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Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q&A)

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Comments

  • #652
    Celtic Mech
    Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭Celtic Mech


    IS there any restriction imposed if I bring a car in, VRT it and get Irish Plates.......Do i have to keep the car 12 months before selling it on or can i sell it on straight away if i wanted to?


  • #653
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    Celtic Mech wrote:
    IS there any restriction imposed if I bring a car in, VRT it and get Irish Plates.......Do i have to keep the car 12 months before selling it on or can i sell it on straight away if i wanted to?

    No restrictions whatsoever- you could sell it the following day- but it does take a few weeks to get your Certificate of Registration- so you'd be chasing paperwork for a while.


  • #654
    Celtic Mech
    Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭Celtic Mech


    smccarrick wrote: »
    No restrictions whatsoever- you could sell it the following day- but it does take a few weeks to get your Certificate of Registration- so you'd be chasing paperwork for a while.

    Thanks for your quick reply smcarrick. Much appreciated.


  • #655
    Quattro
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭Quattro


    Ok, as far as I understand:

    1. You buy a car, check it, bring it to ROI.
    2. Pay VRT regardless if it is damaged or not (today VRT said bring your car and well see if there will be lower VRT) I understand they can decreased by couple hundreds sometimes.
    3. Pass NCT, pay road tax.
    4. If you don't have traders license you can only buy 2 cars per year. (I ordered license today). otherwise you'll have to pay VAT and set up your own company?

    Question:
    Does it always takes a couple weeks to get Certificate of Registration? Can i drive it when i dont have certificate? And can i get number plates without it? If not Can i drive it with NI plates till then?


  • #656
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    Your VRT cert will have your new registration details on it- this is fine for getting number plates made up.

    Length of time to get your certificate of registration varies depending on the time of the year- its longest around now- shortest when the number of registrations is lowest (I think its about a 2-3 week backlog at the moment).

    You can drive as long as your car is taxed and insured- you do not need this certificate. The VRT cert will suffice if stopped by a Garda and asked to produced proof of ownership.


  • #657
    Quattro
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭Quattro


    Ok, i start to get everything here. Is it worth to bring a damaged one and fix it (it would cost me cheaper to fix it than normally in the Irish garage) Or it is better to get not damaged one? What sais experience? Thank You smmcarrick.


  • #658
    gary the great
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,665 ✭✭✭gary the great


    Who are the cheapest to do a quick mechanical check on the car.
    Like I only want somebody to have a quick 10minute check over to make sure its not a heap and theres nothing major wrong with it. I dont want to have to pay 180plus for that?


  • #659
    zing
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,095 ✭✭✭zing


    Is it safe to assume that the change over of the 0X plates in the UK has the same affect on availability as the yearly change overs traditionally have here ? I was looking to import a car in the middle of next month but I'll hold off for a few weeks if it'll be worth my while in terms of choice of cars.


  • #660
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    zing wrote:
    Is it safe to assume that the change over of the 0X plates in the UK has the same affect on availability as the yearly change overs traditionally have here ? I was looking to import a car in the middle of next month but I'll hold off for a few weeks if it'll be worth my while in terms of choice of cars.

    No- the UK registration year runs from July to July- it doesn't use the calendar year.


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  • #661
    Ta me anseo
    Registered Users Posts: 234 ✭✭Ta me anseo


    zing,

    The plates in the UK run from March to September meaning that any given year will have three registration change periods. A 2007 car could be on 56, 07 or 57 plates.

    Come the 1st March, the choice in the UK should increase as people change their cars for the first registrations with an 8 in them (08 regs). So yes, you will have more choice for second hand cars, but the prices will be a little higher too as more people will be waiting to do what you are thinking of doing!

    Wait tentatively till March, but in the meantime, if your dream car with ideal spec and keen price should show it's face, take it!!! No point waiting only to find that you can't get what you want but could have had it in Feb!


  • #662
    Ta me anseo
    Registered Users Posts: 234 ✭✭Ta me anseo


    What car are you looking at zing?


  • #663
    zing
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,095 ✭✭✭zing


    Ta me anseo wrote: »
    zing,

    The plates in the UK run from March to September meaning that any given year will have three registration change periods. A 2007 car could be on 56, 07 or 57 plates.

    Yup - aware of that. Probably should have made that clearer in the orig post. I'm sure a 56 plate V an 07 plate for a 2007 car would be an issue for some people in the UK but matters not to us as long as the car on the 56 plate was reg'd in Jan or Feb '07.
    Come the 1st March, the choice in the UK should increase as people change their cars for the first registrations with an 8 in them (08 regs). So yes, you will have more choice for second hand cars, but the prices will be a little higher too as more people will be waiting to do what you are thinking of doing!

    Wait tentatively till March, but in the meantime, if your dream car with ideal spec and keen price should show it's face, take it!!! No point waiting only to find that you can't get what you want but could have had it in Feb!

    Cheers for that. Figured there'd be more availability but thought more cars on forecourts would have meant more potential to do deals. Am looking at an '04 or '05 520i or 525i with the usual spec (i.e. as little mileage as possible and as many extras as possible - am aware extras potentially/probably = more in vrt). There's a few interesting cars coming up now but it doesn't suit me to travel for another couple of weeks so for now I'm just trying to keep an eye on the market. Will be keeping a close eye on autotrader, bmw.co.uk, car supermarket sites, etc.. between now & then and ringing the odd dealer (some very odd I'm sure) to try get a feel for how long the cars are typically staying on the forecourt and what sort of cash discounts are out there.

    smccarrick - iirc they haven't used July -> July (or more specifically Aug -> July) in about 10 years. Around then they switched to a new letter every 6 months and in 2001 switched to current the 0x/5x style plates.


  • #664
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    zing wrote: »
    smccarrick - iirc they haven't used July -> July (or more specifically Aug -> July) in about 10 years. Around then they switched to a new letter every 6 months and in 2001 switched to current the 0x/5x style plates.

    I stand corrected- cheers!

    Shane


  • #665
    helmut147
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭helmut147


    with the pound weaker why isn't everyone going north to buy new cars ? must be a saving of ten percent at least ! ??
    i am thinking of buying a new car from the north from a main dealer and registering it here. is there an issue that i am missing. will it effect resale or is there some other downside other than it's not local ? i thought manufactures warranties were honoured both sides of the border by all main dealers or will that be a problem ?

    thanks in advance for any replies.


  • #666
    Mylow
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 802 ✭✭✭Mylow


    helmut147 wrote: »
    with the pound weaker why isn't everyone going north to buy new cars ? must be a saving of ten percent at least ! ??
    i am thinking of buying a new car from the north from a main dealer and registering it here. is there an issue that i am missing. will it effect resale or is there some other downside other than it's not local ? i thought manufactures warranties were honoured both sides of the border by all main dealers or will that be a problem ?

    thanks in advance for any replies.

    I was wondering about that as well. I lived in UK for 19 years imported 3 cars into UK, 2 from Ireland and 1 from Holland. The UK system is great, buy the car in any other EU country VAT Free, then pay VAT @ 17.5% of invoce price.

    The way I see it happening here is import car, pay 21%(VAT) on Irish OMV (not 21% of the UK\EU purchase price) then % VRT of OMV on top.

    I intended to buy new car, but will now buy a car in July/August from UK, will go for a (08)57 reg as dealers will be trying to shift them as they will be 3 reg old 57/08/58

    You can use this link , select -> owners -> value your car to get 3 free valuations on Glass's guide for UK cars.

    Might try giving revenue a call to confirm how it will work and post on here. Might also be worth exploring EU competition commission.


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  • #667
    quattro777
    Registered Users Posts: 420 ✭✭quattro777


    49601.jpg


  • #668
    Guy:Incognito
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭Guy:Incognito


    Any big pics?:)


  • #669
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    Fecking hell- I know I'm in the minority- but I do browse Boards on my mobile phone..... Have you any idea how long it took to download that picture on GPRS? :(


  • #670
    Altreab
    Registered Users Posts: 667 ✭✭✭Altreab


    smccarrick wrote: »
    Fecking hell- I know I'm in the minority- but I do browse Boards on my mobile phone..... Have you any idea how long it took to download that picture on GPRS? :(

    And its just as bad for anyone still stuck on dial-up and sadly there are a lot :( Links only to big pix please


  • #671
    gary the great
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,665 ✭✭✭gary the great


    Whats the story with importing commercials?
    I know you only have to pay 50euro VRT, so presumably theres huge savings to be made?

    My Dads looking for a new hiace and I can pick up a 02 in the UK for 6ksterling, which is massivly cheaper than over here. Is there any catches? My dad doesnt believe it can be done for so cheap as if it could "everyone would be doing it" - I told him everyone is doing it!


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  • #672
    Quattro
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭Quattro


    Thats a good thing to know....if it is really true. Another nice thing i have figured out, how to drive for example Audi A8 4.2 with ope corsa 1.0 insurance. Just find any corsa or any cheap car, insure on it with quinn direct, they give third party insurance which lets to do that, drive any other car.


  • #673
    m3boy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 35 ✭m3boy


    Quattro wrote: »
    Thats a good thing to know....if it is really true. Another nice thing i have figured out, how to drive for example Audi A8 4.2 with ope corsa 1.0 insurance. Just find any corsa or any cheap car, insure on it with quinn direct, they give third party insurance which lets to do that, drive any other car.

    Correct me if im wrong but to the best of my knowledge insurance companys that cover you on open drive plans that allow you to also drive other cars come with the following conditions
    1. the 2nd car you drive must have a smaller cc of be the equivalent of your car you insured with them
    2. the 2nd car must have a valid insurance policy on it , ie. if it was your friends car and your friend had insurance on it then your insurance would cover you to drive it plus condition number 1 must also be taken into concideration ,

    those statments ive made im not 100% sure on , so im open to dissagreements


  • #674
    NV011956
    Registered Users Posts: 41 ✭NV011956


    Hi Guys,New to the board.Just a quick question.I was thinking of importing a Honda Accord 2.2CDTI from the UK in July,then register here.My thinking is that i will be illigible for the lower VRT rater due to low emissions.Am I correct in saying this?Also,will the motor tax rate be changed to reflect the emissions then?
    I know this is probably mentined somewhere on the thread,but I'm just finishing work and haven't time to trawl throgh the many pages on this thread.Any info would be appreciated.Cheers.


  • #675
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    m3boy wrote:
    Correct me if im wrong but to the best of my knowledge insurance companys that cover you on open drive plans that allow you to also drive other cars come with the following conditions
    1. the 2nd car you drive must have a smaller cc of be the equivalent of your car you insured with them
    2. the 2nd car must have a valid insurance policy on it , ie. if it was your friends car and your friend had insurance on it then your insurance would cover you to drive it plus condition number 1 must also be taken into concideration ,

    those statments ive made im not 100% sure on , so im open to dissagreements

    Correct- and 3. Irrespective of your own coverage, or the other coverage on the car, while driving on "open-drive" your insurance coverage is most likely limited to 3rd party, fire and theft. Comprehensive coverage tends to only be available to named drivers.


  • #676
    m3boy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 35 ✭m3boy


    smccarrick wrote: »
    Correct- and 3. Irrespective of your own coverage, or the other coverage on the car, while driving on "open-drive" your insurance coverage is most likely limited to 3rd party, fire and theft. Comprehensive coverage tends to only be available to named drivers.

    Thanks for confirming smccarrick:D


  • #677
    quattro777
    Registered Users Posts: 420 ✭✭quattro777


    Sorry, didnt know it was that big. Good job I didn't post the other 15


  • #678
    NBar
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 591 ✭✭✭NBar


    Looking at a mercedes registered in Oct 2004 with a load of extras, just wondering will I get hit for these extras seeing as the car is over 3 years old or will they go on the chassis number and screw me, already did on my M3 :(


  • #679
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    quattro777 wrote:
    Sorry, didnt know it was that big. Good job I didn't post the other 15

    eeek! :eek:


  • #680
    Celtic Mech
    Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭Celtic Mech


    Well guys...done the deed there on Wednesday and picked up my 318SE..2litre. Car is absolutely immaculate. Not a scratch on it. Its mechanically sound, Clean inside and spotless outside. Everything was in tip top order regards paperwork...Garage had HPI check and all done for me so saved me a few quid. Car had done the MOT about 6 days previously. 4 excellent condition tyres on it, not a scratch on the alloys even.
    Would recommend it to anyone thinkin of it. The garage has an 03 318SE available also if anyone is interested. I checked it out myself when i was lookin at my one. its the 2.2litre version. In perfect condition also. Reckon it be sold at 6700stg or even 6600 at a push...
    Hmm...it was halfway across the Irish Sea on Wednesday Night that i realized i forgot i am not to fond of travelling via sea! By God it was rough!


  • #681
    Quattro
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭Quattro


    So you wanna say that its not that free to drive any car you want? its quinn direct that provides 3rd party insurance...


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  • #682
    blastman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,451 ✭✭✭blastman


    It's not that free, no. As well as the other limitations mentioned, another condition is that you cannot own the other car.


  • #683
    Celtic Mech
    Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭Celtic Mech


    Does anyone know the answe to this....My Brother in Law (to be) is Scottish, and has been living over here the past few years. He has a UK driving licence. Is it possible for him to go back to scotland, purchase a car, keep the yellow plates and drive it over here without VRT'n it?


  • #684
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    Celtic Mech wrote: »
    Does anyone know the answe to this....My Brother in Law (to be) is Scottish, and has been living over here the past few years. He has a UK driving licence. Is it possible for him to go back to scotland, purchase a car, keep the yellow plates and drive it over here without VRT'n it?

    Short and simple- no.
    If he is resident here- he has to have an Irish registered car. If he is here on a short holiday (I think 6 weeks is the limit- someone can correct me on this) he can keep his UK plates. The provenance of his driving licence is immaterial. He can be asked to produce utility bills/bank statements etc in his own name by the Revenue Commissioners to prove where actually lives. They have had a crackdown on this (mostly in border counties to date- but they are getting a lot stricter).

    S.


  • #685
    gary the great
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,665 ✭✭✭gary the great


    Lads importing a hiace van from England. With only having to pay 50quid VRT, there is massive savings to be m,ade.ye? Any downfalls or problems with doing this, there a massive savings to be made. ie A 02 Hiace LWB with 70k costs 19k here and only £6k in the UK.

    Also isnt it great that the sterling continues to drop loads in value against the Euro!?


  • #686
    Quattro
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭Quattro


    Does anyone know how much is car traders insurace, i've asked a few comapanies axa, quinn, etc. they dont provide that.... m?


  • #687
    Celtic Mech
    Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭Celtic Mech


    Hey Guys,
    Just in relation to importing a car...i ahve changed the plates over on mine after paying the VRT, and have now taxed it online...last measure is for me to NCT the car...just about this...the car had passed the equivalent of our test in the UK (M.O.T.)just 3 days before being sold to me. Is there any facility of producing the MOT Cert and having it recognised here as an equivalent NCT pass? Any comments appreciated about this....


  • #688
    Seth Brundle
    Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 40,292 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    Nope!


  • #689
    steeo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 42 ✭steeo


    Wishful thinking.

    An MOT isn't recognised here because in the UK they actually use qualified mechanics to carry out the test.


  • #690
    Seth Brundle
    Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 40,292 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    ...who IIRC are also allowed carry out the repairs!


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  • #691
    steeo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 42 ✭steeo


    gary the great wrote: »
    Lads importing a hiace van from England. With only having to pay 50quid VRT, there is massive savings to be m,ade.ye? Any downfalls or problems with doing this, there a massive savings to be made. ie A 02 Hiace LWB with 70k costs 19k here and only £6k in the UK.

    Also isnt it great that the sterling continues to drop loads in value against the Euro!?

    Do you not have to have a VAT number to get this €50 price as its a commercial vehicle ???


  • #692
    steeo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 42 ✭steeo


    kbannon wrote: »
    ...who IIRC are also allowed carry out the repairs!

    Exactly so they know whats wrong and what has to be fixed instead of the clowns here that can't explain whats wrong with your car as half them can't even speak English and the other half don't know what they are talking about as they are not even mechanics.


  • #693
    Seth Brundle
    Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 40,292 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    steeo wrote: »
    Exactly so they know whats wrong and what has to be fixed instead of the clowns here that can't explain whats wrong with your car as half them can't even speak English and the other half don't know what they are talking about as they are not even mechanics.
    You fail to see the conflict of interest though
    http://www.google.ie/search?q=mot+scam&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a


  • #694
    steeo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 42 ✭steeo


    In the UK people have a choice of who they go to for a MOT, the same in this country with an DOE but your stuck when it comes to an NCT.


  • #695
    Seth Brundle
    Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 40,292 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    What are you talking about? There are several NCT centres. You can choose to go to any of them. My last time doing the NCT was in Naas. The previous time was in Fonthill.
    You can't really accuse the NCTS of forcing you to use one particular tester never mind an individual centre.
    Anyhow, are you sure they are not qualified? I seem to recall seeing the requirement on a recruitment advert before - there is reference to it in a current web advert but it doesn't appear to be mandatory - can anyone confirm?
    http://www.ncts.ie/job_vacancies/vehicle_inspector.html).


  • #696
    zing
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,095 ✭✭✭zing


    Anyone bought from Big Motoring World in Kent ? Seems to be a big enough BMW shop with decent enough prices on some E60s. Just wondering what peoples personal experiences have been and/or what they've heard from others. Their site claims they'll even deliver over to Ireland but I'm sure that wouldn't be for free but for a couple of hundred quid it could be worth it. Any other decent independent BMW dealers I should be looking at ? Looking at an 04 petrol 5 series.


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  • #697
    Celtic Mech
    Registered Users Posts: 246 ✭✭Celtic Mech


    Zing....never heard of them but im sure they are fairly good. What kinda money you plannin on spending as a max? the way i sourced mine was by going to autotrader.co.uk and putting in the postcode for Heathrow (TW6 1JS) and selecting cars within a 20 mile radius of it. Most likely you will be able to get close enough with the Underground and even a short taxi fare. There are loads of cars about over that area especially London. Cargiant.co.uk are good...have a huge selection of BMW's but tend to have quite a few miles on the cars ,as they generally source ex-lease and ex-company cars. Immaculate condition inside and out tho. I reckon you will generally pay a bit over the top going thru BMW garage and dealerships. Try d autotrader route...it gives both private and dealer sales.


  • #698
    zing
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,095 ✭✭✭zing


    Want to try get in under the 14k sterling if I can but not going to buy the cheapest car I can find as it's usually cheap for a reason. Seems to be sod all diff in vrt between a 520i, a 525i and a 530i but I reckon I'll avoid the 530i based on tax/insurance. Scanning autotrader, cargiant, etc.. all right but not tying myself to London/anywhere else but rather trying to locate cars within ~30miles of an airport that I could get a cheap enough flight into (and aren't a huge drive from a ferry port). Plenty of cars available for that money but as with most people I'm filtering based on spec and mileage to try find what appears to be the right one.

    It'll be at least another 2 or 3 weeks before I can consider travelling so largely window shopping and researching atm.


  • #699
    steeo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 42 ✭steeo


    kbannon wrote: »
    What are you talking about? There are several NCT centres. You can choose to go to any of them.

    Exactly there is about 50 NCT centers in Ireland and they are all run by the 1 company so you don't get a choice like the DOE here or an MOT in the Uk.


  • #700
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    steeo wrote:
    Exactly there is about 50 NCT centers in Ireland and they are all run by the 1 company so you don't get a choice like the DOE here or an MOT in the Uk.

    Its a standardised test- why should it matter that its only one company who are contracted to do it?


  • #701
    steeo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 42 ✭steeo


    The test is standard but a lot of it is left up to the discression of the tester, a mate of mine went in there last week to get the test done on a 2008 Merc and it failed on emissions and the indicator lens/bulb on the o/s rear was not amber enough and all this on a car that cost him €58k and not even 500kms on the clock.

    Do you get a special eye test when you apply for a job as a mechanic in the NCT that you can tell when someones indicators are the right shade of amber ???
    What is the right shade of amber for an indicator ???


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