subject: Purchase Of Used Cars In Northern Ireland - Know The Rules And Where To Find Them [print this page] If you are looking to buy used cars in Northern Ireland, it will be of use to you to know Ireland better. This will help you locate the best dealers in used cars and enable you to get good deals from reputed ones.
Essentially, Northern Ireland is totally different from the Republic of Ireland, which is a separate sovereign state. Northern Ireland still remains under UK jurisdiction, and the automotive industry activity here is concentrated around the Belfast / Antrim areas. Ford was one company that had a lot of success in Northern Ireland with its Blue Opel model and you will find a lot of used Ford models up for grabs when you visit the dealers.
You will also do well to acquaint yourself with the rules of transfer of ownership of the car as per Northern Ireland laws, and whether the car you wish to purchase has passed the NCT test.
It is fact that it is much cheaper to buy a used car, since this is one product that depreciates quickly. You can get access to used cars in Northern Ireland from three main sources:
a) When you purchase a car from one of the garages or from an authorised car dealer, you are protected under the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act of 1980 due to the fact that you are a consumer. Under this, if you find the car faulty after purchase, you can take it back to the seller whose responsibility it is to set it right and make it road worthy again. Alternately, if the seller offers you an extended warranty, you need to weigh it against the cost of possible repairs in the near future and make the decision you think best.
b) Purchasing cars at an auction will get you good bargains, but here you must be aware that the person conducting the auction cannot be held responsible for any faults or malfunction in the vehicle after purchase. While bidding for the vehicle itself, you are accepting the normal terms and conditions associated with such auctions and you will have no legal protection to proceed against anybody for any defect that you find in the product at a later stage.
c) You can also purchase used cars advertised in the print as well on the internet. Since this is likely to be from people whose main business is not selling cars, you will not be treated as a consumer and will not get the legal protection if you find that the car you have purchased has some defect. The only ground on which you can make some case is if you can prove that the defect is such that it would endanger the person driving the vehicle. It is thus advisable to take along a trusted person who knows a lot about the functioning of cars with you and take his considered opinion before making the purchase.
