VRT/VAT exempt - what would you buy from the UK?

autoboi

A friend is going to move to the UK for a 12/18 months for work/training.

He will be employed by a uk company and rent while he lives there - genuinely moving to live/work in the UK.

I've suggested he buys a car while he's there as he should be able to bring it home without VRT etc.

So question is if you had the exemption - what would you buy?

Additional - he's single and doesn't give a hoot about size/running costs, what's the biggest bang for his buck. Max. 50k sterling.

mac167

For me, I would get the FL5 Type R. This is not sold in Ireland so I would wager the number of FL5s in Ireland has to be in a single digit.

Miscreant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121601455#Comment_121601455

For those of use who don't know.... What is an FL5? Never heard of them.

If t'were me, I would buy something from a premium brand that I know would sell well here. BMW, Audi most likely. I think PHEVs are going to re-sell well this year judging by the number of posts on them here lately.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121601483#Comment_121601483

No point buying a PHEV if your VRT exempt. They only have 7% VRT, better to buy a big diesel or petrol with 41% VRT

autoboi

Nearly 50K for a Civic? I don't think I could part with that kind of cash for one!

I'm not sure there would be a market in Ireland once it came time to sell!

autoboi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121601520#Comment_121601520

this is what I was thinking - something like an X5 / Q7 or even a Jag!

bazz26

You have to be able to sell it on over here too if the objective is to take advantage of the VRT exemption by buying cheap in the UK and selling on in Ireland. No point imo bringing in a big petrol SUV that isn't a hybrid of some sort as the demand here for large thirsty petrol vehicles is tiny.

Casati

The best 911 that he can get for 50k.

These cars are almost impossible to import used as have 41% vrt, 10% duty and 23% applied, plus once they are a few years old they stop depreciating. He could make a nice wedge selling it on here in a few years

iColdFusion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121601992#Comment_121601992

This is a good call, no-one wants to import them as they are not listed on the calculator so Revenue can make up whatever figure they want when you go to the office.

mac167

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121601862#Comment_121601862

Considering the last gen Civic FK8 Type R is still going for almost 50k after 5 years (brand new I remember was around 60k), I don't think a modern Type R carries high depreciation factor in Ireland. Plus that's just in my opinion, I really like how the new Civic FL5 Type R looks and hate why it's not available in Ireland at all.

hoodie6029

Jaguar F Type. Every time.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121602773#Comment_121602773

Beautiful car but stupid car tax rules in ireland has to be a consideration with that,less so with something like a 911 where you know they'll be the demand.

The Mrs has a bog standard Jag and her next car will be a jag too but quality has definitely gone down hill since they were taken over.Thats not going to be such an issue with something like an F type but in the coming years Jag might not be seen as a high end brand and that may affect prices.

autoboi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121601992#Comment_121601992

Oh now this sounds more like it! he can have something really cool for a bit and then sell it on without loosing his arse! Thanks!

kirving

It's a double edged sword though - the more you "save" on VRT / duty, the harder is will be to sell on privately, even at a big discount.

Of 123 Porsches over €50k on Carzone, only 9 are Privately advertised. Same goes for BMW over €50k, 32 of 1,169 are private, and I'm sure the same across the board.

The market is exceptionally limited in that you need to find a buyer who A) Wants a premium car, B) Doesn't need finance, C) Still wants to to save say €10k. Personally, I think if they can afford a €50k car without finance, they can afford to pay the dealer €60k for more recourse, and the option of finance.

I'm sure there will be responses from people to say the bought cars for more privately, but that is absolutely an exception rather than the rule.

If it were me, I'd buy something nice that I planned to keep for say 5 years, that you would be happy to sell for under €30k (while dealers look for more) which will open up many more potential buyers.

hoodie6029

BMW i8. Bit of a bargain at the moment and only €180 odd to tax here.

galwaytt

Ignoring classics, then something you can't get here, or which is no longer remotely affordable to do so: Porsche would be first on my list. Be clever about the model though: no point in bringing in one that lands you with a annual motor tax bill of €2,400 a year.........something under 190g/km is €790 a year. Next bracket up 191 - 225g/km is €1250 so that (for me) is do-able.

225g/km and above is dead.

Me ? I had have a Boxster 2.5, or some mad Audi TT RS. Various Merc's or BMW if they float your boat.

Read the specs and log books very carefully.

User1998

Audi S3, RS3, Golf R, AMG’s , M cars etc would all be easy enough to sell on here and are in the highest VRT bracket

noelf

Don't forget congestion road charges if he is in around London before he decides on a car ..

mcburns07

340i touring please 😁

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058330807/vrt-vat-exempt-what-would-you-buy-from-the-uk

If he is being brought to England for training in order to be posted back to Ireland by the same company then the Revenue may not regard him as having transferred his normal residence outside the state, so the who thing is moot.

hoodie6029

I actually wouldn’t be too concerned about the tax rate here. The type of person in the market for high end coupes and sports cars wouldn’t blink at paying €1,200 or €2,400 a year in tax for a car. It’s a pittance to them.

Only caveat is, don’t you have to use the car here for year or 6 months when you bring it in? Can’t just declare it off the road and sell it after the waiting period? Heard that said on here before.

Open to correction, of course.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121608751#Comment_121608751

You can do what you want with the car but you have to wait 12 months before selling

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121608447#Comment_121608447

Yep, this, it is a fixed term posting abroad, not a permanent relocation.

autoboi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121608751#Comment_121608751

he needs a car and will be happy to use it here. The future selling of said car with a potential profit is just a bonus!

Buddy Bubs

Whatever he buys most of the savings will be eroded by depreciation in the period he has to own the car in UK and hold on to it in ROI.

To avoid disappointment I'd class this as maybe cheap motoring for a while than a money making idea.

autoboi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121609113#Comment_121609113

For clarity. He has no Irish employer. His plan is to go to the UK to work but ultimately will return home.

His line of work is very specialised and it makes sense to go there for a period. "Training" is a bit misleading - experience is a better descriptor.

monseiur

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121608447#Comment_121608447

Revenue will not be concerned about his employment status while abroad, but a letter from his employer in UK will, of course, help. But they will look for proof that he was resident outside Ireland, like rent receipts, electricity bills, landline phone/internet bills etc. all must be in his own name of course. Also proof that he was the registered owner of the vehicle for xxx no. of months/years + dated copy of sales/purchase invoice. So if he buys privately it's important that he gets a dated receipt form vendor. The more documentation he has the better to show that he's not trying to pull a fast one.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121611900#Comment_121611900

They will be concerned that he has in fact ceased to be normally resident in the State, given that his personal ties remain in the state and that he likely visits regularly. Going away for 12 months will not do the trick unless he has a good story as to why he is now back in Ireland.If he does end up as the owner of a vehicle for years then he has a better chance, but anything less than 2 clear calendar years off the Irish tax system will not be convincing.

And they will ask about his employer, if he was in Britain as a student then it wouldn't count at all. If the employer has the same name as his employment here then it would be transparent.

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121611900#Comment_121611900

But they will.

Otherwise we would all just use a friends address in the Uk to register a car, tax, insure it for a year or two, pay a few of their bills in our name and then claim a TOR exemption.

monseiur

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121613205#Comment_121613205

Not so, as you would still be registered with revenue as employed in Ireland or on some form of U/B or welfare. The OP is not trying to scam Revenue or others, he will be living outside the country for at least 12 months. His employment status while abroad is not relevant but if he is employed abroad a letter form his employer('s) stating commencement/termination dates etc would of course help. I was merely pointing out the types of documentations Revenue may request as evidence to enable them to process his application.

chalky_ie

From what I've read, it can be a bit of a pain in the arse to do this, if you're only in the UK for a short amount of time. He would really want to have loads of proof for every aspect of the inspection, and can't sell the car for a year after returning. A low mileage 911 is definitely the way to go, there will always be a specialist dealer that will take one off your hands. 997.2 S is probably the best you could do with 50k, I'd try and make it a manual as well.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121611703#Comment_121611703

If he is a younger person and does buy a Porsche then he will have to find someone to insure him in the UK and then when he returns.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121619140#Comment_121619140

Not necessarily, you could keep it in a garage for a year after selling it. It doesn’t have to be driven here.

He will have to pay for insurance in the UK tho and all the maintenance and fuel costs that comes with owning a Porsche. I’d imagine it would cost thousands to run for the year.

dinneenp

Didn't want to create a new thread just for this question, thought it kind of falls in here.

Is there any website that lists cars for sale in NI that are pre-Brexit and therefore you don't have to pay import/customs duty and VAT?

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121619366#Comment_121619366

No, UsedcarsNI and Autotrader will have some but they are mixed with UK cars

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121608751#Comment_121608751

Sorry, but that's wrong info : the market for €2400/yr motor tax cars is miniscule, and they're not buying old ones, because they're all leased etc.

I'm in the market for a 2018-ish Porsche when the right one comes along, but I'm not even going to click on an ad for a €2400/tax car. It would be beyond unsaleable in the future as that €2400 figure is only going to go up, over time. Imagine keeping it for 5 years and then calculating you'd spent 12k on tax.

And SORD-ing it just defeats the purpose of buying it imho.

Don't buy the car as an 'investment', sure, but don't shoot yourself in the foot either.

chalky_ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121619786#Comment_121619786

There are plenty of people that will buy a performance car in the highest tax bracket, especially if it's at a good price in relation to the Irish market. it doesn't mean a whole lot that you personally wouldn't.

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121619921#Comment_121619921

with respect, I disagree. I know plenty of the €1809 tax cars parked up for most of every year for that reason.

The Guvnor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121601992#Comment_121601992

I think this is the way to go! 1 he gets a great car which he can use and enjoy and when he comes to sell it he will likely make some money.

chalky_ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121622358#Comment_121622358

Again, it doesn't really matter, in the context of the discussion. Any specialist car dealer in the country will take the car off the person in question, if the price is right(and it's a good car, of course). If they successfully bring it in with no fees they can sell for a very good price(in terms of the Irish market), it still represents profit for the importer, and a big saving for the dealer, meaning they can sell it under market price, and have a far better chance of hitting margin on it vs. an Irish bought example.

Marcusm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121625023#Comment_121625023

Only after a year can they sell it to anyone else. Ultimately I am fairly confident that someone could make money this route but I doubt someone in that position could finance €50k fir 18 months and bear the loss if something tanked.

chalky_ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121626179#Comment_121626179

Yes, that is the big issue, also it's very hard to even get the exemption when you're only there short term. I believe they try and do whatever they can to make you pay, I certainly wouldn't be arsed with it without having been in the UK for a few years.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121626527#Comment_121626527

This provision is for people who make a long term move, it is not for trading in cars by people having a break abroad. The Revenue are not eejits, if someone comes along with a flash car with high VRT then they will thoroughly investigate the nature of the move.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121626644#Comment_121626644

As long as you meet the requirements they have to grant the exemption. The requirement is living abroad for 12 months, and the car being used during that time. Among some other minor stipulations.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121626668#Comment_121626668

The requirement is to own the car for 6 months, but living abroad for only 6 months will not transfer your normal residence except in very unusual cases.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121626741#Comment_121626741

Post edited, abroad for 12 and using the car for 6. As long as you can prove you were actually abroad and not visiting home every weekend, and were actually using the car during that time then theres no reason you wouldn’t qualify.