Owning LHD car in IRL: is it a hassle?

FamousBelgian

I'm thinking about moving back to Ireland and possibly taking my car. It's in good nick so worth keeping rather than taking a chance on the local used car market. Thing is, it's left hand drive, so:

- will I get screwed on insurance for having LHD?
- will dealers take advantage and claim that every maintenance/repair job is complicated because of LHD?
- will there be a realistic chance of selling a LHD car in Ireland (I'd heard that there was a market among East Europeans moving back home)

thanks in advance

Toyotafanboi

Insurance don't even need an excuse to **** you up so yeah insurance will be worse. It'll be pretty much saleproof too.

I can't see repairs being any more expensive as most components will be the same, but if the car us staying here long term you should really buy a set of RHD headlights.

Remember you are also on the wrong side for overtaking, for every car park entrance, drive through, toll booth etc etc.

I'd just sell it and buy a car over here.

Sh1tbag OToole

I have two LHD cars in Ireland and have driven them for years, passed my driving test in one.

-Insurance
No hassle once you declare it, LHD Fabia used cost me about 400 a year to insure. There might be a difference but it should be far less than 100e. I have another LHD on a classic insurance policy which is about 200. Do call up the insurance companies because they tend to be unable to generate quotes automatically for LHD's

-Dealers
I have never taken mine to a dealer but most things are the same. If you break a wing mirror you might have to source it from another country though but that's not impossible. You might also need a set of RHD headlights as not all are adjustable to the extent required and the stickers don't work for all.

-Selling
I have been keeping an eye out on DoneDeal for LHD cars in the past few months and they always sell. Polish people going back home buy them, people buy them for export. The lad I bought my Octavia off buys LHD's to send to Cyprus out of all places going. I was hoping to pick up a cheap LHD in Ireland but had no luck, that's good news for you :P

PrettyBoy

FamousBelgian wrote: »

I'm thinking about moving back to Ireland and possibly taking my car. It's in good nick so worth keeping rather than taking a chance on the local used car market.

What chance are you taking there?

If you bring it here it will undoubtedly cause you hassle starting with getting the thing over here, VRT, NCT, higher insurance, regaular day-to-day driving situations such as car parks, etc. and it will be worth nothing to anyone over here so when you go to sell it you'll have to go through the hassle of transporting it to a LHD country and applying for a VRT rebate.

Unless it's an appreciating classic or something with sentimental value then I think you'd be absolutely mad to bring it over here. What car is it out of interest?

FamousBelgian

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

I have two LHD cars in Ireland and have driven them for years, passed my driving test in one.

-Insurance
No hassle once you declare it, LHD Fabia used cost me about 400 a year to insure. There might be a difference but it should be far less than 100e. I have another LHD on a classic insurance policy which is about 200. Do call up the insurance companies because they tend to be unable to generate quotes automatically for LHD's

-Dealers
I have never taken mine to a dealer but most things are the same. If you break a wing mirror you might have to source it from another country though but that's not impossible. You might also need a set of RHD headlights as not all are adjustable to the extent required and the stickers don't work for all.

-Selling
I have been keeping an eye out on DoneDeal for LHD cars in the past few months and they always sell. Polish people going back home buy them, people buy them for export. The lad I bought my Octavia off buys LHD's to send to Cyprus out of all places going. I was hoping to pick up a cheap LHD in Ireland but had no luck, that's good news for you :P

Thanks for the encourgement! Strange that LHD cars would go to Cyprus; wonder what that's about.

FamousBelgian

PrettyBoy wrote: »

What chance are you taking there?

If you bring it here it will undoubtedly cause you hassle starting with getting the thing over here, VRT, NCT, higher insurance, regaular day-to-day driving situations such as car parks, etc. and it will be worth nothing to anyone over here so when you go to sell it you'll have to go through the hassle of transporting it to a LHD country and applying for a VRT rebate.

Unless it's an appreciating classic or something with sentimental value then I think you'd be absolutely mad to bring it over here. What car is it out of interest?

It's nothing special: a 9 year old 1-series. But it's low mileage, high-spec, like new inside and out, dealer-maintained and has never seen a pothole or anything remotely like the DART tracks.

Car parks and tolls don't bother me too much and I had RHD here for two years and never found it a problem as you tend to automatically adjust your driving anyway. I was more concerned with the financial aspect because every time I go home I never cease to be amazed at how expensive some things are.

wersal gummage

Can you adjust your headlights or would you need to replace them?

MarkAnthony

You can get stickers as like the ones used in France - don't know how permanent that would be.

LHD in Ireland - aren't you going to be permanently stuck behind a tractor?

Atlantic Dawn

It will have little or no resale value here as most people will find it a complete pain in the hole. Eastern Europeans driving home could be a possible option.

slimjimmc

wersal gummage wrote: »

Can you adjust your headlights or would you need to replace them?

Masks which stop the beam aiming to the right are allowed, some cars might even have a RHD/LHD adjuster on the bulb holder. With masks the NCT will base their headlamp aim test on the flat beam pattern commonly used in America. It just means you lose a valuable bit of kerb-side illumination.

Sh1tbag OToole

MarkAnthony wrote: »

You can get stickers as like the ones used in France - don't know how permanent that would be.

LHD in Ireland - aren't you going to be permanently stuck behind a tractor?

It depends on the headlights they don't work well enough on all to pass the NCT. On some cars they can just be adjusted and you don't need them.

Tractors are narrower in front than at the back so a lot of the time you can see past them from the left before you move out. A left bend in the road before a straight stretch is great for seeing out past things you're trying to overtake

keithclancy

IMO with people going abroad to work on the Continent they'd be looking to pickup a LHD and bring it with them.

I was anyway

FamousBelgian

MarkAnthony wrote: »

LHD in Ireland - aren't you going to be permanently stuck behind a tractor?

Feels like that even with RHD. I've lost my appetite for risky overtaking. On the autobahn 200+ is fine for me but in Ireland I'm Captain Slow.

FamousBelgian

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

It depends on the headlights they don't work well enough on all to pass the NCT. On some cars they can just be adjusted and you don't need them.

I'll check the NCT rules. I know that the lights on this particular car don't have a RHD/LHD switch.

Strange that they are so strict on the lights over there. Whenever I'm driving in IRL I notice that a lot of cars have missing lights, mis-aimed lights, one dip and one highbeam, fogs instead of dips, sidelights only, etc. etc. You simply don't see that here and even when I had RHD here I never got flashed for dazzling oncoming cars.

goochy

Cars are rhd in cyprus why would they import lhd ?

Sh1tbag OToole

goochy wrote: »

Cars are rhd in cyprus why would they import lhd ?

Possibly a convenient EU-based staging ground before they go off to some other place, that happens to be served by cargo ship from Cork.

http://www.ogma.ie/services.htm

Tony Beetroot

One can more accurately pass out a peloton of cyclists more accurately and safe in a lhd.

FamousBelgian

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Possibly a convenient EU-based staging ground before they go off to some other place, that happens to be served by cargo ship from Cork.

http://www.ogma.ie/services.htm

Yea I figured Cyprus must be a staging point but they can't ship to Turkey from there and given the politics of the region probably few other places.

Maybe they just kind of quietly get sold off to whoever turns up with cash like with this pickup truck from Texas: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/17/texas-plumber-work-truck-syria-terrorists_n_6341070.html

Nekarsulm

Very handy when you park on the "wrong" side of the street.!

macplaxton

PrettyBoy wrote: »

VRT

Not really an issue if the OP qualifies for transfer of residence.

Seweryn

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

It will have little or no resale value here as most people will find it a complete pain in the hole. Eastern Europeans driving home could be a possible option.

That is not true and in fact a lot of LHD cars sell for more than their RHD value.
Yes, most of these cars would be bought by Western / Central / Eastern Europeans that are moving or travelling to continental Europe.

Seweryn

macplaxton wrote: »

Not really an issue if the OP qualifies for transfer of residence.

Exactly, plus if the VRT is to be paid, it will be 25% less than for a RHD equivalent car.

Asmooh

I have a LHD MX5, my bank doesn't even ask about LHD or RHD. Insurance is around 1700 / year anyway.. almost 10 years my license