|
Well folks, my brother is so impressed with my Roadster (naturally!) that he's thinking of sending back his company car and getting one of his own. I believe I recently read on the list of a sort of Japanese import car supermarket in Dublin that sells cars at prices similar to the reserve prices that they might have at nearby auction houses. Does anybody have the name and/or contact details please? Is there a website? Also, can anyone suggest some reputable import dealers in Northern Ireland? (The attraction of this source is that the cars should come UK registered and MOT'd.) (11/99) |
|
I've imported two 1990 Roadsters so far - both I've registered and MOT'd myself once I'd got them back from Dublin (and Rotterdam for the first one). I've also had a 1994 Celica, 1990 MR2, and two CRX's 1994 and 1992. It's sooooooooo easy and the cars are soooo cheap. I've made a few quid so far but am keeping my current Roadster for a while (probably be replaced with a V Special in the summer). I'm setup as a dealer for IBC (www.ibcjapan.co.jp) and have used A&F Imports (www.webcars.net) for my current car. Art at A&F is very knowledgeable and helpful. My brother has just bought a silver 1991 J plate Roadster with hardtop from him which worked out at 5500 on the road once we'd paid for the ferry and MOT. All these sites who register them for you add about 500 quid for a few hours work. It costs 25 quid to register a car once it's MOT'd and insured! (11/99) |
|
Try these: L&R Garage, Banbridge, Down. 0180206 27434/ 0802 804440/ 0780 1819995 Nice cars. No 5's in right now, but can get them for you. Bit of a Rally specialist, so does all work himself, re cambelts etc. He'll do Px's, but no warranties (just his own 6 month version, which isn't much use if you're in England. However, you can arrange your own warranty). Gregory Brady Motors, Lisburn. 01846 666111/ 07074 616666. Fairly conventional dealer, imports are only part of his business. Full dealer facilities. Most of the Roadsters from him are very clean, but are not the cheapest. FB Motors, Newtownards, Down. 01247 820755. Don't know; apparently his prices are cheap, but a lot of his stock is down in Dublin. McGarrity Honda (Belfast, 01232 662211) has been known to do some really nice imports, and not just Hondas. Strangely, he was selling a Black S-spec at one time with Honda warranty... (11/99) |
| Several other points about getting a car in N.Ireland, Although N. Ireland cars go through a UK MOT and carry a UK tax disc, the MOT is only valid 3 months in GB, and similarly a GB Mot is valid for 3 months in N. Ireland. Also there is a bit of a mystery about SVA's here since cars here go through their first MOT on their 4th birthday, not 3rd like in GB. Transferring a registration between the 2 entities is a simple free procedure (at least it was for me taking an english Peugeot to Belfast; took 4 weeks for the DVLA and police here to process it). A lot of the cars here on forecourts are displayed unregistered, and generally the dealers then register them in Dublin/Coleraine upon sale (actually they don't even need to go to Dublin anymore, as the Irish DVLA had a vehicle registration office set up on the border). (11/99) |