Buying a car accross

[GIBBONSGIBBONS]

Hi, it seems absurd to have to ask this but it seems impossible to contact the DVLA in the UK and speak to a human being. Has anyone bought a car from the UK recently? I know you need to get the full V5 in order to register it over here, but what do you do about the UK tax? Obviously the car needs to be taxed in order for me to drive it to Heysham/Liverpool to stick it on the ferry, but the info online seems to suggest that I can't tax a car over there without a UK address? Can anyone confirm what the deal is? Thanks

[Driver2020]

My daughter purchased a car across taxed it in the UK with monthly payments with a IoM address got home after a couple of weeks then got a letter from the DVLA saying you can not tax a car in UK with an IoM address so she just had to cancel the standing order but the car was taxed for a couple weeks. 

[Bombay Bad Boy]

Bought a car across, taxed and registered it online to a family members address in the UK, where the V5 was sent (and then forwarded to me) .  IoM insurer fine with this, when test done and registered on island, just contacted insurer to change policy to Manx reg. Easy peasy.

[Gorsh]

Yes, it’s easy enough, either use a friend’s/relatives UK address - or just go online and setup a standing order, I’ve had no issues using my Manx address for that.  Then as an earlier poster said they write to you - by which time or soon afterwards when it’s Manx registered, cancel the standing order - I usually send them an email saying the car has been exported, I never hear anything further.  
 

As you say the most important thing is to get the full V5, don’t let the seller send part to the DVLA, most dealers inform the DVLA online anyway so the V5 stays intact by default.

Edited October 5, 2023 by Gorsh

[The Phantom]

Are you buying from a dealer?  Is it taxed already?

I've bought a few over.  I always just drive it straight from pick up to the ferry.  If you're going to re-register it over here straight away, don't bother doing the UK tax.  The chance of getting pulled on the way to the ferry is infinitesimal.  

[Bombay Bad Boy]

22 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

Are you buying from a dealer?  Is it taxed already?

I've bought a few over.  I always just drive it straight from pick up to the ferry.  If you're going to re-register it over here straight away, don't bother doing the UK tax.  The chance of getting pulled on the way to the ferry is infinitesimal.  

You don't have to be 'pulled' to be caught. There are ANPR cameras everywhere now. Also, a UK-reg car has to be taxed to be driven legally on the Island. 

If buying from a dealer , there's a good chance the sale will be registered, and hence the tax cancelled, there and then. My last car was bought privately, so the first the DVLA would have known about it was when our vehicle licencing told them the car was exported. 

[The Phantom]

20 minutes ago, Bombay Bad Boy said:

You don't have to be 'pulled' to be caught. There are ANPR cameras everywhere now. Also, a UK-reg car has to be taxed to be driven legally on the Island. 

If buying from a dealer , there's a good chance the sale will be registered, and hence the tax cancelled, there and then. My last car was bought privately, so the first the DVLA would have known about it was when our vehicle licencing told them the car was exported. 

Yeah appreciate that, but the few cars I've brought over, I've never bothered with any of that and been absolutely fine.  Even when the dealer does register the sale, it likely won't be processed the instant you drive off the forecourt, giving you at least a few hours to get to the ferry.  I have been 'pulled' for UK Reg/no tax on the Island, but I had the car already booked in for it's IOM test, so showed them that and was fine. 

[germann]

I've been looking at cars over here and over there, and have been told over here (by a car dealer, of course!) that our vehicle testing centre is much stricter than the MOT test. Is this true? The car I'm looking at across has the smallest of chips in its windscreen which came up as an advisory item in its last MOT. Other than that, it's a perfect 2014 BMW X1 with a FSH, garaged and posh lady driven in Cotswolds.

[wrighty]

33 minutes ago, germann said:

I've been looking at cars over here and over there, and have been told over here (by a car dealer, of course!) that our vehicle testing centre is much stricter than the MOT test. Is this true? The car I'm looking at across has the smallest of chips in its windscreen which came up as an advisory item in its last MOT. Other than that, it's a perfect 2014 BMW X1 with a FSH, garaged and posh lady driven in Cotswolds.

The old 'one lady owner' trick. They never mention the previous 3 maniacs that trashed the hell out of it 🤣

[germann]

No, I've done my DD. Log book checks out, ran a Carvertical check on it, too. Reputable family owned dealer, good friends with a friend of mine who lives locally. Just unsure about that chip. 

[John Wright]

18 minutes ago, germann said:

No, I've done my DD. Log book checks out, ran a Carvertical check on it, too. Reputable family owned dealer, good friends with a friend of mine who lives locally. Just unsure about that chip. 

Unlikely to pass the test at Tromode with the chip. So, either new windscreen or insist vendor gets one of those invisible windscreen repairs done as part of the purchase deal.

[The Phantom]

1 hour ago, germann said:

I've been looking at cars over here and over there, and have been told over here (by a car dealer, of course!) that our vehicle testing centre is much stricter than the MOT test. Is this true? The car I'm looking at across has the smallest of chips in its windscreen which came up as an advisory item in its last MOT. Other than that, it's a perfect 2014 BMW X1 with a FSH, garaged and posh lady driven in Cotswolds.

Between me and the wife, I've brought 6 cars over to the Island and put them through the IOM test.  All of them had recent passes of MOT.  I've probably had about half of them fail and have to be re-tested.  It's always been something pretty minor and easily fixed though.  If they flag a defect with something, as long as you get it re-submitted within a month, they will only check the bit that caused the fail and not do a whole new test. 

[Roger Ram]

Bring it over.  Insure it.  Get windscreen replaced by insurance. Get it tested.

It doesn’t seem that complicated really?

There is a chance they will pick something else up at the test centre though.  A recent MOT is not a guarantee of getting through the Manx test.

Edited Tuesday at 11:54 AM by Roger Ram

[x-in-man]

Or do what a Douglas cab driver does.   Bring it over, drive it about or park it for months and forget about the Tax and MoT.

[Albert Tatlock]

They should change the rules on this...a recent MoT that is say, within a month old maximum, should suffice.

Given we don't have MoT's here, makes you wonder just who this current law is designed to protect...IMO an overpriced vehicle trade.