Expert answer

Hi Sonia,

I assume you mean as a trade-in, as most dealers wouldn’t be interested in buying cars such as this unless a car is also being sold. You’re not likely to be offered as much as €1,000 as a trade-in, though you may find a private seller willing to buy it for a little more.

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Hi Omar,

From the information you've provided, you should not be liable for VAT or import/customs duty on this bike. Just make sure you have paperwork to prove the bike was sold in the North originally and used there from new as you've stated. 

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Hi Ger,

If the van on English plates has not been imported fully into Northern Ireland and used there then you are likely to be liable for VAT and import duty on it for sure. Those are calculated according to the price paid for the van so you’d need paperwork to cover that.

If you go for the van already registered and used in the North then get as much paperwork and proof of that as possible before you bring the van for inspection.

You’d have to pay VRT on either van, calculated as 13.3 per cent of the OMSP (Open Market Selling Price). This is the value Revenue estimates for itself and it’s far from an exact science. If you disagree with the assessment you can appeal it, but only after you’ve actually paid the VRT.

Expert answer

Hi Mary,

First up, be aware that estimating trade-in values is far from an exact science. You may be offered different amounts for your car on any given day by different dealers as it depends on how badly they want the deal and also on how much they do or do not want to have to resell your car. Also, bear in mind that they will offer you less than your car would sell for privately as they need to turn a profit and provide a warranty when they sell that car on.

With all that in mind, your car seems to be exceptionally low-mileage in comparison to others on the market so it’s likely to attract a high price, relatively speaking. We’d hope for somewhere in the region of €17,000 as a trade-in.

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Hi Brendan,

The savings are not what they were, and effectively non-existent if you're talking about England, Scotland or Wales. The only realistic option is to look to Northern Ireland as most cars won't be subject to VAT and import duty, just VRT and the NOx levy. Read more below:

Guide to importing a car from Northern Ireland

Guide to importing cars from the UK

Expert answer

Hi Martin,

If you go to https://www.mlit.go.jp/jidosha/jidosha_fr10_000019.html (and use a browser that will automatically translate it from Japanese to English for you) you can scroll down to item 6 and get Excel files full of information for loads of JDM cars. Those hold engine codes, etc, fuel consumption and CO₂ data, but not NOx information that we can see unfortunately. 

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Hi Bernadette,

Assuming the car has already been imported into Northern Ireland and registered there, and used by a private individual, then you should only be liable for VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax). This is calculated using the VRT band and something called the OMSP.

The latter - Open Market Selling Price - is the value Revenue in Ireland believes the car to be worth following registration here, and that doesn’t always correlate with the price you actually pay for the car in the North. It varies by year, condition and even the equipment fitted, and it is determined only after you import the car and present it for inspection at an NCT centre. You can estimate what it might be by looking at other similar cars for sale in classifieds, and we’d be happy to help you with that if you give us full details of the car in question.

The VRT band is determined by the car’s official CO₂ emissions rating and again, we can’t tell you that without knowing the full details of the car, especially regarding its engine.

Take a read of our guides on the subject and if you need more assistance, don’t hesitate to post another question. The more specific you are on the car, the more help we will be.

Guide to importing a car from Northern Ireland

How much VRT is paid in Ireland?

MINI Clubman reviews

Expert answer

Thanks for the kind words Gerry - I've passed on your comments to the author, Neil.

For anyone else interested, the full review can be accessed here.

Expert answer

Hi Karl,

We need two things to calculate that. The first is the CO₂ rating to determine the VRT band. It's safe to say this car will be in the top band, with VRT of 41 per cent. 

The second, the OMSP (Open Market Selling Price) is trickier to guess as it's the price Revenue believes the car to be worth registered in Ireland - and it includes the VRT... This is especially difficult to estimate for an older model such as this that is very rarely up for sale.

If you take the OMSP to be €15,000 then the VRT would be 41 per cent of that, at €6,150, but we'd not be confident in suggesting what Revenue will say the OMSP is. 

Expert answer

Hi Sarah,

In terms of long commutes, and assuming you are sticking with the regular 2.0-litre diesel options, then our experience suggests that the Audi is more efficient - with the caveat that how you drive has a large influence on that. Overall, the Audi should prove fractionally cheaper to service and maintain, too.

Comparing the reliability between the two is less clearcut and the newer versions you can afford the better. Both cars are mechanically sound and most issues come from electronics etc. They’re comparable in short.