Has anyone got any experience of buying or owning a Northern Ireland registered car?

Theres a car i'm interested in viewing and it has a NI reg number on it. Ive made a phone call and it's not been put on as a private plate. It is the original reg number as the car was registered in Northern Ireland.

It has an UK V5 log book and is not an import.

I dont know if theres any issues I need to be aware of or if there any different procedure you have to follow. I assume not as its a UK registered car but in all honesty I have no idea so thought I would ask.

I've posted in the general car chat forum as well but as its a mk2 Octavia the plate is on i've posted in here as well.

Also it's a 1.9 tdi not a 2.0 PD140. What BHP is the 1.9? Is it 105 or 110? I assume it will only be a 5 speed box too?

Thanks in advance

NI plates are 3 letters then 4 numbers generally.

I thought NI is UK so anything over there would still be UK registered and as such not an import.

1.9TDI's are indeed 105hp and 5 gears.

Yeah thats about as much as I understand about it. It is a UK registered car so therefore not an import just has the NI reg number.

Just trying to cover as much as possible before going to have a look at it.

Wasnt really wanting a 1.9 PD105 would rather have a 2.0 PD140 but it's not me driving it everyday so I suppose I can live with it

I'm guessing the car is in England somewhere and your not going to the trouble of going to NI to buy one...............?

Thanks to Dippo in the other thread

I was really only asking in case i've missed something and someone had some personal experience to pass on.

For some reason I would prefer it on English plates even if it doesnt make any difference and I have no reason why. I guess its because its what im used to :think:

http://www.direct.go...icle/DG_4022583

Vehicles moving between GB and Northern Ireland (NI)

Vehicles registered in NI that move to GB are no longer classed as being imported to GB. Also, vehicles registered in GB moving to NI are no longer classed as being imported to NI.

These vehicles can keep their GB or NI plates and tax disc, or they can request the registration plate to where they are going, GB or NI.

The vehicle registration certificate Northern Ireland (V5CNI) should be used to aid registration in GB and applications should be made at a DVLA local office. The vehicle registration certificate (V5C) should be used to help registration in NI. Applications should be made at The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), Coleraine.

I'm guessing the car is in England somewhere and your not going to the trouble of going to NI to buy one...............?

That would be correct. A liitle closer to me than NI

If I didn't have a private plate - I'd keep it on NI plates to mask the age lol

There is no issue with a car that was originally registered in Northern Ireland.

As already said, it is part of the UK and cars are not classed as imports from NI. The only anomaly is that NI cars are registered with the DVA (same as DVLA) in Northern Ireland where a seperate database is kept for NI cars....as opposed to being registered at the DVLA in Swansea on the GB database.

If you move a car permanently from NI to GB, you just have to register the car with the DVLA Swansea, who inform the DVA to remove the car from their database. You have the option of keeping the NI reg or getting a GB style reg number issued, all at no cost.

If you are buying an NI car on the UK mainland, and it has a standard red V5 then the above has already been done and you've nothing to worry about. (the NI V5's are green coloured)

If you are buying an NI car on the UK mainland, and it has a standard red V5 then the above has already been done and you've nothing to worry about. (the NI V5's are green coloured)

Not for a good few years tbh a NI log book is visually identical to the GB V5C now the difference is at top corner its called V5C(NI) not just V5C and has DVA in place DVLA logo is. The 2010 revision of V5's with the new red banner over front saying not proof of ownership is the same now too. If a person was to buy a car registered in NI and wishing to import to GB they would not be able to fill in the new keepers suppliment and post it off the full document would need to be taken to a DVLA local office and a first registration form filled out V45/5 I think it is or V55/5 cant recall off top of head. The car when being registered in GB will have the option of getting age related plates assigned to car or retain the existing NI registration, if the car is untaxed tax must be purchased at the same time, should the car already be taxed in NI it can keep its current tax disc if staying on NI plates if wanting GB ones you must pay for new tax and refund the old disc from Coleraine in NI. MOT certificates although a completely different system in NI are interchangeable and accepted at either side.

If it is on a GB V5C it will say on front page at bottom "previously registered in Northern Ireland" and a date. Should you attempt to buy a car in GB that is NI registered or vice versa officially the keeper has to register it in GB before selling it in GB. If you go to NI from GB to buy the car you can buy it on a V5C(NI) and take entire log book over to register it. Likewise if it was to be put on a GB plate it would say "previously registered in Northern Ireland as XXX 1234" and so on.

I have moved approx 15 cars back and forward between NI and GB its a lot easier now than it used to be as when the old green log books were still in use you had to get a full export certificate to move it either way across the water.

What car is it exactly any links?

ps. bare in mind that if it was in NI for a long time the quality of roads are not as good as GB and the longest motorway by far is only 36 miles long so majority of miles will tend to have been harder miles than a comparative car in GB might have seen for same age and mileage. The MOT in NI is performed at government test centres (DVTA) not at Kevin Websters and in my experience a lot better to buy a car with a full MOT2 from NI than a MOT in GB.

Thanks fubar. PM sent with the (little) details I know.

Not for a good few years tbh a NI log book is visually identical to the GB V5C

Shows how long ago it was that I last did it.

ps. bare in mind that if it was in NI for a long time the quality of roads are not as good as GB and the longest motorway by far is only 36 miles long so majority of miles will tend to have been harder miles than a comparative car in GB might have seen for same age and mileage.

I see what you are getting at, however on the flip side alot of cars in NI have never been above 60mph! Also on the flip side, cars with galactic mileages are rare in NI. I wouldn't say the roads in NI are worse.....there's just much less motorway than on the mainland. A roads in NI are much the same as A roads in GB.

Mark - my Dad did this with a 3-Series a few years ago, and went over to NI to collect.

Most of the bits I could tell you have been mentioned already, regarding DVLA/DVA and the MoT situation.

Also on the plate situation, my Dad transferred his private plate onto the car when it was brought back here. Then when he sold the car and retained the plate, the car was issued an available UK plate rather than go back onto the original NI reg number.

So no issues really, certainly wouldn't put me off if it was the right car. Not 100% sure if the 1.9PD105 5-spd is the right model for you though

Wardy - You are right the 1.9 PD105 is defo not the car for me but i'm not the one driving it every day And I get to keep my TFSI for the days when I want some fun

Well ive put a deposit down on the car and for reference if anyone else does a serch this is what you currently have to do:

SOURCE: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/ImportingAndExportingAVehicle/DG_4022583

Vehicles moving between GB and Northern Ireland (NI)

Vehicles registered in NI that move to GB are no longer classed as being imported to GB. Also, vehicles registered in GB moving to NI are no longer classed as being imported to NI.

These vehicles can keep their GB or NI plates and tax disc, or they can request the registration plate to where they are going, GB or NI.

The vehicle registration certificate Northern Ireland (V5CNI) should be used to aid registration in GB and applications should be made at a DVLA local office. The vehicle registration certificate (V5C) should be used to help registration in NI. Applications should be made at The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), Coleraine.

In summary as the car is froma dealer it isnt tax'd anyway so to get it tax'd the car needs to be re-regsitered in the UK as an English car not NI car. It can keep the same plates or you can choose to have age related uk plates. At the same time as re-registering you tax the car. It's pretty stright forward.

Hope that helps someone in the future.

Good stuff Mark. Best of luck with it.

Any links to what you've bought? Purely out of curiosity, nothing else

Shows how long ago it was that I last did it.

I see what you are getting at, however on the flip side alot of cars in NI have never been above 60mph! Also on the flip side, cars with galactic mileages are rare in NI. I wouldn't say the roads in NI are worse.....there's just much less motorway than on the mainland. A roads in NI are much the same as A roads in GB.

With 4 fixed speed cameras and 1 SPEC's monitored short stretch of road in Northern Ireland and a Police service that has only in the last 10 years started actively enforcing road policing and is still in fairly early stages combined with the driving general driving culture I would say there are few that haven't been over 60mph. For the road conditions though Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh are terrible. I tend to see A roads in NI as the equivalent of a good B road in GB. The difference annoys me every time the VRS hates it.

With 4 fixed speed cameras and 1 SPEC's monitored short stretch of road in Northern Ireland and a Police service that has only in the last 10 years started actively enforcing road policing and is still in fairly early stages combined with the driving general driving culture I would say there are few that haven't been over 60mph. For the road conditions though Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh are terrible. I tend to see A roads in NI as the equivalent of a good B road in GB. The difference annoys me every time the VRS hates it.

its even better in lowered suspension and 19's lol

its even better in lowered suspension and 19's lol

Northern Irelands roads are the only reason my VRS still has its stock monster truck suspension fitted :(

With 4 fixed speed cameras and 1 SPEC's monitored short stretch of road in Northern Ireland and a Police service that has only in the last 10 years started actively enforcing road policing and is still in fairly early stages combined with the driving general driving culture I would say there are few that haven't been over 60mph

There are still many 45 MPH drivers in NI...certainly in the east.

For the road conditions though Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh are terrible.

Never really been way out west, so I'll take your word for it. In the East I'd say they are good.....but then again that's were most of the population live, so you might expect higher road budgets.

There are still many 45 MPH drivers in NI...certainly in the east.

Never really been way out west, so I'll take your word for it. In the East I'd say they are good.....but then again that's were most of the population live, so you might expect higher road budgets.

I have never met an R plate driver who has obeyed the 45mph restriction lol R plates are gone soon too woohooo God bless the EU. Road deaths in NI don't seem to happen on the better quality roads but we only have 44 odd A roads in the entire country. Strangely where as we did have the best kept road networks in the UK they have declined over the years and during the boom ROI spent a fortune on theirs have been shocked at some of the roads they have now putting NI to shame. The use of tar & chipping road surfaces in NI is still widespread and extensive and to do it on any roads especially A roads is criminal.

When I was on R's I got busted doing 75 lol.

Luckily my dad was a copper so I just got a warning. R plates are like a red rage to a bull for teenagers.