The Irish second hand market...private and trade is a joke !!
The Irish imported cars of all makes are of a much lower spec. than the equivalent UK model.
Vauxhalls are not sold in S. Ireland, only Opels and the equipment is basic because, whatever the make, "Luxuries" such as Leather, heated front screens, sunroofs etc. are taxed to the hilt.
The VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax) is horrendous..even on imported vehicles and buyers/sellers all down the line try to get back what they paid for the car. In the good old days where the Irish had access to plenty of cash, it was a sellers market and people paid the stupid asking prices without a whimper. As a reult the sellers are still living in a dream world.
Most of the Irish don't give a toss about looking after their cars, i would never buy an Irish reg. car..regular checks on simple things like blown headlamp and tail lamp bulbs are non existant and the number of "One eyed" cars at night is horrifying, especially when the drivers side headlamp bulb is gone.
The whole culture of car care and driving etiquette is very bad and erratic. You can drive a car unaccompanied with a provisional licence, the cops (Gardai), especially in rural areas don't give a toss, they can make more money out of concentrating on speeding fines. Where else could you go for a driving test, fail it and drive away on your own??
The whole emphasis is creating a culture of hate toward the SUV, "Jeep" etc. and pushing toward buying Mini cars, more so than in the UK.
The Government has stuck "Windmills" up all over the place in order to appear to be "Green" yet they export their rubbish abroad for disposal, still allow coal and peat to be burnt, bury most of their rubbish instead of burning it and still continue to pour raw sewage out to sea .
It's the "Irish way" to rip people off, and they stand it !!!!
Rant over
:behindsofa::focus:
