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

jimmycrackcorm · 05-01-2008 1:41am

River King wrote: »

Hi Folks.

I realise that is 7 months away and may not be possible for me to do that, but it is annoying me to think that the vrt may be almost €4,500 less at that time compared to now.

Any information greatly received.

Cheers.

If I was in your shoes saving 4500 waiting until July then I'd park the car up until then and spend the 4500 instead on something else to drive in the meantime. Then sell that come july.

finbarrk · 05-01-2008 3:34am

1not24get wrote: »

Technically, IF YOU ARE NOT A CAR TRADER, when you bring the car into the state, you have until the end of the next working day to pay the VRT

http://www.revenue.ie/index.htm?/faqs/faq_cat8.htm

I brought a car in last March from England, drove it around, customs called to my front door after a week and gave me two weeks to pay the VRT. Probably exceptional as I'm in a border county and they watch us like hawks!

But if the car isn't being driven around could a person get away with it? Or does a dated purchase receipt have to be shown?

The_Conductor · 05-01-2008 10:59am

finbarrk wrote:

But if the car isn't being driven around could a person get away with it? Or does a dated purchase receipt have to be shown?

You register the car with the local Garda Baracks as off the road- and get a signed statement from the local Superintendent. In the absence of a Garda attestation that the car is not on the road- the car could either be impounded or penalties apply, if you could not prove that the date of entry was within the previous 2 working days (occasionally they do give you a little leeway).

FinoBlad · 05-01-2008 11:47am

What UK vehicle inspection companies do you guys recommend. The RAC and AA are quite pricey.

Are there any alternatives that would be better value?

I'll be buying a 2.5L Diesel Land Rover

Quattro · 05-01-2008 2:53pm

How to become a car trader? what privileges do you get by having this license?

And check this:

http://www.importyourcar.net/

Celtic Mech · 05-01-2008 4:15pm

Hey Guys,

Im considering going over to the UK for a 04ish BMW 316 or 318. One hting i noticed on the VRT online calculator is the different amounts of Engine Types on these---i.e. E30, E46 engines etc. How do i know which one it is? Im lookin at paying about 8k Sterling. Looking at Cargiant.co.uk or even Autotrader.co.uk, there seems to be quite a few. I would go for the SE Model. I reckon the VRT should come in about 4500euro.
Anyone have any advice for me on this? Comparing the price of a used 316 or 318 2004, it makes a lot more sense going over the UK for it. Only prob is seliing my current car, but i wont let that hold me back. if i could get the VRT covered with it, i would be happy. Its a 99 1.4 VW golf comfortline. Has 99,800miles. Has genuine vw 6cd changer installed, 5 spoke vw alloys. Am i being optomistic asking this price? Any help would be appreciated!

TheBigLebowski · 05-01-2008 6:14pm

smccarrick wrote: »

You register the car with the local Garda Baracks as off the road- and get a signed statement from the local Superintendent. In the absence of a Garda attestation that the car is not on the road- the car could either be impounded or penalties apply, if you could not prove that the date of entry was within the previous 2 working days (occasionally they do give you a little leeway).

Where does it say you dont have to pay VRT if the car is off the road. As far as I know it has to be paid either way...

JohnCleary · 05-01-2008 7:06pm

TheBigLebowski wrote: »

Where does it say you dont have to pay VRT if the car is off the road. As far as I know it has to be paid either way...

Then what about the guy's who buy car's in the UK for track days? They're nearly all on UK plates (From what i've seen)

Ta me anseo · 05-01-2008 10:38pm

TheBigLebowski wrote: »

Where does it say you dont have to pay VRT if the car is off the road. As far as I know it has to be paid either way...

I'm with Jeffrey on this one. VRT is to do with the registration of the car. On the road or off the road will only affect the road tax payable. You will be exempt from paying road tax if you have declared it off the road. You may avoid being caught by some Guard somewhere if it is off the road, but you would still be non-compliant regarding VRT.

At the end of the day, I am sure that the VRO guys have seen every trick in the book and witnessed some creative paper trails when it comes to VRT. When we paid VRT for the missus' car, once we said VRT was due and we wanted to pay, the whole thing became much more amicable. If we had said we thought we were exempt, I am sure that the fine tooth comb would have been pulled out.

It's a fact of life in this ridiculous country that VRT exists and is payable regardless of the eventual purchase price. Either way you will still save large amounts of money by buying in the UK, Japan or wherever and importing your car here. IMHO, I wouldn't try to get too greedy in trying to avoid the VRT as an impounded car and notice of penalties due in addition to VRT will really ruin your day.

zing · 06-01-2008 12:30am

Celtic Mech wrote: »

One hting i noticed on the VRT online calculator is the different amounts of Engine Types on these---i.e. E30, E46 engines etc. How do i know which one it is?

A 2004 model would most like be an E46.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_3_Series gives a nice handy run down through the generations of the 3 series and some of the different engines in each generation.

finbarrk · 06-01-2008 2:58am

smccarrick wrote: »

You register the car with the local Garda Baracks as off the road- and get a signed statement from the local Superintendent. In the absence of a Garda attestation that the car is not on the road- the car could either be impounded or penalties apply, if you could not prove that the date of entry was within the previous 2 working days (occasionally they do give you a little leeway).

Would you think that a Garda signed statement would cover that so smccarick? If so its no problem for me to get that.

blastman · 06-01-2008 3:20am

I don't think there's a formal method for declaring a car off the road here, unlike the UK where you can get a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification, I think) from the local police station. I'm open to correction of course, but anytime I had a car off the road for a period of time for tax purposes, I got a form stamped when I was putting it back on the road, not taking it off.

quattro777 · 06-01-2008 5:04pm

Hi,
I've just bought (subject to everything I've been told over the phone being true) a 2006 Audi A6 2.7 TDI S Line fully loaded with 22k on the clock from a Nissan main dealer for £21,800 they told me the car has been fully checked out hpi etc. Should I take their word for it or check it myself? The car will cost about € 44,000 cleared over here, is this good value?

tech · 06-01-2008 5:21pm

Great choice of Car I love the A6 myself

I would advise getting a HPI check just for peace of mind

I think it would be cheaper come July defo the road tax. but unsure

great car any pics?

The_Conductor · 06-01-2008 7:30pm

If its a main dealership- you should be fine. Most of the problems occur with private sellers, who inevitably are not in a position to offer a guarantee on the cars. When I brought over my Volvo estate last Feb I was given a 1 year warranty on it, which the dealership (PGI Volvo in Surrey) transferred to Koping on the Longmile Road- the biggest dealership over here.

I'd suggest you try to get the dealership to agree to something similar. If they are happy that the car is in good working order, they shouldn't have any issue giving you a transferrable warranty.

Shigsy · 06-01-2008 8:47pm

quattro777 wrote: »

Hi,
I've just bought (subject to everything I've been told over the phone being true) a 2006 Audi A6 2.7 TDI S Line fully loaded with 22k on the clock from a Nissan main dealer for £21,800 they told me the car has been fully checked out hpi etc. Should I take their word for it or check it myself? The car will cost about € 44,000 cleared over here, is this good value?

A HPI check from the RAC only costs £5 so it's well worth it.

finbarrk · 06-01-2008 9:21pm

finbarrk wrote: »

Would you think that a Garda signed statement would cover that so smccarick? If so its no problem for me to get that.

Opinion if possible re keeping a car under cover?

quarryman · 06-01-2008 9:30pm

Celtic Mech wrote: »

Hey Guys,

Im considering going over to the UK for a 04ish BMW 316 or 318. One hting i noticed on the VRT online calculator is the different amounts of Engine Types on these---i.e. E30, E46 engines etc. How do i know which one it is? Im lookin at paying about 8k Sterling. Looking at Cargiant.co.uk or even Autotrader.co.uk, there seems to be quite a few. I would go for the SE Model. I reckon the VRT should come in about 4500euro.
Anyone have any advice for me on this? Comparing the price of a used 316 or 318 2004, it makes a lot more sense going over the UK for it. Only prob is seliing my current car, but i wont let that hold me back. if i could get the VRT covered with it, i would be happy. Its a 99 1.4 VW golf comfortline. Has 99,800miles. Has genuine vw 6cd changer installed, 5 spoke vw alloys. Am i being optomistic asking this price? Any help would be appreciated!

how much is the VRT. you might get 5k for your golf if you sell it private.

if you don't know the difference between the e30, e36 and e46 you need to swot up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bmw_3_series

when shopping:
e30: 84-91
e36 91-99
e46 00-2005

owning an e36 323i i would say that anything under 320 is underpowered. go for a six cylinder. the 316 is VERY underpowered.

hopchop · 07-01-2008 1:07pm

VRT sucks!

Celtic Mech · 07-01-2008 2:45pm

quarryman wrote: »

how much is the VRT. you might get 5k for your golf if you sell it private.

if you don't know the difference between the e30, e36 and e46 you need to swot up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bmw_3_series

when shopping:
e30: 84-91
e36 91-99
e46 00-2005

owning an e36 323i i would say that anything under 320 is underpowered. go for a six cylinder. the 316 is VERY underpowered.

Thats for that. The Vrt is coming in just under 5k. It will definatly be an E46 so. Even if i was goin for the 316, i would want the 1796cc engine at a minimum. There have been a few cars i have seen online but nailing to right one will take a bit longer...but hopefully worth it

Celtic Mech · 07-01-2008 9:02pm

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?

The_Conductor · 07-01-2008 9:08pm

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.

Celtic Mech · 07-01-2008 9:21pm

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.

Quattro · 07-01-2008 9:34pm

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?

The_Conductor · 07-01-2008 9:43pm

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.

Quattro · 07-01-2008 10:14pm

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.

gary the great · 07-01-2008 11:01pm

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?

zing · 08-01-2008 6:48pm

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.

The_Conductor · 08-01-2008 7:02pm

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.

Ta me anseo · 08-01-2008 8:26pm

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!

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

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