Importing from UK

[Kace]

I'm thinking of taking in a second car from the UK over the coming months as the FTO isn't cutting it with the other half and baba as a family wagon (even though we have been managing for the past 2 years with it as our sole auto).

Here's the plan.

1. Search UK cars across whole country using Autotrader
2. Select a car from a dealer (vs. Private) to ensure that there is some comeback should it all go tits up
3. Discuss all aspects of the car condition over the phone
4. Get an RAC check organised for the car and review report
5. Take flight over with cash to collect. Bank Drafts are sometimes not accepted and Credit Cards incur extra cost for seller
6. Drive to nearest ferry and take her home

Anyone done this - am I missing anything ?

By the way - has anyone else noticed that most of the high end second hand cars in our marketplace are from the UK. 7 out of 10 Audi Avants I have looked at were from the UK. I also know that many main dealers have loads of imports on their forecourts, e.g. Joe Duffy BMW for example. I didn't realise main dealers were doing it too, thought it was only smaller back-street garages.

[CJ]

Kace, heres what I did when buying the RX-7:

1. Scoured UK Autotrader but managed to find one on the UK Mazda Rotary Owners Club forum for sale.

2. Did my research, had a couple of conversations with the guy, got him to email me scans of recent service work + a bucket load of pictures of the car (I spotted a rear oil seal leak in one of the pics and had him sort it in advance, cost £250!)

3. Agreed a price and payment type (sterling draft)

4. Booked flight for nearest airport (Doncaster) and got train to Sheffield. Booked ferry back from Holyhead.

5. Got there, drove the car, all good, did the deal, filled out the V5 form for change of ownership / export (make sure you get both sections of the form, you'll need it when registering with the VRO)

5. Drove to Holyhead with a big smile on my face, got ferry, all done! Flew @ 7am, got home @ 7pm.

I would guess the same would mostly apply when buying off a dealer. My advice is to purchase from somewhere near an airport and not too far from Holyhead or Liverpool.

Give me a call if you want to discuss further.

CJ

[soc]

By the way - has anyone else noticed that most of the high end second hand cars in our marketplace are from the UK. 7 out of 10 Audi Avants I have looked at were from the UK. I also know that many main dealers have loads of imports on their forecourts, e.g. Joe Duffy BMW for example. I didn't realise main dealers were doing it too, thought it was only smaller back-street garages.

This is the great stealers con.... they slash the price they'll offer on a UK import trade-in but have no problem selling them off their forecourts at the same price as an Irish car

This is straight from the horses mouth so to spead... I've a mate working for Joe Duffy and was checking if I'd have trouble trading a UK import M3 - above encapsulates his response!

[Hercules Q. Einstein]

To import a car you just need to turn up at you local County Council
offices.
Bringing the foreign registered car, the Vehicle Registration document for that car from the country of origin, with the 'Export' section filled in.

Some times the VRT rep will inspect you car ro ensure that you filled in the form correctly, ie. that, that GS really isn't a GPX.
The majority of the time the VRT person won't ever look at the car.
Hene the reason it's so easy to buy a Glanza and import as a 1.1 Starlet.

This website is vey useful and allows you to check what VRT you need to pay on any car, it also gives the cars official book value which is interesting.

https://www.ros.ie/VRTEnquiryServlet/ShowVRT

Also, you can specify the county of import, irrelevant of your address so
go for a D Reg as D Reg cars usually have a slighly higher resale value.

The VRT calculation system is a joke.
To import my '95 GPX would cost £1,080, let's not forget that it's a 12 year old car.

A great ally of VRT is NCT.
First off, the NCT computer systems works off a database off all Irish registered cars. Once the car reaches it's 4th birthday it's due for NCT.
So a March 2004 car would be due for NCT in March 2008.
Here's the problem. Let's say you imported a 1998 car that was registered in May.
May 1998 would mean that the car was due for NCT in May 2002.
NCT then sets new test dates at 2 year intervals so for this car they would be May 2004, May 2006, May 2008.
If you went in to NCT that car today, and passed, the NCT certificat would read from May 2006 - May2008.
You've not only got an NCT cert that's valid for 10 months instead of 2 years.

One way to help get around this problem is the state January as the month of manafacture when you import the vehicle, that way you could add up to 11 months to your first NCT cert instead of if you had put down December.

NCT's team of monkeys developed a system that won't allow you to NCT a car unless it can input the car's Irish Reg Num into their computer.
Being as how your UK / Jap car doesn't yet have an Irish Reg you can't NCT it. Major drawback being that you could pay over €1000 to import your car and then find it falis the NCT.
NCT gripe number 2.
You can't just book your newly imported car in for an NCT, no you wait a few weeks for them to register your car on their system, then you may graciously book in your car.

In the North things are alot more sensible.
You MOT an import based on the chassis number.
You can't import the car unless it passes the MOT (keeps more clapped out motors off the roads up there).

Note - If you import a car from england to ireland, if you ever decide to re-import that car into the UK you get a refund on VRT paid.
Catch 22- If you can't pass the NCT you won't pass the MOT and hence won't be able to re-import and collect your refunded VRT.

One last thing... Take your car to the busiest NCT centre that you can find.
The quieter test centres don't have much business so they will try harder to fail you. Failure means a re-test, a re-test means that the test centre has now 2 tests paid for as opposed to 1, i.e. the total tests carried out by that centre for the year is greater, hence reducing the risk of NCT test cenre staff being laid off because business is slack.

[Sebastian]

very good guide HErc

[kevinod]

Thinking of importing a machine from the UK myself, at the moment with the June VRT change coming up.

This V5 form, is that the standard form for selling a car, and includes the export section, or is it something the seller would have to get specially?

[CJ]

This V5 form, is that the standard form for selling a car, and includes the export section, or is it something the seller would have to get specially?

All part of the same doc, make sure you bring home both parts relating to export, you'll need them come VRO time.

CJ

[Mustang]

Thinking of importing a machine from the UK myself, at the moment with the June VRT change coming up.

The new regs have not been finalised as far as I'm aware. There is talk of an ammendment to the original bill. Essentially saying that the new regs would apply only to cars registered in Ireland from July 08 onwards, and apply to used imports first registered (outside of Ireland) on or after Jan 1 08. Essentially meaning that the emmissions regs would only apply to '08 onwards cars and that the status quo would remain for pre '08 cars registered in the state after July '08. As I understanding it the whole thing is still up in the air. Inform yourself before taking the plunge.

[Muad_dib77]

The new regs have not been finalised as far as I'm aware. There is talk of an ammendment to the original bill. Essentially saying that the new regs would apply only to cars registered in Ireland from July 08 onwards, and apply to used imports first registered (outside of Ireland) on or after Jan 1 08. Essentially meaning that the emmissions regs would only apply to '08 onwards cars and that the status quo would remain for pre '08 cars registered in the state after July '08. As I understanding it the whole thing is still up in the air. Inform yourself before taking the plunge.

Hang on - are you saying that potentially MAY still be possible to import a 07 car after june - and NOT get fleeced in accordance to the new rules? - or did I misread that?

[Mustang]

Hang on - are you saying that potentially MAY still be possible to import a 07 car after june - and NOT get fleeced in accordance to the new rules?

Yes.
Link to discussion on the topic.

[Muad_dib77]

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

I'm a much happier camper now..

[Myfeckin FTO]

"Gormless" Gormley has being making noises recently about the new VRT (& road tax??) rates not applying to any car pre July 08 regardless of when it gets imported. Don't know quite how its gonna work.

I guess he was made aware of the financial implications of the lucrative VRT revenue on imports all but drying up if he proceeded on his intended course. Its ALL about money - don't let anyone tell you its to do with "green issues".