wrote:

Thanks DS20, indeed I was eyeing County Meath... I will be in Dublin from Sep 9th (probably witha rental car) and will start looking from then.
Cheers

Try the property websites (like www.myhome.ie) to help narrow your search (I know you've probably done this already).

Dades

Eric,

If you're not tied to Dublin city or county you should have luck with a garage. You are buying and not renting? As DS says myhome.ie is a great place to start a search.

And if you find yourself a plot of land you could make a few Euro storing old cars for people here.

Take a look at the sticky threads for list of the clubs. They all seem to be marque specific though.
Usually when some good event is about to happen there'll be a post about it here anyway.

CHEERS.

Eric318

Thanks guys, I had so far been looking at daft.ie, so will follow your advice too.

As for storage space for classics, there was a severe shortage of this in London also. I thought about getting together with a few people and starting a sort of storage / self repair kind of a place. Last I heard, somebody had started this in North West London, dont know if they were successful. It is all a matter of market really, would people pay for the service... given the price of property...

Imagine renting a car lift and all heavy tools, by the hour. This would have to be done by some industrious MOT place maybe as they could add value to their existing equipment and premises at times when they are slack... if there is such a time...

Hagar

Eric318 wrote:

the estate agent my contact is of course trying to get me to commit before I get there out of what she has on file... Anybody knows a place called "Mountview" just north of Dublin?

Get another estate agent fast.
Don't bring your classic cars there.
No offence to anyone in the area intended.

Eric318

Oh dear, is it that bad?? Looks pretty tame on the map...

Hagar

I made the transition from Ireland to France earlier this year. Many of the properties on the web that we saw looked lovely but when we came over to see them the neighbourhood left a lot to be desired. Despite the fact that we had been on several holidays and "buying trips" to the are when we came over we rented for a couple of months to see what was what.

We eventually bought a smaller place in a better area, Cavalaire, in the Var.

If you see a place you fancy go back without the agent at night say 9 to 10pm and see what that's like. Are the local shops boarded up? Is there much graffiti? Is the graffiti even spelt correctly ?
Have a look at the neighbourhood cars. How many vans are parked there? Are the neighbours' cars something you would aspire to? Or would they be aspiring to yours?
It might sound a bit snobbish but that's where you kids are going to grow up.

ds20prefecture

Hagar wrote:

If you see a place you fancy go back without the agent at night say 9 to 10pm and see what that's like. Are the local shops boarded up? Is there much graffiti? Is the graffiti even spelt correctly ?
Have a look at the neighbourhood cars. How many vans are parked there? Are the neighbours' cars something you would aspire to? Or would they be aspiring to yours?

It is sad, but this is good advice. Our last place we had the "best" cars in the neighbourhood (nothing special, an Alfa and a Seat) and it was a constant worry when the young 'uns would offer/threaten to "burn de cars out for de insurance, bud". We blend in a lot better in the new neighbourhood with a Skoda and the DS.

Eric318

We have now arrived in Dublin. And we love it. I fing that then weather as so far been rather excellent, despite a few days of rain (like this pm). It does look like we will settle north of Dublin so as to be close to work and the airport. Probably Malahide as we found a flat with... 2 parking spaces underground... and a baby room

I have started to call a few people as I really need to get hooked up with either MG or Jaguar folks!! Any Classic Car meeting planned anay time soon?

ds20prefecture

Eric318 wrote:

I have started to call a few people as I really need to get hooked up with either MG or Jaguar folks!! Any Classic Car meeting planned anay time soon?

You just missed (yesterday!) the Blessington club's Autumn Rally - it was great. Pictures here.

Try http://www.irishjagclub.ie/ for the Jaguar

I don't know about MG - but there were lots of them yesterday!

I'll let you know if there's anything Citroën related going on, although it sounds like the TA didn't make the crossing

Eric318

Hi DS20, thanks. Sorry I missed that, but I was in London yesterday

No decision yet as to what car will travel to the land of Eire... hmmm... tough one. Trying to see what kind of support network is available around...