Irish Land Cruisers

[greengrass]

Just come back from a holiday touring around Ireland, no green laning. Sorry folks.

Everywhere you go in rural areas they all have commercial cruisers with no rear seats or windows. didn't manage to get any pics sadly.
Hardly a landrover in sight

All 90,120 and 150 series, something to do with their road tax system I think.

Every time I parked up people were looking at poor little Sluug strangely because she has windows in the back, a rare sight over there.

Seriouslly thinking about getting a lwb commercial when the Hi-lux comes up for replacement but not sure whats involved with importing from Ireland.

 

[Bob]

Correct on the road tax issue. My commercial costs €330 per year to tax, compared to €1295 for the passenger version. Incidentally the same tax rate applies to a commercial 100 or 80 series. There was even a loophole for a while that you could modify a 100 series to be a 5 seater with a bulkhead behind and class it as a crew cab! But that's long gone now.

There are a few passenger cruisers about but they are in the minority. The commercial 90 and 120 are hugely popular here. We like stuff that doesn't break!

I could have told you about the lack of lanes. It's a land ownership historical thing. It is a pity. Whereabouts were you?

 

[greengrass]

My first stop was Johnstown co. kilkenny, then onto killenaule co. tipperary both of those were stops with family. Down to the rock of Cashel and Clonmel on the way to Carrick on suir co. waterford which was the next family stop.
A quick look at mahon falls on the way to dungaven then along the coastal road via Clanae beach and Tranmere on the way to Waterford.
The last night was in Kilkenny itself before heading back to the ferry and home.
Not bad for a 5 day flying visit
Was I anywhere near you Bob???

Such a great truck in commercial form we just don't have them over here. Shogun commercials are popular over here and the troopers were before they became obsolete Toyota never gave it a go sadly.
I am seriously thinking of replacing my Hi-lux with a lwb version in time it would save me awkwardly having to climb in the back of my 'lux to reach things. Much easier to open a passenger door.

 

[Bob]

Not a million miles away, I live about 40 minutes north of Johnstown. Its a nice part of the country there. Yeah i always get pulled and searched at customs in UK ports as they are very suspicious of the blanked windows! But it helps at tolls, especially the Severn Bridge as i only pay a car rate - every toll in Ireland I pay the light truck rate.

I have my truck 4 and a half years and it is just a great all round truck. If you don't need the back seats the commercial makes so much sense. The amount of stuff you can put in the back is really surprising, and the back doors are very handy for throwing small stuff in. I have tool storage built between the back doors, and the rest of the rear floor empty for stuff.
I would imagine its not too difficult to re register an Irish truck in the UK. I know its dead easy to do it the other way around (Dozens of Passats, A4s and other such like are brought in every day here from the UK, both by dealers and privately). Plus theres a huge choice here, and if you are careful you could find a really clean one (like mine but its not for sale!). Have a look here >>http://www.donedeal.ie/find/all/for-sale/Ireland/landcruiser - its a pretty popular place to sell.

P.S if you ever need one viewed, feel free to ask.

 

[IRLGW]

I have an 80 series but keep in on a uk plate and reg it to the family home up north. Its dead handy to get a car out of Ireland just send the crappy logbook to some thatched cottage in co.clare if I remember correctly, and you will get a letter a few weeks later acknowledging the export. Then just up to your dvla and pay the money for a new v5 and an mot. Personally I would drive it on the irish plates until the tax and mot runs out and save yourself a few penalty points.....

 

[greengrass]

Thanks for that Bob, there are loads of them on that website.

Irlgw so you've never had to pay any kind of import duty or additional fees for bringing the 80 over??
Just filling in some forms and pay for a log book sounds very simple.

 

[yogi]

I have an 80 series but keep in on a uk plate and reg it to the family home up north. Its dead handy to get a car out of Ireland just send the crappy logbook to some thatched cottage in co.clare if I remember correctly, and you will get a letter a few weeks later acknowledging the export. Then just up to your dvla and pay the money for a new v5 and an mot. Personally I would drive it on the irish plates until the tax and mot runs out and save yourself a few penalty points.....

How do you get away with that? I did the same for years with UK reg cars, was great, no tax or MOT to pay for. Until the 'traffic squad/revenue collectors' were invented by an benta/garda. I may have had to take some evasive action the last time when they turned behind me on the road and tried to come after me to seize my car.

And I had livestock etc still in my name in NI at the time, that still wasn't enough for them, I wasn't just using the 'family address'.

Whilst I think you very right to be avoiding the crooked VRT system here in Ireland, I'd be very careful. Especially if you run into one of those damned RSA checkpoints. They are so bad now that a local mechanic driving a lorry to the DOE (test) centre where he works had the lorry seized until he came back with documentary evidence that the lorry was insured AND that he had a booking for it recorded in writing at the garage to show that the untaxed/tested vehicle was only being moved for 'essential maintainance relating to a previously arranged DOE test. And this was all while wearing his work overalls!!
Such a shower of ...ts....


While I think