Foreign registered cars in Irish Airports

S Line

There is another thread about abandoned cars and the subject of airport car parks came up. It got me thinking about a similar topic. Every time I go to Shannon airport I see a lot of UK and other foreign reg. cars in the long term car park. I’m sure this is true for other airports. Why would somebody do this surely they it would be more convenient to fly from their origin country. I’m sure there are reasons, I just can’t think of any.


VRT dodgers spending the money on holidays instead ???


(I know the difference from UK mainland and N.I. registration plates – I know that they would be left there because of maybe a good deal on a holiday or flight availability)

Mena

Simple, Northern Ireland is basically just around the corner, and a lot of the time it's more convenient to fly from Dublin / Shannon.

Hence their cars parked there.

S Line

see the last part of my original post in brackets

Riskymove

Mena wrote: »

Simple, Northern Ireland is basically just around the corner, and a lot of the time it's more convenient to fly from Dublin / Shannon.

Hence their cars parked there.

did you read his post?:rolleyes:

OP it seems odd that UK or even further abroad cars would be there other than they are working/living here and have not re-registered

Mena

S Line wrote: »

see the last part of my original post in brackets

Please tell me you edited that in while I was replying, otherwise I need an eye and/or reading comprehension test

S Line

Mena - that was all my original post !!! (dont worry tis early in the morning)

Wats_in_a_name

People coming over on the ferry but needing to head back quickly so catch a flight.

S Line

All good reasons so far !!

As a car enthusiast I always find airport car parks good places to see nice motors and as such foreign reg’s would catch my eye. It just seems to me that on any given day there seem to be a high proportion (in my opinion) of UK cars parked up.

Maybe I’m blinkered in my thinking – I am associating foreign cars with ferry ports and not airports !!!

Terrontress

I'd suggest you join either the Customs or the Gardai. Then stage a dawn raid and arrest all those guilty of driving their grubby foreign tyres on Irish roads, paid for by all the Irish taxpayers. And maybe one or two European Union taxpayers. But forget about those Europeans. We demand numberplate purity!

Failing that you could get on with your life and leave it to those whose job it is to enforce the law.

-Chris-

Terrontress wrote: »

I'd suggest you join either the Customs or the Gardai. Then stage a dawn raid and arrest all those guilty of driving their grubby foreign tyres on Irish roads, paid for by all the Irish taxpayers. And maybe one or two European Union taxpayers. But forget about those Europeans. We demand numberplate purity!

Failing that you could get on with your life and leave it to those whose job it is to enforce the law.

Possibly an over reaction to a fairly simple question??

-Chris-

@OP - I'm never surprised to see foreign reg cars parked up in the airport at all.

It always seems completely reasonable to me that if someone has to move here for work (short term) that they'd bring their car with them on the first trip (with all their clothes and gadgets in the car, and then at weekends or whenever they're going home to see the family, take a cheap flight rather than heading back in the car.

This would be my guess for 90% of the cars you see.

jimmycrackcorm

We've a number of people at work here from the UK who use their car for day to day use but regularly fly home. Some are short-term contractors, some are on temporary reassignment and some have immigrated and are really stretching the requirement to change to re-register.

Terrontress

-Chris- wrote: »

Terrontress wrote: »

I'd suggest you join either the Customs or the Gardai. Then stage a dawn raid and arrest all those guilty of driving their grubby foreign tyres on Irish roads, paid for by all the Irish taxpayers. And maybe one or two European Union taxpayers. But forget about those Europeans. We demand numberplate purity!

Failing that you could get on with your life and leave it to those whose job it is to enforce the law.

Possibly an over reaction to a fairly simple question??

I don't see it as a simple question. The implication that anyone who parks a non-Irish car at an Airport is a VRT dodger spending their evaded tax on a holiday is ridiculous.

It is not illegal to drive a non-Irish car in Ireland if you are not ordinarily resident. And if you are ordinarily resident overseas it is quite normal to return to your home country on occasion.

I have legally parked a non-Irish car in an Irish Airport in the past and would prefer not to be classed as a criminal by some form of a crank, on the snoop for possible criminal activity like the Hardy Boys.

There are people employed by the state to investigate tax evasion. If you had watched the Customs fly on the wall documentary you'll see that they regularly stop, impound and fine offenders.

I very much doubt that the OP has outthought them.

Marcusm

I used to park a UK reg'd car in the long term at Dublin airport from Monday morning to Friday evening for about 6 months in 2008. I was spending all weekends in Dublin - living and working in London for 15 years- that year and wanted free access to a car. All in all, fr 16 months that car spent mst of it's time legally in Ireland.

Given that it's Summertime, surely it's not surprising to find foreign cars in Shannon. I can think of two families who relocate to north Kerry and Care for the Summer with two cars. In each family, there are weekly commuters ack to London and the smaller car is parked at Shannon all week. For a while it was a moped but after one summer it became too much hardship to drive back to London at the end.

S Line

the VRT dodger on holiday comment was ment tounge in cheek !!!


the general tone of my OP is ment in a curious light hearted way !!!!

I dont have an axe to grind on the subject, just a mild curisoty !! - chill out negative people !!

S Line

My OP was just a general curious inquiry


I have never brought my car to a different country and then left my car one of their airports, so i just wanted to get peoples reasons


the general concensus is that they are UK residents living here on a temporary basis and are just hopping home for a short trip - much quicker to fly than the ferry !!


I really should of thought of that myself - oh well thats what Boards is here for I guess.


As for the VRT angle, once again that was a tounge in cheek comment - what edjit would park up their un VRT'd car up near an ovbious Customs & Exise office/point !!!


To the mods - would you like to dun on doras on this thread ????