The Croc Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 As above, easy to do? costs involved? Any firms in the UK do the importing. Looking maybe to import from Ireland Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ack-ack Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) Should be easy as its EU. Theres no import tax either. Just fly out and drive it over. Edited January 25, 2015 by ack-ack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millrace Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Have you saw the price of cars in south,,,,even with euro rate their crazy,, going back 10 years there was a lot of cross border trade it was possible to save 2 k ish on vehicle but no one bothers now also imports don't always have same parts even specs just to give you idea,,starter is playing up on Toyota hiace I have took it off last week left it in with local specialist van parked on customer drive no bother have it sorted for afternoon,, he rings me needs clutch part but he hasn't got it and can't fathom why,, its same as various Toyota Jeeps so were talking and he says only other time he saw it it may have been on an import funny says I the van came from southern Ireland as new import before I got it at 3 yr old ahh that explains it then,,,, so just shows not all will be exactly the same as UK spec.....buyer beware lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevo_m Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 I imported a V8 Disco from Ireland, was about £4k cheaper than anything in the UK. Flew across for £9.99, met the seller at the airport, did the test drive, driving to the port, and caught the speedcat back to Holyhead, then drove the car home. Took the paperwork to my local DVLA office, got it registered, changed the plates to UK, MOT and service. Job done, very easy. Sold it after 2 years and made a few £k on my buy price. This was 4yrs ago. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bb Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 (edited) ,,,, so just shows not all will be exactly the same as UK spec.....buyer beware lol Depending on your local DVLA you may need to change a kilometre speedo to a mile speedo, add repeater indicators and other minor (but expensive) modifications. You may also find that your local main dealer won't touch it with a bargepole, happened to my son-in-law with a "grey" import Japanese spec Subaru, only back street garages would service it and they often had difficulty getting the right parts. Edited for typo Edited January 26, 2015 by Chris Bb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 I imported a V8 Disco from Ireland, was about £4k cheaper than anything in the UK. Flew across for £9.99, met the seller at the airport, did the test drive, driving to the port, and caught the speedcat back to Holyhead, then drove the car home. Took the paperwork to my local DVLA office, got it registered, changed the plates to UK, MOT and service. Job done, very easy. Sold it after 2 years and made a few £k on my buy price. This was 4yrs ago. Steve Wasn't the diesel we saw chuffing along the hard shoulder of the M6 yesterday leaving a cloud of smoke that 007 would have been proud of was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexikia Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 You may have to have a SVA on it. This is like an MOT but more rigid. It can only be undertaken at certain garages. Not required if vehicle over 10 years old, used to be about £400 plus parts https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-approval/overview Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clakk Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 motorpoint of derby sell a lot of these ex irish cars and i believe the cost saving is very good ,just ave a google there on t,internet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevo_m Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Wasn't the diesel we saw chuffing along the hard shoulder of the M6 yesterday leaving a cloud of smoke that 007 would have been proud of was it? Never seen a diesel V8! Sold it a couple of years ago, so def not me! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cant hit rabbits 123 Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Went over to Germany, bought a 1955 Beetle with a friend, we drove it back and he registered it with the DVLA. Other than some slight (major) bodging at the Deutsch end it was a fairly simply affair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laird Lugton Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Back in 2001 I purchased a brand new UK spec RHD Golf GTi 1.8T from a VW dealership in Copenhagen. The dealer in Chiswick where I was staying quoted me a price of £18,100 and they wouldn't budge. The dealer in Copenhagen ordered it up and I collected it. I drove down through Germany and gave it a quick test on the autobahn Under EU rules I bought it at the pre VAT price which after conversion came to about £9.5k on the understanding I would register as soon as I got to the UK which I did. I then took the documents to the local HMRC office and paid the 17.5% VAT. Total price was just over £11k plus travelling cost. Sadly I don't think deals like that are still around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Considering we are all currently in the EU and the EU standardises everything including cucumbers, why the ******* ******** arent cars the same then? Silly me, it wouldnt be in the interests of the nationalised car companys in France/Italy maybe or the German auto industry wouldnt make such massive profits. Is this cynical or fact ? I'd buy one from abroad and have a friend who toured Mercedes, picked up a UK spec Mercedes at GB prices in Hamburg and drove it home, holidaying the while around the winerys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clakk Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 friend did it back in the 80,s ,drove his <dads>new merc around germany for 6 months and then drove back to swindon on leave and "sold" it to his dad so no import duty and a shiny and much much cheaper merc 190d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Croc Posted January 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Thanks for the comments and advice guys, all useful stuff. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 I would be tempted to take specialist advice concerning import taxes, vat and also insurance. Many insurance companies will ask straight away if its an import..the reason being that imported cars, particularly if they are "specials" can be difficult to get parts for and are expensive to repair.I almost bought an imported Subaru from a reputable local dealer, it was nothing special only a 2.5 legacy GTI...the insurance quote I received was more than the value of the car !So be very careful..if its sounds too good to be true it normally is.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperGoose75 Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 I know alot of Guys who do it the other way around and import Cars from the UK' a lot of slightly damaged Vehicles are brought over' tidied up and sold and they make profit. Also a lot of people find it cheaper to buy in the North and pay the Duty. What is happening here' is that a lot of people are getting rid of bigger CC cars due to the horrendous Road tax prices and are going for smaller engines. The days of the big Diesel engines being cheaper to run are gone due to the Road tax and no difference in price of petrol/diesel at the pumps. So it may be possible to get a good deal on a bigger Vehicle. One positive of buying a used vehicle in Ireland is that the chassis should be pretty sound as We use Grit as opposed to salt in the winter months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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