As for insurance, it will largely depend on your age, and the type of car you decide to buy, but given that no Irish insurer will recognise any of your previous insurance cover or no claims bonus from outside the State, you will probably get hit pretty hard for your first year. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

 

As for buying a car, as long as you buy from a reputable dealer, you shouldn’t have any problems. Do your research on the make and model you want beforehand, and make sure you go in with a firm budget and stick to it. Don’t allow the salesman to try and steer you towards another model, and always be prepared to walk away and try elsewhere — plenty of cars on sale, so you don’t need to buy the first thing you see.