Buying a used car with an 'irregular taxation period' ?

Middleage Fanclub

Looking to buy a car which I've run through cartell.ie. It's coming up showing that the car was taxed for 3, 4, 5 or 6 month durations. It looks continuous (over 4 years) but I can't understand why a car would be taxed over irregular periods. The website says that the car may have been off the road although it looks like it was always taxed but was just renewed at these random intervals. Any thoughts ?

Seve OB

Because you can tax a car for whatever period you want…. Plus arrears

Middleage Fanclub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119937333#Comment_119937333

Can you? I thought you can only tax your car for 3, 6 or 12 month periods and Cartell also quotes this. I guess if the tax was out by a month or two and you taxed it for 6 months, say 2 months of arears plus the next 4 months then it may show up like this? So the car was regularly out of tax?

they could be showing incorrect info? could possibly ask the tax office. or the owner.

Middleage Fanclub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119937403#Comment_119937403

I'm buying off a dealer, but I can ask, Tx

User1998

The car is not crashed or clocked so you have nothing to worry about. When and for how long the car was taxed is not important

wandererz

If someone has multiple cars, it may not be feasible to tax all cars all the time.

For example, driving the convertible during spring and summer and the sedan during the other months.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119937939#Comment_119937939

I don't think that's the issue. It's that it was taxed for multiple short periods.

wandererz

Not everyone can afford to fork out the full tax amount in one go.

I for one don't pay the motor tax upfront for a whole year. Usually 3 months at a time.

Victor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119937866#Comment_119937866

How do you know it hasn't been crashed or clocked?

marilynrr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119937373#Comment_119937373

Yeah mine was out of date by a month once and I paid for 4 months when I next taxed it for 3 months.

So you can only tax your car for 3, 6 or 12 month periods, the arrears don't count as part of that though.......so for example if it's out by a month you would technically be paying for 4, 7 or 13 months but you're paying in advance for a 3, 6 or 12 month period.

If your tax was out on the last day of December and you didn't pay for it until the start of February you have to pay for 4 months, they don't let you back tax January, your disk would go from February-April.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119938092#Comment_119938092

Because OP done a history check and is asking about irregular taxation periods?

Middleage Fanclub

This is what cartell are telling me, is it possible that the car was only taxed for 12 months out of 48? If so, should that matter?

TipsyMcStagge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119939425#Comment_119939425

Those are 3 months tax plus arrears so 4 months is 3 months plus one month arrears. It just looks like the owners weren't very careful about taxing it on time.

User1998

There’s nothing to worry about what so ever. If you are 1 day late taxing a car it gives a warning like that. I don’t think I have ever taxed my car on time.

colm_mcm

It’s not that big a deal, but it would raise questions as to how well maintained the car was. Is there a service history?

ELM327

Tax doesnt affect how the car drives. It's not relevant. (Other than perhaps secondary impact like deferred maintenance as Colm says)

bazz26

Sometimes there is such thing as getting too much information where some is less relevant and sends you down a rabbit hole. I think this is a good example of that. As said irregular tax shouldn't be too concerning, just make sure there is a good service history as if the owner is genuinly struggling to with the cost of paying motor tax then they might be the same with car maintenance and servicing.

Middleage Fanclub

Thanks all, good service history so we pulled the trigger, appreciate all the input.