Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q&A)

martydunf

is now the right time to import a car from the U.K seen as we're getting great value for the Pound against the Euro?

kleefarr

martydunf wrote: »

is now the right time to import a car from the U.K seen as we're getting great value for the Pound against the Euro?

It would be a great time, if you weren't getting shafted by VRT.

Guvnor

I might be way off here but I remember a time a few years ago when the OMSP was wildly inflated on the ROS site then it was actually kind of accurate or even slightly less than the real price in Eire - now are they going to adjust the OMSP of cars in line with reality?

Would be great if they did as prices are falling like crazy atm!

The 06 X5 seems cheap ish compared with what I've seen on autotrader uk.

BArra

what would be the procedure with buying a car from a uk dealer?

so i see a car i like on their website... but of course it needs to be checked in person!

would i put a deposit on the car over the phone to "hold" it?

what about then bartering a better price? would they hold tough on the asking if they knew i was coming over from ireland? what would be the best approach to take?

and then what if the car wasnt what i expected? could i get the deposit back?

niceirishfella

I find all those elements tedious.

Me, well, identify cars on the net, research well, read up...research more. Then, choose a location to go to in the UK for an overnight trip, lets say to Bristol for 1 example, cos Ryanair flying in there.
Idenfify your cars for viewing there - fly over, see the cars in close proximity, choose one, test the car, drive the car,get it checked over, data checked, RAC checked if you like (i dont bother as i'm like an RAC man myself), then haggle like hell for a savage deal on the car, pay for it, and drive her home.
Feck deposits - there a tonnes of each model and make in the uk so I never worry about "one" getting away, and the market over there is like here, in tatters.
and if they know you are coming, they'll stick you to a price. Its hard to haggle a real hard deal over the phone. You have to be there in the flesh and show the cash.

Deals are to be done.

if you have any questions, need help, pm me.

wordcount

Is it necessary to the vehicle checked out bt the RAC etc, if you are buying from an approved garage in the uk?

niceirishfella

wordcount wrote: »

Is it necessary to the vehicle checked out bt the RAC etc, if you are buying from an approved garage in the uk?

no, if they can give you the paperwork for their own rigid checks like Network Q if its a vauxhall for example.
Still, any check they would do is not independent and tbh, you'll probably wind up payinf for it in the price of the car.

my advise is - if you don't know your cars - Get it independantly checked.

Dazzy

niceirishfella wrote: »

on that straight 6 diesel Bm engine, the VRT is 32% i think.
Re-check that again.
ohhhhhhhhhh, and that dealer was foolish, very foolish.

Rang the dealer up North and the 06 X5 Sport he has is the e53 and emmisions are 250.

When I plug this into the VRT calculator the OMSP is a massive €59,701, VRT rate is 36%, so VRT = €21,492. Lets say I get the car for the equivalent of €24,500 that brings the total price to almost €46,000 which is dearer than what the BMW dealers down south are looking for.

Using the VRT calculator the VRT for 06 X5's is the same regardless of the month when the car was registered in 06 and the difference between the OMSP of and 05 and 06 is only about €9,000.

I am doing something wrong or is this car just not the type of car where big savings can be made when importing?

The_Conductor

Dazzy wrote: »

I am doing something wrong or is this car just not the type of car where big savings can be made when importing?

Correct.
Try something with lower emissions and compare it to the Irish OMSP- you'll notice a massive difference.

sunshinediver

BArra wrote: »

what would be the procedure with buying a car from a uk dealer?

so i see a car i like on their website... but of course it needs to be checked in person!

would i put a deposit on the car over the phone to "hold" it?

what about then bartering a better price? would they hold tough on the asking if they knew i was coming over from ireland? what would be the best approach to take?

and then what if the car wasnt what i expected? could i get the deposit back?

Here's how i did it,
Saturday - Saw car on Autotrader and phoned dealer to check if they still had it. Don't believe the "oh yes we've had lots of interest line"

Sunday - Arranged the RAC check, they'll do the HPI check immediately over the phone with you. Ring the dealer and let him know you have ordered a check but don't agree on a price, by putting down a deposit you are effectively agreeing on a price for a car that you have not seen and do not know the condition of. Once the dealer sees an RAC check he will know you are definetely interested but ask him to contact you if the car is sold in the mean time (this is highly unlikely given the difficulty dealers in the UK have shifting cars at the moment)

Tuesday - RAC check complete by about 2pm, phone call from the mechanic, very nice and friendly and pointed out a few minor dents etc, Detailed email followed shortly. Then phoned the dealer stating that I was dissappointed by the "minor dents" ask offered him 1500 quid sterling under the asking price once the dents were fixed. If he agrees put down a deposit but make sure its refundable if you don't like the car. Book your ryanair flights to see the car for the following week as this way they're cheap. Bear in mind that some the scrathes the RAC mechanic pointed out were barely visible to me or anyone else for that matter. Its very thorough.

Following Tuesday - Saw car and test drove, very happy, did some xmas shopping and returned home with dealers bank details.

Wednesday - Transferred remaining funds. Do a bank transfer, you'll be charged 20 euro but will get the international rate on your euro the sterling transfer, you can do it thru your internet banking for 35 cent. Its better than the sterling draft rate. Bear in mind this will take 3 days to clear. Book one way flight for pick up and book ferry

Following Tuesday - Pick up car and drove home - Stopped by police checkpoint by the merseyside tunnel in liverpool and asked why no tax. Told them i was importing the car to Ireland, got a polite thank you Sir, safe trip.

Overall it was a lot easier than people think. The hardest parts for me.

- Getting stuck in Leeds airport due to snow on the runway on first trip
- Getting stuck in Holyhead for 8 hours due to irish ferries swift cancellation due to bad weather on the collection trip. There damn all to do in that town.

Remember that you're the one in control here not them, You're the one with the money.

copacetic

great post, good advice there.

niceirishfella

sunshinediver wrote: »

Here's how i did it,
Saturday - Saw car on Autotrader and phoned dealer to check if they still had it. Don't believe the "oh yes we've had lots of interest line"

Sunday - Arranged the RAC check, they'll do the HPI check immediately over the phone with you. Ring the dealer and let him know you have ordered a check but don't agree on a price, by putting down a deposit you are effectively agreeing on a price for a car that you have not seen and do not know the condition of. Once the dealer sees an RAC check he will know you are definetely interested but ask him to contact you if the car is sold in the mean time (this is highly unlikely given the difficulty dealers in the UK have shifting cars at the moment)

Tuesday - RAC check complete by about 2pm, phone call from the mechanic, very nice and friendly and pointed out a few minor dents etc, Detailed email followed shortly. Then phoned the dealer stating that I was dissappointed by the "minor dents" ask offered him 1500 quid sterling under the asking price once the dents were fixed. If he agrees put down a deposit but make sure its refundable if you don't like the car. Book your ryanair flights to see the car for the following week as this way they're cheap. Bear in mind that some the scrathes the RAC mechanic pointed out were barely visible to me or anyone else for that matter. Its very thorough.

Following Tuesday - Saw car and test drove, very happy, did some xmas shopping and returned home with dealers bank details.

Wednesday - Transferred remaining funds. Do a bank transfer, you'll be charged 20 euro but will get the international rate on your euro the sterling transfer, you can do it thru your internet banking for 35 cent. Its better than the sterling draft rate. Bear in mind this will take 3 days to clear. Book one way flight for pick up and book ferry

Following Tuesday - Pick up car and drove home - Stopped by police checkpoint by the merseyside tunnel in liverpool and asked why no tax. Told them i was importing the car to Ireland, got a polite thank you Sir, safe trip.

Overall it was a lot easier than people think. The hardest parts for me.

- Getting stuck in Leeds airport due to snow on the runway on first trip
- Getting stuck in Holyhead for 8 hours due to irish ferries swift cancellation due to bad weather on the collection trip. There damn all to do in that town.

Remember that you're the one in control here not them, You're the one with the money.

Awww,man - Hollyhead is such a no-mans land when you're stuck there for 8 hrs ain't it!.....happened to me loadza times. Pain in the Rocks.:D
Good advice above.

Farls

niceirishfella wrote: »

Awww,man - Hollyhead is such a no-mans land when you're stuck there for 8 hrs ain't it!.....happened to me loadza times. Pain in the Rocks.:D
Good advice above.

Couldn't agree more, I'll be there tomorrow night on another run I just pray things move swiftly...apart from a mcd's there is nothing in that place!!

niceirishfella

There's a chipper up near the roundabout (i think its beside the lidl, we'll it used to be there ) that does a decent cod and chips! Bon Voyage

wordcount

sunshinediver wrote: »

Here's how i did it,
Saturday - Saw car on Autotrader and phoned dealer to check if they still had it. Don't believe the "oh yes we've had lots of interest line"

Sunday - Arranged the RAC check, they'll do the HPI check immediately over the phone with you. Ring the dealer and let him know you have ordered a check but don't agree on a price, by putting down a deposit you are effectively agreeing on a price for a car that you have not seen and do not know the condition of. Once the dealer sees an RAC check he will know you are definetely interested but ask him to contact you if the car is sold in the mean time (this is highly unlikely given the difficulty dealers in the UK have shifting cars at the moment)

Tuesday - RAC check complete by about 2pm, phone call from the mechanic, very nice and friendly and pointed out a few minor dents etc, Detailed email followed shortly. Then phoned the dealer stating that I was dissappointed by the "minor dents" ask offered him 1500 quid sterling under the asking price once the dents were fixed. If he agrees put down a deposit but make sure its refundable if you don't like the car. Book your ryanair flights to see the car for the following week as this way they're cheap. Bear in mind that some the scrathes the RAC mechanic pointed out were barely visible to me or anyone else for that matter. Its very thorough.

Following Tuesday - Saw car and test drove, very happy, did some xmas shopping and returned home with dealers bank details.

Wednesday - Transferred remaining funds. Do a bank transfer, you'll be charged 20 euro but will get the international rate on your euro the sterling transfer, you can do it thru your internet banking for 35 cent. Its better than the sterling draft rate. Bear in mind this will take 3 days to clear. Book one way flight for pick up and book ferry

Following Tuesday - Pick up car and drove home - Stopped by police checkpoint by the merseyside tunnel in liverpool and asked why no tax. Told them i was importing the car to Ireland, got a polite thank you Sir, safe trip.

Overall it was a lot easier than people think. The hardest parts for me.

- Getting stuck in Leeds airport due to snow on the runway on first trip
- Getting stuck in Holyhead for 8 hours due to irish ferries swift cancellation due to bad weather on the collection trip. There damn all to do in that town.

Remember that you're the one in control here not them, You're the one with the money.

Excellent post. Couple of questions. I am not in a position to test drive car, would RAC check suffice? How much does that cost. Thinking about buying a car which is on sale for 8000 pounds (VRT 5000). In Ireland same car is priced at 21000 Euros. How much could I expect to bargin UK price down for?

sunshinediver

wordcount wrote: »

Excellent post. Couple of questions. I am not in a position to test drive car, would RAC check suffice? How much does that cost. Thinking about buying a car which is on sale for 8000 pounds (VRT 5000). In Ireland same car is priced at 21000 Euros. How much could I expect to bargin UK price down for?

Provided you know what car you are looking for the RAC check should suffice. I chose to test drive the car as i'd never driven that model before and was unsure if i'd like it. The RAC UK website has the details of the test. There's a basic one for about 80 quid sterling and a detailed one for 200. I got the detailed one and was very happy with the level of detail inspected. I'd recommend you do the same if you are relying solely on the RAC report before deciding to purchase. If the mechanic reports a dent or scuffed alloy etc ask the dealer to take a picture of it and email it to you before you decide to proceed. Unfortunately the RAC won't do this.

The price offered for the car is dependent upon the condition. Even if the RAC report comes back excellent don't let the dealer know as you will dilute your bargaining power. When booking the test with the RAC you can choose not to let the dealer know the results. As you're not trading in a car i'd offer them 7k straight deal provided the car is in good nick. They will find it hard to refuse, I wouldn't go more than 7500 but at this price i'd be expecting a full tank of diesel/petrol. Inc. the VRT I saved approx 9k euro compared to buying the car in Ireland.

wordcount

how long does it take to get somefrom the RAC to check the car out? Is there a same day service?

pipsqueak

its an 6 grand car ffs, drive it, if its fu***d dont buy it!! not bleedin rocket science
btw cash is yer only man

EIREHotspur

Great Thread.

Mind telling us the model of the car?

I am looking at heading over to buy an Audi A4 Automatic.
Have my eye on a few.....real pain and trouble to go and drive back but to save 6-7k on similar spec here it is worth it. I have relatives there who could give it the once over and do the deal for me.

I don't have to drive it as I know they are a grand car and better than the load of cr£p I now drive.

Euro - 0.93 pence ...think I will change the money over.

pipsqueak

a4 auto nice jammer!! btw:D

wordcount

pipsqueak wrote: »

its an 6 grand car ffs, drive it, if its fu***d dont buy it!! not bleedin rocket science
btw cash is yer only man

Can you clarify what you mean? What car/Who are you refering too.

lafors

Got 0.9296 to the euro this morning for BOI, was happy with that.
I probably could have saved more by going for funds transfer but it didn't suit.
Flights & ferry are all booked for monday, so hopefully I'll have the jammer back in the country then

BTW lads, great thread here, some really good info and nearly no BS

niceirishfella

lafors wrote: »

BTW lads, great thread here, some really good info and nearly no BS

what, Nearly NO BS? What? Can't be boards then!:)
Bon Voyage and haggle hard.

wordcount

Been told by the Toyota garage that there is still finance to be paid on the car I am buying from them (picking up Tuesday) they tell me that they can supply me with letter saying Finance is paid on Tuesday. They are also saying that the finance company can confirm this.

Question is should I trust their word, I mean its an approved Toyota centre?

Other thing is they say they do a 114 point RAC check with each car they sell and give a year toyota guarentee, should I bother getting it RAC checked independently?

niceirishfella

The finance letter is good to have, but veriofy it with the lender.......ie call the financial institution personally to check it.

Re; the check - well the toyota check is their check - not yours and not independant. Its up to you weather you're happy with the toyota check or feel in youtr gut you need to go the extra mile and get another.

romperstomper

I think its worth mentioning that bank drafts aren't accepted by UK dealers until they have cleared, so make sure you have it cleared up. Also a lot won't accept credit cards due to the charges. only thing I have found that consistently works is debit card (maestro)

wordcount

I know its probably asked and answered before on here but what is a checklist of things I need to be aware of as I go to pick up a CAR FROM THE uk SOON.

niceirishfella

Check everything! end of.

EIREHotspur

A full RAc check is a nice whack at 199 sterling.
You would want to be pretty happy about choice of car before getting it done.

I think what the previous guy was asking is do all the points in the original checklist still apply all these years later.

Stevie Dakota

romperstomper wrote: »

I think its worth mentioning that bank drafts aren't accepted by UK dealers until they have cleared, so make sure you have it cleared up. Also a lot won't accept credit cards due to the charges. only thing I have found that consistently works is debit card (maestro)

In my dealing with Motorpoint drafts are accepted, no clearing required, as are credit cards. It is worth checking though.