Any members in Ireland?

[HoleshotHolset]

I spent the 9th thru the 15th of Jan. there... .



Very fun trip..... drove cross country from Dublin to Galway. Saw Limerick, Tullamore - and a lot of County Clare while we were at it.



I didn't see a single Dodge Ram while I was there, nevermind a CTD/Ram... . the biggest thing I saw was a P. O. S. Toyota Hilux... at least it was diesel.



The class-8 trucks were ALL cabovers - Scania was the predominant brand, with Hino and Iveco being popular as well.



TDR members in Ireland... . speak up... . and prove me wrong that there are no CTD's in Ireland.



Matt

 

[RKohn]

I would gladly go, but....

I can't find a tall enough snorkle so I can drive over there.

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

It's a great Crack!!!

I was an honorary TDR member in Ireland between January and October 2001, based out of Dublin. You should have been over there then!



There are several reasons why you won't see many if any US vehicles in Ireland. Firstly, there is a vehicle import tax which adds 25% on top when you import ... . that's 25% on top of the combined stateside purchase price inclusive of local sales taxes, plus shipping charges. and then to add insult to injury, they stick you with another indirect tax called VAT (Value Added Tax) at 17. 5%.



You do the math and that's why... ..... Oh I almost forgot, if your pockets are deep enough and you've paid nearly twice the US$ street price to get on the road in Ireland, then you also have to pay an annual road fund licence, for the privilege of driving on Irish roads - don't laugh please!! - The killer punch here is the tax is based on your engine size, so 5. 9L is gonna set you back another US$5k.



Okay, you've bitten that bullet and you're still in the game, surely that's it right? - wrong - how wrong can you be?:{ :{ When you were driving around you obviously had the chance to witness the local driving skills at first hand. This accounts for punitive insurance premiums, again with an engine size factor judiciously applied.



Putting aside the indifferent approach to driving, humungous amounts of traffic in and around the Dublin area especially and an under developed road network, where gridlock is the norm for more than 60% of any average day you can now better understand why? BTW diesel costs more too something like US$4/gallon.



You mention that the big Rigs are nearly all Scanias, with Cab over styles. Well that's the same for much of Europe with a few exceptions. This is because there are rigid overall vehicle length laws covering the tractor and trailer, so if you have a conventional shape, you lose trailer capacity, and there's only so high you cango to compensate.



On a lighter side though, I was able to sidestep most of them taxes as I have a British registration and was classed as a visitor.

Yes the country is very nice, you should have visited England, where the regime is much more hospitable and you would have found Big rigs and lots of American trucks and other vehicles on the roads. The percentage is still small though (1:100) but at various times of the year there are national events where Hot Rods and other American vehicle enthusiasts get together.



When are you back across the pond again? Eric (me4osu) is over in Warsaw and Berlin next week. We might hook up in Munich with a few other TDR members. RAMs are very much a rarity over here!!!

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Woha Johny Mac is Johny on the spot! I went Lookin' for ya after I reda MTY's post to bring ya over to this forum ... ... Man That was weird

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

This is wierder.....

Originally posted by ToolManTimTaylor

Woha Johny Mac is Johny on the spot! I went Lookin' for ya after I reda MTY's post to bring ya over to this forum ... ... Man That was weird

Guess what Tim, next time I'm back in the UK I'm going to check out Hooters in Nottingham, England. Got any tips?



JMc

 

[The patriot]

My Moms's family was over visiting this past summer.

They liked my "lorri"(sp?), that's Irish for CTD.

Eric

 

[HoleshotHolset]

"lorrey" is actually an English term... .



I really liked mini-Europe... . this is the term that I affectionately have given to Ireland. The reason for this is that this was my first journey over the pond... .



Yeah, the roads are absolutely horribly designed/shaped/sized..... and the added bonus of the mud and rocks as a shoulder is sweet too.



The best part of Ireland is the pubs - they ALL have Guinness... . no more walking into a pub - looking at the taps and having to turn around and walk out just because they didn't have Guinness.



My next trip across the pond? I dunno... . I have to let the bank account and vacation time recover for a while.



Matt

 

[The patriot]

I've been to a pub with my Grandfather. That was in 1971, so I didnt partake in the stout. I was only 8 years old.

Eric

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I saw quite a few kids in the pubs in the outskirts of various Irish towns..... they weren't partaking in the stout either... . but Mom and Dad sure were!



Matt

 

[The patriot]

Originally posted by HoleshotHolset

Yeah, the roads are absolutely horribly designed/shaped/sized..... and the added bonus of the mud and rocks as a shoulder is sweet too.

Yes, I never thought of little Fiats as being so dangerous, but being driven like that... ... THEY WERE!!! :-laf

Eric

 

[HoleshotHolset]

The Fiats were popular... . as were the Opels and TONS of Volkswagen TDI's... . even some of the models we can't get here in the states.



Matt