However, after moving off island we have realised that ManxCars.com would be in better hands with someone who lives locally on the island.

The ManxCars.com website, built on a customized implementation of the WordPress CMS, with all content including a back-office management tool (to review new private listings) is for sale. Also related domain names could be included. The website is ranking in a top 3 position for relevant car related keywords on Google UK, e.g. “manx cars”, “isle of man cars” and “isle of man cars for sale” etc.

If you are seriously interested in an acquisition, please contact us with an offer.

So, if you already are on a limitless budget, have inherited a lot of money, won on lottery or just fancy to have a look at the nicest cars around here in the Isle of Man – why not use our search cars page to have a scan through what is currently available. Use the sorting function to list the cars with the highest price first.

Make sure to check out the specifics of the cars, some of them have really impressive engines while some have the coolest gadgets. There is something for everyone. You can also use the link below to get straight to the list of the priciest cars currently available for sale.

››Most expensive cars in the Isle of Man

To list cars in order of cheapest to most expensive cars available, either use our search cars page and use the sorting option or just click on the link below and you will see the car listings of the chepeast cars in the top.

››Cheapest cars in the Isle of Man

Current rules for vehicle examination tests

Currently, only a limited number of vehicle types are required to go through annual vehicle examination tests (in the DoI’s words, they are ‘annually certifiable’) and these broadly include hire-and-drive vehicles older than three years, cars used as taxis or private hire vehicles, minibuses, buses, coaches, larger goods vehicles and all articulated goods vehicles.

The consultation exercise is considering the possibility of extending some form of test regime to private cars, which currently are only subject to a one-off test if they are more than three years old when first imported to the island.

Vehicles currently exempt from tests

A number of other classes of vehicle are also currently exempt, including motorcycles, trikes, quad bikes, and various others which are normally outwith private ownership, such as ambulances, fire engines, snow ploughs and the like.

Imported cars – vehicle test if 3+ years old

Any car or motorcycle being imported to the island which is over three years old must have a roadworthiness certificate before being registered, and any vehicle or motorcycle which has had a lapse in road fund duty of more than two years will, before it can be re-licensed, also require a roadworthiness certificate.

A number of other instances, including prohibited vehicles and exported vehicles being re-imported to the island, also call for the same certificate. Examiners also have the authority, on an ad-hoc basis, to inspect any vehicle being used on the island’s roads, along with the authority to prohibit any such vehicle from the road, and to force inspection of the vehicle.

Vehicle Testing Centre in Douglas

Tests are carried out at the Vehicle Testing Centre near Douglas, where cars, mopeds and motorcycles can be tested for £55 (£65 for a Saturday test), and all other classes – goods vehicles, buses etc. – for £63 (£73 on Saturday), with mileage fees chargeable should a test be required away from the test centre. Pedestrian-controlled vehicles can be tested from £21.

There are currently three levels of written defect classification, should a vehicle fail its test. A ‘defect notice’ indicates that the examiner deems a defect to be low risk.

A ‘defect letter’ indicates there is a low risk at present, but that some attention is required to the vehicle. If issued, the vehicle must be returned to the test centre within ten days with the defect corrected in order to be re-examined.

If there is any immediate danger to the owner or other road users, the vehicle must be removed immediately to a ‘place of repair’, although there is some flexibility on this if the owner can drive the car away taking due care, and taking account of the defect.

Getting a full driving licence in the Isle of Man isn’t as tough as some people may have perceived it to be, although you will have to pass the driving tests to be administered by the UK Driving Standards Agency (DSA), an executive agency under the umbrella of the Department for Transport.

The Isle of man Driving Test Centre, where all driving tests in Manx are administered, is located at Ballafletcher Road, Braddan, Douglas IM4 4QJ.

Before being granted a full licence, there are two types of tests to be passed: the driving theory test and the practical driving test, although one has to pass the driving theory test first to be eligible to take the practical driving test. These two tests are discussed further below.

The Driving Theory Test

There are about 1.6 million people around the UK that take the driving theory test annually, and based on the latest figures, the pass rate is around 65%. The Driving Theory test has two components: the computer-based multiple choice test and the hazard perception test, both of which are taken on the same testing session. One has to pass both tests on the same testing session to be granted a Theory Test Pass Certificate, a requirement for the practical driving test.

Multiple choice test questions vary in every category of vehicles the applicant is applying a driving licence for. As such, every set of questions will be different for motorcycles, cars, buses, public utility vehicles and other articulated vehicles. Basic knowledge of the Highway Code and UK traffic signs will be essential to be able to pass the multiple choice test.

The hazard perception test is designed to test the reaction capability of the applicant when subjected to hazardous driving conditions or when faced with a potential road dangers. To simulate these road dangers and hazardous driving conditions, multiple short video clips of different driving situations are shown, and the applicant must show what he or she would do to prevent any accident from taking place.

The Practical Driving Test

The practical driving test, composed of the eyesight check, vehicle safety-related questions check, driving ability check and the independent driving check, is designed to test an applicant’s ability to drive safely and effectively in all traffic and road conditions and determine an applicant’s practical knowledge of the Highway Code by observing the applicant’s driving actions and reactions during this test.

The practical driving test usually starts with an eyesight check by the examiner. The applicant is asked to read two vehicle licence plates at a distance of 20 metres for new-style plates and 20.5 metres for old-style plates. Should an applicant fail this eyesight check, the examiner won’t continue with the rest of the test and will mark the applicant as failed.

After the applicant has passed eyesight check, the examiner will then ask the applicant two vehicle safety-related questions. These questions usually take a “tell me and show me” format. For example, the examiner will ask the applicant to tell how to do a vehicle safety check, and then ask the applicant to demonstrate how he or she would carry out what he or she had just told the examiner.

After the examiner is satisfied with the results of the “tell me and show me” session, the applicant will be subjected to a 40-minute driving ability check. During this session, the applicant will be instructed to drive on a pre-determined route of varying traffic and road conditions. The examiner will give a series of directions that the applicant should follow. The driving ability check usually involves a demonstration by the applicant of his or her driving ability during normal stops, angle starts, hill starts, emergency stops, reversing the car safely, reverse parking, parallel parking and turning at different angles.

The last part of the practical driving test is the 10-minute independent driving check. During this session, the applicant will be tested on his or her navigational and orientation skills. The examiner will instruct the applicant to go from point A to point B by just simply following the road directional signs and traffic signs, without any direct intervention from the examiner.

Passed or failed the test?

After the practical driving test, the examiner will tell the applicant how he or she fared in the test as well as tell the applicant whether he or she passed or failed the test. A passing mark will make the applicant be eligible to apply for a full driving licence. A failing mark, on the other hand, would mean that the applicant would have to wait for at least 10 working days before being allowed to take the practical driving test again.

At present, there is no compulsory test regime for private cars, other than for those which are more than 3 years old when first imported to the island. This is in marked contrast to the MoT testing regime in the UK, where vehicles are tested every year after their third year, and in the majority of Europe, where tests are typically carried out after four years, and every two years thereafter.

The Director of Highways, Richard Pearson, has stated that the cost of accidents on the island is between £28m and £40m per annum, with the “human cost” taking this even higher. It is thought that a one off test every 10 years, perhaps, could make significant differences to the number of accidents.

Interim results

Whilst the full results of the consultation haven’t yet been published, interim releases to the press indicate that around 5,000 islanders have responded to the exercise, the vast majority doing so online. The Department of Infrastructure indicate that they will now proceed to examining the responses, and will announce their findings in due course.

Petitioners

Outwith the bounds of the consultation, some residents have expressed dissatisfaction with the proposals. Tony East, the secretary of the Vintage Motorcycle Club, has accused the proposals of being a money-making exercise, whilst acknowledging that the island is ‘facing issues’ in this regard. Mr East has handed a petition against the proposal of over 1,000 signatures, apparently gathered from vintage vehicle owners such as himself, to the Manx government.

Final Results

We’ll present a further update once the Department of Infrastructure has released the full results of the consultation.

After installing the toolbar in your browser, you will have a section in the top of your browser, where you will see the most recently listed cars on the website, see the latest Isle of Man car news from ManxCars.com and also easily be able to search for cars and on Google directly from your browser.

Try the first Isle of Man Cars web toolbar today you too!

More than 600 responses have been received by the Department of Infrastructure since the survey’s launch, early in December 2012.

Compulsory vehicle testing reduces accident rates

The Director of Highways for the island, Richard Pearson, pointed to international studies which show that compulsory vehicle testing and maintenance reduces accident rates, adding that the human cost of car accidents on the Isle of Man far outweighs the physical cost, estimated at an annual total of between 28 and 40 million pounds.

No recurring compulsory testing today

At present, the island has no system in place for compulsory testing, apart from initial tests carried out when cars are brought onto the island from the UK or elsewhere. The Department of Infrastructure examines vehicles which have been in fatal road traffic accidents, and has concluded that 10% of these appear to have contributory mechanical factors.

Roadside checks currently carried out

Roadside checks are also carried out in co-operation with the Isle of Man Constabulary, and whilst issues such as faulty lights and worn tyres are easily found, there are concerns about defects which might not be apparent at a roadside inspection.

MoT test in the UK

In the UK, new vehicles must be tested after three years on the road, and on an annual basis thereafter; in Europe, the initial period is four years, again with annual testing to follow. MoT testing was introduced to the UK in 1960, initially for vehicles that were 10 years old or more, but this was reduced progressively to the current three year initial period in April 1967.

MoT test stands for Ministry of Transport test, in the United Kingdom and relates to a defunct Government department which was one of several ancestors of the current Department for Transport.

The initial scope was confined to simple lights, brakes and steering tests, but the list of checkable items has steadily expanded over the years, with many revisions coming about as a result of European Union directives covering their member states.

The consultation runs until 1 February 2013.

This means that all Brent Mealin’s vehicles are available and searchable on our “Search cars” page.

Currently we have more than 100 cars indexed on ManxCars.com but more cars, also from other dealers, will be added over the next coming weeks. So keep looking and you will see that the number of cars listed is growing steadily.

The latest addition is Bespoke Group Limited in Peel and we are happy to be able to announce that the Bespoke Group Limited car dealer in Peel is now included on the vehicle search database on ManxCars.com.

This means that all the vehicles from Bespoke will be available and searchable on our “Search cars” page.