Car rental v buying a car

irishtravels · Newbie

Car rental v buying a car

tony2phones · Guru

Logistics...

Car for E1000 no problem. finding one with 2 months Road Tax and NCT (safety test) at that price in Dublin, no chance, Clare and Limerick (Shannon area) quite possible. Selling for the same price in a 2/3 day window at the end ?? probably a different animal especially as the tax & test might be out.

Insurance.. Problems..1) You need an Irish address (also for the transfer of Car ownership) -- 2) temporary insurance in Ireland is very limited and would cover 28 days at a time.. You would most likely need to set up 12 months pay by instalments and cancel after the 2 you need.. If you have a no claims bonus at home you would possibly be able to transfer that onto an Irish policy but probably also have to cancel the one at home to do this?

Find the Insurance cost 1st.. then figure out how much you can loose on the car... then decide if its worth it..

Welcome to the forum..

Michele Erdvig · Host

Since I visit Ireland so often I have looked into this. I have a place I could leave a car between visits and I could use that as my Irish address. It is the insurance that is the sticking point. Also, not having an Irish bank account. Do look into it but you may find (like me) that it is just not worth the hassle.

yesiree · Guru

I've also looked into it. In the end, it's unlikely that you'll save much money unless all the stars align and everything goes perfectly (although you have the advantage of an Irish drivers license... so if you have an address, insurance "might" be easier).

One big advantage with renting is that you'll have a car that is in perfect condition; and if there are any problems, you just turn it in for a new one.

We use our Drivers Edge World Card for the rental which covers insurance (some travel insurance plans do as well... you just need a letter of coverage). We use that card to keep the car rental price down (although your rate sounds about right). Coverage is limited to 28 days, so most car hire companies allow you to set up multiple contracts, and you swap out cars every 30 days.