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Importing A New Rav From Republic Of Ireland


jonjosar
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With the strong Sterling to Euro exchange rate and itchy feet, i decided to have a look at buying a new RAV.

My local dealer quoted me £24,335 for a new 2wd in white.

I contacted a dealer in the Republic of Ireland who quoted me 19000 euro for their "Luna" spec which comes with roof bars, a rear mounted spare wheel but no 6 disc CD, no leather or sunroof. The other major differences i can see are that it only has a 3 year warranty and the speedo head is in KMH. The dealer assures me that he can change this prior to delivery for approx400 euro.

The price of 19000 euro when converted at todays rates (depending on where youd exchange the currency at) and then add VAT of 20% means that this car would cost slightly under £18000. Thats over 6 grand of a saving!!!!

Very tempting

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You might find it is very basic and solid white. I reckon I could get a UK one for about £21800.

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Agreed, it is solid white but £21,800 is still almost 4k over what this car is costing. I,ll admit that there are a few bits missing spec wise but tbh, i still prefer the car with the spare wheel on the back. In my opinion, it looks more like what i imagine a RAV to look like. My local dealer was unwilling to move or discuss any reduction in list price,

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You'd have to factor in the extra depreciation you're bound to experience, but if it's a keeper that's less of an issue.

And do insurance companies charge more? I know they always ask me if it's a UK registered vehicle etc, and they tend not to need an excuse to increase premiums. Add that all together and it might start to whittle down the savings.

Just a thought, I might be completely wrong!

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Jonjosar, as Kingo said in a recent post the Irish Toyota,s are no where near as well speecked as UK models. So I would imagine that you would have to buy a Sol speecked to get any where near a UK model ( Sol is I think a higher grade than Luna?). Plus are you aware that talkin VAT rates the VAT rate in Southern Ireland is 23% not 20% as in the UK.

Regards Clare

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Jonjosar, as Kingo said in a recent post the Irish Toyota,s are no where near as well speecked as UK models. So I would imagine that you would have to buy a Sol speecked to get any where near a UK model ( Sol is I think a higher grade than Luna?). Plus are you aware that talkin VAT rates the VAT rate in Southern Ireland is 23% not 20% as in the UK.

Regards Clare

The UK VAT will apply on the RoI price when you register it in UK. No Irish VAT as it's an export. What Jonjosar needs to watch out for is that he only drives it the absolute minimum until he receives the official receipt for the VAT from the DVLA centre. When we registered ours, we were told that everything was OK and were sent on our merry way. Two days later the centre called up to say they wanted to do a follow-up check and then queried why a new car had so many miles on it - we'd driven it from Paris, which was fine with them, but then used it normally after the original inspection and verbal OK from the chap that did it. The consequence was that they endorsed the V5 to the effect that the car had been driven otside the UK prior to registration. That would have caused problems when selling/trading the car but in our case hasn't mattered as it was always intended as a keeper. But it's something to look out for.

We bought our 4.2 VX in Paris when we moved back to UK but as we were intending to keep it the depreciation issue didn't arise.

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Agreed, it is solid white but £21,800 is still almost 4k over what this car is costing. I,ll admit that there are a few bits missing spec wise but tbh, i still prefer the car with the spare wheel on the back. In my opinion, it looks more like what i imagine a RAV to look like. My local dealer was unwilling to move or discuss any reduction in list price,

I hear what you say but there are plenty of dealers out there who DO want your business and would do what they could. You would not get a 4K discount as there is not that much profit in one to start with but worth persuing, you would then have a UK car with the much higher spec. If you are going to keep the car you don't have a problem but an imported car, lower spec, lower price paid, will be reflected in the residual price when you come to sell it. The tax and insurance issue should also be considered. If you have to go that route why not buy a higher spec from Europe, or better still, tell a group of dealers what you are looking for and get the best price

I have no idea how we would fair, I dont sell cars, but if you want a price, let me know the spec and I will get a price for you

Kingo :thumbsup:

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Agreed, it is solid white but £21,800 is still almost 4k over what this car is costing. I,ll admit that there are a few bits missing spec wise but tbh, i still prefer the car with the spare wheel on the back. In my opinion, it looks more like what i imagine a RAV to look like. My local dealer was unwilling to move or discuss any reduction in list price,

I hear what you say but there are plenty of dealers out there who DO want your business and would do what they could. You would not get a 4K discount as there is not that much profit in one to start with but worth persuing, you would then have a UK car with the much higher spec. If you are going to keep the car you don't have a problem but an imported car, lower spec, lower price paid, will be reflected in the residual price when you come to sell it. The tax and insurance issue should also be considered. If you have to go that route why not buy a higher spec from Europe, or better still, tell a group of dealers what you are looking for and get the best price

I have no idea how we would fair, I dont sell cars, but if you want a price, let me know the spec and I will get a price for you

Kingo :thumbsup:

Mind you, with the current RAV on run-out I'm sure that deals will get sweeter if you hang on. Some of the brokers like drivethedeal would certainly be worth a look. Have you thought about searching out a demonstrator? You get a good discount & still a much better warranty than you'll get with the import.

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I would also look at dealer demos. My SR was a 4 month old demo and I got it at about £5-6k off list and it really was 'as new' except for the miles on the clock

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My intention would be to keep the car for at least 5 years so depreciation isnt an issue.

Claire, i see where your coming from regarding the "SOL" specced car being on a par with UK models but that takes me back to the point that it only comes without the rear mounted spare wheel. I really prefer the cars looks with the the spare on the back door.

I,m gonna go for a test drive and see how much difference there is between the car and my own car.

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Take your cheque book because you will want it!!!

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