Buying a used car in Ireland guide

Igotadose · 23-03-2015 9:40pm

Is there a website offering vehicle history, crash info, etc. if you just have the VIN and not a registration number?

Thanks

Roen · 29-03-2015 4:09pm

Hi,

Girlfriend is looking at a Golf with a missing book (being sold by a main dealer of another VAG brand). Can we ring up any VW main dealer and check what work/servicing was done? It's a 2010 if that makes any difference.

Don't mind paying for the info if it takes someone's time.

Cheers.
R.

bazz26 · 29-03-2015 4:32pm

That depends on whether the car was serviced with the VW dealer network or not. If they didn't service it then they won't have any information on it.

Roen · 29-03-2015 4:51pm

bazz26 wrote: »

That depends on whether the car was serviced with the VW dealer network or not. If they didn't service it then they won't have any information on it.

I'm guessing that the first few years at least would have been done through the place of purchase.
That guess is based on another guess though, that VW's would come with some kind of service plan from new.

So I take it it is possible IF it has been serviced through a VW dealer?

Cheers Bazz.

bazz26 · 29-03-2015 10:22pm

They will not be able to give any personal information but should be able to tell you things like what was done at x mileage. Not sure if all VW dealers have access to each others service info so you might have to ring the VW garage that serviced it directly.

Roen · 29-03-2015 11:18pm

bazz26 wrote: »

They will not be able to give any personal information but should be able to tell you things like what was done at x mileage. Not sure if all VW dealers have access to each others service info so you might have to ring the VW garage that serviced it directly.

Cheers for that Bazz. Could be tricky finding the original seller with the book missing and the stickers removed.
I'll give it aa shot though.

bazz26 · 30-03-2015 12:02am

Well I'd start by ringing the VW dealers in the county of where it was originally registered.

theaaao · 31-03-2015 2:25am

Lads what would ye say to this...

Found a 2009 A4 s line for sale. Has 60k miles on it with FSH (appernry). Uk import with one Irish owner here for 4 years. Price is under €14,5k

Ran the motercheck car test on it and all seems okay. Ran an equivalent uk one, think it was totalcarcheck, using English reg I found with motercheck. Only thing here is it says there's no record of it being exported.

Hoping to view car tomorrow and see service history. I'd be worried rhw car could be due some work with the low mileage on it. Hence costing me some yo yos.

Any thoughts on the situation?
I would be hoping dealer will agree to a pre purchase inspection. What the best approach to a deposit here. Aggree to buy car 'Subject to satisfactory inspection results'

bazz26 · 31-03-2015 4:12pm

The no record of it being exported could mean that the DVLA in the UK have not been informed that it has been brought over here.

Regarding pre purchase inspection. Unless the dealer has something to hide I cannot see them objecting to you having it inspected but they may insist on you bringing the mechanic to the car rather than the other way round.

Personally I'd hold off putting a deposit on it until after it was inspected, could prove more hassle getting it back in the event the inspection finds something.

wowy · 09-04-2015 11:53pm

Quick question about buying a car for someone else.

My GF is learning to drive, and I'm going to get her a small car to learn in. She lives in Belfast Monday-Friday, so for practical reasons most likely won't be with me when I buy the car (but she'll have ok'd whichever car I recommend). Can I buy the car, and put her name down as the new owner on the logbook (or can only the owner themselves do that?).

I know that I could buy the car myself, and then transfer it to her at a more convenient time, but that brings up insurance issues. By putting it in her name immediately, I can use my driving other cars extension from my own insurance to drive the car with her permission (and thus without a need to have insurance immediately). If I buy it myself, I'd have to get insurance sorted for what would in practice only be a few days.

Brasso · 10-04-2015 12:44am

wowy wrote: »

Quick question about buying a car for someone else.

My GF is learning to drive, and I'm going to get her a small car to learn in. She lives in Belfast Monday-Friday, so for practical reasons most likely won't be with me when I buy the car (but she'll have ok'd whichever car I recommend). Can I buy the car, and put her name down as the new owner on the logbook (or can only the owner themselves do that?).

I know that I could buy the car myself, and then transfer it to her at a more convenient time, but that brings up insurance issues. By putting it in her name immediately, I can use my driving other cars extension from my own insurance to drive the car with her permission (and thus without a need to have insurance immediately). If I buy it myself, I'd have to get insurance sorted for what would in practice only be a few days.

Yes well my Da bought my car for me, in my name, when I was in work so it can be done. I'm just not sure if you have to sign someone elses signature though, which would be a little dodgy.

Al 25 · 10-04-2015 5:18pm

Hi I'm buying a second hand car privately today so I should get the slip off the end of the log book when we exchange cash and he will
Post me the log book and also get a receipt is this the correct procedure. 1st timer buying privately . Any help please

bazz26 · 10-04-2015 9:31pm

You (new owner) and the current owner fill in the back of the log book. The seller then posts the log book off to Shannon who will then update their records and post to you (the new owner) a new log book with your details on it. The seller does not give or post it to you directly.

You can ask the seller for a receipt if you like but as it's a private sale it's not really worth the paper it's written on as far as having any comeback. If you want comeback then you need to stick to buying from a reputable dealer.

Al 25 · 11-04-2015 12:15pm

bazz26 wrote: »

You (new owner) and the current owner fill in the back of the log book. The seller then posts the log book off to Shannon who will then update their records and post to you (the new owner) a new log book with your details on it. The seller does not give or post it to you directly.

You can ask the seller for a receipt if you like but as it's a private sale it's not really worth the paper it's written on as far as having any comeback. If you want comeback then you need to stick to buying from a reputable dealer.

Thanks for the help

ajjmk · 11-04-2015 2:37pm

Hey guys, I dunno if I'm posting this in the right place, but I didn't want to start a new thread!

I was wondering roughly what sort of price one would expect to pay for a 2005 1.4 petrol ford focus zetec? I've been looking at one atm, 100k miles, pretty well looked after bar a few scratches..but I've been advised that the asking price is too high for a 10 year old car! What do ye think would be an adequate price to pay?

(tax is up on it, and all four tyres are pretty poor so will need replacing soon)

Royale with Cheese · 25-04-2015 11:46am

Noob question. Have been driving for years but have never had to buy a car from somebody I didn't know. Looking at getting a golf gti maybe later in the year or early 2016. I had been keeping an eye on the market for a mk6 but may now be in a position to just go with a year or so old mk7. Something like this:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-golf-gti-2-0tsi-220hp-5dr-ww/8607396

How much would a dealer be likely to knock off the price like that? Brand new models start from 37 or 38k so it doesn't seem to have lost that much of its value in a year. Also I'd be looking to trade in an 05 focus worth about 3k and pay in cash. Can you get a better price paying in cash or do they prefer to sell you finance?

theaaao · 25-04-2015 6:29pm

Hi Guys,

Looking at buying a used car privately in Ireland. The car was a UK import which I am aware of.
I want to run a MOT check on the car when it was in the UK. I have the UK reg number but I need either the MOT test number or reference number from the V5C certificate.
I asked the seller about the V5C certificate but says he sent it away when doing the VRT and getting it registered in Ireland.
IS there any way of getting these details or should he still have a record of this?

Also, any recommendations on a similiar motorcheck.ie website for the UK market and will it show up something different using the Uk registration as opposed to the Irish reg on motercheck?

Thanks.

Atlantic Dawn · 25-04-2015 6:44pm

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

Noob question. Have been driving for years but have never had to buy a car from somebody I didn't know. Looking at getting a golf gti maybe later in the year or early 2016. I had been keeping an eye on the market for a mk6 but may now be in a position to just go with a year or so old mk7. Something like this:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-golf-gti-2-0tsi-220hp-5dr-ww/8607396

How much would a dealer be likely to knock off the price like that? Brand new models start from 37 or 38k so it doesn't seem to have lost that much of its value in a year. Also I'd be looking to trade in an 05 focus worth about 3k and pay in cash. Can you get a better price paying in cash or do they prefer to sell you finance?

Probably €29k-€30k straight sale. If you can sell your own Focus yourself privately for €3k you will get a much better deal from the garage. If you are buying in cash they will make x profit, if you take out finance they will make x profit + the commission on the finance, the finance deal will be best for them, worst for you.

theaaao · 27-04-2015 2:03am

theaaao wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Looking at buying a used car privately in Ireland. The car was a UK import which I am aware of.
I want to run a MOT check on the car when it was in the UK. I have the UK reg number but I need either the MOT test number or reference number from the V5C certificate.
I asked the seller about the V5C certificate but says he sent it away when doing the VRT and getting it registered in Ireland.
IS there any way of getting these details or should he still have a record of this?

Also, any recommendations on a similiar motorcheck.ie website for the UK market and will it show up something different using the Uk registration as opposed to the Irish reg on motercheck?

Thanks.

Okay it seems plausible that he wouldn't have uk logbook if you sent it away to get Irish one. Maybe he should have a copy at least of it.
I ran a motorcheck.ie on it and some history of mileage came up on it. 4 entries in total, the last being about 60k miles in July 2013. Entry before that was June 2013 though with about 55k. Is it possible that incorrect date has been populated here and last date should be July 2014?

gerrycorrigan · 09-05-2015 8:41pm

I'm hoping to buy a used car. Budget is around 11k plus 3 or 4k for my 06 Corolla trade in.
I don't really care what car I buy, but would prefer a petrol saloon. But would look at a hatch back which has a roomy boot. My mileage is about 10,000 km per year.
Any suggestions?
From research so far it looks like the newest car will be a 2012.
I must add that my preference is to go to a dealer/garage.
Regards,
Gerry

bazz26 · 09-05-2015 8:59pm

If your happy with the Corolla then a new generation Avensis 1.6 litre dual VVTi is worth looking at, they are rare enough to find but they have 132bhp and are good on fuel. Straight forward normally aspired engine so no turbo to worry about or anything overly complex under the bonnet:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Toyota/Avensis/NG-1.6/153114280677695400/

Other alternative would be something like a VW Passat 1.4 TSI:
http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Passat/COMFORTLINE-1.4TSI/161314304805184390/

While it's only 1.4 litre it has a turbo and produces 122bhp so it's well able to get about.

Socrates · 11-05-2015 11:16am

Hi guys,

I'm looking for some advice on my next car. Looking for a 1.2 for insurance reasons. I have a budget of up to around €3,500. Just had a quick search on donedeal, any advice on the two cars below?

05 Ford Fiesta Steel - http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/05-ford-fiesta-steel-1-25/9302432?offset=6

05 Skoda Fabia - http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/05-skoda-fabia-ambiente-1-2-4dr/9080738?offset=1

bazz26 · 11-05-2015 4:35pm

The Fiesta is a much better car than the Fabia imo.

The 1.2 litre engine in the Fabia is a 3 cylinder engine, sounds rough enough, not particularly powerful and are known to have timing chain problems. The 1.25 litre engine in the Fiesta is a little gem, has decent enough pick up for it's size and pretty solid. My sister has a 1.25 litre Fiesta for the last 5 years and it's been trouble free.

Bowlardo · 11-05-2015 9:20pm

Heading off to a garage tomorrow to see a micra for the GF.
Will probably be an exchange of cash.
Just to confirm both of them will have to sign the log book and I assume she should get some sort of receipt too?
Is there any thing else to look out for?

JB81 · 04-06-2015 12:06pm

Hi all.

I have decided on a car and have finance in place through a credit union loan, just need to decide now if trading in or not ( depending what dealer is offering ).
I was just wondering if anyone has any details on how it works, as my credit union wont issue cheque until we have invoice. The dealer is a nice drive away from me, so would i be right in assuming even if we done a deal say on saturday I would be unable to take car away as i have no cheque ( this may be a stupid question with obvious answer ). Or could i get letter from Credit Union, would this work. I am only trying to see if i can prevent having to travel to them twice as it is hard to get the time with work, kids etc...
Also what is the situation with insurance, if i done a deal on saturday, i would be unable to transfer/purchase insurance?

Any help would be great from someone who has dealt this way, it seems to me two trips would be in order but if i could prevent this it would be great

Thanks in advance

Regards
JB

bazz26 · 04-06-2015 12:52pm

Very unlikely a dealer will let you take away a car without paying for it first. Also you may find that the new car might need a few small things sorted that you spot on the initial viewing, before you collect it so best to make two journeys if possible.

Transfering insurance can be arranged in advance with your insurance company if they are not open, as long as you know that you will be collecting the car at a specific day and time. Most insurance companies are not open on Saturdays so you would have to prearrange it beforehand.

sandydan · 05-06-2015 10:38pm

i have a 08 avensis dsl ,200000km on clock and thinking of trading ,
looking for a 12 dsl ,
had considered buying a Hyundai I40 ,or Ix35. Passat or another avensis, but quite a few Avensis and Passat have handbrake issues locally( costing €1000 plus) ,and im told the I40 has similar issues, my son suggested Ford Focus
A Nissan Quaskai , most comfortable ive driven, avensis, hyundai and passat would cost in region of €14,500 for a 131 model with around 50k km on clock and ii haven't seen a 'ford Focus or mondeo yet
any comments appreciated

D Hayes · 07-06-2015 9:12pm

Just a heads up - it's worth doing a Cartell/MyWheels check if you're seriously considering purchasing a second hand car. I had agreed to meet a car salesman last week. Before doing so, I did an online check and there was finance outstanding on the car in question. I challenged the guy about it and he told me that it takes a while for these things to clear! Buyer beware and all that.

PM me for details of the guy in question - I posted previously in the Motor forum but the thread was deleted.

sandydan · 09-06-2015 12:13pm

thanks for that, im now concentrating on main dealers so im hoping that is not issue , would be bad publicity anyways for them

Cocolola · 15-06-2015 1:41pm

Hi guys.

Quick question, how many working days after a dealer uses the online facility to transfer the ownership should it take until it appears on the vehicle status enquiry search site?

We bought a car last Tuesday (the 9th) and nothing so far. Now we did pay by bank draft and I'm assuming he was waiting for that to clear before going ahead with it. It's just we can't tax it until it goes through and even though the receipt is in the car and all that, I'm a bit paranoid about meeting the wrong guard some day.

bazz26 · 15-06-2015 8:33pm

It really depends on the dealer and their practice. Smaller dealers might put it through the system quickly whereas the larger main dealers might only have their admin staff do them all in one go at the end of each week.

Cocolola · 18-06-2015 2:46pm

bazz26 wrote: »

It really depends on the dealer and their practice. Smaller dealers might put it through the system quickly whereas the larger main dealers might only have their admin staff do them all in one go at the end of each week.

Thanks. After leaving it another few days I decided to ring Shannon, no sign of any transfer on their system and the man said that it was still registered to a company. I assumed this was the dealers.

So the OH just rang the dealers there and they said that they're waiting for the logbook to be sent to them from the company they got the car from... First we've heard of this. When the car was collected by OH last week he says they went through the motions to do the transfer online. Then when he rang a couple of days ago he was told that they'd sent off the logbook.

So this isn't looking too good

EDIT: Don't know how I didn't spot it earlier, the owner name is on the NCT cert: Leaseplan. Great.

Jaybee · 18-06-2015 3:04pm

Hi all, spent hours reading through most of these posts and the OP and they're really helpful, will definitely take some points on board when purchasing a 2nd hand car.

For now, Id love some advice on the following 3 cars - I have maximum 7k to spend and want nothing below an 07. Petrol will do as do a lot of city driving, short journeys and stopping & starting.

- BMW 1 Series
- Audi A3
- Honda Civic

Also want to offload my 13yr old Ford Focus with 148km on the clock- any ideas what I could possibly get? Full Service history and timing belt done in February. No hassle at all other than that.

Thanks

bazz26 · 18-06-2015 8:20pm

Cocolola wrote: »

Thanks. After leaving it another few days I decided to ring Shannon, no sign of any transfer on their system and the man said that it was still registered to a company. I assumed this was the dealers.

So the OH just rang the dealers there and they said that they're waiting for the logbook to be sent to them from the company they got the car from... First we've heard of this. When the car was collected by OH last week he says they went through the motions to do the transfer online. Then when he rang a couple of days ago he was told that they'd sent off the logbook.

So this isn't looking too good

EDIT: Don't know how I didn't spot it earlier, the owner name is on the NCT cert: Leaseplan. Great.

Legitimate dealers don't show up on the logbook as owners. Keep on the dealer's case until they send it off otherwise they will let you do all the donkey work to get it transferred over to you.

Smidge · 22-06-2015 7:25pm

I'm looking at a car for sale online atm but something is unusual(or maybe not

). Its 4 years old but has no tax or nct on it. Would this be a red flag? Also price seems a wee bit too good to be true

sandydan · 23-06-2015 11:11pm

think cars are not nct tested until they are 4 years old , that is on aniversary of month of reg. tax can be expired and since you dont state make or model it not easy to value..
only thing is some brands are introducing new models and last of old are reduced considerably, as they say cash is king so a quick sale and maybe a 3 to 5 grand dicount makes selling slightly cheaper look a lot more attractive as some dealers dont want trade ins

sandydan · 24-06-2015 6:19pm

i omitted to ask is car in use or not, if its not declared off road , there is a liability for min 3 months road tax. if on road and untaxed and seen the new owner could be liable for tax,
btw depending on make of car id prefer to see it it nctd first. i once bought a car subject to nct and rang nct crowd and explained and they were able to fit me in less than 5 days. however new road tax laws were not in place then.

maybe someone else is more up to date with new laws

MintyMagnum · 26-06-2015 7:23am

Would you buy a car where the company is gone out of business, eg Rover, Saab etc?

sandydan · 27-06-2015 8:18pm

,do you know a reputable saab dealer or service man in your area, that would make up my mind
i wouldnt buy rover, friend and uncle had one , both had stopping problems .ie they stopped for no good reason and refused to start until towed to somewhere, i put it down to fault in electrics, but thats my opinion.
at min the last of the current range of toyota avensis are selling off at big discount and a heap of good value trade ins are available ,
2 dealers are currently after undercutting their asking price by over €1200 euro for 131 strata models in cork as i walked out after being asked almost €17000 + trade in of 08. now the price is heading or crawling towards 15500.
a 12 would probably set me back around €12000 + trade in/. the new 152 models are out next week so im holding on
does anyone have any experience or know of these rain sensors in toyota cars , good or bad , replies welcome

bazz26 · 27-06-2015 8:31pm

Rain sensors have been around in cars for years and is fairly proven technology these days. I never had any issues with the ones in my cars over the years.

sandydan · 30-06-2015 10:18pm

bazz26 wrote: »

Rain sensors have been around in cars for years and is fairly proven technology these days. I never had any issues with the ones in my cars over the years.

good to hear , saw a few complaints re speed adjustments, and sensitivity so wondered

bazz26 · 30-06-2015 11:37pm

You can always switch the automatic feature off on the stalk.

sandydan · 01-07-2015 11:07pm

bazz26 wrote: »

You can always switch the automatic feature off on the stalk.

thanks for that , i never had car with automatic anything, drove a truck with auto gearbox, thats all, would like an auto-car though

FortunaMan · 08-07-2015 1:20am

Should I be worried if the motertax check shows purchased by a dealer 2 weeks ago but the car is listed as a private sale and when I called he verified this?

sandydan · 11-07-2015 10:24pm

FortunaMan wrote: »

Should I be worried if the motertax check shows purchased by a dealer 2 weeks ago but the car is listed as a private sale and when I called he verified this?

dont think so as sale is private imo if sold to dealer by private owner not by garage but i may be wrong

sandydan · 11-07-2015 10:35pm

what do you folk think of this,
a garage selling car said they were not giving any garage guarantee with car as it was still under remainder of Toyota warranty of six months.

personally id walk,as if a faulty repair invalidated warranty or washed diesel was in tank and caused costly repairs, the garage could wash their hands of it legally.
my understanding is all garages are legally required to provide garage warranty or guarantee when selling cars,

im told im an alarmist. but i heard of a repairs on 6 month old car, described as outside warranty as result of washed diesel and there unfortunately is some problems associated with WD around

bazz26 · 12-07-2015 2:40pm

I wouldn't bother buying it to be honest. If the dealer is only offering the remainder of the manufacturer's warranty then what is the point in buying off the dealer, might as well buy private then as the warranty is still the same plus you won't be paying for the dealer's profit margin.

Given that the car is only 2.5 years old and still has 6 months Toyota warranty on it, I'd expect the dealer to be giving a 12 month warranty with a car of that age. In reality Toyota would cover the first 6 months for any warranty issues. The fact the dealer doesn't want to cover anything on a 2.5 year old car would make me walk.

PatL23 · 16-07-2015 4:20pm

What should I look out for when buying a 04-07 530d auto? Many problems from them? I might look to import buy they'd probably work out a lot more expensive considering cheaper tax in UK. Are they a good car?

bazz26 · 16-07-2015 5:09pm

Turbo breather filter should be changed to the new vortex shaped one and replaced every 3 oil services. This will help prevent the filter getting blocked and starving your turbo of oil resulting in it ceasing.

Manifold swirl flaps should be replaced by plastic blanks to prevent the metal ones breaking off and getting ingested into the engine killing it.

ABS/DTC modules on early cars are known to fail but reconditioned units can be bought for alot less these days. So watch out for the ABS/DTC dashboard warning lights staying on.

Not a service item but recommended to change the Automatic transmission oil every 100k miles to keep the box is good shape.

You will probably pick one of these up cheaper over here than in the UK due to the higher motor tax making them less attractive here. The only reason to go to the UK is for a higher spec better condition car but you will pay more for one. Try and get a later one as they received increases in power other the years. LCI or facelift model appeared in mid 2007 but luckily the E60 retained the M57 engine rather than getting then newer N57 that is in the F10. Easiest way to tell the LCI model is that it got the newer 7 speed auto box and new type gear shifter, along with rear LED tail lights.

PatL23 · 16-07-2015 5:55pm

Great info. Thanks bazz. It'll be hard to get a good one here for less than 8k I reckon. Looking at donedeal there's a lot of wrecked ones
Are they reliable? Iv had bad luck lately with cars so I'm looking for something that'll last a while.
What should I be looking out for when test driving? Could a diagnostics unit find if the car is clocked. Will the milage be stored on the ecu?

I'll stretch my budget for the lci model.

Buying a used car in Ireland guide

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