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Import a used Golf?
I’ll keep this as short and as to the point as possible but basically I'm faced with a problem as to whether I import a car from the UK or buy it here in Ireland. The car in question is a VW golf (2017 or up). See I could finance it here and make monthly repayments or I could pay it in full and import it from the UK. I'm aware that its cheaper from the UK and better kept (generally) although the only downside to all of this and the whole point of this email is do I have any cover if something goes wrong? Do UK dealers give warranties fo Irish importers or is there even a law in place that will give me any sort of protection? Also is it a wise idea to dump all your money into one car and pay it outright? I know that a golf can hold its value fairly decent but I'm not sure if that warrants me to purchase it outright. I would love to get your advice on this as I myself haven't really a clue on what’s the better option.
Our answer:
Hi Luke,
The standard manufacturer's warranty on such a Golf would be three years. That is Europe-wide so would apply if you import the car, though obviously a 2017 model won't have much of its warranty remaining. A UK dealer may offer its own warranty extension on top of that, but that's effectively useless to you, as you'd have to get the car back to them to have it sorted - Irish dealers would be under no obligation to fulfill that sort of warranty.
With regards to paying for the car in the first place, there is a cost to using finance and no matter which route you take, you will still ultimately be the one that pays for depreciation etc.
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