# Buy imported UK car from Irish garage,



## thedaras (13 Feb 2012)

Hi all, would anyone on AAM have any concerns about buying an imported UK car ,from a local garage which has been in business for 20 years,(not a dealership)? 
They are members SIMI,been around 20 years,will do all the VRT/Registration,are offering a 6 month warranty.

Are there any potential pitfalls?
Price is good, mileage is high enough.(But Im fine with that )
Should a HPI check be carried out,even though they are giving me a full service history?

Are there any issues when getting the car insured/taxed,once all the paper work has been done?
Thanks in advance...


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## bacchus (13 Feb 2012)

You would want to see all of the UK documents regarding servicing, mot...

Few years back, it was not uncommon to find uk cars that were clocked before hitting the irish market, particularly diesel and more particularly bmw.
Having said that, some very good cars were imported from uk 

Once the car is on Irish plate, no pb with insurance and tax.


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## ccraig (14 Feb 2012)

*UK cars*

Most car dealers import from the UK. I wuldbt be concerned once you've had it checked over by aa


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## mathepac (10 Mar 2012)

carrepair said:


> Always approach used UK cars with caution and get them checked


Always approach used cars  with caution and get them checked.


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## kbie (11 Mar 2012)

I would have no additional issue with the imported car than an Irish car,... I would have both checked. The advantage of the dealer doing the VRT work is that you are not caught for any additional unforseen charges like a different model or extras. 

Also, I understand all imported vehicles have a special sequence number range issued so it makes imported cars stand out, which I suppose is the object of this new initiative.


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## Slim (12 Mar 2012)

kbie said:


> ...Also, I understand all imported vehicles have a special sequence number range issued so it makes imported cars stand out, which I suppose is the object of this new initiative.


 
Is this true? I understood that imported cars are registered with the next number in the year of first registration. Higher number cars in any year may indicate an import but it is not certain.


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## vandriver (12 Mar 2012)

The system has changed,so for example if I imported a 1974 Capri into dublin,my reg would be 74 D 120001 (or whatever the next number after 120000 is available).
Different counties have different starting numbers,but all are high.


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## Slim (12 Mar 2012)

vandriver said:


> The system has changed,so for example if I imported a 1974 Capri into dublin,my reg would be 74 D 120001 (or whatever the next number after 120000 is available).
> Different counties have different starting numbers,but all are high.


 
Thanks for clarfying that VD. Wonder why that was changed - consumer interests or SIMI lobbying?


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## vandriver (12 Mar 2012)

A lot of SIMI dealers import themselves,so it would affect them as well.


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## Woodie (12 Mar 2012)

thedaras said:


> Hi all, would anyone on AAM have any concerns about buying an imported UK car ,from a local garage which has been in business for 20 years,(not a dealership)?
> They are members SIMI,been around 20 years,will do all the VRT/Registration,are offering a 6 month warranty.
> 
> Are there any potential pitfalls?
> ...


Pitfall are the same as buying any car.  If you know the UK reg you can do a check on the car.  As for the mileage, I'd be cautious of any car from the UK that did NOT have relatively high mileage. Given that people tend to do a lot of motorway commutes, depending on the type of car this need not be such a bad thing on better roads.


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## CharlieR (15 Mar 2012)

Why would a car from the UK have high mileage? 

People do not necessarily do a lot of motorway commutes and there are lots of cars that are traded in annually with a few thousand miles on. High mileage cars tend to be company cars or hire cars that are all well serviced and maintained.

UK cars will also come with a years longer warranty for certain cars, ford ireland 2 years ford uk 3 years.


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