Buying and importing car from N.I

kateobrien33

I'm considering importing a car from NI as its considerably cheaper for higher spec ( thinking Nissan X- Trail 2015/2016). I understand the cost incurred with VRT and happy enough its still a better buy.

Logistics is the issue I am looking for advice on. If the car is bought in NI will it need to be towed to an NCT down south?

Would it be easier and as cost effective to deal with dealers in the South that do the leg work for you?

any insight appreciated

Cee-Jay-Cee

No, transfer your insurance and drive it. Apply for a VRT appointment within 24hrs and your covered to drive it until you get your VRT appointment and new number.

Hitman3000

kateobrien33 wrote:

Would it be easier and as cost effective to deal with dealers in the South that do the leg work for you?

No it wouldn't. Doing it yourself is what saves you money. I have bought 2 cars in NI this year. Whether I should have or not I drove both home both had valid MOTs. Made the appointment with the NCT for the VRT assessment. Saved 2500 euro on the first car and 1600 on the second.

bazz26

It's not complex and you don't need a dealer to do it for you.

You buy the car in the North/UK. Drive it home, you have 7 days from the time it enters the country to book a VRT inspection at your local NCT centre, you have 30 days to complete the entire VRT process at which time you will be issued Irish plates. Once you have Irish plates you can tax the car and book the NCT (if it's due). While the NCT centre manage both VRT and NCT you need to book each separately.

There is also a buying a used car in the UK sticky thread in the Motors Buying and Selling sub forum.

kateobrien33

okay that's way less hassle than I had envisaged!

kateobrien33

Hitman3000 wrote: »

No it wouldn't. Doing it yourself is what saves you money. I have bought 2 cars in NI this year. Whether I should have or not I drove both home both had valid MOTs. Made the appointment with the NCT for the VRT assessment. Saved 2500 euro on the first car and 1600 on the second.

Yeah I thought as much about loosing the saving once you involve a 3rd party all right. Did you transfer your insurance prior to driving them down?

Hitman3000

kateobrien33 wrote:

Yeah I thought as much about loosing the saving once you involve a 3rd party all right. Did you transfer your insurance prior to driving them down?

The policy I have allows me drive other cars on a 3rd party basis once the car is not registered to me. I assume and of course open to correction means I'm ok.

bazz26

Hitman3000 wrote: »

The policy I have allows me drive other cars on a 3rd party basis once the car is not registered to me. I assume and of course open to correction means I'm ok.

You need to be very careful with this as its generally not the case.

Insurance companies state you can drive other cars under third party extension that are not owned by you i.e. a car you don't stand to suffer a financial loss from in the event the car is damaged/stolen or destroyed. So even if your not the registered owner yet but you bought the car then in the eyes of the insurance company you are the owner as you stand to suffer a financial loss.

OP, you transfer your insurance policy from your old car over to the new car when you buy it in the North. Most insurance companies will insure it under the NI/UK registration temporarily until the VRT is paid and it is re-registered in the south.

Henry Ford III

Hitman3000 wrote: »

The policy I have allows me drive other cars on a 3rd party basis once the car is not registered to me. I assume and of course open to correction means I'm ok.

If you've just bought it you are the legal owner. If it came to it the name on the logbook at that point doesn't matter.

Your insurance in the circumstances is most likely dodgy.

Philb76

Also just to add op any mot is transferred to nct now which is a bonus

Hitman3000

bazz26 wrote:

You need to be very careful with this as its generally not the case.

Thanks for the heads up, but the person whom has become the new owner each time has been the passenger on the way home. It's good to know the rules should I buy for myself. Cheers.

Harcrid

Philb76 wrote: »

Also just to add op any mot is transferred to nct now which is a bonus

Really? Since when?

Philb76

Harcrid wrote: »

Philb76 wrote: »

Also just to add op any mot is transferred to nct now which is a bonus

Really? Since when?

Announced few weeks back

Hitman3000

Harcrid wrote:

Really? Since when?

I was informed of this too by the garage in Enniskillen on Saturday . Good news if it is.

Phoebas

Is it more cost effective to bring a car in from Britain i.e. do they tend to be cheaper there or is there just a greater range available?

bazz26

Prices are lower on the mainland and there is a better selection. Downside is that you have to factor in the cost of travel and the logistics of getting there and back.

Leonard Hofstadter

And if you're buying something a few years old, then you've effectively got no comeback as you're not exactly going to be taking days off to hop on the boat back to the UK to get a problem fixed by the garage.

But the sheer choice and lower prices are the main draws, and if you're after something a bit unusual then you more or less have to go over there anyway.

Henry Ford III

Choice - yes but it's a big land mass so logistics count.

Spec. Generally better but not always.

Value. A good used import is undoubtedly keener value.

Caveat. A lot of cars have a hidden past. Buy carefully and be very thorough in relation to due diligence. Warranties for example can be troublesome.

Philb76

Scotland is worth looking at as well especially Glasgow its not too far a drive to the ferry for the North in England u can possibly be driving for hours

Philb76

Used cars Scotland is a good site if its a newish car ur looking for