Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q and A)

deezell

Hunky Monster wrote: »

€6k before VRT. Yeah the prices are still wild in the UK especially for tourings. There was one for sale on donedeal a year or so ago that fetched 8k on the old tax system so it’s hard to say what they’re actually worth here. It’s a niche car and not for most people. The resale isn’t an issue though. It’s just getting it on the road this side of the pond.

€6K only leaves you with £5K to purchase after exchange and other costs. Theres nothing in the UK even close to that, without going down to 07 or less, then you're looking at €1500 road tax. I had a spin in this a few weeks ago. Yummy. Happy hunting.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

deezell wrote: »

€6K only leaves you with £5K to purchase after exchange and other costs. Theres nothing in the UK even close to that, without going down to 07 or less, then you're looking at €1500 road tax. I had a spin in this a few weeks ago. Yummy. Happy hunting.

Eh.. first off you mean 2008 not 2007. The price is 6k plus 5k vrt/nox so 11k all in. The car you posted is multiples of that. But grand.

Car is bought and en route.

jamesbil

deezell wrote: »

13.3% of the OMSP as a commercial vehicle, which oddly is showing as only €2061 on the calculator, so only €274. It would be €200 for a goods van suitable for carrying 30% of its own laden weight ( van, fuel and driver). The number of seats allowed from new is a bit vague, but the 13.3 % rate its ok, but for goods van it must be 3 seats or less. It's registered in the uk as a N1 category commercial, so you should be ok. A 5 seater vehicle with the goods area in the same space would normally be designated a private vehicles, higher VRT and Nox, but if the bodywork code of the vehicle at the type approvsl stage is type BE, then its considered commercial, in other words its an ugly goods van with extra seats, not a car. There seems to be a glitch in the ros calculator, as its determining the OMSP new as only €4892, less 57% depreciation to €2061, so grab a VRT bargain while you can. Make sure seller has the UK V5 cert.
Statistical Code
41687997

Thats brilliant thanks!

creedp

Any suggestions for a transport service to bring a car back from UK. How does it work? How long would it take? How much would it cost? I'm a bit reluctant to go over myself due to 14 day isolation as cant take that kind of time off work.

darragh o meara

creedp wrote: »

Any suggestions for a transport service to bring a car back from UK. How does it work? How long would it take? How much would it cost? I'm a bit reluctant to go over myself due to 14 day isolation as cant take that kind of time off work.

Eir trans at about €400 plus VAT will do you exactly that. Shiply is also an option but all the quotes I got the other day to move a car were £500

creedp

darragh o meara wrote: »

Eir trans at about €400 plus VAT will do you exactly that. Shiply is also an option but all the quotes I got the other day to move a car were £500

Thanks. Will they collect car from garage (once all paperwork has been sorted) bring it home on ferry and deliver to my door? Anyone had any issues with using this service?

Appreciate the info!

OfflerCrocGod

For the road tax I was planning on setting up a Direct Debit at a nearby post office to my GBP Revolut account. I'm just wondering if that's possible if my address is outside the UK. I've read about other people doing that on this thread but they may have used a family members address if one is required for the DD. Does the DD care about your address being in the UK or is it only interested in the local bank account details? I can use the address for the company I work for I guess but my debit cards/account wouldn't be registered to that address.

The dealer wants to charge me up front for 6 months road tax which I'd much rather not pay as I'm guessing getting that refunded will be difficult.

Moviehost

Hi looking to get a car from the uk dealer seems all good did a car tell check all clear.

Going to use eirtrans to get it back.

Big dealership loads of good feedback would you recommend getting the AA or the RCA inspection done I'd like to get one wondering what feedback anyone has with experience from either.

What documents I'd need v5, service history ,purchase receipt what else ect.

Thanks

OfflerCrocGod

I'm getting a local garage (http://www.chesterfieldvwspecialist.co.uk) that specializes in the brand I'm buying (SEAT) to do an inspection on the car I'm buying. The car dealer dropped off the car to them this morning and I should have results back later today. It's £66 inc VAT which is cheaper than RAC/AA checks.

darragh o meara

OfflerCrocGod wrote: »

For the road tax I was planning on setting up a Direct Debit at a nearby post office to my GBP Revolut account. I'm just wondering if that's possible if my address is outside the UK. I've read about other people doing that on this thread but they may have used a family members address if one is required for the DD. Does the DD care about your address being in the UK or is it only interested in the local bank account details? I can use the address for the company I work for I guess but my debit cards/account wouldn't be registered to that address.

The dealer wants to charge me up front for 6 months road tax which I'd much rather not pay as I'm guessing getting that refunded will be difficult.

Had to do this recently, I looked up a random postcode and used the code from the new keeper slip on the V5. Once I got the email I hit for the ferry. BTW, they don’t take money straight away so you might be able to call the DVLA and tell them you didn’t need it in the end. Regardless, if I only have to pay 1 month it’s fine. £3 ain’t the end of the world 😀

darragh o meara

Moviehost wrote: »

Hi looking to get a car from the uk dealer seems all good did a car tell check all clear.

Going to use eirtrans to get it back.

Big dealership loads of good feedback would you recommend getting the AA or the RCA inspection done I'd like to get one wondering what feedback anyone has with experience from either.

What documents I'd need v5, service history ,purchase receipt what else ect.

Thanks

Would always recommend a check over, some dealers will leave small issues and hope they won’t be picked up before sale and fix them before handover only if spotted or worse get you to come back which isn’t ideal if your exporting it.

Eir trans, good move especially with the current climate.

Docs you need, has been answered pretty much every day in this thread so a little light digging will give you what you need, but you have it pretty bang on with your list.

darragh o meara

creedp wrote: »

Thanks. Will they collect car from garage (once all paperwork has been sorted) bring it home on ferry and deliver to my door? Anyone had any issues with using this service?

Appreciate the info!

Pretty much. I had to meet them in my local town where he was able to unload safely. Other than that it was pretty straightforward.

jamesbil

deezell wrote: »

13.3% of the OMSP as a commercial vehicle, which oddly is showing as only €2061 on the calculator, so only €274. It would be €200 for a goods van suitable for carrying 30% of its own laden weight ( van, fuel and driver). The number of seats allowed from new is a bit vague, but the 13.3 % rate its ok, but for goods van it must be 3 seats or less. It's registered in the uk as a N1 category commercial, so you should be ok. A 5 seater vehicle with the goods area in the same space would normally be designated a private vehicles, higher VRT and Nox, but if the bodywork code of the vehicle at the type approvsl stage is type BE, then its considered commercial, in other words its an ugly goods van with extra seats, not a car. There seems to be a glitch in the ros calculator, as its determining the OMSP new as only €4892, less 57% depreciation to €2061, so grab a VRT bargain while you can. Make sure seller has the UK V5 cert.
Statistical Code
41687997

Just wondering how you found this? I'm trying to price another van but can't get it on vrt calc.

Downsey77

Just wondered if anyone has managed to get a MOT expiry COVID extension recognised for the transfer to NCT.

I have imported a vehicle from NI that got a COVID extension to Jan 2021 (verified on the on GOV.UK car check), but the most recent supplied MOT certificate expired in July 2020.

HotDudeLife

Inquired about a car from a UK garage they have advertised, the dealer came back to me stating the car is currently in transit from VW financial services and they will have it soon. Does this mean it was repossessed or something similar to PCP lease expired?

User1998

No it wouldn’t be repossessed, for example if a car was leased by a company from VW it would have VW Financial Services as the registered owner, registration plate change in the UK is September and March and its September now so the 3 year lease is over and the company is handing back the car and probably upgrading to a newer model. It may also be that a PCP deal has finished and the owner handed back the car to upgrade to a newer model

darragh o meara

HotDudeLife wrote: »

Inquired about a car from a UK garage they have advertised, the dealer came back to me stating the car is currently in transit from VW financial services and they will have it soon. Does this mean it was repossessed or something similar to PCP lease expired?

The only way you’ll know is to ask them, however my money is that it’s an ex lease car. Personal leasing is big in the UK and it helps the used car market with a solid flow of 3-4 yr old cars which have full and proper service histories. Last 2 VW’s I bought were ex lease and top notch.

HotDudeLife

User1998 wrote: »

No it wouldn’t be repossessed, for example if a car was leased by a company from VW it would have VW Financial Services as the registered owner, registration plate change in the UK is September and March and its September now so the 3 year lease is over and the company is handing back the car and probably upgrading to a newer model. It may also be that a PCP deal has finished and the owner handed back the car to upgrade to a newer model

Ah i forgot about the timing, that makes sense. Thank you sir

HotDudeLife

Is it worth getting a inspection when the car is from a garage that is a approved workshop and partner with RAC, gives warranties etc

HotDudeLife

HotDudeLife wrote: »

Is it worth getting a inspection when the car is from a garage that is a approved workshop and partner with RAC, gives warranties etc

Anyone? The garage actually offers RAC warranty, is it worth a inspection?

OfflerCrocGod

As I mentioned above I had a local brand specialist inspect the car I'm buying for £66. It's an hours labour. With the inspection report the dealer offered me a £200 discount as the rear tyres were balding on the inside and the front pads are almost 70% worn. The car passed its MOT the day before.

It had a bunch of other small issues too but those were the two major ones.

deezell

jamesbil wrote: »

Just wondering how you found this? I'm trying to price another van but can't get it on vrt calc.

Select 'vehicle vrt', then select 'N1 commercial vehicle', tgen proceed from there, variant, year, month, milage, ( ignore Nox for N1 category). The stat code I listed is for a particular variant of Peugeot Partner, use it as a short cut. It's been adsigned a very low as new OMSP, consequently the used OMSP is very low, and 13.3% VRT on this is under €€300, €274 for an October 2013 850 S LI HDI 5DR, stat code 41387838.
The other stat code 41687997 is for the 850S PRO L1 HDI variant, it comes in at €243 for the same details.

se25

User1998 wrote: »

I don’t see how its a dirty game. Its where almost every used car dealer in the country gets their cars from. If the car is relatively new you will get a mechanical report and a condition report. Lots of money to be saved compared to prices of UK dealers never mind Irish dealers. Most cars are one owner full service history. Agree that private buyers fee’s are mental but they are avoided when using a company to bid on cars for you. Its not for everyone but I’ve got a few good deals and have no horror stories to speak of.

Agree with above..BCA private buyers fees are steep enough but you can still buy a good bargain if you do a little research and not get carried away at Auction. lots of 1 owner , serviced cars with warranted mileage and condition reports to pick from.... and buyers fee covers any nasty suprises down the line including ,outstanding finance, crashed cars ect. In my youth, Car Auctions had a Del Boy image..not any more IMO...

mgn

se25 wrote: »

Agree with above..BCA private buyers fees are steep enough but you can still buy a good bargain if you do a little research and not get carried away at Auction. lots of 1 owner , serviced cars with warranted mileage and condition reports to pick from.... and buyers fee covers any nasty suprises down the line including ,outstanding finance, crashed cars ect. In my youth, Car Auctions had a Del Boy image..not any more IMO...

That's true if you do your homework, plenty of choice with BCA, the have everything from £100 to £100,000.
I remember the first auction i went to in the UK over 30 years ago right beside the towers of Wembley Stadium, some of the characters there would make Del Boy look like an angel.

creedp

I was looking atautotrader see what's available in UK in case something doesn't turn up here in the spec I want. There are a few cars but unlike before I dont think I will go over myself to inspect and drive home because of covid.



My options would be to get an independent inspection and deal directly with garage and get a crowd to transport home or use a crowd like ukcarimports to do all the leg work for me. Has anyone used that company recently and how did go? I'm assuming it would result in a decent premium over doing the job yourself but it would certainly make life a bit easier if it was a decent and good value service.


I'm hanging on for a little while to see if something turns up here but looking more likely I'll go the UK route in the very near future

OfflerCrocGod

Is there anything special about insurance that is worth knowing? It seems to me most people move their insurance from their Irish car to their new car in the UK to drive it back to Ireland but that's a problem for me as the Irish car is a shared family car so my wife wouldn't then be covered (she's a named driver). My insurer is closed at the weekend but I imagine it's straightforward enough to get them to move insurance but still keep cover for the previous car? Or is there something I'm missing?

rawliii

Hi Folks,

Newbie to the import scene here. Looking to bring in one of the 3 Germans from NI. Anyone know any reputable mechanics/online checks I can use to verify cars up there ?

Wildly Boaring

OfflerCrocGod wrote: »

Is there anything special about insurance that is worth knowing? It seems to me most people move their insurance from their Irish car to their new car in the UK to drive it back to Ireland but that's a problem for me as the Irish car is a shared family car so my wife wouldn't then be covered (she's a named driver). My insurer is closed at the weekend but I imagine it's straightforward enough to get them to move insurance but still keep cover for the previous car? Or is there something I'm missing?

You can only insure one car at the time.
You can ring your insurer and set to change to new car at a specific time and date. Your old car will no longer be insured.

OfflerCrocGod

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

You can only insure one car at the time.
You can ring your insurer and set to change to new car at a specific time and date. Your old car will no longer be insured.

Incredible, so two adults can't own three cars?! How are we meant to sell our third car, will the test drives have to be uninsured? Unbelievable stuff.

OfflerCrocGod

I've put the notes and photos I received from my inspection into a Google doc that anyone can read if people are interested in what a local independent might provide:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wQlmI0aS1Aca9Hi5b_aFte7kFkdfLHPjnaxqDKgJoNE/edit?usp=sharing

As I mentioned above it cost £66 and the dealer knocked £200 off the price. It will help pay for the back tires and I got advice from the garage as to what the faults were probably caused by and how to fix certain issues. It made the car much more of a know quantity for me so in my case it was worth it.