Megan and Chris

Here’s our wee car, a 1993 Peugeot 106:

There’s a lot of reasons why it makes sense to buy a car while on a working holiday makers permit in Ireland. It’s a small island, and it’s not really more than a days drive to get anywhere. The bus system, while generally better than Canada’s, still leaves a lot to be desired. Having a little car opens up a part of Ireland you’d usually never see, an endless maze of interesting little villages. And finally, there’s the financial side. By going just 10 minutes drive from the city you can save €200-300 on rent and you can buy a good little runabout for less than €500.

Here’s five tips based on our experience buying a car in Ireland during our year abroad.

1. Before you leave Canada, people will tell you to get an international drivers permit. Really, it’s a fairly useless $40 piece of paper unless you’re hiring (renting) a car or you’re in a smaller, less metropolitan town or country. 98% of the time it’s useless, but if you go somewhere non-english speaking, you might want it. No one has asked for it at all here and several people told us it was useless. Welcome to the 21st Century…they can Google where Alberta is.

2. Buying the car. Its easy to find a car for sale. As I write, Ireland is in a pretty decent recession and there’s lots of cheap small cars for sale. I bought a 1993 Peugot 106 for €400. There’s a couple things about buying a car here that differ from Canada. First, the license plate lives with the car. It’s also called the registration number. There’s a registration book the seller will fill out with your name and address (you need a mailing address that’s good for at least a week) that they will send to the registration place, and they’ll send it back to you. That’s all you have to do to be able to drive away. You’ll need insurance pretty quick, but first let’s talk about:

3. Tax, inspections and registration. Registration is done with a new car, and once the seller sends off the form, that’s taken care of. Car insurance is another issue, but you’ll also have to make sure the NCT (inspection) is up to date and that the road tax is paid. Anyone selling a car will be able to tell you how much is left on the NCT and road tax.First, road tax because it’s simple. This is paid at any post office and is based on the size of the engine. My 1.1L Peugot 106 costs €165 to tax for a year. When shopping, don’t worry if the tax is almost out because it’s easy to renew.The NCT is the tricky part, and on a used car can make about €200-400 on the sale price. You have to book the inspection and I’m not sure of the standards. We intentionally passed on a great little car (a 1995 Ford Fiesta for €250) because the NCT was expired.

4. Insurance. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Insurance in Ireland is sold by the year. Yes, we’ve heard that you can get it in 3 and 6 month packages, as had the lady at the three places we got quotes from. However, not one of them offers that package or knows where to get it.Now the scary part. Canadian driver’s licenses are valid in Ireland for 12 months before they’ll make you get an Irish one. Unfortunately, they are only counted as provisional licenses, so insurance is a killer. The insurance on our little Peugot 106 should have been €3-400, but ended up being just under €800. Now, considering all the costs it can still be a great deal and add to your experience. It let Megan and I get a great cottage in the countryside way cheaper than a flat in town. It lets me get great little towns with sketchy bus service (like Crosshaven, Kinsale, Cobh and Youghal) to go sailing.

5. Please Exit the Vehicle. Eventually your working holiday makers’ permit will expire, and you’ll have to go home. Then you’ll have to get rid of a car. If you have to rapidly leave the country, you’ll still have to get rid of the car. Plan ahead. Be prepared to sell it for less than you bought it for, and plan for that at the outset. I can afford a €400 disposable car. Just make sure you know what sort of disposal fees there might be if you have to take it to a scrapyard.

In retrospect, I’d do it again. The insurance was a shocker, but we love our car. The ability to live in the country, and do great little day-trips is worth it.