Thanks for all the replies guys.

I have no issue with the Irish plates, my only real concern was the "avoid, it's an import" scenario, which you've pointed out is clearly not the case here.

I accept my knowledge of NI and ROI is not what it should be, I just saw the unusal numbers/letters configuration and assumed the worse.

I'm still awaitng to hear back from the dealer to understand if the previous owner was a private individual or a company, this should provide me with a better idea of what the car has been up to for the last few years.

If were talking NI then its registered to the same dvla as here.

Nope. It's registered with dvani if it's a northern Irish car. Swansea covers only Britain rather than the whole UK.

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Oh, and they don't share information?!

I have no idea but you said it was the same dvla. It isn't, that's all

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What happens if you bring a UK car to the ROI and are an ROI resident you have to register it here within a month. You have to pay VRT (vehicle registration tax).

The octavia is a UK spec elegance,you can't get the elegance or L&K model here in the mk1 octy. The car will be pretty much the same,maybe with a lower spec,because everyone here is tight and buys the base model. it's less likely to have any rust as the roads are rarely salted. It's not unusual for people here to go to the UK to buy a car as they are cheaper and a better spec.