[whippet]

you could possibly do it still, you would have to leave the car in the UK for safety sake and keep a bank account open, phone bill open and have a place of residence. You can then transfer your residence in 6 months (after a probationary period in your new job) and bring the car home.

Once you have the paperwork and you are using it for personal use and it isn't a new DB9 there shouldn't be any eyebrows raised

[ambro25]

Originally Posted by whippet

you could possibly do it still, you would have to leave the car in the UK for safety sake

Depends if your driving license is IE or UK. If it's a UK license, pretty little authorities can do (unless you disclose that you are an Irish citizen?).

Originally Posted by whippet

keep a bank account open, phone bill open and have a place of residence.

You may need more than that - and that's from experience. The ol'VRT people will be looking hard through your documentary evidence to smell such a 'deliberate' attempt to skirt VRT (as in "come over now but wait 6 months before bringing the motor over").

[whippet]

'You may need more than that - and that's from experience. The ol'VRT people will be looking hard through your documentary evidence to smell such a 'deliberate' attempt to skirt VRT (as in "come over now but wait 6 months before bringing the motor over").;

your documents would have to be inorder and legit alright, I wouldn't disagree with that, but with regards to getting a new job and being on a probationary period for 6 months, you can't take anything for granted and where would it leave you if you had to go back to the UK if your contract wasn't extended.

To be honest the case in hand, you obviously have been living in the UK, have bank accounts, insurance policies, council tax recipts etc .. if you keep those open and in use there shouldn't be any rat that the VRT guys could smell.

[Graz]

Many thanks for the replies folks. My driving license is actually an Irish one.

What probably makes matters even more difficult for me is that I will be working a good bit in Ireland even before I move back (envisage that will be in Sep/October) and the car would be much more useful over here than in the UK during that period. I have heard something about a 'green card' that entitles you to drive abroad while taxed/insured in the UK but not sure if that would cover me in any case.

All in all it's a bit of a tricky situation, I might just be better off forgetting the whole idea of buying in the UK altogether.

[Gorgon]

Hey gang, whats the situation with the car auctions, u have to pay the VRT on some of the cars(jap imports mainly), who imports these cars, merlin?? Then theres the odd uk import e.g. last month there was a
2003 Audi A4 1.9 TDI SE
VRT APPROX €6625 FSH PS AB ABS AC AW CD CL EM EW
1896cc 51,000m 1 owner Diesel Grey
went for €19,100
questions
1 Whos likely to have imported this, some joe bloggs or a dealer??
2 If a dealer did why would they import a uk car and sell it in an auction, wouldnt he have a better return if he sold it on the fourcourt.
3 Could a Joe Bloggs import a car and sell it in an auction and get the buyer to deal with the VRT.
4 If not how could Joe Bloggs import a car and sell it getting the buyer to deal with the VRT like the auction does it(become a dealer??).
5 How does Joe set up Bloggs Cars, does he need a licence, like a pub.
6 How are the auction houses able to sell cars with the VRT still to be paid(some second hand car bylaw??).

[DundalkDuffman]

Originally Posted by Robertr

Getting a few questions from people who want to have a go at making some money selling imported cars. Here are a few tips I would suggest:
.
- Get a Dublin reg. People in Dublin are strange about having a D reg. I'm not sure why. You don't want to eliminate that much of the market straight away. When registering the car just put an address of someone you know in Dublin. They will send the registration to that address. Then just do a change of address to your own if you are holding on to the car for a while.

Personally if all things were equal I wouldn't buy a D reg car for the simple reason of all the city mileage that it does. All that stop start driving.

[De Hipster]

Originally Posted by DundalkDuffman

Personally if all things were equal I wouldn't buy a D reg car for the simple reason of all the city mileage that it does. All that stop start driving.

City cars are generally better kept, cleaner & have lower mileage, not to mention the generally better surfaced roads.

The only major problems to look for would be clutch & gear box.

Personally I'd go for a city car before looking in the likes of the border areas...too many rallyheads & boy racers!

[The Dutchman]

Hi,

What's the rumours all about...? Is the VRT being scrapped? Since the European law is coming into force, will Ireland follow.... or do we keep doing or own thing and they will keep raking in the money....? Any news on that?

cheers, the dutchman

[ALAN B]

:GREAT SITE JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR WHERE DO YOU SEE THE BIG SAVINGS, I WOULD LOVE TO MAKE A HOBBY OF IT I WOULD LOVE TO IMPORT SOMETHING LIKE A MERC S CLASS 320 2000/2001 AND SELL IT ON IN A FEW MONTHS, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
OR IS THERE A CAR WHICH YOU CAN BUY IN THE UK AT THE RIGHT PRICE PAY THE VRT AND THAT THERE IS GOOD DEMAND FOR OVER THERE THAT I COULD MAKE A SMALL PROFIT?
THANKS AGAIN!

)

Originally Posted by Robertr

For those looking to save a few quid here is my difinitive guide to importing cars from the UK based on my own experiences.

Firstly here is the best information you can get: Revenue.ie - VRT

When you want to get a car from the UK there are a few rules to follow:

(1) You will have to pay VRT on any car coming into Ireland from any country unless over 30 years old.
(2) You will have to pay VAT on all cars coming from outside the EU, so always buy in the EU as an additional 21% will never bring it under the Irish price.
(3) You will have to pay VAT on all cars under 6 mths old or less than 6,000kms even if they are from within the EU.

VRT

When you are looking at the price of different cars in the UK (Autotrader.co.uk is the best site) it might seem like the prices are great. This can be true for some cars but others this is not the case.

Obviously, you will firstly have to convert the price into EURO using the most up to date rate that your bank will Sell GBP (This can be quite different from the daily exchange rates that you might see in the papers).

Then you will have to calculate the VRT. This can vary in a number of ways:
(1) The % of VRT is based on the engine size of the car. You can see the table using the above link.
(2) It is not based on the price you bought the car for but the Open Market Selling Price or OMSP. This is a value decided by the Revenue. In my experience these can be way off. Sometimes they are way above the retail value and sometimes they are less than the Trade value. Depends on the car. I've noticed that they will value an Audi at about trade or less but BMW's are above what you would expect to pay on a forecourt.


Procedure for Buying:

(1) Get a shortlist of cars that you are interested in knock off about 5% of the listed price for a cash discount. Should get more off but leave that as a nice surprise.

(2) Call your local VRO office (listed in the contact page on Revenue.ie) and ask for a VRT quote. They should be able to give you the amount straight away unless it is a high-end luxury car (over say €60,000). They will then need the chassis number and they will get their VRO Department in Rosslare to do up a valuation - usually 1 day.

(3) You will now have the cost of the car.

(4) Factor in expenses, usually about €1,000.
- Flights
- Ferry
- RAC/AA inspection (has to be done!!!)
- HPI Check

(5) Contact the Dealer (never buy privately) you want to buy from and give them as many questions as you can think of. Tell them that you will be getting an inspection done so they may as well tell you everything now. If you are not 100% happy with all answers, walk away!!!!! Every Tom, Dick and Harry has a 'car dealership' in the UK, loads of guys operating out of their back gardens, so be wary. Don't bother getting a warranty from the dealer if the car is still covered by the manufacturer's warranty, in fact you should be able to get money off if you tell them you don't want it.
**EU law states that a manufacturer must stand over their warranty in every EU country regardless of which country the car was originally purchased so if something goes wrong you can go to your local dealership and you will be covered by the warranty. This does not cover Dealership warranties, only Manufacturer!!

(6) Once happy, you will have to pay a deposit, (by Credit Card) don't worry, once it’s by credit card you are covered from fraud. Make sure it is subject to the inspection not showing up anything that will change the overall value of the car from his decryption.

(7) Get inspection done. Make sure you get the expensive one. An engineer will call you to discuss the car and these guys do a great job. One time he even told me that there was a tiny dent the size of a 10P coin in one of the speakers in the back door. When I got the car it took me ages to find it. They do a really good job.

(8) Agree a date to travel over and get the Dealer to collect you from the closest Airport.

(9) Get a bank draft for the remaining GBP balance to pay the dealer.

(10) Call you insurance company and ask them to transfer your policy to the new car. They will only issue a temporary cover for a non-Irish reg that lasts for 1 month.

(11) You should have no trouble of making the journey in one day if you leave early in the morning you will be back in Dublin that night.

(12) Get a bank draft for the amount you were quoted when you got the VRT quote. Knock off about 10% from the draft and bring cash as some time will have passed and the amount they want will have gone down.

(13)With in 24hrs of arriving in Ireland you are required to present the car at the VRO. You will have to fill out a few forms and then they will have a look to see if you have honestly described the car. Don't worry about telling them about every extra, they don't seem to care as long as the Make, Model and Year as are you said. (So make sure that it’s fully loaded).

(14) They will then give you a document that will have your new Irish Reg on it. Go and get some plates done up and put them on the car.

(15) Get your insurance changed to the new reg.

(16) A few days later you will receive the Vehicle Registration Cert. This is not the same as the one that you usually have as it in only the initial cert. and is used to Tax a car for the first time only.

(17) Go to the Tax office and tax that puppy!

(18) In a few days you will have you proper Vehicle Registration Document.



In general, even with VRT, most cars are cheaper from the UK. Obviously, there more expensive the car the more you will save. Anything under €15,000 - €20,000 may not be worth your while but there are some exceptions out there!!

Anyways, hope this helps everyone. I've been doing it for a while and its had its ups and downs, so always use your commen sense and don't let the really cheap ones get the better of you.

Any questions, let me know

Good Luck!!!

[Chaz]

Robertr,

I am considering getting something from the UK, not expensive at all, just not very common in Ireland.

Some questions: What is HPI? I see some dealers have this. Do I have to get AA/RAC checked? Can it be done in Ireland?

Also then again - private versus trade. Why not buy private unless related to the above.

What happens with MOT and Tax here? On an older car, when does it need NCT then here? Basically just after arriving or how does it get worked out - assuming its 1995 or thereabouts.

Thanks

[Bluehair]

(Not stealing your job RobertR just posting what I know here very open to correction!)

Originally Posted by Chaz

I am considering getting something from the UK, not expensive at all, just not very common in Ireland.

Exactly what I'm doing. Saving a few grand I'll admit but it's spec and the exact car I want thats driving the decision over the savings.

Originally Posted by Chaz

Some questions: What is HPI? I see some dealers have this. Do I have to get AA/RAC checked? Can it be done in Ireland?

HPI is basically hire purchase, make sure that there is no finance outstanding against the car before you buy it. I suppose you don't have to get an AA/RAC check but i reckons it's a good idea for peace of mind. You can book and pay for the check over the phone and they'll both call you afterwards to discuss it and post a full report (haven't done it yet but that's what it says on the RAC website).

Originally Posted by Chaz

Also then again - private versus trade. Why not buy private unless related to the above.

I must confess I'm currently looking at ebay for my purchase in fact. I figure at least you've got some idea of the history of the dealer plus with an RAC check I reckon it'd be ok.

Originally Posted by Chaz

What happens with MOT and Tax here? On an older car, when does it need NCT then here? Basically just after arriving or how does it get worked out - assuming its 1995 or thereabouts.

I read somewhere here the car will receive it's NCT notification for it's 4th,6th,8th etc. Birthday? (from first registration).

One thing I'm not sure of though. What exactly do you get by way of documented paperwork in the UK to prove ownership? Is it like here something has to be signed by both parties and posted off? And what exactly do you need to bring to the VRO office then to register the car here? (it's Santry for North Dublin right?).

[Chaz]

Thanks for the info. I am not sure either ....
Trying to see whats worth going for an how diffcult / expensive it is to do.

[brophy]

Well i am to considering buying a car off of ebay, i am also looking at the saving to be made but also i find the cars you would get in from the uk are a good bit higher in the specs. (leather seats, electric seats, climate control, cruise control)

Anyway been on ebay and when you find the car you want and click on it you go into the advert for it. There is then the " Description " section and on some cars you will see VRM ie the VIN number you can click on this if it is blue, a window will then pop up and it is Vehicle Status Report from ebay where they go on to tell you bout it
"For peace of mind before you bid on a used car, buy a Vehicle Status Report today. Powered by HPI®, the UK's most trusted independent information source for the motor industry.

- Check if this vehicle:
- Is reported as stolen
- Is an insurance write-off
- Has any outstanding loans on it
- Has any mileage inconsistencies recorded on NMR 1

Added protection for eBay Motors users! All Vehicle Status Reports come with a guarantee 2, protecting you for up to for any financial losses arising from inaccurate or incomplete information provided in a Vehicle Status Report.

Exclusive pricing for eBay Motors users at per report or for a 3-reports package."

So it all sounds good and even sounds better when you see the price they offer all this for £6.99 for 1 vechicle check, £13.99 for three seperate vechicle reports.

Just me two pence worth hope it helps....

[dealgan]

on the VRT end .. I recently bought a car from a private seller in the UK.

The V5 (logbook) is filled in with your details as the new owner, and returned to the DVLA in swansea. They then regsiter the car as being exported, and post you back the V5, with a DVLA stamp on saying "exported".

This V5 is what you need to bring ot the vrt office, as proof of ownership.

It took 4 weeks for this form to be sent back to me.

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

[Bluehair]

Originally Posted by dealgan

This V5 is what you need to bring ot the vrt office, as proof of ownership.

It took 4 weeks for this form to be sent back to me.

Thanks for that Dealgan it's exactly what I was wondering. Surely that means you're driving around on UK plates for the 4 weeks or so then?

Is that alright given " If you bring a vehicle into Ireland from abroad you must register it and pay VRT by the end of the next working day following its arrival in the State. "(from the revenue website).

How did it work out from an insurance and tax point of view also?

(Cheers Dealgan I'm planning on doing the same thing in a few weeks so appreciate the info).