Driving an automatic car on a manual licence

redbel05

I'm in the process of selling my mums old automatic car for her. I suspect that the buyer is getting cold feet and/or trying to get us to reduce the price, but his latest statement is:

"If you have a manual license, but only drive an automatic car for an extended time, you will be required to go back and re-sit your test before driving manual again"

I've been driving both my car (manual) and my mums automatic for many years and never heard of this. A quick search on the RSA website only comes up with what I already knew (someone sitting the test in an automatic car needs to re-sit it if they want to drive manual), but other than that, nothing. Am I missing something?

SCOOP 64

Never heard of that before , if you pass your test using a auto you cant drive a manual, if you pass driving a manual you can also drive a auto, done think it matters how long you drive a auto for.

Cienciano

He's talking absolute shíte.

Henry Ford III

Nope he's spouting rubbish. Infact a small auto can carry a price premium due to rarity.

jca

Rubbish, I've a manual licence and have been driving an auto for the last 3 years.

bazz26

If you passed your driving test in a manual car then you can legally drive both a manual or automatic car, there is no set time period. However if you passed your driving test in an automatic car then you can legally only drive automatic cars.

The buyer is talking $hit.

Vic_08

redbel05 wrote: »

I'm in the process of selling my mums old automatic car for her. I suspect that the buyer is getting cold feet and/or trying to get us to reduce the price, but his latest statement is:

"If you have a manual license, but only drive an automatic car for an extended time, you will be required to go back and re-sit your test before driving manual again"

I've been driving both my car (manual) and my mums automatic for many years and never heard of this. A quick search on the RSA website only comes up with what I already knew (someone sitting the test in an automatic car needs to re-sit it if they want to drive manual), but other than that, nothing. Am I missing something?

That's utter crap, once a licence isn't let lapse for (AFAIR 2 years) before renewing you will keep all your class entitlements.

Besides that the licencing authority have know way of knowing what type of vehicles anyone is driving.

Sounds like you are just dealing with a fool; either he wants to buy or not, I wouldn't be wasting anymore time discussing his personal nonsense.

Alanstrainor

He's deluded. Don't be dragged along by this fool, keep the ad online and keep seeking other potential buyers.

grogi

redbel05 wrote: »

"If you have a manual license, but only drive an automatic car for an extended time, you will be required to go back and re-sit your test before driving manual again"

No such requirement. Once passed in manual, you can drive manual.

PixelTrawler

Seems like an odd tactic... if his concern is the licence its not going to be alleviated by a price drop... (and he's completely wrong anyway).

Pat Mustard

redbel05 wrote: »

his latest statement is:

"If you have a manual license, but only drive an automatic car for an extended time, you will be required to go back and re-sit your test before driving manual again"

I presume that he moonlights as a wallet inspector also. What a bullsh1tter.

These are the guys who always have some gripe to haggle down the price. "Oooh, I dunno, silver is a very unusual colour, I'd have to think hard about that price..."

redbel05

Thanks for the replies everyone. Its as I thought then. Tbh The amount of time that this guy is taking up is making me want to just tell him to not bother if he's so unsure of wanting to buy. It was him that approached us about the car (never advertised it, he just heard from a friend of a friend that we intended to advertise it after getting a little thing fixed). Thanks again.

Cienciano

I'd tell him the price is x. If you want it, it's yours. If not, fúck off!

bazz26

Sounds like someone with more time than money, I'd get shot of him.

Bandana boy

Tell him you checked it out and he is incorrect but in your research found that people who drive Autos are happier and have less accidents and recover from cancer and look slimmer than manual drivers and as such you will need to add 10% to the price

InTheTrees

redbel05 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies everyone. Its as I thought then. Tbh The amount of time that this guy is taking up is making me want to just tell him to not bother if he's so unsure of wanting to buy. It was him that approached us about the car (never advertised it, he just heard from a friend of a friend that we intended to advertise it after getting a little thing fixed). Thanks again.

He probably think he's doing you a favour by giving you the chance to sell to him instead of having to advertise. And now he's pushing his luck.

kub

Quite now everyone, please do not be giving the Government ideas to charge us motorists more money.

Del2005

To get him to go away and stop wasting your time tell him that you checked with the RSA and he's wrong. That if you have a manual licence you can't drive auto so unfortunately you can't sell it to him.

Trojan

Can confirm am more attractive after driving automatic for several years.







Joking aside, I really don't want to go back to a manual.

coylemj

It's a valid tactic for the seller to highlight pluses and a prospective buyer to highlight negatives but when you start making up sh1te like that, either he is a complete tyre kicker or he really does want the car but can't find anything wrong with it and is resorting to to making stuff up.

Call his bluff - ask him to make an offer. If he makes a stupidly low offer or he persists with vague and invented 'problems' then tell him to his face that he's wasting your time and to PFO.

mikeecho

Vic_08 wrote: »

That's utter crap, once a licence isn't let lapse for (AFAIR 2 years) before renewing you will keep all your class entitlements.

Besides that the licencing authority have know way of knowing what type of vehicles anyone is driving.

Sounds like you are just dealing with a fool; either he wants to buy or not, I wouldn't be wasting anymore time discussing his personal nonsense.

It's actually 10yrs, not 2.(full licence)

Edit: 5yrs in the case of a learners permit/provisional

coylemj

redbel05 wrote: »

"If you have a manual license, but only drive an automatic car for an extended time, you will be required to go back and re-sit your test before driving manual again"

1. How does the government know that you've been driving an automatic - even once in the past year, let alone for an 'extended time'?

2. How do they not know that you borrow a friend's (manual) estate car once a month for shopping or golf?

Even if they did it by the car you own, there's nothing on my registration cert. to indicate that my car is an automatic and the insurance schedule I got after my last renewal contains the full specs. of my car except that it's an automatic.

You can pass you car in a manual and then drive an automatic for the rest of your life and (1) nobody will be any the wiser and (2) they will never put the 'automatic only' restriction code on your licence.

So your man is talking compete BS. The fact that he spun that yarn means that either he is an idiot or he thinks you are one.

Nekarsulm

Advertise the car. Small autos haven't much if a following here in Ireland, but immigrants from Africian countries love them.
Now the bargaining will be long and protracted ( ) but at least you'll be selling to someone who knows what they want!

redbel05

An update if anyone wants one....
So the buyer came into me yet again in my place of work this evening to tell me his "not so good news". Apparently its his insurance company (FBD) that have told him this BS about needing to re-sit the test if he drives an automatic car for an extended time of he wants to drive manual. I don't believe him about that, but what could I say?
I repeatedly assured him that its complete nonsense, but of course he wouldn't accept it at all, so I told him to go visit the Citizens Advice and ask them (he doesn't use the internet he says). Wreck their head instead of mine. He told me that he's headed up there on Monday.

The other thing that he kept harping on about was that the insurance company told him that his insurance will be considered null and void if he doesn't declare that he has changed to an automatic car. I told him that of course he should give them all the details of your new car... I mean why wouldn't you?

Thanks again for all the replies everybody. It felt good to be sure when I told him that he is absolutely and completely wrong and that if he doesn't want to buy the car, that's fine. But that the stupid thing about the license is not a valid reason not to buy.
Only that its my mums car and she's anxious to sell it now that she not driving it, I wouldn't be entertaining him at all. Anybody looking for a Suzuki Wagon R 1.3L Automatic? (Joking of course)

Toyotafanboi

It's always amazing the utter nonsense that people come out with.

grogi

redbel05 wrote: »

Only that its my mums car and she's anxious to sell it now that she not driving it, I wouldn't be entertaining him at all. Anybody looking for a Suzuki Wagon R 1.3L Automatic? (Joking of course)

He is probably looking for a chat, nothing else...

Don't waste your energy nor time to entertain him with this discussion. Nothing you can say will convince him if he didn't buy it yet.

mikeecho

redbel05 wrote: »

An update if anyone wants one....
So the buyer came into me yet again in my place of work this evening to tell me his "not so good news". Apparently its his insurance company (FBD) that have told him this BS about needing to re-sit the test if he drives an automatic car for an extended time of he wants to drive manual. I don't believe him about that, but what could I say?
I repeatedly assured him that its complete nonsense, but of course he wouldn't accept it at all, so I told him to go visit the Citizens Advice and ask them (he doesn't use the internet he says). Wreck their head instead of mine. He told me that he's headed up there on Monday.

The other thing that he kept harping on about was that the insurance company told him that his insurance will be considered null and void if he doesn't declare that he has changed to an automatic car. I told him that of course he should give them all the details of your new car... I mean why wouldn't you?

Thanks again for all the replies everybody. It felt good to be sure when I told him that he is absolutely and completely wrong and that if he doesn't want to buy the car, that's fine. But that the stupid thing about the license is not a valid reason not to buy.
Only that its my mums car and she's anxious to sell it now that she not driving it, I wouldn't be entertaining him at all. Anybody looking for a Suzuki Wagon R 1.3L Automatic? (Joking of course)

He sounds like a tyre kicker..

I'd ignore him, I'm sure you'll find another buyer.

Ubbquittious

Any ould eejit can drive a bosca prundál

monkeysnapper

Can I ask the question so

If say I had licence to drive a auto car , do I have to re do the whole test to drive a manual . ...

Atlantic Dawn

monkeysnapper wrote: »

Can I ask the question so

If say I had licence to drive a auto car , do I have to re do the whole test to drive a manual . ...

Yes, an automatic licence only covers you to drive an automatic car. Entire manual test needed, not sure if the computer based test would need to be passed or not.

bazz26

Do you know what OP, even if this guy rolled up with your asking price I don't think I'd sell him the car. He just sounds like a right pain in the arse and I don't think it would stop when you sell him the car. I could see that sort of person bugging the life out of you even after he buys the car. He sounds like the type who will be back hounding you the first sign of trouble with the car. I'd just make up an excuse to get rid of him now to save yourself a world of pain and annoyance. Sometimes its just not worth the hassle selling a car to people like that and easier to sell it for less to someone else.

the_pen_turner

tell him you investigated further and he is right. fill him with crap about why he shouldn't buy it. he will either decide not to buy it or set you straight