Importing from the UK - Is this still the definitive guide?

PLIIM

I was thinking about importing a car from the UK this year and came across this thread.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=1792614&postcount=1

It seems fairly comprehensive, but i noticed its from 2004.
Has anything changed, or is it still a good enough guide.
Thanks.

Marlow

I'd say not much has changed.

A few notes though:

- You can check the VRT online, if it's in the list: https://www.ros.ie/VRTEnquiryServlet/showCarCalculator

- A lot of the dealers will take credit card or maestro (switch in the UK, but your laser will work). I general, I find it better to take cash (GBP) with you. Makes it easier to haggle.

- If the car is over 4 years old, the VRO probably don't want to see it and extras are also not VRT'ed. And also, the within 24 hour rule is strechable.

- Make sure, the dealer/seller has the FULL v5 certificate and take that with you. He gets the slip, that is for export. If he doesn't have it, you'll have to get it from the DVLA/DVLNI and that can delay things majorly. This is exactly, why it can take more than 24 hours to even have the documentation to pay VRO and import it.

- Check with your insurance, that they are happy to insure a UK reg car. Not all of'em do, but Quinn for example has no issues once you state, that you're importing the car.

/M

PLIIM

Thanks for the info.

Just one more question.
When you get RAC/AA to check the car for you, do they phone you back with a report on the condition of the car and email photos of any damage etc.

Thanks

Marlow

PLIIM wrote: »

Thanks for the info.

Just one more question.
When you get RAC/AA to check the car for you, do they phone you back with a report on the condition of the car and email photos of any damage etc.

Wouldn't know, as I've never used that service. Try call them up and ask them.

/M

PLIIM

cool, thanks for the replies

Mc Love

Just had a look and am amazed on the difference in price between 08/09 models in uK with models here!

Marlow

sparkysrovers wrote: »

Just had a look and am amazed on the difference in price between 08/09 models in uK with models here!

Well, you need to add the VRT on top of it before comparing, but in general cars are cheaper over in the UK, they are also better maintained and mostly better spec'ed.

I've bought most of my cars in the north or in the UK and whenever I've bought one over here, I've had nothing but trouble with'em.

/M

beatman91

Marlow wrote: »

Well, you need to add the VRT on top of it before comparing, but in general cars are cheaper over in the UK, they are also better maintained and mostly better spec'ed.

I've bought most of my cars in the north or in the UK and whenever I've bought one over here, I've had nothing but trouble with'em.

/M

I would agree with all of the above, I think its realistic prices the the uk dealers for services, I remember taking a 07 Vivaro, for its first service here and it cost 440 euro, and all they did was change the oil and checked that the van works, but sure I could have told them that. Oh they also put wrong stickers on the inside of the window which ment that I would have to go twice as much for services. Smart huh, they wrote say e.g. 30k km when the book said 30k mls...

Mc Love

Marlow wrote: »

Well, you need to add the VRT on top of it before comparing, but in general cars are cheaper over in the UK, they are also better maintained and mostly better spec'ed.

I've bought most of my cars in the north or in the UK and whenever I've bought one over here, I've had nothing but trouble with'em.

/M

Yep did that alright and the price was still 3-4k cheaper even with transport/hotel for night

Marlow

sparkysrovers wrote: »

Yep did that alright and the price was still 3-4k cheaper even with transport/hotel for night

If you're flying in early, you'll be out of there before the end of the day. Last car we collected in London, we flew out of Dublin 7am, picked it up outside London and were back in Dublin at 8pm or thereabouts.

/M

stephenc1979

If I import an 06 passat from the uk, will it go on the new tax scheme (Co2 based) or will it be on the old....?? Thanks

nogoodnamesleft

stephenc1979 wrote: »

If I import an 06 passat from the uk, will it go on the new tax scheme (Co2 based) or will it be on the old....?? Thanks

VRT will be based on emissions of the vehicle where as annual road tax will be based on the cc of the engine as its prior to 2008.

stephenc1979

no probs, so its from the original date it was registered in the uk and not the irish date of import ..

Redsoxfan

PLIIM wrote: »

Thanks for the info.

Just one more question.
When you get RAC/AA to check the car for you, do they phone you back with a report on the condition of the car and email photos of any damage etc.

Thanks

They e-mail you a fairly detailed report. They can tell you on the phone whether the car is clear of finance, reported as stolen etc.

As someone else said, make sure you get all of the V5, otherwise it's a pain in the ass. Private sellers tend to only give you the final section.

Many garages don't tax the cars they have for sale-there is a chance this could cause you issues on the way to the ferry, but I managed to get away with it.

If you intend to pay by bank draft (may be easier than carrying thousands in cash), make sure you are at the dealers on a week day so that they can phone the bank to check the authenticity of the draft (or fax them details before you go to collect the car).

Coldplayer

hey guys,

Any recomendations of UK sites to look at#??

Marlow

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/

and

http://www.pistonheads.com/

I think everything else is pointless.

/M

Marlow

stephenc1979 wrote: »

no probs, so its from the original date it was registered in the uk and not the irish date of import ..

Correct. The yearly motortax is always based on first date of registration, no matter what country the car comes from.

VRT is based on the date of import.

/M

bazz26

You also have:

www.cargiant.ie
www.motorpoint.co.uk
www.autoquake.com

Mc Love

Would it be possible to get inspection done before paying deposit or does a deposit need to be paid upfront?

anthony4335

It still much of value left in importing from England. I was looking at a few cars and seem to find that it appears to be as cheap over here. For example look at a 05 Legacy 12000 euro here app, 10000 pounds in england app, and that is before the tax man puts his hand down your pants.

Mc Love

Depends on the model and spec you want though.

kebrosnan

I am planning on going to the UK later on this year to get my next car and in my search, I found this guy who purchases at trade prices a customers spec'ed car and charges a set fee depending on the cost of the car, http://www.alexcreasy.co.uk/.

Provided it is all legit which I have no reason to doubt, you could save further. Go to www.whatcar.co.uk and the valuation section which will give you a good indication of the different prices you can expect to pay depending on where you are purchasing including trade prices which can be much less than forecourt prices.

Has anyone used this guy?

You will not save on all cars but there are savings to be made once you do all your homework.

Mc Love

Seems to get most of the cars from Auctions so could be a bit dodge

kebrosnan

True but that is where a full check by the AA/RAC/DEKRA Expert is worth investing in as well as looking for a full service history.

veetwin

kebrosnan wrote: »

I am planning on going to the UK later on this year to get my next car and in my search, I found this guy who purchases at trade prices a customers spec'ed car and charges a set fee depending on the cost of the car, http://www.alexcreasy.co.uk/.

Provided it is all legit which I have no reason to doubt, you could save further. Go to www.whatcar.co.uk and the valuation section which will give you a good indication of the different prices you can expect to pay depending on where you are purchasing including trade prices which can be much less than forecourt prices.

Has anyone used this guy?

You will not save on all cars but there are savings to be made once you do all your homework.

I'd approach this kind of service with caution. These people are in business to make a profit. It's in their interest to buy a car a the lowest possible price from the likes of auctions to improve the margin.

I'm speaking from experience here but the best way is to do the homework yourself. You can talk to the seller and get a better idea of the history of the car. The original thread gives advice to buy only from a main dealer and I believe that still stands.

Yes there are savings to be made but there are also dangers. Plenty of cowboys in the business. No point in spending your hardearned cash on a clapped out lemon.

argosy2006

IF You import form uk,,, is car taxed under new car tax system,ie based on emissions,,or under old system on eninge size,,,
and de VRT ,, that is based on emissions right?

Tipsy Mac

argosy2006 wrote: »

IF You import form uk,,, is car taxed under new car tax system,ie based on emissions,,or under old system on eninge size,,,
and de VRT ,, that is based on emissions right?

VRT is based on emissions on all cars. Motor tax is based on emissions on cars which were first registered in the UK after January 2008, all others it's CC based.

kebrosnan

veetwin wrote: »

I'd approach this kind of service with caution. These people are in business to make a profit. It's in their interest to buy a car a the lowest possible price from the likes of auctions to improve the margin.

I'm speaking from experience here but the best way is to do the homework yourself. You can talk to the seller and get a better idea of the history of the car. The original thread gives advice to buy only from a main dealer and I believe that still stands.

Yes there are savings to be made but there are also dangers. Plenty of cowboys in the business. No point in spending your hardearned cash on a clapped out lemon.

I agree, definitely need to do my homework on this one. He does say that he produces the auction receipt as part of the transaction which does give me something to verify I am not being fleeced. I plan on being very very specific on what I want at a minimum including a FSH.

Also I will insist on a full independing check by either AA/ RAC etc from day one. That way if he has nothing to hide, then he should have no issue with this. If he does, then I run:)

For the car that I plan to purchase, my calculating suggest almost a £5k str saving over a franchised dealer so I would be foolish not to seriously consider it.

Fizman

Have been reading through the monster thread for the past few days as I'm looking to import in the coming weeks.

Is the below post to be believed......

Marlow wrote: »

- If the car is over 4 years old, the VRO probably don't want to see it and extras are also not VRT'ed. And also, the within 24 hour rule is strechable.

I'm looking at importing a 2.0 TDI A3, probably 04-06. There is one being sold privately on AT that I am very keen on, as it has almost every extra imaginable and there are no others like it currently for sale from what I can see. It's a 05, so even though it has several thousand €'s worth of extras, should I get away with the fact it's a 5 year old car in terms of VRT? Or does it still depend on ther person I get at the VRO?

I've read that apparently extra's are depreciated by 25% per year.

Redsoxfan

When I imported my car in 2008, it was just shy of 4 years old. It was inspected and every extra was marked down. The valuation of the extras certainly didn't look like there had been depreciation of 25% p.a. applied!

Marlow

Fizman wrote: »

Is the below post to be believed......

Fizman wrote: »

I've read that apparently extra's are depreciated by 25% per year.

The extra's are depreciated by 25% per year, so after 4 years, there's not VRT on the extras. I'm not sure, what they do with cars newer than 4 years old, as I've not imported any.

If you don't believe my post, why don't you call the VRO and ask them. They will have to tell you the rules.

/M