Buyer's Guides
Pitfalls to avoid
Should you decide to go ahead, there are some common 'elephant traps' you should try to steer clear of:
- Trying to con Customs and Excise will not work. Be scrupulously honest and tell them exactly how much the car has cost to bring into the UK
- If you use a broker, choose one with a track record of importing from the region that your chosen model comes from
- Agree the price of the car delivered to you in the UK so you're not lumbered with VAT and transportation costs
- If you're doing the whole thing yourself, haggle at every stage, including shipping and container costs if the car has to come by boat
- Take out insurance from the second you become the car's owner. If it's damaged in transit on a transporter lorry or on a container ship, be sure to report this at the earliest possible stage and take pictures to back up your case
- Keep every scrap of correspondence relating to the car. That means every email, invoice, receipt and copies of all documents
- Check out how much it will cost to make the car UK legal before buying. This can add considerably to the cost and some work will need to be carried out by a specialist, such as altering the emissions or changing a KPH speedo to MPH
- Franchised dealers in the EU are not obliged to sell to you as they have the right to sell to a local buyer prepared to pay more or who will return to the dealer to have the car serviced and eventually trade it in for something else. If this happens, be polite and ask if the dealer can point you in the direction on another who may help you.