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Hi Kevin,

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Hi Philomena,

It’s a little tricky, that, because Mercedes in the UK offers different levels of warranty cover, from Tier One (the highest) to Tier Three. Mercedes Ireland offers the standard, pan-European two-year warranty, so if the car you’re importing is under two years old, then it should be fine, up to that limit. If it’s older than that, I’d try finding out what UK cover the car has, and then contacting your nearest Mercedes dealership and seeing what part of that warranty they will honour, if any.

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Hi John,

You SHOULD (emphasis ours) be OK from the VRT perspective. As long as, according to Revenue, you’ve lived at your current address for 185 days or more, and can show proof of your move to Ireland, then you won’t be charged for VRT. Fuel and insurance costs for a Macan are a different story...

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Hi Terry,

You'll have to get in touch with the individual dealers to find out who has one in stock. You can find all the Jeep dealers on this page.

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Hi Anita,

A Credit Union loan is still, to be honest, a very good idea. As long as you’re getting a decent interest rate and the repayments are comfortable, it allows you to go into the dealership, cash in hand, and argue a better deal for yourself. You will need to do your research ahead of time to make sure that you’ll be able to get the specification you want. PCP is a good option for keeping monthly repayments lower, as it defers part of the repayment to a ‘bubble’ payment, theoretically covered by the value left in the car, at the end of the deal. PCP is really only good for you, though, if you want to go back in every 2-3 years to change your car for a new one. If you’re intending on keeping the car for longer, then Hire Purchase or the good old Credit Union makes more sense.

Read the CompleteCar.ie guide to car finance here

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Hi Joan,

You can do searches on the major used car websites for left-hand drive, but there’s no one single best source for left-hookers. It’s just a matter of shopping about. 

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Hi Jim,

It should do, but it would be no bad idea to check with your nearest Hyundai dealer first. In theory, the Hyundai five-year warranty is a pan-European one, so it should transfer without any issues, but of course there is always fine print attached to these things, so check the documentation that comes with the car, and make sure  that it’s been serviced at a Hyundai main dealer in the past.

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Hi Gary,

It's a fixed price for motor tax for motor homes and campervans, at €102 per annum.

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Hi Pat,

The problem is that Ford Ireland, legally, cannot impose delivery charges on its dealers. It can suggest recommended delivery charges, but according to Irish law (and companies have, in the past, had their offices raided for this sort of thing), dealers are allowed to charge what they want for delivery and related. A spokesperson for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission told us that: "Consumer law requires traders to provide the total cost, including extras, of a product to a consumer before they buy. In the specific instance of when a manufacturer is advertising a car for sale, the manufacturer can only advertise the recommended retail price and state that delivery and related charges will be extra. If a consumer then decides to buy that car, they should be provided with the total price by the dealer before they buy. Auxiliary costs such as motor insurance, tax etc. are not dealt with specifically under consumer protection law. However, through our information campaigns, we would encourage consumers to do their homework about such costs before making a purchase."

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Hi Philip,

It’s a tricky one. Technically, you’ve owned and used the car in Spain (and presumably taxed and insured it), which could, theoretically, mean that you can bring it in VRT-free, but the problem is your residency issue. As this was a holiday home, more than your full-time residence, it might not count. Usually, Revenue wants to see proof of change of address (rather than the end of use of an address) to give you the waiver on VRT. I think a chat to your accountant might be a good idea...