Buying a New Car Abroad

est1984

Has anyone bought a car from another country abroad? I want to buy a new car but I just don't want to pay a ridiculous amount of money a month for it but I want to buy all the essentials that I need for my long journeys to and from work.

To get the car registered to the UK, does anyone know if this is a costly amount?

Hintza

Why buy abroad? The UK is just about the cheapest place in Europe!

est1984

Lmao! 20% tax

Hintza

Ah well you had better go to Cyprus then and save 5% (15% VAT) or Montenegro to save 3% (17% VAT).

vaio

not sure about new cars (but I'd have thought the same mechanisms applied) but pre loved cars are certainly significantly (ie worth the flights & hassle) cheaper in the UK than they are in Germany.

also witness the constant steam of cars heading from the UK towards Eastern Europe

Clearlier

vaio wrote: »

not sure about new cars (but I'd have thought the same mechanisms applied) but pre loved cars are certainly significantly (ie worth the flights & hassle) cheaper in the UK than they are in Germany.

also witness the constant steam of cars heading from the UK towards Eastern Europe

Irish people import cars from the UK all the time too.

In practical terms I imported (and regretted doing it) my car from Ireland when I came over. I remember it as being a PITA with a detailed form to fill out although to be fair when I phoned them up and asked why so many details had to be filled in they told me which fields actually needed to be filled in (not sure why the others are there....).

Google 'importing a car into the UK' and you'll get the guide. It's very possible to do but is more painful than you would think it should be and there are various relatively small charges.

scheming_gypsy

est1984 wrote: »

Lmao! 20% tax

which doesn't matter if the car is still cheaper after paying the tax.
Then you'll have to register it in the UK, pay a premium on your insurance for it being an import and then have to either have it converted to right hand drive or drive a left hand drive... unless of course you import from Ireland, Cyprus, Japan etc

so yes.. lmao at paying the average rate of tax in the EU. http://www.tmf-vat.com/vat/eu-vat-rates.html

maybe one of these would suit you?

supermanjo

oddly enough, LHD cars are easier for me to drive here in the U.K then RHD cars. You feel more in control of the lane becuase you can clearly see the curb so you stick to it. A few draw backs like wanting to pull out from behind a bus into the opposite lane is a problem, etc.

vaio

yep, but making a mistake because you can't clearly see the curb might spoil a tyre & wheel, making a mistake because you can't see round a bus when pulling into the opposite lane will spoil your entire day

I don't think it's any coincidence that LHD vehicles (and particularly HGVs) are involved in a disproportionately high amount of accidents

property.advert

vaio wrote: »

yep, but making a mistake because you can't clearly see the curb might spoil a tyre & wheel, making a mistake because you can't see round a bus when pulling into the opposite lane will spoil your entire day

I don't think it's any coincidence that LHD vehicles (and particularly HGVs) are involved in a disproportionately high amount of accidents

Very astute, unlike the previous poster. I hope he doesn't live near me.

scheming_gypsy

vaio wrote: »

I don't think it's any coincidence that LHD vehicles (and particularly HGVs) are involved in a disproportionately high amount of accidents

i hate passing left hand drive lorries on the motorway as the blind spot swap sides. foot down and fly past before i end up like a crumpet.