Hi, I can only comment on car insurance. If you can bring a letter from your insurance company showing 5-years no claims you will save on insurance. We purchased a car while in Ireland but found automatics not the favoured type of vehicle which we found quite strange. An automatic car would be much more beneficial on the Irish country roads. My husband always bemoaned the fact that he had to constantly row between the gears as the roads twisted and turned.

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Hulagirl, automatics are few and far between, and will thousands to the selling price. I agree that automatics on Irish roads make more sense, but, not so. I bought my car in Ireland, but am in France now, and driving a right hand drive car on the right or the left is second nature, and really makes no difference. I have found that Allianz is a good insurance company if you'll be registered in but driving outside of Ireland a lot. Can't advise on driving license as I am not an Irish citizen, and it's most likely different for you. Getting a sat nav will change your life, and, if all else fails, follow your man in front. :)

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Hello Hulagirl, on the subject of the left hand drive You will have make sure the headlights are aimed in the proper direction for driving on the left side , and vice versa when driving on the right side. My suggestion on the U.S. driver licenses, why don't both of you each get a international drivers permit , before you leave the U.S., doing this will allow you to drive thru Europe with Your U.S. License and the international permit. The permit will be valid for a year as long as your U.S. License is valid . I cannot help you with insurance, good luck.

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Can't offer much help on obtaining a LHD car or finding insurance for same, other than that I do see them on the road (mostly Germans who have holiday homes here)...as far as automatics are concerned, they are of course less common here than in the States, but becoming more available as years go by. Caution though, on buying used RHD automatics, as many will be former rental 'hire' cars that may or may not have been treated kindly by either the renter or hire company. In that case, look for brands / types that are not usually used as hire cars and avoid those with 'D" plates (most likely to have been owned by the hire car companies.)

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Hello! We lived in Ireland last year and bought a car from a dealer outside of Killarney. We ended up buying a standard ( manual) with right side driver's wheel. Automatics were hard to find and more $$. We had US licenses, international permits...but as far as Irish car insurance goes now...we needed to get an Irish license within a year. I have dual citizenship, but it didn't matter. If you already have an Irish license, it might be easier for you....best wishes!

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I think any of those that got a "International Drivers Permit" will find that as long as you are not driving in a country that has a different alphabet such as Bulgaria, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, and a few others you do not need such a permit. A US drivers license is valid in most all EU countries and many others as long as their language uses our same alphabet. I have never been asked for that International Permit when I rented a car in any of the 20+ European countries I was in.

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Don't have much to offer here other than my understanding that left-hand drive cars to purchase are hard to find in Ireland. Also, if you take the driving test in an automatic car, I am told you will receive a licence limited to driving automatic transmissions. Not the end of the world but good to be aware of.

Were you thinking of taking an automatic left-hand car on a ferry to the continent? I agree with those who say it's fairly easy to get used to driving on either the left or right sides but I would also agree that there are safety issues related to driving a left-hand car on left side, specifically related to headlights.

I will admit I have had a few minor scrapes in rental cars in Ireland while getting used to driving on the "wrong" side. Good thing I purchased full coverage!

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Renting a car, and owning a car, are two different things. If you own a car and want to insure it, you are going to pay dear if all you have is an international license.

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NO, renting or owning are the same in regards to the so called International Driving Permit. (IDP) The IDP is a useless piece of paper if you do not have a Government issued Drivers License. A IDP alone does not allow you to drive in any country. If you are from the US, a license would be issued from whatever State you live in. The federal US Government does not issue drivers licenses except for Military drivers. The IDP is issued by the AAA and another commercial company and is only (maybe) needed if you are going to drive in a country that uses a different alphabet. Even then it might not be accepted as it is not issued by any Government. The IDP is issued by a commercial company. It is in some respects a rip off. And you are incorrect about paying more for insurance. I had insurance from a Zurich Agent in Dublin. We discussed how I could get the best price. I asked about the IDP and he said they do not recognize it. What I needed was a "Full" State drivers license and a US insurance invoice that showed I had a accident free record for the last 5 years. I paid 450 Euro for full coverage for a full year. I am afraid a lot of people misunderstand what a IDP is. By itself it is useless, and with it could be also useless unless one is driving in those countries that might accept it. It is absolutely not needed for US drivers in Ireland for the first year !!! LOOK IT UP !!

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Yes, we had an IDP with our Australian Licence and a letter form our Australian insurance company stating that we had five years' claim free driving. We saved a fair amount of money on insurance. Also, one of the car dealers put us in contact with a Broker - RIP OFF! - we went direct to the insurance company and saved about E300.00!!!!

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Hello , International. Drivers Permit ; this is a identity permit that allows holders to drive a motor vehicle in any country that recognizes IDPs (72) countries .The IDP is only valid with the holder having a valid drivers license from his or her country or state. The IDP has no effect on the issuing of or getting a discount on a insurance policy..... !!!

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00abuse

Hello, there's no such thing as a international drivers license ,you're confusing that with a international drivers permit . You would never get insurance with a IDP . A IDP is a source of identification and must be used with a valid drivers license ,if not the IDP is scrap paper !!!!

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