Dilemma

[108]

7 hours ago, Tomtation said:

It is indeed the one in Newry on FB, it is a bit pricey and I am yet to get much out of the seller, he's at the NEC classic show this weekend (not in the 21) so hope to get more details on the car next week. Not the best ad, but my mother would say we can't all be tech geniuses 🤣

Thanks for the replies gents, you are all of course quite correct and I have been low key keeping my eye out for one for a while. One of my biggest 'against' thingies is just how refined, comfortable and climate controlled the C6 is (and it's a 2.2 manual, the only C6 that is  *sensible), but I do worry a fair bit about random catastrophic expensive failures... Let's see what the seller has to say.

I’m not far from Dublin Airport and would be happy to pick you up and drop to Newry. 
 

If the car isn’t suitable I’d get you back to the airport, or to BFS / BHD or ferry port.

 

Let me know if I can be of assistance. 

[Tomtation]

58 minutes ago, 108 said:

I’m not far from Dublin Airport and would be happy to pick you up and drop to Newry. 
 

If the car isn’t suitable I’d get you back to the airport, or to BFS / BHD or ferry port.

 

Let me know if I can be of assistance. 

The power of autoshite. Thank you good sir, my wine infused brain demands i use emojis 😍 So there we go 🤣

just waiting for the seller to get back to me now really...

[Matty]

16 minutes ago, Tomtation said:

The power of autoshite. Thank you good sir, my wine infused brain demands i use emojis 😍 So there we go 🤣

just waiting for the seller to get back to me now really...

Its defo looking like this has to happen 😀

[BorniteIdentity]

I had the opportunity to buy a 21 Estate back in 2020 from a prolific car botherer.  It was £700.  Covid was the only thing that stopped me; it was bad enough travelling 50 miles to buy an essential vehicle - but 200 to buy an old snotter was a piss-take too far, so I didn't.

Make a trip of it so you can enjoy the collection.  Or, if you can afford someone of my high cost, I'd happily fetch it and see my friends at the same time.

 

[Dave_Q]

I picked up a Subaru from NI once, very straightforward, flights were cheap and quick and I came back on the Larne-Cairnryan ferry.

Here's a random thought, if you wanted to import a car from the EU, could you dodge the VAT and duties by taking a Brexit dodger ferry from France to Ireland then drive to NI and back to UK from there?

No customs checks at either border, you'd just have to try spinning the NOVA people a story that it's been here for years and you bought it second hand? Or maybe they check ferry records.

[Tomtation]

On 08/11/2025 at 08:14, Dave_Q said:

I picked up a Subaru from NI once, very straightforward, flights were cheap and quick and I came back on the Larne-Cairnryan ferry.

Here's a random thought, if you wanted to import a car from the EU, could you dodge the VAT and duties by taking a Brexit dodger ferry from France to Ireland then drive to NI and back to UK from there?

No customs checks at either border, you'd just have to try spinning the NOVA people a story that it's been here for years and you bought it second hand? Or maybe they check ferry records.

Pretty sure Newry is in NI, I didn't even think about importing/tax etc! 😱 

I thought it'd be the same as buying a car in the uk...?

[Dave_Q]

Sorry, I don't know Ireland that well so thought you were talking about the Republic.

Yeah if it's NI reg on a ABC 1234 type plate it will have a UK style logbook and you just fill it in as usual, nothing else to do.

[R Lutz]

Renault 21s were always massively underrated. I sold my last one in 2004. Regrettable but circumstantial. 

[Tomtation]

2 hours ago, Dave_Q said:

Sorry, I don't know Ireland that well so thought you were talking about the Republic.

Yeah if it's NI reg on a ABC 1234 type plate it will have a UK style logbook and you just fill it in as usual, nothing else to do.

English reg and previously an english car, so hopefully easy peasy. Nothing from seller yet, also just driven upto London in the C6 and remembered what an absolute delight the car is on long haul, slap it in 6th, smack the lower dash panel so the cruise works and electrically adjust the seat for a *relaxed driving appearance. The reluctant drivers side speaker even made an appearance, ftw.

Still, really want a savanna.

[warninglight]

Newry is indeed in NI (though not far from the border)

Even in the Republic you'll find plenty of older cars for sale still with UK plates and V5. They've never been exported, so don't need to be imported. 

[108]

2 minutes ago, warninglight said:

Newry is indeed in NI (though not far from the border)

Even in the Republic you'll find plenty of older cars for sale still with UK plates and V5. They've never been exported, so don't need to be imported. 

All true. Plenty of Republic dealers buy in NI but don’t re-register until sold. It’s fairly common all along the border and as far south as the Dublin area. 

[warninglight]

I've known a few VRT dodgers well beyond the pale, in Carlow etc.

After a year of doing the school run in the same UK reg car one particular guy came unstuck and had a big VRT bill to pay. He kept the car registered to his parents' place in Tyrone. Bit far to be dropping the kids to school in Carlow every morning.

[108]

1 hour ago, warninglight said:

I've known a few VRT dodgers well beyond the pale, in Carlow etc.

After a year of doing the school run in the same UK reg car one particular guy came unstuck and had a big VRT bill to pay. He kept the car registered to his parents' place in Tyrone. Bit far to be dropping the kids to school in Carlow every morning.

We had a similar situation here when a customs checkpoint blocked both exits from the village early one morning. 
 

Several siezed cars. 

Edited November 9 by 108
Spelling error. Not a good evening.

[Tomtation]

Cheers fellas, holding out hope for R21 content. Feels a little abstract rn but perseverence shall out etc

[grogee]

On 07/11/2025 at 14:28, Split_Pin said:

 living on the South Coast I presume they don't salt the roads very much.

They don't need to. The salty sea air does it automatically.