Buying and running a classic as everyday vehicle

burrentech

I will probably be returning to Ireland in about 6 months and will need transportation.

I am considering buying a classic to run as an everyday car to lessen the costs. I am a mechanic so have no worries to maintenance and truly prefer an older car. I've been out of the country for 5 years and lost touch with what's happening.

My knowledge of the regulations is minimal basically I know I'll need something over 30 years old.

Help me out please.

Do I need an NCT?

Do I still pay car tax?

What's the best company for insurance?

Anything else I need to know about motoring in Ireland?

Thanks.

braddun

buy 1970 Cortina

pay road tax and insurance get driving license,


A new EU directive on roadworthiness testing due to come into force in May 2018 will require that any vehicle less than 30 years old must be tested, but leaves it up to member states to decide if and to what extent “vehicles of historic interest” that are over this age would be tested.

corktina

burrentech wrote: »

I will probably be returning to Ireland in about 6 months and will need transportation.

I am considering buying a classic to run as an everyday car to lessen the costs. I am a mechanic so have no worries to maintenance and truly prefer an older car. I've been out of the country for 5 years and lost touch with what's happening.

My knowledge of the regulations is minimal basically I know I'll need something over 30 years old.

Help me out please.

Do I need an NCT?

Do I still pay car tax?

What's the best company for insurance?

Anything else I need to know about motoring in Ireland?

Thanks.

you will need an NCT on a car 1980 or newer
Tax on 30 year + car currently €56pa I think
I use Axa Insurance BUT to get Classic Insurance you need to have an ordinary road car policy already existing. You would have to insure a car on an ordianry policy which wont be cheap and you'll have to shop around to find a company willing to cover you

See the sticky at the top of the page in Classic Car section for more info

burrentech

Thanks folks, will go talk with the AXA rep this week. Is DoneDeal the only place with classic cars? Any pointers to decent classic cars appreciated.

Nody

burrentech wrote: »

Thanks folks, will go talk with the AXA rep this week. Is DoneDeal the only place with classic cars? Any pointers to decent classic cars appreciated.

Probably more answers here.

saabsaab

As the others said 56 per year tax. Most insurers won't let you have a policy for a classic alone but I did a few years ago. I think I had to go through brokers for it though, was RSA main company with limited mileage less 4,000. Sold the classics (has 3) to buy a modern which gave far more trouble.
Good classics to use every day in my opinion with easy parts availability
VW Beetle, MGB, Volvo 121, Saab 900, Rover P6, Mercedes 123 diesel or petrol.

bugsntinas

we pay €330 a year for a '79 Cortina as a main car.personally i'd buy a car in the uk as generally they are better and pay the duty which is usually €200 I think.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

VRT on a classic (30+ years old at time of registering in the state) is €200 flat fee.

Wouldn't be running many classics as daily driver now IMO. Except the likes of w123 mercedes, they can't be killed.

Type 17

If you want to run a classic daily, you'll need a garage or other shelter - cars made before galvanised bodies and bonded front/rear screens were common will suffer when left outside - sun shrinks window rubbers, and this admits rainwater.
Virtually all the classics that are around today from the 60's/70's/80's were kept in garages when they were new/daily drivers, and all of the ones that weren't are long gone...

ianobrien

OP, if it's just cheap motoring you want I'd get an early Yaris or '90's Micra. Both are sub 1L so road tax is minimal, both will easily do 45mpg plus, both are cheap to buy (€800 to €1000 for a good one) and you won't be able to kill it. You would be able to flog it for the same money in two or three years time.

Classics while having cheaper tax and no NCT, are more expensive to run in terms of fuel, breakdowns, etc and especially in terms of keeping on top of the rust. You'll need a proper garage to keep the classic in winter if you want to keep it in tip top shape. Modern Jap cars are more reliable and if it's just cheap basic transport, get a Micra or Yaris.

If you still want a classic, I'd be looking at a Cortina or Beetle.

carchaeologist

Unless you are good on the spanners, have have covered storage and are not doing many miles buy a small modern car.
It will be way less hassle.

unkel

carchaeologist wrote: »

Unless you are good on the spanners

OP is a mechanic so I think he's got that covered

ba_barabus

I think there are so many good large engine luxury cars available for less than 2k that I wouldn't bother going for a classic if I was in the same situation.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

ba_barabus wrote: »

I think there are so many good large engine luxury cars available for less than 2k that I wouldn't bother going for a classic if I was in the same situation.

Yes but in many cases the cost of the tax would be the same or more than the cost of the car.

red_ice

burrentech wrote: »

Thanks folks, will go talk with the AXA rep this week. Is DoneDeal the only place with classic cars? Any pointers to decent classic cars appreciated.

carandclassic.co.uk is probably the most popular place, followed by classiccarsforsale.co.uk

burrentech

burrentech wrote: »

...........

I am considering buying a classic to run as an everyday car to lessen the costs. .........

Anything else I need to know about motoring in Ireland?

......

Cars taxed as vintage are priced accordingly on most cases though to the tax savings.

All in, there are more cost effective options than running a classic.

burrentech

Cost is one of the reasons, the main one is to have something with style. Modern cars be as much of a hassle as older ones but without the pleasure when you're driving them.

I have looked at the small modern option for the cost savings but just can't get excited about a Yaris somehow.

swarlb

burrentech wrote: »

Cost is one of the reasons, the main one is to have something with style. Modern cars be as much of a hassle as older ones but without the pleasure when you're driving them.

I have looked at the small modern option for the cost savings but just can't get excited about a Yaris somehow.

This seems to be a topic that pops up every now and again.. 'running a classic as an everyday car'.
I would suggest that unless you actually have a car in mind, asking the opinion of others to nominate a model is pretty much a waste of time.
Ford Man, for example will probably never suggest a VW, yet he may have never owned, sat in, or driven a VW, and at the same time, might not be able to explain why exactly he likes Fords.
A good friend of mine bought a pre war Lancia in the 50's for small money, 50 or 100 quid, something like that. A student at the time, it suited him down to the ground as it was cheap, had 4 doors and a roof and was driving. When he'd finished his studies and began work, the car was pushed aside for something more modern. Sometime in the 70's when funds allowed he tarted up the car a bit and brought it for weekend spins, and runs to cars shows. At this stage, he is retired, still has the car, and it's is only form of transport (apart from public).
Press him on the matter, and he still could not explain why he bought that particular make or model in the first place (apart from it being cheap), nor why today, some 60 years later, he still has it.
I would suggest that to run a 'classic' and I'm taking the term to mean a car more than 30 years old, would mean outlaying a decent sum of money to obtain a car that is reliable and in good enough condition to use straight away without spending any more cash.
Also, you need to be certain that you actually LIKE the car in question. It's not enough to simply say that older cars have more character than newer ones. There are plenty of old cars that are simply not that good.
Take a Beetle as an example, could you really see yourself getting into one every day, and tackling modern traffic, and enjoying the experience. Or a Mini, or a 'Ford'.
Sit back, think of the cars you actually like, and look at as many examples that you can, or if possible, get to drive a few, and make a choice.
I ran a Volvo 131 for close on 30 years, but I would not recommend one to anyone. It took me a good 10 years to actually appreciate how good it was, and that was only because I could not afford to buy anything else in the meantime.

burrentech

@swarlb. Absolutely. I do have a few in mind. Ones I would have in an instant but probably wouldn't want to drive everyday due to cost of keeping their tanks topped up. I'm a big fan of the in line 6 and a Triumph GT6 does have the style I like and separate chassis should be easier to maintain, certainly easy to wash the muck from under the front wings. The VW Beetle does have and appeal but I doubt I'd go for one just because. My parents had a Vauxhall Viva, and I was forced to have one as my first car. My choice would have been the TR4A but as I needed help with the deposit the Viva it was, at least it was a two door.

I've searching the for sale sites suggested and there are some possibilities and once I've sold up in the U.S. I'll know better how my budget will stretch - GT6 or lowly Viva!

Big thanks to all who have given info on the Revenue, Road Tax & NCT, and for suggesting sites to check.

kyote00

I have been running a 1981 renault 5tl as a daily for the last six months or so.

It is used 2-3 times a week for a 60 miles round trip. On other days its used for local hops -- so out nearly every day.
Garaged at night
getting about 38-40mpg
Car is NCTed each year.

Pros:
- tax is only 56 (or 52 or whatever it is...)
- great fun
- always some auld fart to chat when filling up (possibly a "con" also if you are in a hurry)

Cons:
- Need to stay on top of all mechanical issues
- Zero security really when parked in Dublin
- 35 year old fan, wiper and demister tech is not really very good.
- No abs, stability control, airbags if you have an accident


To date I have had to replace a cv joint, alternator. I also replaced points, plugs, leads and coil (and carry a spare of each in the car).

It has let me down once (when the alternator gave up) --- typically --- this happened on a cold, wet night at 11.30, on the m50 after a 3 days in the airport carpark --- waited 55mins for the tow truck (I have AA cover).

IMHO, I am not really saving anything over what a modern small cheap runaround might cost - but it is good fun for the most part.

Mrs Kyote00 has a modern car which I can use also for long journeys if needed and as backup !

Bigus

I have a few classics taxed, but I find it very hard to forgo the safety features of a modern body shell, so for this reason mine get used sparingly.

Even comparing an old S class to a modern 5 star car would be scary, there'd be zero protection in the above Renault 5 especially after 35 years deterioration in welds and chassis strength.

So for me safe cheap fun motoring would be a 5 star modern,VW Up!/seat mii/Citigo, that are modern design with high strength steels,5 star safety shell ,190 € tax 60 mpg and great fun to drive, almost zero maintenance, and ex rentals available for 7 k

Classics are great to look at on the internet, but in reality unless you're a spanner man they are not so romantic as above breakdown on M50 illustrates.

Happy new year to all !

Have a look at how some crashed classics ended up below.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=70341415

burrentech

Looking at those photos the "classic" Merc and Citroen DS had their accidents when they were current, the car in the background of the DS photo is a Chrysler 180 so rare even back in the day. Corrosion would not have been a significant factor in the damage caused. If you had had the same accident in the cars you quoted as the guy in the Merc you'd be dead too.

I didn't go to the end of the posts in your link but none of the classic cars had suffered passenger compartment intrusion. The only one was the TR6 but the fact no blood and the car was not cut up it seems to have been rear ended while parked.

If you prefer your modern then that's fine don't try to tell others what they can or should drive just because your preferences are somewhere else.

Some people like to trailer their classics to the shows while other prefer to drive them everyday, and there are people that fall in between. That's great, I would never dream of telling them they shouldn't can't do what they want with their car(s).

Each to their own.

Bigus

I'd never dictate to anybody what to drive but I do think people should be informed and not ignore 30 years of progress on safety.

Filmer Paradise

I've had classics in the past, such as a Rover P6B.

Twas fun, rocking up to the school/creche to pick up the kids in it.

Much cooler than the dreaded People Carrier.

Used it for the work commute too.

I did have a 'modern' at the time though, that did the main work though...

Often thought of buying an old Land Rover to do everything.

To be a people carrier, van, general commuter hack, etc.

Mind you,I'd say you'd need to spend over 5000euros to find something reliable to fit the bill.

ba_barabus

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Yes but in many cases the cost of the tax would be the same or more than the cost of the car.

That's certainly a pita part of the ownership experience alright but it is one (expensive) element of the equation

But when you balance it up against increased safety, increased comfort, better reliability and usability, (hopefully) cheaper running costs and the ability to be used at any time and easier parts availability I think it would overall be a cheaper experience.

burrentech

ba_barabus wrote: »

But when you balance it up against increased safety, increased comfort, better reliability and usability, (hopefully) cheaper running costs and the ability to be used at any time and easier parts availability I think it would overall be a cheaper experience.

I ran a Hillman Imp as my daily driver in the Netherlands for a whole year. I was so busy at work before the May vacation that I only had time to throw my gear into the Imp, a cursory check of oil & water and drive 200 miles to the Ardene for an Imp meeting. The Imp was 100% reliable and after I sold it, it was used in a charity run from London to Stokholm over 1000 miles of uneventful driving in just over a week. Given the Imp's reputation it was a win.

The did over 50 miles to the gallon, low road tax, used every day too. Can't get much cheaper than that.

Like any car attend to what's needed when it's needed and you'll have the same reliability of a newer car.

unkel

burrentech wrote: »

I'm a big fan of the in line 6

W123 Mercedes 280E
Early W124 Mercedes 280E
Early W201 Baby Merc 190E 2.6
E28 BMW 528i / 535i

All reliable, well built and usable as daily driver (as long as you can keep the rust at bay)

burrentech

unkel wrote: »

W123 Mercedes 280E
Early W124 Mercedes 280E
Early W201 Baby Merc 190E 2.6
E28 BMW 528i / 535i

All reliable, well built and usable as daily driver (as long as you can keep the rust at bay)

I always found Mercs kinda boring, probably a personal thing. Would love a Vauxhall/Opel Senator 24v but still not old enough for the classic advantages. For a 6 it would probably be a GT6 or a 2500S, and if I won the lotto a TR5, or if I owned BP a Landrover 109 Series 3 Safari with the inline 6.

Seweryn

unkel wrote: »

W123 Mercedes 280E
Early W124 Mercedes 280E 300E or 260E
Early W201 Baby Merc 190E 2.6
E28 BMW 528i / 535i or 520i, 525i, 525e.

All reliable, well built and usable as daily driver (as long as you can keep the rust at bay)

Great cars. The W124 or W201 would be top quality cars, most comfortable (even in today's standards) and the most modern of the lot. Some of them may even be equipped with the self levelling suspension (standard in the Estate).

weadick

The v early MR2's are now at the 30 year mark too...