Hi John,

It’s a bit of a tricky one. Before 2004, you could have just looked at the vehicle’s logbook and seen the list of previous owners there. With the current vehicle registration certificate, it’s less easy to see, as it’s the vehicle’s seller that sends that off, with your details, to the office in Shannon to be re-registered in your name. If you’re buying the car from a private individual, then clearly you will get to meet that person, but if buying from a dealer, it might just be the dealer name that appears on the registration document when you inspect it. According to the Driver and Vehicle Computer Services Division of the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport, "Given the sensitivity of National Vehicle and Driver File data, full details of either driver licensing or vehicle data will only be issued through the post to the data subject or provided to his/her legal representative."