NCT question

V1llianous

Hi,

Just wondering what the NCT situation is on for older cars. I am looking at maybe getting a 82 or 83 car and I know it is not quite a classic yet so will have to pay full tax.

A couple of questions:

1) Do I need it to do the NCT to be able to tax it ?

2) Would you recommend that I put it through the NCT whether it needs it or not as that would remove the need for an engineer's report - is that right ?

TIA,

bo-bo

at the moment there is no need for the nct to tax it, however the car will require an nct as its "younger" than 30 years.

im not sure about the engineers report - is your insurance company looking for one?

V1llianous

Ok, insurer isn't looking for one. Was wondering if that was a cheaper option than a inspection.

Value of car is about €3K so spending €200+ on an inspection is a bit steep.

If 2 of us looked it over and were happy with it's drive and all seemed well mechanically would an inspection be warranted.

Any suggestions ?

8~)

An inspection is not 200 Euro, it's 50 - it's called an NCT.

Why complicate issues? It's simple; the car is less than 30 years old so requires an NCT and your insurance will likely be invalid in the event of an accident if the car does not have NCT.

Or are you looking for an inspection before purchase? In which case you can't run it through the NCT. However, if it's an 80s car with no current NCT it's almost worthless, IMO.

bo-bo

if you havent got the mechanical skills/knowledge/experience to satisfy yourself as to whether or not a car (especially a classic) is a good purchase then yes, get an inspection by a mechanic you trust. the nct is a pass/fail, whereas an experienced mechanic will give you a much better overview, indications as to possible problems and costs to fix.

V1llianous

Thanks !

Spit62500

Potentially you could end up with five penalty points if you're driving a car without one...

http://www.penaltypoints.ie/mandatory_court_appearance.php

V1llianous

I obviously wouldn't drive a car which required a NCT without one.

My main query was would it be worth getting the NCT done instead of a mechanic's inspection as it would be cheaper.

Will try and see if the seller will put car through the NCT for me if I pay as a pre-condition of the sale.

2cv

8~) wrote:

your insurance will likely be invalid in the event of an accident if the car does not have NCT

Not necessarily the case... I had a crash in january of last year and the car i was driving had no NCT. Insurance company still paid out, no questions asked.

Eoin

V1llianous wrote:

My main query was would it be worth getting the NCT done instead of a mechanic's inspection as it would be cheaper.

An NCT is not a substitute for a proper inspection. All it says that on the day it passed a few tests, I doubt it will tell you what will need doing in a months time.

Having said that, if buying privately I would insist on a valid NCT cert, to save me the hassle of getting it through. If buying from a dealer without a valid cert, I ask that they put it in writing that they will do whatever they have to should it fail.

--amadeus--

the NCT is so cheap in comparison to the amount it knocks off the sales value of the car to NOT have one that there must be a fairly compelling reason for any car that should have it not to have it (if that makes any sense!!)

V1llianous

Thanks Eoin & Amadeus, that was the kind of clarity I required.

I believe the main reason the car hasn't got a NCT and that it is stored in a container constantly is that the owner doesn't drive, according to the guy in the garage assisting.

When I go up to look I will either look for a significant reduction on the price if they haven't put it through the NCT and an inspection if I cannot get a underwriting to get anything fixed if it fails post sale.

Just another quick query - if this car has been off the road for a while and therefore not taxed, would a new owner be liable for any back tax or do I just get the previous owner to go to their local Garda station and get a declaration it was off the road.

Blue850

New owner of a car is only liable for tax from date of transfer of ownership.

Eoin

Blue850 wrote:

New owner of a car is only liable for tax from date of transfer of ownership.

I think it's from the start of the month that the date occurred on, so try not to have the date of transfer near the end of the month as you'll be paying tax on time it wasn't in your possession.

8~)

--amadeus-- wrote:

the NCT is so cheap in comparison to the amount it knocks off the sales value of the car to NOT have one that there must be a fairly compelling reason for any car that should have it not to have it (if that makes any sense!!)

Perfect sense; that's what I was getting at.


Vil, it's a garageman assisted sale of a car in a container? All sounds a bit convoluted. Don't want to tell you your business but unless it's a particularly rare car it does sound more hassle than it's worth, especially if you will be looking for a price reduction anyway and/or some comeback if it fails an NCT. What car is it - tell us, we might be able to help you find one.

Regarding road tax; it's payable from the beginning of the month the car's registered in your name.