Buy a used English car on the continent

Ann82

Help me think this through.

DH is EU, we have to go visit his folks anyways, and we can easily drive back (would prefer that, we have some stuff with his folks we want to bring back with us). There are in his country very nice used RHD vehicles that still have English paperwork (and valid MOT) that are being sold at for-parts prices, if not practically given away.

Is it possible for us to purchase one of these cars, transfer ownership and insure it, and drive it back home on the ferry...just like buying it if it was in England (which, legally, I suppose it is, with having English paperwork???)???

It seems really silly to buy it, import/plate/insure it in that country, then turn around and import/plate/insure it back in England. But maybe that's the only way to buy it? Maybe that's why these nice cars are being sold for parts?

Is there a good, inexpensive way to rescue one of these poor RHD cars from the chop shop and bring it home?

WellKnownSid

You are opening a huge can of worms... there isn't enough room on this forum to describe the scams and dodgy British cars I've seen.

Not sure which country this is, but for years in Spain "blank UK MoT books and V5 certificates" were being openly advertised in the local expat rag.

In theory, you can as a UK resident drive a UK registered car back to the UK - you will need a V5 in your name, insurance documents, valid MoT and tax of course, plus be prepared to show the police a ferry ticket showing the car entered the continent less than six months ago... So, possible.

But as I say - a massive can on worms...

Robisere

Just Googlin', as you do...

http://www.day-tripper.net/shopping-car-buying.html

http://www.eu-cars.com/

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/buying-a-car-in-germany-and-registering-in-the-uk.cfm

http://www.buyingskills.com/careuro.htm

Do you know anyone who has a relative serving in HMF in Germany? There are usually several RHD cars available that way, which may have been previously registered in the UK and can have the original plate recalled.

AdrianC

Of course you can. You're UK residents, you have a UK address to register it to, and it's on UK papers - that's all you need to know. Fill in the V5C as you would normally, and post it to Swansea. Wait, and a shiny new V5C in your name will land on your doormat in about a week or so. Where the car is located, geographically, at the time of doing the deal is merely a matter of (in)convenience.

Bear in mind, though, that while you can insure and tax it online, it needs to be in the UK to be MOTd, and it needs to be UK-road-legal to be road-legal in whatever country it passes through on the way back here. So if you buy something with an expired MOT, you're going to have to either transport it (which won't be cheap) or drive it unMOTd and untaxed.

The reason they're being sold cheap is that nobody wants to go through the hassle of locally registering a RHD car, but there's not enough margin to be worth a dealer taking a transporter-full back.

I'm guessing at Spain, btw. Am I right?

AdrianC

WellKnownSid wrote: »

plus be prepared to show the police a ferry ticket showing the car entered the continent less than six months ago...

No need for that.

We spent 17 months driving a UK-registered vehicle t'other side of the channel... perfectly legally*, since it was never temporarily imported into any one country for more than six months. As it happens, we did have ferry tickets showing it had left the continent, from about months seven to nine, but since they were Sicily-Tunisia and back, I'm not sure how much help they'd have been in proving we'd only been out of the UK for less than six months.

* - well, apart from the expired MOT...

Iceweasel

Here we are - as WellKnownSid has already said:

Ann82

No, not Spain, no. Just a rather short ferry ride away.

I did try googling, but all I got for my efforts was people wondering if they could drive their English cars on vacation in France. Or people wanting to import foreign cars. Not helpful.

I'll take a look at the links.

What's the can of worms? If a Brit has moved to the continent and took their car with them, where's the scam if I buy it off of them and drive it back here?

Iceweasel

OK then - assuming you know and trust the owner of the vehicle, let's work through what you would need to do.

The current Registered keeper fills in page one of the V5C

You tear off and fill in Part V5C2

Both parts are sent to Swansea.

Other than a receipt what vehicle document/s do you have with you on the way to the ferry?

Or do you plan to post them once you arrive in the UK?

You could not fill in the V5C at all - just carry it with you as is and complete the sections immediately you arrive in the UK - by that I mean before you leave the ferry port - that would be OK as long as you had a letter from the owner saying you could drive it.

If it's not currently taxed, before driving it you need to tax it - easy on-line.

You would also need to insure it - easy on-line or by phone.

Over the years I've taken several vehicles from the UK, both to other countries in the EU, and beyond.

I've taken some back into the UK after months or years away.

I've never had any hassle regards ownership - but the vehicles had the same owner on the return journey as on the outward journey - not always the same drivers though.

Jackieboy

Ann82 wrote: »

Help me think this through.

DH is EU, we have to go visit his folks anyways, and we can easily drive back (would prefer that, we have some stuff with his folks we want to bring back with us). There are in his country very nice used RHD vehicles that still have English paperwork (and valid MOT) that are being sold at for-parts prices, if not practically given away.

Is it possible for us to purchase one of these cars, transfer ownership and insure it, and drive it back home on the ferry...just like buying it if it was in England (which, legally, I suppose it is, with having English paperwork???)???

It seems really silly to buy it, import/plate/insure it in that country, then turn around and import/plate/insure it back in England. But maybe that's the only way to buy it? Maybe that's why these nice cars are being sold for parts?

Is there a good, inexpensive way to rescue one of these poor RHD cars from the chop shop and bring it home?

What's "DH is EU" mean?

Owain_Moneysaver

Jackieboy wrote: »

What's "DH is EU" mean?

I assume "Dear Husband is a non-British citizen of the European Union".

WellKnownSid

Iceweasel wrote: »

OK then - assuming you know and trust the owner of the vehicle, let's work through what you would need to do.

Probably the most important bit.

If it's 'just a short ferry ride away' and 'has an MoT' - then there will plenty of expats queuing up to buy cars - either because they are returning (the so-called 'going home car') or because they want to stay under the RADAR of the French / Spanish / wherever police.

The scams are any permutation of... The car isn't what it seems. The owner isn't who they seem. The MoT isn't what it seems. The blue "car" sat currently outside "le cafe" is also currently a sat outside Basingstoke Railway Station, and is red. Or in several pieces in a recycling centre in Leeds.

Oh, and there is a very healthy market on Auto Trader where cars are "in France / Spain / The Moon" and will be shipped back once you wire payment through an Escrow service for your complete safety, you'll get your money back if you don't like the car... honest guv'nor.

So, to emphasise Iceweasel's first sentence... assuming you know and trust the owner of the vehicle...