Buying UK registered car already in Ireland

MGrah

Haven't been able to find this question answered in the importing from the UK thread, and I think it's a different question anyway.

With the glut of UK registered cars now listed by both dealers and private sellers in Ireland on carzone etc, I thought some similar information would be really useful.

i.e.
What is the legal status of these cars sitting on the forecourt, or in someone's driveway?
If purchased in Ireland while still on a UK reg is there any difference to how you must go about settling VRT?
Should you always insist on the current owner paying the VRT in advance of completing the sale?
How do these cars generally end up for sale in Ireland on UK reges? Is there anything dodgy going on? (i.e. if this was a genuine car that someone brought with them to Ireland why would they not have re-registered at the time for free, even if they are selling now for other reasons?)
Anything particular to Dealer vs private sale?
What are the pitfalls here? or anything particular to watch out for?

In general, while there appear to be some reasonable deals out there for this type of car, I am extremely suspicious of them, and not sure why, any help or guidance would be great.

rebel.ranter

A friend of mine brought ina car from the UK & sold it on UK plates. He went in to the VRO with the buyer to pay VRT & they gave him a lecture saying that the car should not have been sold privately with UK plates. The VRO official said that he would let it go this time but under no circumstances was he to try it again. It woudl have to be cleared first & then sold. So I presume from this discussion it is not legal to do it privately at least.
It could be a different situation for trade sales though.

seamus

MGrah wrote:

What is the legal status of these cars sitting on the forecourt, or in someone's driveway?

Vehicles must have VRT paid before they're driven on a public road, but sitting on a forecourt or in a driveway is fine. Note that cars parked on a public road must also have VRT paid.

If purchased in Ireland while still on a UK reg is there any difference to how you must go about settling VRT?

Yes. You have to pay it. For all intents and purposes, buying a UK reg car is "importing" it, so you're required to pay VRT.

Should you always insist on the current owner paying the VRT in advance of completing the sale?

I would. It saves you the paperwork. As pointed out above also, the car should be registered once it arrives here, so technically should not be sold in this country with UK plates.

How do these cars generally end up for sale in Ireland on UK reges? Is there anything dodgy going on? (i.e. if this was a genuine car that someone brought with them to Ireland why would they not have re-registered at the time for free, even if they are selling now for other reasons?)

I would tend to say that in general yes, they're slightly dodgy. Common practice in border counties is to buy a UK reg car, and then not register it. They use a UK address (of a relative or whomever) to register the vehicle. If stopped by the Gardai, they claim that it's borrowed or, "I only bought it last week". So they can't register it VRT-free, and any attempt to pay VRT may raise suspicions. This practice has trickled down into Leinster and Connaught too, with people just making excuses to the Gardai when stopped.

Anything particular to Dealer vs private sale?
What are the pitfalls here? or anything particular to watch out for?

Either way, I would ask why the car hasn't been registered and factor in the VRT on top of the asking price.

fdisk

These cars are not registered because the VRT office now records the RSI number of the person registering the car. If an individual registers more than 2 cars in a 12 month period the revenue commissioners are automatically notified, so the person importing can be assessed for tax liability on profits. I registered a car on the first day of these new changes and theVRT office was manic. Queues were out the door as people were trying to register 2 & 3 cars before the changes. When I registered mine they couldn't give me the new reg number immediately as the link to the revenue commissioners from the VRT system was down..

OKenora

edited, cos it was wrong

OKenora

edited out...

seamus

I don't know the legal ins and outs of it, but what I gather is that if a vehicle is brought in from outside the state, and is not being imported by a motor dealer (i.e. it is being imported by a consumer), then VRT is payable within the next working day, regardless of intention.
When a motor dealer is selling a car, they have to pay VRT before they can sell it.
In reality, I can't see anyone kicking up a stink about a show car, or a car otherwise not being used, sitting unregistered.

OKenora

Having read the VRT rules in more detail, I have to withdraw what I have said. the rules are very un-clear as they seem to freely interchange between "Registering within 24 hours of import to Ireland" and "pay VRT before using it on public roads" making the presumption that all cars being imported are for use on the roads. They also seem to make no provision at all for a car that will not be on the public roads except a new car being imported by a motor dealer.

Every motor vehicle in the State, (with the exception of vehicles brought in temporarily by a visitor), must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners.

Seems to say that we will take your money regardless of intended use, but from experience this rule is being blatantly ignored/un-enforced in many cases.

hi5

Another reason UK cars on forecourts are not registered is having the buyers county on the plate is a plus selling point.

MGrah

Thanks for all the responses, some really interesting info.

Based on all of the above so, and assuming that you can find a good deal, what would people answer to the following?

Would you ever buy a UK reged car from a private seller in Ireland?
How much would you have to be saving to take the risks involved (assuming you believe there are risks involved, if not for the inconvenience)
What steps would you take to ensure that you are not gonna lose out on the deal, that the owners intentions/past actions are genuine etc?

Our man in Havana

hi5 wrote:

Another reason UK cars on forecourts are not registered is having the buyers county on the plate is a plus selling point.

Not a selling point at all as the number cannot be transfered to the Irish system.

rebel.ranter

To be honest I would skip the middle man. After all the guy selling the car privately here went over to the UK to collect it, spent money on costs collecting it & he is still going to make money selling the car to you.

Do the research & go over youself. At least there will be one less link in the chain. Look up the thread "Definitive guide to importing from UK" for tips & advice.
You'll get yourself a better deal & have the liberty to choose the colour you want & also a number plate with your own county on it (important to some, not me).

seamus

MGrah wrote:

Would you ever buy a UK reged car from a private seller in Ireland?

Personally, no. Not unless they paid the VRT and registered it before the sale. Even then the lack of having acces to vehicle history would annoy me.

What steps would you take to ensure that you are not gonna lose out on the deal, that the owners intentions/past actions are genuine etc?

I'd query the reg and the seller with a Garda mate and see if anything odd comes up. Though I'd do that for any vehicle.

Bond-007 wrote:

Not a selling point at all as the number cannot be transfered to the Irish system.

I think what he meant is that if the vehicle hasn't been registered here, then the buyer can get it registered in his home county.

I'm not sure if the county on the reg is a big deal anymore except for down the arse ends of nowhere.

Our man in Havana

Personally i would prefer a car not to be registered in my own county.

hi5

Bond-007 wrote:

Not a selling point at all as the number cannot be transfered to the Irish system.

I have no idea what you meandid I mention the word transfer?

It would be a selling point to me.
If a dealer in Leitrim had a car just in from the UK which I wanted and I live in Dublin ,then I would much prefer to have a "D" reg and not a "LM reg and would pay that bit extra for it.

Our man in Havana

People are strange.

hi5

Bond-007 wrote:

Personally i would prefer a car not to be registered in my own county.

Why?

Or are you just embarrassed at misinterpreting my post and trying to save some grace:D

hi5

Bond-007 wrote:

People are strange.

Resorting to personal insults,TUT,TUT:p

Our man in Havana

No. Not embarrassed at all.

I have never owned a car/bike registered in the county where I live and I would never want one either.

hi5

Bond-007 wrote:

No. Not embarrassed at all.

I have never owned a car/bike registered in the county where I live and I would never want one either.

But you still have'nt explained why?

I only look into this motors site occassionally and have noticed something strange about it.
Somebody asks a simple question,for the most part people do their best to give a straight answer to help the OP in their quest.
Nobody is trying to prove anything major,but there seems to be a minority who just wants to try and pick holes in every little detail usually with very little relevance to the OP.Its like as if they're trying to prove their worth to the world some how.Cyber personalities don't count in the real world so why bother?
Its petty and boring.
But hey,I suppose thats just the internet for you.

daedalus2097

seamus wrote:

Personally, no. Not unless they paid the VRT and registered it before the sale. Even then the lack of having acces to vehicle history would annoy me.

I wouldn't have a problem with it at all, and I know people who have done this in the past. Not having access to the vehicle history is a major concern, though I wouldn't buy a car on any kind of plates unless I had access to the history. And history can be doctored on a car that's been in Ireland all its life too... Once you know what you're about and know what the VRT will be there's no problem. As soon as you buy it and send off the paperwork, get down to the VRT office - it's basically the same as if you imported it yourself, the VRT office shouldn't be concerned with whether you bought it here or there or wherever.

I'm not sure if the county on the reg is a big deal anymore except for down the arse ends of nowhere.

Hehe, might be true... I bought my car (originally a northern import) with Kerry plates on it - I'd much prefer a D reg, if only to avoid the KY slaggings I get at work

Stephen

Dubliners seem to have a real big stick up their collective arse about non-D plates in my experience

Fey!

OP; I'd be insisting on the car being registered before I bought it. IIRC, the selling price must reflect the car with taxes paid (this may be inaccurate, but I remember there being a bit of fuss about this several years ago).

Bond-007 wrote:

No. Not embarrassed at all.

I have never owned a car/bike registered in the county where I live and I would never want one either.

What particularly embarrassing county do you reside in?