Buying an LHD in Ireland for immediate export - am I mad?

carrotcake

I'm an Irish exile, living in Romania (EU), and will soon be looking to get second car for the family.

For some unknown reason, used car prices are insanely high over here - so much so that many people go to Germany to buy there. Not only are cars cheaper, but they have better/more trustworthy service histories, and haven't been driven on roads that are riddled with potholes, bumps, badly aligned manhole covers, etc.

This got me thinking about buying an LHD in Ireland since Irish used cars are even cheaper, plus I can ask someone back home to check out a few cars while I'm over here. I'm wondering if there's much hassle in getting one and driving it straight onto a ferry. Is there much paperwork involved? Is it worth it in the end? Buying from the UK is another option, if anyone knows anything about that.

Thanks.

bijapos

I've exported a few cars and vans by driving them from here down to Africa or former USSR countries.

There is no formal exportation process here like in Germany, you have to register the car in your name, which is free and it takes a few days to have the log book sent out. You will need an address here where the document can be sent. You will also need insurance, you will probably have to pay the 12 months in advance and then cancel it after a few days when you get to Romania.

There is no formal way to deregister the car here that I know of. The few times I rang the Motor Tax office to say the car was not coming back they told me to forget it if I think it will never come back here.

Thee problem here is that LHD cars are pretty expensive imo. Some of them are Polish/East European reg which may complicate matters. I looked at a couple of them but they were essentially cars that would fail the NCT in their own countries.

I often end up buying them as RHD and letting the buyer convert them, though I usually buy older vans 4X4s and coaches and this tends to be easier than a newer car.

carrotcake

Interesting, thanks. I definitely don't want to buy a car that originated from Eastern Europe since I can do that over here. I saw a UK website that specialises in LHD cars and shows the country of origin, which is pretty handy.

munchkin_utd

seeing as Germany was mentioned, along with their penchant for all things documentationwise...

On travelling through germany you'll need your car log book /registration documents or whetever they are technically called, on you to prove you own the car. The cops do check if you do happen to be stopped by them for whatever reason so you'd want to have that and all other documentation in order.

kupus

I'm in the same boat as well carrot, cars where I am are double the price, so i was looking at the left hand models on done deal, and adverts, eg there is a lovely silver,grey renault laguna estate somewhere in cork for sale but too big for me.

I might have to just end up buying a new car because I just cannot trust anybody's word here. I don't want to buy new as I don't want to owe bank anything I just want to pay cash and own outright, also its 20% value of car gone in one day but if its peace of mind maybe it will be worth it.

CiniO

munchkin_utd wrote: »

seeing as Germany was mentioned, along with their penchant for all things documentationwise...

On travelling through germany you'll need your car log book /registration documents or whetever they are technically called, on you to prove you own the car. The cops do check if you do happen to be stopped by them for whatever reason so you'd want to have that and all other documentation in order.

It's not just Germany.
If you drive a car abroad, you always have to carry a registration certificate with you at all times. That's one of the main points in Convention of Road traffic from Vienna 1968. All over Continent they are checked strictly.

But it's not as you said that you have to prove with this document that you own the car. This document doesn't have to be in your name. It only proves you have a right to drive this car. There's no obligation for the car you drive to be yours.

CiniO

bijapos wrote: »

you have to register the car in your name, which is free and it takes a few days to have the log book sent out. You will need an address here where the document can be sent.

That's not true really.
First of all no non-resident can register an Irish registered car on his name in Ireland. OP is definitely non-resident.
Secondly, there's no need at all to do it, as this makes even more hassle with sending documents, and waiting for them.
When car is bought in Ireland by a foreign resident, the seller has to hand the registration certificate to the new owner during the sale.
Buyer will need it to register the car in his own country.
Very wise in this situation is to write a contract of sale, with all details of the car, seller and buyer, in 2 copies for both parties, signed by both.
Then Buyer has a proof that car is his now.
Seller will have a proof that he sold a car to the foreigner for export, and will be able to notify registration office in Shannon about this fact, to avoid any fines or tolls done by new owner.

You will also need insurance, you will probably have to pay the 12 months in advance and then cancel it after a few days when you get to Romania.

OP can't buy insurance in Ireland, as he's not resident here.

There is no formal way to deregister the car here that I know of. The few times I rang the Motor Tax office to say the car was not coming back they told me to forget it if I think it will never come back here.

As a seller I would definitely call them and forward a document proving car was sold to the foreigner for export.

CiniO

carrotcake wrote: »

I'm an Irish exile, living in Romania (EU), and will soon be looking to get second car for the family.

For some unknown reason, used car prices are insanely high over here - so much so that many people go to Germany to buy there. Not only are cars cheaper, but they have better/more trustworthy service histories, and haven't been driven on roads that are riddled with potholes, bumps, badly aligned manhole covers, etc.

This got me thinking about buying an LHD in Ireland since Irish used cars are even cheaper, plus I can ask someone back home to check out a few cars while I'm over here. I'm wondering if there's much hassle in getting one and driving it straight onto a ferry. Is there much paperwork involved? Is it worth it in the end? Buying from the UK is another option, if anyone knows anything about that.

Thanks.

OP vast majority of LHD cars in Ireland, are imports from Eastern Europe (Poland, Slovakia, Czech republic, Romania, Bulgaria). Very often they are still on number plates from there.
Obviously it's possible to find a LHD car at genuine condition, but it's definitely not easy. LHD as well seems to be more expensive here, as you are not the only one who has think about idea of importing car from Ireland to Eastern Europe.
Biggest problem for you would be insurance, as there is not really any legal way to insure the car you bought here, if you are not resident.
Probably way better option would be to buy a car in UK. They are cheaper there, there is bigger choice, it's closer to Romania, and you can obtain short term insurance for your journey home, which in Ireland is impossible.

carrotcake

Thanks for all the replies. Plenty of food for thought.

DonalK1981

I was thinking of something similar, can you please forward or post the LHD site in the UK?

Sabre Man

DonalK1981 wrote: »

I was thinking of something similar, can you please forward or post the LHD site in the UK?

Here's one:
http://www.lhdplace.co.uk/

Big Nasty

OP - I'm pretty sure there's the equivalent of VRT to be paid in Romania too.

Where abouts are you based over there?

carrotcake

DonalK1981 wrote: »

I was thinking of something similar, can you please forward or post the LHD site in the UK?

Here's a couple more:
http://www.londonlhdcentre.com/
http://www.cheshamlhdcentre.co.uk/

carrotcake

MCMLXXV wrote: »

OP - I'm pretty sure there's the equivalent of VRT to be paid in Romania too.

Where abouts are you based over there?

You're right, there are some taxes that need to be paid for registering. The government is trying to raise it so high as to make it pointless to import cars, but haven't been too successful yet. The situation seems to change all the time (like everything tax-related here), so I'm not sure exactly what the current status is, but you still see planty of cars around with German export plates, so it must still be worth it. I'm in Cluj, BTW.

Big Nasty

carrotcake wrote: »

You're right, there are some taxes that need to be paid for registering. The government is trying to raise it so high as to make it pointless to import cars, but haven't been too successful yet. The situation seems to change all the time (like everything tax-related here), so I'm not sure exactly what the current status is, but you still see planty of cars around with German export plates, so it must still be worth it. I'm in Cluj, BTW.

Big fascination over there for all things German!

I never got to Cluj but spent a good bit of time in Bucharest and Brasov.

carrotcake

On the subject of Romanian car tax and Brasov:
Heavy tax burden: Romanian pays car tax with 46,000 coins in protest

pcardin

Nearly every summer I buy a car and do my travel through several european countries where car is then being sold in the destination country. Every winter I search for a car and I first check all available LHDs here but never bought one. First as it as mentioned before they are twice (if not more) expensive then RHD equivalent, loads of them are in srry condition and most of them are on foreing plates which I don't personally touch for a reason that I can not check the history of the car so it could be on loan and is on repo status or stolen.
I always end up with RHD car and sell it in destination country for parts. As you can pick a good RHD here fairly cheap even sold for parts can make you some profit. Cars here tend to have lower milage and rust-free body (most cars).
Before travel I try to do NCT (if it doesnt have one already) and transfer my Insurance from my daily car here just for a lenght of travel. Motortax disc is irrelevant outside Ireland as in many countries it is added to the petrol. I allways have Logbook and Insurance certificate with me. So far have done 6 trips and everything was ok.
As for Op and Romania - I think better concentrate on Germany. Can't see Ireland as a market for LHD.

Big Nasty

Used car prices in Belgium tend to be pretty low especially for big buses as their tax is crazy money - that could well be the best place to look, depending on your requirements.

http://www.autoscout24.be/