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Now that Brexit has basically fecked up importation of cars from the UK what’s everyone’s thoughts about buying LHD?
Would you buy and drive a LHD? I’m taking more so about pre 2000 cars here.
Looking at Deane motors he seems to be bringing in a lot of LHD lately ie E28 M5 and a Ferrari
Is that the way the market is going??
For example E39 M5s are starting at around £25k in the Uk now. So with conversion rate vat duty vrt and nox your looking at about €45k cleared
But this would be less than €30 home and hosed
I found this offer on AutoScout24.
https://www.autoscout24.com/offers/b...campaign=share
Final price: € 18,500.-
Mileage: 220,000 km
First registration: 04/1999
Or you could have this northern reg one without the vat and duty possibly cleared for 35k? facelift, less mileage & rhd
https://www.donedeal.ie/vintagecars-...39-m5/29326614
On the the whole LHD thing, I had a look into this shortly after brexit. I personally wouldn't drive a LHD unless there was a significant saving(at least 30%) or it only came in a LHD ie. E30 M3, E34 M5 touring.
That M5 for 18.5k does look cheap, a bit too cheap? from my experience cars on the continent are far more expensive than the UK and almost comparable in price after adding vat and duty. Just using an e46 M3's as an example, on the continent they average about 30k for a half decent one with lowish mileage. In the UK you're looking at 18-19k for similar. Add vat & duty and your around the 30k mark.
Then you have the language barrier, stuff could get lost in translation, Further to travel and it will always be worth less on this island. Come sale time it will be alot harder to shift. You could argue that you'd have a bigger market with it being a LHD, but I don't think Europeans would be looking to Ireland to buy cars unless it was something very special and alot cheaper than they can get in their own back garden.
Anytime I was searching for something in Germany or the likes there was always a couple of rhd ones and they were always the cheapest.
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I’d have zero interest in any LHD car which was also available as RHD. I’d actually have to give it some thought as to whether I’d be bothered with something that was LHD only - E30 M3 /Z1 etc.
When will we switch to driving on the right?
Never .Quote:
Originally Posted by dergside
Ya I think I’m out. Drove a LHD E28 today. Not my cup of tea
Ah, who wouldn't like a big old Yank muscle car for a sunny Sunday outing - a Stingray, Mustang, Camaro etc.
A 1995 Corolla saloon efi in that manky grey/green colour they came in in LHD, eh, no ! ;)
Up to about 10 years ago, I would have said a stern no to an automatic trasmission tbh - I've slowly warmed to them (some cars of course have to be manual only).....:)
What's keeping us in RHD?Quote:
Originally Posted by kdevitt
Historically it would have been because of the close links to the UK market, but they've made a very clear decision that will impact on the level of UK/Ireland trade significantly over the coming years. We're nailing our colours to the mast as far as links to Europe are concerned, so that's the future. Sweden made the switch in 1967, so why not here? Not a simple change or trivial, but with RHD we're a complete outlier in the EU.
There are 208 border crossings for a start - but mores the point, whats the benefit of switching over? Ireland is a small market by any standards and there are plenty of markets outside of Ireland that are RHD, so unless all RHD markets changes over, then we won't.
We're also a complete outlier in the EU in speaking English by the way.
Fair points Ken, but you could argue that its an impediment to an open market in cars within the EU (although, I think I may have been inaccurate in saying we're a complete outlier, Malta is also a RHD market within the EU). While cars can, in theory, be moved between countries within the EU, as per Eamo's comment above, in practice its an obstacle.Quote:
Originally Posted by kdevitt
Its probably fair to say that total sales volume in RHD markets is a fraction of LHD volume (globally, and in EU), so it likely also adds development and production cost to RHD cars.
You can't really, LHD cars are perfectly legal here - just not practical, there are no obstacles to purchasing or registering them.Quote:
Originally Posted by dergside
One third I think - but two of the most popular brands in Ireland - Toyota and Hyundai - are from RHD countries, so unless all countries globally agree to drive on the same side of the road as I said above, a development cost will always exist.Quote:
Originally Posted by dergside
I know Sweden did this 50 years ago, but the world is pretty different these days. Most Irish drivers can't tell the difference between the driving lane and overtaking lane, so expecting them to not only learn how to drive on the opposite side of the road, but also learn to switch back to the other side when crossing into NI is just a horrible idea.
I think the biggest obstacles to following Sweden’s example would probably be political.Quote:
Originally Posted by kdevitt
The cost of implementation would be huge and would give the opposition a free target on the government to point out they should be spending the money on hospitals/houses/schools/etc.
The other big problem would be when fatal crashes happen and the incumbent Minister gets annihilated by the meejia. “Granny Smith drove to mass last Sunday and was killed, Minister, after you made her drive on the other side of the road. 70 years driving without a ticket and she’s dead 24 hours after you made us all drive on the right.”
No sitting government will go for it.
I think there will be a slight rise in LHD cars on the road but is probably more likely there’ll be an increase in Jap imports and people just paying the vat & duty on English cars.