Importing a car

h_____ · Dec 11, 2008

Folks,

I've been lurking for quite a while, but now have serious question. I am considering buying a car in Europe from a well known specialist. Does anyone have experience of what paper work you need to do, to get the car in registered in the UK, and how much it costs? Is it a lot of hassle? Or where I can go to get the information.

Thanks in advance.

Hugh
prospective RS owner.

Matt · Dec 11, 2008

hi Hugh

i've done it a couple of times about 5/6 years ago - was fairly easy..
buy car and drive/trailer it back to UK.
get new mot on car
phone dvla and get relevant paperwork - fill out and send off including new mot
dvla may want to look at car and check numbers etc themselves - especially if its an unknown model to them (cup car/clubsport both had to be checked at dvla in portsmouth from memory).
may have to check with porsche to confirm age of car
dvla issues new age related numberplates

off you go.
cost was £200 max.

again - all from memory so some of it may be out of date now - but i don't remember it as being a nightmare. also need to get car insured on the chassis number so you can drive to mot/dvla as required

matt

h_____ · Dec 11, 2008

Matt,

Many thanks, sounds pretty straight forward. There is hope there then! Once I get closer to a car, I'll ask some questions, for now I think that has me covered.

regards

Hugh

Laurence Gibbs · Dec 11, 2008

remember for the mot you will need rhd lights and to comply with construction and use you need mph speedo or a means of telling mph on kph speedo. Don't forget to add to Matt's costs the cost of your journey over to view the car and the petrol on the way home. Oh and overnight stay if you so choose. You might be able to negotiate these with the vendor !

964rsdatabase · Dec 11, 2008

I think some of the specialists offer the whole package for a fee, import/registration etc. Maybe speak to the trader you are thinking of buying from and ask first.

Good luck.
Martin

Matt · Dec 11, 2008

air berlin one way was cheap

thomas knows a hotel in the woods close by to his place and is happy to pick you up there in the morning. be warned its quite freaky when you're in a cab with no knowledge of the german language being driven through a load of woods late in the evening. for a while i thought i could hear (a german version of) duelling banjoes...

re mph speedo: although legally required as laurence says, its not needed for mot. thomas also fitted the rhd lights for me as well as part of the deal

good luck

h_____ · Dec 12, 2008

Thanks guys, good advice, and indeed it was Thomas I was talking to. Euro/£ is hurting this option considerably at the moment.

JCB.. · Dec 12, 2008

ORIGINAL: Laurence Gibbs

remember for the mot you will need rhd lights and to comply with construction and use you need mph speedo or a means of telling mph on kph speedo. Don't forget to add to Matt's costs the cost of your journey over to view the car and the petrol on the way home. Oh and overnight stay if you so choose. You might be able to negotiate these with the vendor !

From the Department of Transport Website

2.6 Modifications necessary for use in Britain.
The following is general guidance on the most common problems you are likely to encounter. It is not exhaustive and you should always seek the manufacturer's advice in relation to individual models.
Please note: Even if you source a vehicle from the EC or Northern Ireland, it may have been imported by your supplier from outside the EC and may still require the modifications described in this section.

Left hand traffic
If your vehicle is left hand drive, it will probably need to be modified or adjusted for use in left-hand traffic. In particular:

Headlamps will need to be replaced or adjusted to produce the required dipped beam for left-hand traffic. The alignment requirement must be met without the use of masks, beam converters or adapters unless they are an integral part of an approved headlamp.

For vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1980, at least one rear fog light must be fitted on the centre-line or the offside of the vehicle.

Rear view mirrors must give the required field of view for use in left-hand traffic.

Imperial Speedometer
Great Britain uses imperial units for speed measurement. The law requires that speedometers must include a miles-per-hour display. Please note in particular that any modified display must be visible in daylight and in darkness.
Markings may be added to the existing speedometer provided they are:

accurate;

durable;

can be seen clearly in daylight and when the instrument is lit during darkness.

Strange but true there is no checkpoint listed for a working speedometer in either a car or motorcycle MOT.

The process is detailed on the DVLA site but is is more or less as Matt stated. I registered an imported Lambretta this year. You'll need it insured as well as having an MOT. If you have the registration details from its country of original registration you won't have to bother with a dating certificate. If it wasn't purchased from a UK dealer you'll need to sort out the VAT/Customs milarky!

Laurence Gibbs · Dec 12, 2008

as i said "construction and use " legislation. Nothing to do with mot.
I also stayed at the "hotel in the woods" Waldhut or something similar was the name. It was very nice .

h_____ · Dec 12, 2008

Thanks for the advice folks. I'm not quite there yet. Will bring more questions as I get a little more serious. Just sounding the Europe option out at the moment.