2016 UK import - step by step

prettyboy81

Struggling to get an appointment online at Dublin Centre's. I will ring to be put on priority list. There is an appointment in Dundalk on Tuesday, 1st November, 2.45pm. Might suit someone not me with work.

Is it worth taking an appointment, say like Monaghan for a week away & trying to get cancellation in a Dublin NCT Centre?

Boggy Turf

Would people mind listing some of the actual UK dealers they bought from. I guess I am looking for dealers that have experience with ROI purchases.

I was thinking of buying a VW Golf, Seat Altea or Hyundai i30 so would people suggest only looking in VW, Seat or Hyundai dealerships?

TitianGerm

Folks I'm strongly considering heading over to the UK to pick up a 2012 Passat Bluemotion Tech Sport 2.0L for £7k.

The car has 125k miles on the clock and looks in great condition on the company website.

I test drove a lower spec 2.0L here in Ireland and really liked the feel of the car.

Is there anything I should really look out for with this particular car? The garage provide a AA inspection but I will arrange for an additional inspection like recommended in the OP.

Last point is I'm unsure whether to head over in the next few weeks or hang on until early next year and hope the £ weakens further.

Thanks for any help guys.

prettyboy81

emmetkenny wrote: »

Folks I'm strongly considering heading over to the UK to pick up a 2012 Passat Bluemotion Tech Sport 2.0L for £7k.

The car has 125k miles on the clock and looks in great condition on the company website.

I test drove a lower spec 2.0L here in Ireland and really liked the feel of the car.

Is there anything I should really look out for with this particular car? The garage provide a AA inspection but I will arrange for an additional inspection like recommended in the OP.

Last point is I'm unsure whether to head over in the next few weeks or hang on until early next year and hope the £ weakens further.

Thanks for any help guys.

One piece of advice, plenty of garages out there in the UK near airports, etc. The car has high mileage but if service history is up to scratch then it is your call. You will see plenty more VW Passats & I would go with something with lower mileage.

I was looking at high mileage i40 for value. Ended up getting a 2013 with 39,000 miles with Hyundai service book that suited my pocket.

Best of Luck!

http://www.usedcarsni.com/2012-Volkswagen-Passat-2-0-S-BLUEMOTION-TECH-TDI-FINANCE-AVAILABLE-170280723

TitianGerm

prettyboy81 wrote: »

One piece of advice, plenty of garages out there in the UK near airports, etc. The car has high mileage but if service history is up to scratch then it is your call. You will see plenty more VW Passats & I would go with something with lower mileage.

I was looking at high mileage i40 for value. Ended up getting a 2013 with 39,000 miles with Hyundai service book that suited my pocket.

Best of Luck!

http://www.usedcarsni.com/2012-Volkswagen-Passat-2-0-S-BLUEMOTION-TECH-TDI-FINANCE-AVAILABLE-170280723

The mileage is slightly high but the car has a full VW service history so I was putting a bit of stock into that and assuming it's well looked after.

Gryire

Are there advantages/disadvnatage to buying from Northern Ireland instead of Mainland UK. Might be a bit dearer but is a lot handier.

Atlantic Dawn

Gryire wrote: »

Are there advantages/disadvnatage to buying from Northern Ireland instead of Mainland UK. Might be a bit dearer but is a lot handier.

Advantages would be you can simply drive up and view the cars and drive back, no need for flights and ferries. Disadvantage is pricing tends to be higher than UK and also with the amount of fiddled with diesel up there buying a diesel car from there might be a bad idea.

dubrov

Gryire wrote:

Are there advantages/disadvnatage to buying from Northern Ireland instead of Mainland UK. Might be a bit dearer but is a lot handier.

I guess it depends what model you are looking for but i found the savings were nearly doubled by going to the mainland

Gryire

dubrov wrote: »

I guess it depends what model you are looking for but i found the savings were nearly doubled by going to the mainland

There seems to be better value and bigger choice.

Moggaman

Hi. Advice needed. Have arranged to fly to U.K. Friday to meet a couple who are selling their car. Auto trader is where I sourced it.it has cleared AutoTraders 5 checks.. stolen, scrapped, imported , exported ,Cat C/D. It is a very good price, not ridiculous but very good.
2011 with a Mot till 2017 and is currently taxed.
Kia have a 7 year warranty which I presume I would fall under should anything untoward happen. She has offered for her hubby to pick me up at airport (45 min drive) and test drive it and sort out all the paperwork there should I be happy with it. Getting an engineer mechanic to look at it would be quite awkward I would say and possibly a waste of money.
Which is best site to do check on car?
I would appreciate your thoughts . I am not a suspicious person and she seemed nice on the phone.

Atlantic Dawn

Moggaman wrote: »

Hi. Advice needed. Have arranged to fly to U.K. Friday to meet a couple who are selling their car. Auto trader is where I sourced it.it has cleared AutoTraders 5 checks.. stolen, scrapped, imported , exported ,Cat C/D. It is a very good price, not ridiculous but very good.
2011 with a Mot till 2017 and is currently taxed.
Kia have a 7 year warranty which I presume I would fall under should anything untoward happen. She has offered for her hubby to pick me up at airport (45 min drive) and test drive it and sort out all the paperwork there should I be happy with it. Getting an engineer mechanic to look at it would be quite awkward I would say and possibly a waste of money.
Which is best site to do check on car?
I would appreciate your thoughts . I am not a suspicious person and she seemed nice on the phone.

Primarily on that car you would want to check firstly that the car you are looking at is the car you ran the history check for and not a clone of it, verify the VIN and engine numbers are correctly fitted and not altered. The VIN number should be on the bulkhead of the engine bay and also at the bottom of the passenger side front windscreen, it may also be stamped on the windows. I would also check photo ID of the sellers against the owner named in the V5/Logbook.

Denisoftus

Moggaman wrote: »

Hi. Advice needed. Have arranged to fly to U.K. Friday to meet a couple who are selling their car. .....

You also need to request an invoice with the date and purchase price clearly indicated for VRT purpose.

I would still get mechanic to look at the car and get the report from something like cartell.ie or UK version, its not that much money for a peace of mind, there are a lot of surprises which will not be covered by standard warranty (see terms and conditions written in very small text at the bottom )

Denisoftus

Gryire wrote: »

Are there advantages/disadvnatage to buying from Northern Ireland instead of Mainland UK. Might be a bit dearer but is a lot handier.

Pros for buying from UK:
1. Easier VRT process, you show the ferry receipt as proof of date entering the state
2. Much, much better selection, and specification generally better in UK, you get a lot of extras as standard.
3. A lot more official dealerships
4. You can do some sightseeing on a way back
5. You can buy something in mainland, not available in NI (like big screen TV on offers or something similar)

Pros for buying from NI:
1. Cheaper and easier transfer/collection/delivery
2. Easier to bring it back if something goes wrong
3. You can view the car first, pay deposit and take your time to pay the balance and collect the car while they fix the issues you find at the first visit.

Gryire

I bought in a Mondeo from Ford dealer in Northern Ireland. Could have have got similar car in UK a bit cheaper but flights / ferry /time etc would probably have eaten into money saved on deal.

Am picking up on Staturday. Do I have to inform DVLA now or is this part of the VRT valuation/pament process?

Gryire

Denisoftus wrote: »

Cons for buying from UK:
1. Easier VRT process, you show the ferry receipt as proof of date entering the state
2. Much, much better selection, and specification generally better in UK, you get a lot of extras as standard.
3. A lot more official dealerships
4. You can do some sightseeing on a way back
5. You can buy something in mainland, not available in NI (like big screen TV on offers or something similar)

Cons for buying from NI:
1. Cheaper and easier transfer/collection/delivery
2. Easier to bring it back if something goes wrong
3. You can view the car first, pay deposit and take your time to pay the balance and collect the car while they fix the issues you find at the first visit.

Think you mean Pros instead of Cons

Denisoftus

Gryire wrote: »

Think you mean Pros instead of Cons

Feels like friday today fixed...

RobTheLad

Gryire wrote: »

I bought in a Mondeo from Ford dealer in Northern Ireland. Could have have got similar car in UK a bit cheaper but flights / ferry /time etc would probably have eaten into money saved on deal.

Am picking up on Staturday. Do I have to inform DVLA now or is this part of the VRT valuation/pament process?

Agree with this post, bought a car two weeks ago up north, was able to drive up the same day as I seen it on Auto trader, which was a big plus for me. Collected it there last Thursday, again was able to phone the dealer that morning before I left my house to confirm he had received bank transfer, had it picked up and driving home by lunchtime. Right the car in question might have been a few hundred cheaper in the mainland, but I had little to no travel costs, no car inspections, as I could view it myself, and everything was just easy and straightforward. Picture below of my purchase

Just waiting now on a VRT appointment, seem to be especially busy at the moment.

masterboy123

Congrats on your 3 series; perhaps 330D?

Is it legal to drive UK number plate to ireland given you're resident in ireland? Is there any minimum time frame where you're allowed to drive UK number plates in ireland?
Thanks
We will wait for interior pictures

RobTheLad wrote: »

Agree with this post, bought a car two weeks ago up north, was able to drive up the same day as I seen it on Auto trader, which was a big plus for me. Collected it there last Thursday, again was able to phone the dealer that morning before I left my house to confirm he had received bank transfer, had it picked up and driving home by lunchtime. Right the car in question might have been a few hundred cheaper in the mainland, but I had little to no travel costs, no car inspections, as I could view it myself, and everything was just easy and straightforward. Picture below of my purchase

Just waiting now on a VRT appointment, seem to be especially busy at the moment.

Gryire

masterboy123 wrote: »

Congrats on your 3 series; perhaps 330D?

Is it legal to drive UK number plate to ireland given you're resident in ireland? Is there any minimum time frame where you're allowed to drive UK number plates in ireland?
Thanks
We will wait for interior pictures

I think you have 30 days from import date.

RobTheLad

masterboy123 wrote: »

Congrats on your 3 series; perhaps 330D?

Is it legal to drive UK number plate to ireland given you're resident in ireland? Is there any minimum time frame where you're allowed to drive UK number plates in ireland?
Thanks
We will wait for interior pictures

The exchange rate is good, but not 330D good :pac:

It's a 320D M-Sport, haven't got any interior pictures actually, will take some tomorrow when it's a bit brighter

masterboy123

Cool. 320D is fab. Please check your PM

RobTheLad wrote: »

The exchange rate is good, but not 330D good :pac:

It's a 320D M-Sport, haven't got any interior pictures actually, will take some tomorrow when it's a bit brighter

prettyboy81

I got VRT appointment today for 18th November. I couldn't get one online so rang the number provided & placed on priority list. Got a text in the afternoon.

I was speaking to staff member on the phone and her words were "its busiest we have ever been because of Brexit".

So I'd ring as soon as for your appointment.

Gryire

prettyboy81 wrote: »

I got VRT appointment today for 18th November. I couldn't get one online so rang the number provided & placed on priority list. Got a text in the afternoon.

I was speaking to staff member on the phone and her words were "its busiest we have ever been because of Brexit".

So I'd ring as soon as for your appointment.

When do you need to inform DVLA or is this done as part of VRT payment.

TitianGerm

What site do you guys use to search for cars up north? I've been trying Auto trader but not getting many hits for what I'm looking for.

Gryire

emmetkenny wrote: »

What site do you guys use to search for cars up north? I've been trying Auto trader but not getting many hits for what I'm looking for.

Usedcarsni.com

caffers3

Looking for a car and thinking of going up North with the way the rate is at the minute. I have no insurance at the minute as my old car has been off the road for a while now and is getting scrapped. What way would that work out? Could I get a new insurance policy on a car bought before it's put onto an Irish reg?

And do people find the VRT calculator to be accurate enough to judge how much that will cost? Looking at either a 1.4l or 1.6l Vauxhall Astra.

Thanks for any help

Mc Love

Gryire wrote: »

Usedcarsni.com

Autotraderni too

There is a smaller amount of cars in the North and they tend to be a bit more expensive than mainland UK imho

prettyboy81

Gryire wrote: »

When do you need to inform DVLA or is this done as part of VRT payment.

I have done nothing with them. My understanding it will be all done, as part of VRT process. The garage I bought from will have a record of when the vehicle was exported from Northern Ireland.

masterboy123

You mean autotraders uk with selecting NI cars only? I can't find separate website for NI only

Mc Love wrote: »

Autotraderni too

There is a smaller amount of cars in the North and they tend to be a bit more expensive than mainland UK imho

Mc Love

That must be it.