Classic or Euro plates for '82 Merc

Stevo11

Hi folks,

Just paid VRT and got my Irish reg number yesterday for my "new" '82 Merc Coupe. Have a question on reg plate regulations I was hoping someone might be able to answer...
pre 93 registered cars seem to be able to have black and silver plates, but if the car, but is that only if the car was actually registered before 93 (as opposed to an '82 registered yesterday) or is it based on the car's age? If not I'll go with the Euro plates.

Cheers
Steve

Dades

Because your car is an '83 you have the choice to get old-style plates at any stage.
Doesn't matter that you only registered it in Ireland yesterday.

So grab yourself some old-school plates.

I think a few of us have got plates from this UK crowd:
http://www.buy-a-plate.com/

About €40 for a nice set of two.

green-blood

motorfactors in bray will do black with silver pressed plates for 20 the pair

Anan1

green-blood wrote:

motorfactors in bray will do black with silver pressed plates for 20 the pair

Do you have a number for them? Or even the name of the place? Thanks.

Stevo11

Cheers for the info! Will order them up so.(Calbro in Galway also do them for 25e.)
Steve

green-blood

ashgrove in bray

Henry Ford III

Anyone know the legal position with these plates?

meathmannn

Technically illegal, due to problems with gatso seeing them etc. but most classic owners tend to behave on the road and cops turn a blind eye.

1275gt

meathmannn wrote:

Technically illegal, due to problems with gatso seeing them etc. but most classic owners tend to behave on the road and cops turn a blind eye.

seems the gatso has problems seeing any feckin plates going by recent reports

PaulK_CCI

meathmannn wrote:

Technically illegal, due to problems with gatso seeing them etc. but most classic owners tend to behave on the road and cops turn a blind eye.

Perfectly legal, as long as the vehicle was first registered PRIOR to 1 january 1991. You can check it out on the Revenue site.

Vehicles registered prior to 1 January 1991, or vehicles that have the ZV (Classic), ZZ (due to be exported, or temporary registered in the state) or Trade plates, are NOT required to have the white Euro plates with the county designation at the top, the blue strip to the left bearing the IRL tag.

What they ARE allowed to have is not mentioned, but due to the fact that Irish cars had reg plates in all colours of the rainbow during te seventies and eighties, as per new!!! they can't enforce the Euro plates on existing vehicles, registered before the 1991 date.

Nothing to do with the Gatso's, as they will be able to catch any plate as long as it reflects light.... They're doing it for years here in Holland too, where the classic cars have darkblue (nearly black) plates with white letters. So if there is a problem, it's down to the Gatso machines and not the Reg plates

green-blood

exactly, 100% legal, my recently imported 86 BMW is on Black and Silver plates

Stevo11

Details of what is allowed is on page 1 of this :

http://www.ncts.ie/nctmanual.pdf

Steve

green-blood

thats where the greay area is though, for me my car has an 86 plate but was technically registered in 2006 - I'll take that arguement if it ever comes up though

Henry Ford III

My 1979 Ford Escort RS2000 is on Irl. plates.

Is this ok?

In 2009 should I/must I go to silver on black and get a ZV reg?

Stevo11

reading the NCT Manual again... it doesn't say WHICH country it had to have been registered in before the various dates...

green-blood

no probs for you henry, your not obliged to go backwards with plates, everyone has the option of "euro" plates...you're fine.

Thats how I read it Stevo, for instance I only brought the car inrecently its nov 86 reg in the uk, if I nct it now they will only give me until November - ah no, I'll be waiting till november.

PaulK_CCI

Stevo11 wrote:

reading the NCT Manual again... it doesn't say WHICH country it had to have been registered in before the various dates...

As with VRT and Motor Tax requirements, it's the FIRST DATE OF REGISTRATION of the vehicle that counts, whether that was in county Clare or Timbuktoe, that's irrelevant.

And indeed, you have the option to put on Euro plates, but contrary to cars registered after 91, it's not a REQUIREMENT ! so you can literally put on whatever you want. I have seen cars driving around with genuine US plates even... only at a 2nd glance you realise it's actually Irish registered.

ianobrien

The Black plate 7 silver writing is OK.

The Mk2 escort at home was imported last year, got a 77 C **** number. We got plates made with black background, silver writing with just the number (no irish county, no euro sign) and the car passed the NCT with them plates, so they must be OK.

Plate were made by Monoplate signs in Cork

Silvera

My understanding is that, legally, all vehicles registered in Ireland after 1st Jan 1991 must be fitted with Euro plates.

Having said that, most gardai overlook this on classic cars, such as your Mercedes. However, I would have thought that most NCT centres would insist on Euro plates in order to pass the test, again this may vary from centre to centre.

Personally speaking, I would fit a white plate on the front (with large digits - not the current style smaller digits) and a red rear plate, as this would be in keeping with the period of the car - failing that I would fit silver-on-black plates (again only with large digits).

I have listed several suppliers (of large digit plates) in the 'Suppliers' thread above.

Silvera.

green-blood

ya see thats the grey area, to an intelligent person that would make sense, but then why do you only get an NCT from the anniversary date of its first registration in its country of origin??

they cant have it every way

Silvera

Henry Ford III wrote:

My 1979 Ford Escort RS2000 is on Irl. plates.

Is this ok?

In 2009 should I/must I go to silver on black and get a ZV reg?

Is your car a 79-X-XXX reg or original Irish (1979) plates ?

Either way, you don't have to change to ZV plates unless you want to.

ianobrien

green-blood wrote:

ya see thats the grey area, to an intelligent person that would make sense, but then why do you only get an NCT from the anniversary date of its first registration in its country of origin??

they cant have it every way

Imagine the shock when we took our escort for an NCT after importing it, and to find that, after it passed, it was due again in 4 months!

green-blood

yep once bitten twice shy, we brought in a 99 mini a few years back, got 5 months NCT, stupid emmissions on them things it failed and needed a retest then 5 months later the same thing on a balljoint, so all in all 4 NCTS in 5 months!!!!!!!

Stevo11

Silvera wrote:

My understanding is that, legally, all vehicles registered in Ireland after 1st Jan 1991 must be fitted with Euro plates.

Do you have a link to this info?

Silvera

Stevo11 wrote:

Do you have a link to this info?

I don't I'm afraid. I have it in writing somewhere.