Buying a BMW from Belfast, any issues?

[Nicko_12345]

Hi,

I am looking at buying a 2019 BMW from Belfast, its from a garage and is 30k ish, I live in Staffordshire, do I have to register it over here? pay Vat? anyone got any experiences of this?

I believe the MOT and road tax is the same?

thanks in advance

[Trev450]

No issues at all. Since Belfast is in NI which is part of the UK there's no difference from buying on the mainland.

I bought an R8 from Belfast a few years ago and apart from arranging the ferry trip back to the mainland it was straightforward.

[Scoobz1]

Same probalem as Scottish cars - they tend to salt the roads almost relentlessly -hence they are gnerally a lot rustier underneath ! Get some pics from underneatth before you travel ...

[xcesx]

I bought a car from Prentice BMW in Aug 2021. I Paid £400 to have it delivered to Yorkshire (in a covered lorry). Didn't have any issues.

[Dog Biscuit]

Is it rare or cheap or something?

What makes it worth the 'hassle' of the distance and ferry out of interest?

[MitchT]

I saw a lovely 2019 440i at Prentice Portadown BMW on the BMW Approved Used search and seriously considered it. Interesting to know that the roads are even more salted over there then they are in England. Might be worth avoiding NI cars then!

I also wondered if there would be any "offical" paperwork to do. Other than that, the MOT interval is two years in NI, so does the NI MOT expiry date stay intact or do you have to get it MOT'd in England no later than 12 months after the last NI MOT?

As an aside, the few I've seen for sale in NI seemed to have more interesting spec than English ones yet be a little cheaper. Being towards the north end of West Yorkshire I could have driven it from the dealer to Larne, popped across on the ferry to Cairnryan and then driven back via Dumfries & Galloway, down that lovely stretch of the M6 as far as Kirkby Lonsdale and then home via the Yorkshire Dales.