Buying a car not yet registered in Ireland

trister · 11-12-2014 6:17pm #1

Hi,

I'm going to see a second hand car tomorrow, I have some questions regarding ownership. I spoke to the seller over the phone, the car is a UK import and has not been registered in Ireland yet. He says that he has the UK documentation, I presuming he is referring to the V5 or V5C.

Is it legal to sell a car in the Republic of Ireland if it has not been registered first, i.e have a VRC document?

I’m not concerned about VRT as the car is over 30 years old and will only incur a registration cost of €200.

If it is legal to sell in Ireland, should I insist that V5 document owner name match the sellers name and ask for some form of proof?

arthur daly · 11-12-2014 6:23pm

It is illegal to sell but not buy so you will be ok.you will be libl for Vrt from the date you buy it..
I would be seriously surprised if the v5 is in his name.

trister · 11-12-2014 6:33pm

What are the risks if I bought without it registered here, say if the person selling was not the rightful owner, or not acting on behalf of the rightful owner? Could I get stung when attempting to register it here? Would getting a full report from somewhere like cartell.ie protect me in any way?

Toyotafanboi · 11-12-2014 6:36pm

the biggest issue i believe is that the VRT office will look for proof of when you brought it into the country (ferry ticket etc) which will be difficult if you havn't actually made the trip.

are you looking at that MG B GT for €600 y any chance :P

trister · 11-12-2014 6:44pm

So really before I purchase I should insist that the seller register it here and get all the documentation in order and assume that if he is genuine that he should have no issue with that?

It will only cost him €200 if he can prove everything is above board.

Not a MG, an old Merc

Toyotafanboi · 11-12-2014 6:50pm

if he was the person who actually owned it in the UK, it may be somewhat straight forward to get the documentation sorted if you have him on side. but even if he gets it on irish plates, i believe you have to wait 6 months after that to transfer the ownership again.

imo you are in for a world of pain if you take the v5 and try to go it alone on this.

mgbgt1978 · 11-12-2014 7:52pm

TBH if it's over 30 years old there shouldn't be any problem.
As there is no VRT (just the admin fee) they aren't too pushed about when exactly it arrived here etc.
Having said that, I don't see why the seller can't VRT it before you pay for it.....just to put your mind at rest and to show he has nothing to hide.

If you really, really want this car and the seller insists on you VRTing it it would make sense to get an HPI* check done first just to confirm that it's not marked as stolen

*Other UK Car Check Services are available, usually at a much cheaper cost.

trister · 11-12-2014 9:35pm

Thanks all for your advice. I'll have a look at the car and then see if the condition warrants going any further with it.

Marcusm · 12-12-2014 8:23pm

arthur daly wrote: »

It is illegal to sell but not buy so you will be ok.you will be libl for Vrt from the date you buy it..
I would be seriously surprised if the v5 is in his name.

We have been through this before and you could not back up these assertions while I quoted the law and guidance to you.

There is nothing illegal about buying or selling an unregistered car in Ireland. It is unlawful to have such a car and that is the point. The VRT is triggered at the point of importation and if that was 6 months ago, I would want a substantial discount to handle the penalties and hassle. The OP will have no proof of importation and would thus be at the risk of how well the NCTS persons effects his job.

thadg · 12-12-2014 8:34pm

you wouldn't have a ferry ticket if you bought it in northern Ireland.

when you buy it ring the dvla northern Ireland and tell them you want an permanent export cert. you will just have to print off a form, fill it out and post it.

you will get an export cert and tell the vrt office you bought in n.i.

before you buy, ring the dvla with reg to see if its stolen

rubadub10 · 12-12-2014 8:43pm

I bought one recently from a main dealer in Dublin.There's no big deal about it.The car will still be registered to the last owner,English, and the dealer won't register it to himself as that would put an extra owner on the car.When you agree a price with the dealer he'll require a substantial deposit from you before he registers it in your name,in case you pull out of the deal.He then contacts the vehicle tax office and does the paperwork.He'll give you a ring to come down with the rest of the money and hands the car over to you.The reg of the car will depend on your home address and the year and number equate with the month and year of manufacture.Simple.

Harcrid · 12-12-2014 10:26pm

Yes but he is not buying from a dealer. My impression is that it's a private sale.

Marcusm · 13-12-2014 3:00am

thadg wrote: »

you wouldn't have a ferry ticket if you bought it in northern Ireland.

when you buy it ring the dvla northern Ireland and tell them you want an permanent export cert. you will just have to print off a form, fill it out and post it.

you will get an export cert and tell the vrt office you bought in n.i.

before you buy, ring the dvla with reg to see if its stolen

There's no NI office anymore, it was closed down and merged into DVLA in Swansea. Any export cert would be issued to the current registered keeper who would not be the OP nor, it sounds like, the person from whom the OP might purchase. Otherwise this would be an excellent plan.

thadg · 13-12-2014 12:03pm

Marcusm wrote: »

There's no NI office anymore, it was closed down and merged into DVLA in Swansea. Any export cert would be issued to the current registered keeper who would not be the OP nor, it sounds like, the person from whom the OP might purchase. Otherwise this would be an excellent plan.

no it wouldn't, tell them you bought the car, you have no v5 cert, the owner could be dead for all you know and you are living in the south of Ireland

as long as the car is not stolen you will get the export cert in your name, and the date of ownership will be from date you tell them you bought it.

dvla Swansea will operate the as the n.i. office operated

Buying a car not yet registered in Ireland

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