Can you get VRT refund on Cat C import?

Experience_day

I'm looking at buying a car from the UK. It was previously CAT C for damage taken. The VRT doesn't seem to provision for this on the website, so was hoping someone could enlighten me...

Seeing as the car is recorded as damage (its fixed now and is grand, on the road fine etc), can you argue for a reduction in cost, as I can't imagine people happy to buy a written off car for the same price as a normal car?

I've googled but it seems like this VRT lark is a mystery....

Truckermal

No reduction unfortunately as they reckon it's your choice buying such a car.

Experience_day

Truckermal wrote: »

No reduction unfortunately as they reckon it's your choice buying such a car.

Thanks for the reply.

Do you have any links or anything? VRT seems like a mad old proposition anyway, and to not have the flexibility to account for lack of future value seems pretty unfair!

I'd ring them, but I can't a number for love nor money.

Truckermal

Experience_day wrote: »

Thanks for the reply.

Do you have any links or anything? VRT seems like a mad old proposition anyway, and to not have the flexibility to account for lack of future value seems pretty unfair!

I'd ring them, but I can't a number for love nor money.

I don't but from personal experience we thought about buying a A7 last year and that's what we were told, the Cork office is 021 6027000..

savagethegoat

I reckon you'd get what you fought for.....the OMSP of a cat c would be far less than full value.

ironclaw

They probably figure your saving is getting a Cat C at a much lower price point to start with. You'd be mad to pay next or near the price of a perfect car if you were importing a Cat C, you'd want to be making a very large saving.

Experience_day

Truckermal wrote: »

I don't but from personal experience we thought about buying a A7 last year and that's what we were told, the Cork office is 021 6027000..

Excellent, thanks, will ring tomorrow.

ironclaw wrote: »

They probably figure your saving is getting a Cat C at a much lower price point to start with. You'd be mad to pay next or near the price of a perfect car if you were importing a Cat C, you'd want to be making a very large saving.

But is the VRT not based on the open market selling price? This has no relevance to what I will pay for the car? The market selling price of a category C is substantially less than other cars on the open market.

ironclaw

Experience_day wrote: »

Excellent, thanks, will ring tomorrow.



But is the VRT not based on the open market selling price? This has no relevance to what I will pay for the car? The market selling price of a category C is substantially less than other cars on the open market.

Assuming Revenue don't take Cat C into account, I'd imagine its their logic that if you had a pristine car for example that you bought for €10k and payed say €2k VRT on, and then you had the same car but Cat C that was €8k to buy but you still paid the book value of €2k in VRT, you've still saved €2k on the purchase price. If Revenue gave you a discount on the VRT as well, you are effectively getting a double discount. Also leaves the game wide open to fraud if a car is mislabeled as Cat C etc.

I do agree with you however, there should be some margin for valuation based on history and condition but then again, that's entirely subjective. Hpw can you really value a car on a different day with a different inspector in a fair manner? The fairest alternative is to set the book value for a given car regardless of condition and history with the buyer responsible for getting the best discount on the purchase price.