Expert answer

Hi Desmond,

OK, while the DB9 is a tricky car to value (mostly because there aren’t that many for sale in Ireland), let’s take €50,000 as a ballpark. If you’re bringing one down from Northern Ireland, it’s pretty straightforward — you’ll pay 37 per cent VRT, which will come to around €18,500. Ish. That’s assuming Revenue agree with our finger-in-the-air valuation. 

If you’re bringing it in from the rest of the UK, then there’s going to be 21 per cent VAT on top of that (€10,500 again assuming our €50,000 guess is about right) plus the NOx levy of €600 and then, finally, the ten per cent customs duty, which will be calculated on the actual price paid for the car (not the notional Irish value as for the VRT and VAT) plus whatever shipping and delivery expenses you incurred. 

The good news is that DB9 prices have actually dipped below £30,000 in the UK (although you’ve got to be careful buying at that price level) so there are bargains to be had. The best thing to do would be to get in touch with the guys at Aston Martin Belfast who could give you a much more precise steer on the whole thing. 

Expert answer

Hi George,

The Aston DBS is no longer in production so you'll be looking for used examples if it still interests you. Aston Martin does not have an official sales outlet in the Republic of Ireland, but Charles Hurst in Belfast does have a dedicated Aston Martin showroom. That's probably a good place to start when it comes to finding a used Aston, too.

Expert answer

We could do with a little bit more information, but the best four-door coupé is probably the Aston Martin Rapide! 

Here is the review that Shane wrote