Van instead of car????

projectgtr

hi guys quick question

was pondering on importing a car van (corrola, focus etc) and using it for personal use as its only me in the car and i would save on VRT but i was thinking........

can i just insure it normally as i would my car and also if its for personal use can i just NCT it or does it need to be DOE`d

its just a thought at the moment.

(((((((((((((((((((((((Flame suit on)))))))))))))))))))

peasant

Running a van privately is a bit mix and match of everything.

-insurances will go through great lengths to tell you that you NEED commercial insurance. Some may be persuaded to insure privately, most won't

- the tax man will insist on getting the private tax off you

- Nct / DOE is a bit hit and miss. Theoretically it's DOE, but as you're taxed privately you may get away without it as the NCT won't test vans and you're in a sort of a grey zone there.

Plenty of chances and plenty of pitfalls.

Personally, I gave up on the idea (and bought a van that has windows and seats )

ballooba

I have commercial tax and insurance. No problems and it works out way cheaper than car. Mine is a 4x4 though.

bazz26

projectgtr wrote:

hi guys quick question

was pondering on importing a car van (corrola, focus etc) and using it for personal use as its only me in the car and i would save on VRT but i was thinking........

can i just insure it normally as i would my car and also if its for personal use can i just NCT it or does it need to be DOE`d

its just a thought at the moment.

(((((((((((((((((((((((Flame suit on)))))))))))))))))))

Afaik car vans are only available on the Irish market so I'm not sure if it is possible to get Focus, Corolla or Golf based vans in the UK.

Basically the car based van comes into Ireland as a normal 3 door car, the back seats, seat belt harnases are taken out and rear windows are blanked out making it a van for VRT purposes.

zilog_jones

Car vans do exist in the UK too. Dunno if the Corolla van exists over there though - wouldn't be surprised if van versions of Toyotas are done locally. Ford make van versions of cars themselves - I know this is true for the Fiesta anyway as it's mentioned in the manual for mine - dunno about the Focus...

Alkers

Is it possible to get commercial insurance if you've no intention of using the vehicle for work purposes? Is it more expensive or similar to a car?

colm_mcm

Corolla (Auris now) vans (and Land Cruisers for that matter) are converted in Dublin.

The UK have some car/vans, but not nearly as many as we have over here.

Run_to_da_hills

Vans are great for free short term parking throughout the city and in any town, just find a loading bay!

Earth Worm Jim

Car Derived Vans as the VRO call them are VRTed at a higher rate than the 50 or 60 euro Van rate!

I would go for a VW Caddy (my personal favourite) or similar.

Insurance can be a bit of a fecker - Like if you have NCB on a private policy some companies will make you start from scratch if you want commerical insurance.

Guy:Incognito

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Vans are great for free short term parking throughout the city and in any town, just find a loading bay!

If its taxed commercially.

kikel

Earth Worm Jim wrote: »

Insurance can be a bit of a fecker - Like if you have NCB on a private policy some companies will make you start from scratch if you want commerical insurance.

Any ideas what companies will use a private policy NCB for commercial insurance?

Run_to_da_hills

Stekelly wrote: »

If its taxed commercially.

I would doubt if thew would even bother to look at the disk of its on a Transit or similar type van. I can understand them checking the tax on smaller car vans etc.

kikel

colm_mcm wrote: »

The UK have some car/vans, but not nearly as many as we have over here.

Any ideas of how to find car\vans on autotrader? Their commercial section doesn't show up much.

Earth Worm Jim

kikel wrote: »

Any ideas of how to find car\vans on autotrader? Their commercial section doesn't show up much.

Buy the mag - loads of Vans in it.

kikel

Earth Worm Jim wrote: »

Buy the mag - loads of Vans in it.

:eek: Buy a mag in this the age of the internet :eek:

Is the UK version available in Irish shops?

waxon-waxoff

Vrt for light commercial imports is €50. Road tax is €259 per anum irrespective of engine size. A doe test must be passed every year. A ncb from a car can be carried over to a light commercial. Insurance companies will want to know what its for, so if you give an occupation where a van is unnecessary, then you will be charged at passenger vehicle rates. Van insurance is not any cheaper than car insurance. When all is considered theres no advantage in buying a car based van, prices look cheaper but thats probably because most vans are quoted ex vat. Unless you are vat registered you will have to pay vat at 21%

250882

I have a commercial jeep, I'm not vat registered, dont need it for work and the tax for a 2.5 diesel costs me less than 300 euro a year. the only stickler is the DOE every year, and some knobs on the toll booth will charge you commercial rates (that happens to a mate that drives a focus van too!!!)
My insurance was transferred from private to commercial with my no claims bonus and I pay about 550 per year fully comp so as I'm 25 it wouldnt be much cheaper for a private policy.

Do miss the back windows sometimes at junctions and sometimes 2 seats just isn't enough but as the jeep isnt used every day it wasnt worth paying the private tax.