Ireland - rent or purchse a car - Dingle

Leaving a car at an airport would be very expensive, and finding reliable and secure storage off site is difficult and probably also expensive. Can you leave a car at your house? Would it be possible catch a bus or train to your town and then a cab to your house.
Have you asked around to see how much insurance charges would be on an automobile in Ireland?

Question: we are considering buying a car and leaving it at the Dublin Airport in long term parking when we are not in Ireland.

Would it not be cheaper to store the car at your cottage vs the expense of long term airport parking , and take a taxi or whatever, to get to/from the airport when you are there?

Tom,
First, let me say what a dream come true for you. Oh my gosh, how I would love to do something like that, too.

I could obtain Irish citizenry thru my mother's side, but need to seek paperwork for my grandmother's birth and marriage, and I have been told those records were destroyed in a church fire........but I am sure if I put enough effort into it, I could gather something. But, for fun, I have looked at homes in Ireland for sale, just for fun.

But, to answer your question re: car. The only problem (other than expense) that I could anticipate with leaving a car in long-term parking for a prolonged period of time would be keeping a charge in the battery. Would not do you much good if you arrive in Shannon and the car would not start. And, you could have the same problem with one parked at your residence (if not used for a long time), but might be more practical there to hook up to a trickle charge (or something like that...or have trusted Irish neighbor hook it up for you a day or two before you plan to arrive)....or just recharge it once you get delivered to your Irish home by a taxi/car service.

But, for your first long-term stay, I would suggest just negotiating a long-term rental or a short-term lease of a car, just to get a feel for what might work best.

Looked up the cover for the RS 2018 guide, and oh my gosh, reminded me how lovely Dingle is (we went thru there by car ever so quickly late one afternoon), but how wonderful to wake up in that environment every morning.............. enjoy!!!! Buy (if you have not already) several copies of the 2018 guide.....would be fun to frame the cover to place on a shelf in your home (or both homes).....or just to have a copy of the book in both locales.

Maggie

Thank you. Yes, we have purchased a cottage on Slea Head Drive. My wife is thrilled. It took ten years to get that accomplished.
The center of the 2018 book cover and slightly left.

We also have a Suburban in long term storage in Colorado. We were able to purchase a photovoltaic trickle battery charger. It sets on the dash and plugs into the middle seat 12 volt power plug. The front ones would turn off after a while. The middle row stays connected. It costs approximately $20.00. Works great and saves the battery.

My wife's father was born in Cork. We went to County Cork and were able to get the birth certificate and baptismal certificate. We also understand that you can now order and pay for the copies online. She and our son, are working on their dual citizenship and dual passports. I am going to try for a residency. I am almost 50% Irish myself. Otherwise, I can carry her bags.

We have not come up with a good solution for car rentals versus buying. I am taking your suggestion to heart. Leaving it in Dingle. We can take the train to Tralee and get a cab or Uber to Dingle. Yes, we have a garage. It would work out for us. That would also allow us to acclimate to the jet lag.

To you and the Rick Steves crew. Thank you. I heard a talk by Rick Steves in Oklahoma City about twenty years ago. He spoke favorably about Ireland. And specifically of Dingle Town. He was absolutely correct. A wonderful country and great people I have never met better and more polite people in my life.

There are a couple of Americans that have cottages in Dunquinn, Ireland. I am hoping to meet them and see what they do.

Thank you

/s/ Tom Milam, Jr.

To: David and Joe:

Thank you for your remarks and suggestions.

It costs approximately ten euros a day, to keep a car at the Dublin Airport in long term parking, with the liabilities.
Someone might have a better suggestion.

We have been paying more than 150 Euros a day for rental cars and full insurance.

It would make our holidays much more relaxing, not having to worry about a rental car.
We can finance a nice SUV with insurance for approximately 500 Euros a month.
Ford of Ireland offers packages that include financing and insurance, Will look into that this next trip. I am sure that other companies have them as well.
Would love to hear from them.
Will also check out other options.

We can get better rates into Dublin than Shannon, Cork, or Kerry. However, we will always try them first. Dublin is a long way for us.
We have a son at SMU in 1st year law. He is only 23. We are finding that rental insurance require at least 25 years or older. We are hoping that we can get private insurance that would include our son. He has been accepted to an Oxford summer session. That would make it easy for him to take a group to Ireland for the weekends. Had a sister and niece attend Trinity in Dublin. They loved it there.
We are slowly learning our way around. Fortunately, a lot of people have been very helpful to us.

We are trying.
Thanks,
/s/ Tom Milam, Jr.
Yes, Milam is a shortened version of Mileham England, A long story.

Maggie:

Going to order more of Rick Steves 2018 Book On Ireland.
Hopefully, there are some left.

Tom

Requiring a full sized vehicle with automatic transmission is what's driving up the cost of a proposed rental. If those features are absolute requirements for you then just buying a vehicle and storing it at your cottage is probably the more cost-effective option.
For some reason the "magic number" of days for renting a car in Ireland is 28 days. Anything beyond that generates a dramatic increase in cost. If you could live with a compact or mid-sized vehicle (and with manual transmission) you can find 28 day rentals thru Hertz on the Auto Europe website for a basic rate of $600 (for 28 days) and for $955 inclusive of basic insurance coverage.
Since you plan to spend several months per year in the country, that money is probably better spent on the purchase of a vehicle locally - customized according to your particular requirements. Would save you a lot of Euros over the long haul.

For longer term use of a vehicle in Europe, consider leasing. I believe it can be from 17 days to six months (no shorter or longer). The price of the lease includes full CDW. I've found leasing is a really good option when you want other than a basic economy car (because the resale value is much higher). I leased once for a family trip from Amsterdam to Rome.

For a good rental insurance option, consider American Express' full CDW insurance through some (not all) of their cards. I used to get it through the Costco card, now I have an Everyday Cash card that includes the rental insurance option. There are details relating to what state you live in and which places you are visiting but I've used it in Spain and France with no problems (including them paying for my first damaged car). I get charged a flat $25 for up to 40 day rental. It's a flat charge, not per day, so really saves a lot of money.

Tom, if you start a blog about your experiences as they unfold, I would love to follow along.

My grandmother was born in Rathlena, a tiny little village in County Roscommon, but it was absolutely magical visiting the (still standing) ruins of the cottage in which she and her 12 siblings were raised. Before our trip, I found on-line old Census records, of course, handwritten from that time. But, the thrill was locating a distant cousin before our trip, who kindly met us, took us around and showed us the family cottage, other family homes, church, graves, etc. Pretty magical. Hearing about current life and life during harder times in Ireland (when my cousin was young and so many others headed to the US) was truly fascinating.

With time on the ground there, you and your wife will likely be able to learn even more about your families' heritage and maybe even locate some on various living branches of the family tree. The Irish seem to cherish the family history, and they seem to share knowledge (or connect you with others who have the knowledge) readily. It was an owner of a B&B that provided the missing link for me when I was grasping at straws before traveling to Ireland, and it was such a quick, easy connection for him based on just first names of a cousin and her husband (I only had first names) and the old, original family name of my grandmother.....amazing!!

My cousin told me that they pray for the immigrants (meaning us, the families of those who left on ships) in church periodically. I found it odd to be referred to as an immigrant. And several referred to our trip as "coming home."

I smiled as I looked at the Guidebook cover again on line and saw the cottage that is now yours :)

Godspeed to you! Enjoy!

I'd suggest leaving your car at your holiday home, then you know its safe and secure.

There are regular coaches from Tralee and Killarney to Dublin Airport, so it may be just a case of getting a local bus or taxi into one of those two towns.

If you are looking at buying a used car and are in ireland at the moment, id suggest taking the opportunity to look at buying a car now. A lot of used cars in showrooms around ireland are imported from the uk. No once knows whats happening with brexit yet, but there is a chance used car prices will increase if duty has to be paid on imports at the end of March. I picked up a car for my wife myself in the uk this week and there was several car transporters on the ferry. Dealers are currently filling their sales yards with uk cars ahead of brexit. Its a good time to buy.

If you are considering buying a new brand motor you should be fine.

Thank you Maggie:

My wife's father is from Cork. His mother's name was O'Haggerty(?)
My grandmother's name was Mullen. Not sure from where yet.

We agree, trying to find out where our families came from.
Thank you for your help.

/s/ Tom Milam, jr.

Brad:

I have the full CDW coverage from American Express. Apparently, the optional coverage does not cover Ireland, India, or Israel. But the regular Platinum coverage does cover part of it. Insuring Americans driving on the left side of the road for the first time, is not for the faint of heart.

Tom

alanwexford

Thank you for your insight.

We are now looking for a place to store a car in Tralee, ireland. It is an one hour drive from the train station in Tralee to our holiday home on Dingle.

We are also looking into leaving the car at our holiday home as you suggested. Looking for a cab driver from Tralee to Dingle.

Appreciate the suggestions. Will investigate all of above on our next trip.

Thanks,

/s/ Tom Milam, Jr.

Tom,
I will send you a Private Message re: the Mullen name.