Importing brand new from the UK

Padraig Mor

Has anyone here bought a NEW car in the UK and immediately imported to Ireland? I'm looking at buying a BMW come July and have a couple of queries.

1. Will UK dealers actually sell a new car for export?

2. Warranties. Are UK warranties legally obliged to be Europe-wide (for two years anyway) or is it up to the individual manufacturer? BMW's website says their warranty is valid across Europe - is this the case for all brands? Even if it IS valid, am I likely to get hassle here with dealers refusing to repair etc?

3. VAT. According to this thread on askaboutmoney, you can pay ex-VAT in Northern Ireland (and then pay 21% here). Is this also the case in mainland UK? Is this likely to cause severe hassle with dealers thinking it's a scam or something?

4. Can I spec a km/h speedo?

5. VRT. No questions! (is this a first?).

Thanks folks!

R.O.R

Not sure if it's really worth it:

BMW 320d SE - £26,050
Less UK VAT (17.5%) - €22,170.21
Convert to € @ 1.25 - €27,712.76
+ IR VAT (21%) - €33,532.44
+ VRT (approx €7,000) - €40,532.44

List price for car is €43,536 after 1st July.

By my maths that makes a saving of just over €3000

Spec on UK and IR cars are the same with BMW.

RobAMerc

It used to be that pre tax prices on UK cars was far higher there than here making this a bad option - but there you go....

Buying a car 6 month old or more would be better.

bazz26

The BMW warranty should be valid here as there is a EU directive now that car manufacturers have to honour the warranty throughout the EU state if the car was originally entended to be sold within the EU.

Not sure about the kph speedo thing, I have heard though that UK buyers have ordered UK spec cars from other EU states with mph speedos fitted so maybe a phone call to BMW UK might answer that question.

Padraig Mor

The spec I've been looking at (520 + plenty of options) will cost me €58000 in Ireland, inclusive of delivery and a €2000 discount (already confirmed by dealer).

The same spec would cost me €49500 from a UK new car broker (providing I can order that is!). This is inclusive of estimated currency transaction fees etc. I reckon a €8500 saving is not to be sniffed at TBH!

Juan Pablo

Have you factored all those optional extras into the VRT quotation? Might increase it somewhat.

R.O.R

bazz26 wrote: »

Not sure about the kph speedo thing, I have heard though that UK buyers have ordered UK spec cars from other EU states with mph speedos fitted so maybe a phone call to BMW UK might answer that question.

You don't need to order a KM/h speedo as the standard one is dual (MPH & KM/H), unless you want it to look like an original irish car.

Padraig Mor

Juan Pablo wrote: »

Have you factored all those optional extras into the VRT quotation? Might increase it somewhat.

All included.