Why do car dealers hate Donegal regs? 

While it may be a minority view, David Tobin from David Tobin Cars said he is acutely aware that a significant number of people do not like buying cars from Ireland’s most north-westerly county. 

“I wouldn’t say there’s a reg that nobody wants,” he explained to Lunchtime Live.  

“But one that definitely always sticks out is Donegal; it’s not that they don’t want it.” 

Road signs as Gaeilge and in English in Donegal. Image: Alan Curtis/Alamy

He added that it is a “superficial thing” - but real nonetheless. 

“We got a car last week, a Mercedes D Class,” he said. 

“Even before I bought it, I remember looking at it and thinking, ‘Will I buy it with the Donegal reg?’ 

“Then my wife saw it and she said, ‘That’s a lovely car, shame about the reg.’ 

“Then my mechanic said the exact same thing.” 

Why?

Mr Tobin said he had a number of theories why this is the case. 

“People have this idea in their head about Donegal that some roads aren’t good up there, they’re very hard on their cars and so on,” he said. 

“I just think really it’s based on where you’re living; maybe because Donegal is so far from Cork, for example? 

“Then again, the cars up there are second to none and are in fantastic condition. 

“If I had the choice, if I see the reg on the car, I wouldn’t have it on it. 

“I have had it on occasion of trying to sell cars and people would come in and they will say, ‘Oh, you never said the car had a Donegal reg, I’m not interested in it now anymore.’”

David Tobin Cars is based in Fermoy, County Cork and has noticed his customers often dislike car regs from one other county as well. 

“It wasn’t just Donegal, people saying they wouldn’t touch a Dublin reg car,” he said. 

“Which to me, I thought was unusual, because to me the go to usually is Cork or Dublin. 

“Dublin is just such a normal reg to me.”

Main image: A secomdhand car dealership. Picture by Carsten Koall/Getty Images.