Golf Van; commercial to private.

Hunter21 · 13-02-2012 8:31pm #1

As above. Lad wants to do a deal with a car I have, for a Vw Golf Van but its commercial.
Would there be much to converting it back to private vehicle on tax book?

sean1141 · 13-02-2012 9:16pm

do you mean to tax it private or change it back to a car?

Hunter21 · 13-02-2012 9:30pm

sean1141 wrote: »

do you mean to tax it private or change it back to a car?

Tax it private for insurance reasons as I want to convert it back to a car.

-Corkie- · 13-02-2012 9:35pm

Hunter21 wrote: »

Tax it private for insurance reasons as I want to convert it back to a car.

All you need to do is tax it in the tax office as private and nothing else. You will need your DOE cert.

Hunter21 · 13-02-2012 9:40pm

-Corkie- wrote: »

All you need to do is tax it in the tax office as private and nothing else. You will need your DOE cert.

Simple as that!? taught there would be a load of red tape like loads of things in Ireland.

When I get that done can I insure the car as a normal private/passenger vehicle? obviously I'll have to get NCT as it'll be a passenger vehicle.

-Corkie- · 13-02-2012 9:43pm

Hunter21 wrote: »

Simple as that!? taught there would be a load of red tape like loads of things in Ireland.

When I get that done can I insure the car as a normal private/passenger vehicle? obviously I'll have to get NCT as it'll be a passenger vehicle.

No you will still have to DOE it while its a van.

sean1141 · 13-02-2012 9:43pm

i think your mixing up taxing it as a private car and converting it to a private car

Guy:Incognito · 13-02-2012 9:47pm

Unless the deal is hugely in your favour whats the point? Your payng the private tax but not getting the benefit of having the extra seats.

If you lookign to convert it back to a car, again I cant see it being cheaper than just buying a car. Is the Golf van not likely to be a base model too?

Hunter21 · 13-02-2012 10:03pm

sean1141 wrote: »

i think your mixing up taxing it as a private car and converting it to a private car

What do I have to do to fully convert it to a private car?

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Unless the deal is hugely in your favour whats the point? Your payng the private tax but not getting the benefit of having the extra seats.

If you lookign to convert it back to a car, again I cant see it being cheaper than just buying a car. Is the Golf van not likely to be a base model too?

People are not offering me full cash sale for the car Im selling. The lad with the Golf van is offering me a part ex with cash my way on top. Thats why it's tempting and I think its a good deal. (ts a good deal if its not too much hassle to convert it back to a private car)

Guy:Incognito · 13-02-2012 10:06pm

Hunter21 wrote: »

People are not offering me full cash sale for the car Im selling. The lad with the Golf van is offering me a part ex with cash my way on top. Thats why it's tempting and I think its a good deal. (ts a good deal if its not too much hassle to convert it back to a private car)

Fair enough but it may not be viable. Depending on how thorough the lads were when converting it, they may have just filled over the seat belt anchor points, but then again they may have welded them. Are the back windows just covered or is it steel panels?

sean1141 · 13-02-2012 10:07pm

Hunter21 wrote: »

What do I have to do to fully convert it to a private car?

seats seatbelts. windows if it has pannels remove the floor, then there is the paper work. you may also have to pay extra vrt

sean1141 · 13-02-2012 10:08pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Depending on how thorough the lads were when converting it

could have been a factory van either

whippet · 13-02-2012 10:09pm

Hunter21 wrote: »

What do I have to do to fully convert it to a private car?

People are not offering me full cash sale for the car Im selling. The lad with the Golf van is offering me a part ex with cash my way on top. Thats why it's tempting and I think its a good deal. (ts a good deal if its not too much hassle to convert it back to a private car)

i'm by no means an expert in the area but i'd say what you are looking to do is probably either impossible or in no way economically viable.

You'd have to get the seats and seat belts fitted (could be a big job as I believe the mounts for the seat belts would have been either removed or permentaly put beyond use), you'd have to put in windows and then present it for inspection and then get it through an NCT.

Then i think (open to correction here) you'd have to pay the VRT on it.

If you need back seats forget about it i'd say.

Hunter21 · 13-02-2012 10:16pm

Thanks for the info.
Forgot I might have to pay higher VRT if I was to do the conversion and also the seat belt would be a pain to put back in. Totally crossed my mind!

marryabroad · 13-02-2012 11:28pm

take it in and flog it on. small vans always sell well.

Nissan doctor · 14-02-2012 12:07am

If its a VW factory produced golf van(most likely) then its not going to be financially viable to convert it to a car. The steel floor is welded/bonded in place and the windows are not just standard windows blanked but are metal panels which can't be just changed for windows.

As for taxing it privately, as said, you just go into the tax office with your VLC and tax it privately, you'll then get a new VLC with the vehicle re-classified as a private vehicle.

I've done the same recently with an astra van.

R.O.R · 14-02-2012 8:43am

It won't be a factory produced van as VW still haven't produced a Golf van from the factory (N1 spec Golf Van is rumoured for April ish this year). They came in as 3 door hatchbacks, and I think NVD did the conversions. If it was originally sold as Van, it will have been done properly, and would be a right pain to stick seats back in.

That's not even getting in to the VRT issues.........

Car based vans are selling well, and for a lot more than I expected, at the moment.

AvonEnniskerry · 14-02-2012 8:53am

small vans unfortunately arn't so easy to sell any more as you can not get the cheap tax on them unless you have the paperwork. You used to see alot of young lads driving them, Now there's no problem paying the private tax for a commercial vehicle but if your going to be paying your full amount of tax, there is no advantage to having a van.

What Year is the van? as most golfs are built ready to convert. I know with my own one I just remove the pannelling in the back windows, take out the floor and put in the seats. The car itself is all ready to convert. Vw generally have all the work pre done which is a huge benefit...

dgt · 14-02-2012 1:40pm

Op most small vans will have had a hard life, its not worth changing back to a passenger car as the holes for the seatbelts and seats will have been destroyed/filled in and the false floor is usually welded in. Very rarely are they left alone (I dismantled a Bravo van with the holes still useable but the floor welded in for example)

Beware of any vrt you may have to pay to use it privately. Private taxing on a van has its uses mind you

I prefer to do it the other way around, get a private car and turn it into a van. You get a better minded vehicle at the start to begin with

Golf Van; commercial to private.

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