Imported VW

judderman

Hi All,
I need some advice please, i've seen a car i like, and after speaking to the seller he tell's me the car was imported from Germany he thinks.
Is there any major difference in buying an import, anything i should know about?

Regards.

steveo3002

german spec doesnt always match uk spec for trims and extras

so the car might have more or less extras and bells n wistles, just check its what you want in a car trim wise

nullogik

I wouldn't recommend it. In most cases the cars are pretty much the same but some small parts may differ.

Also, you'll find that if you take it into a UK VW Dealership for servicing they are likely to "hum and ha" over it and will most likely charge you more than if you had a UK car. Many people learnt the hard way when they bought cheap Mitsubishi Pajeros (Shoguns) from Japan only to find Mitsubishi dealers unwilling to service them or if they did then at a premium. Similar thing might apply here.

An imported car has a lower value than the UK equivalent even if the specs are identical to a UK car. If you trade it in, in a few years time you find the dealer unwilling to take it off your hands or if he does it will be with a lower offer.

Also check to see whether the fact that it is an import doesn't affect your insurance premium. Insurance companies find any excuse to push up the premium, import cars tend to have higher insurance quotes whether they are similar to Uk cars or not.

Finally, IMO I wouldn't bother with this car. Its far better to get a UK car, that way you have a better chance of selling it on for a good price and you are unlikely to encounter as many problems when it comes to servicing (part differences, unwilling dealers...)

Vehicle_john

I agree with all the above, you may see advetised Irish import as well, also cheaper but with only a 2 year warranty. The main problem is that dealers will always value this type of vehicle far less than any UK supplied vehicle, if you are looking for an excellent value Volkswagen try out https://www.vehiclechoicelocator.co.uk, bespoke service that has 5000 to 10,000 vehicles per week hence they don't / cant offer every vehicles with photos etc but if you contact them they will offer you a great selection what your looking for including trade prices not retail prices.

DealDrivers_company_representative

"From Germany..he thinks"...the key words there are 'thinks'.

You need to ask what country its original destination was...was it may Cyprus, Malta, South Africa, middle east? If it was destined for a warmer country it may have been built to hot climate specification....differences can include metal density differences, rustproofing on underside not being done to suit temperate climates, radio frequency anomalies etc.

Why buy an imported one where your servicing costs and re-sale value will probably knock any upfront saving on the head anyway?

judderman

Well thanks to you all for the sound advice :T
I think i'll leave it alone, shame as its a nice motor.
I gave the company that Vehicle_john mentioned, they seem a good option :beer: and he asked me to say thanks to you John for putting his company forward.

Thanks again.

vansboy

& you'd need to tell your insurers it wasn't UK soursed, too.

We even have to identify such vehicles to the warranty company, if we were selling an 'import'.

You're right to think again!!

VB

scotsblood

There are two sides even to a blank sheet of paper!

Yes there can be differences between UK spec cars and those destined for other markets, but "pan-european" cars "adjusted" for market are the norm in all but the high performance or luxury markets. That may mean slight spec differences or warranty differences. Check carefully where the car was originally sold and whether it was ordered as a UK spec car for sale in XXX or whether the car needed any form conversion to be sold-on in the UK.

DO NOT BUY THE CAR IF IT DOESN'T HAVE THE EC CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMITY. If you don't know what this is ask the dealer, if he cant tell you all about it then be suspicious!

Most sensible dealers will earn money wherever possible, yes if an import has difference componentry then servicing may be more complicated, but who's paying! Manufacturers "suggested" long time ago that dealers shouldn't discriminate against imports as it could bring about all sorts of anti-competitive claims. UK dealers have gained me on two previous cars "goodwill" warranty work that would otherwise not have been covered from the manufacturer.


We are now on our forth imported car, the part exchange values have been in each case the same trade values paid for uk cars> the difference is that the headline price for the imported car has been thousands below that of a uk supplied car and so the actual cost of the deal was significantly less!

Latest deal is £4175 less to change than local uk dealers wanted! Quick sums suggest I have saved almost £20k in last four deals.

There are pro's and cons, don't shut your mind till you've examined them all.

judderman

I have the vin number, would that tell me where it was made?
The company selling it say someone in the forces owned it, which is why they say it was from Germany.
I'm even more confused now.....lol

In the description it says hpi clear, with confirmation? that must be a good sign?

Exemplar

Foreign specced cars 'tend' to have better equipment than UK cars. The easiest way to find out is to look on the V5 and it should say where it came from, as an example at the Smart Car garage I worked for if wo bought Jersey cars with English plates it would state in the V5 'Previously registered abroad, Jersey'.

judderman

I asked him about the COC and he reckons it dosent need one? maybe it was bought on an English airbase in Germany? He seemed to know what to say.
This car dont have all the usual extras a uk car seems to have, i.e front arm rest, cd changer. Could i live without them? for the right price i could.