Importing american cars. Help required.
Discussion
It costs:
Cost price in dollars converted to pounds at whatever rate your bank dictates at the time the money is transferred.
Depending how you buy it, cost of a transportation company picking it up and transferring it to the Docks which isn't cheap.
Cost of shipping a car like a Corvette or Camaro from baltimore by ro-ro is $820. Add to that marine insurance at 1.5% of the dollar value.
Import duty is 10% of the cost.
VAT is 17.5% of the total cost plus shipping cost.
There are ancillary release fees and agents fees at the docks.
Cars up to ten years old require an SVA test. Basically the headlamps should pass as they're flat beam, the wing mirrors are exempt as the car is lhd. You need side repeaters, rear fog light and switch, orange rear indicators and white front sidelights fitted in accordance with the regs. A Camaro was recently done by Mildenhall for under £200 but it depends on the car. The test is something like £190.
Over 10 years old just requires an MOT.
You then register the vehicle which I think is £25 plus the cost of the road tax and then you get your plates made up.
Cost price in dollars converted to pounds at whatever rate your bank dictates at the time the money is transferred.
Depending how you buy it, cost of a transportation company picking it up and transferring it to the Docks which isn't cheap.
Cost of shipping a car like a Corvette or Camaro from baltimore by ro-ro is $820. Add to that marine insurance at 1.5% of the dollar value.
Import duty is 10% of the cost.
VAT is 17.5% of the total cost plus shipping cost.
There are ancillary release fees and agents fees at the docks.
Cars up to ten years old require an SVA test. Basically the headlamps should pass as they're flat beam, the wing mirrors are exempt as the car is lhd. You need side repeaters, rear fog light and switch, orange rear indicators and white front sidelights fitted in accordance with the regs. A Camaro was recently done by Mildenhall for under £200 but it depends on the car. The test is something like £190.
Over 10 years old just requires an MOT.
You then register the vehicle which I think is £25 plus the cost of the road tax and then you get your plates made up.
I was looking a importing a 4x4 truck maybe a lincoln navigator. I've always wanted one so I was looking on the net about the prices and over there they are $30,000 over here there £35,00 so without even dabbling in the maths I see ££££ saving even if I import. I'm going to Florida in september again so I might look at buying whilst over there.
How long do you have to wait from ofset to you seeing the moster itself?
How long do you have to wait from ofset to you seeing the moster itself?
No idea. I have the patience of a saint. I paid $36k for this Z06 and it should land here, all SVA'd and ready to drive, for around £28k or less hopefully (we'll see!). In any scenario, they're £35k on Auto Trader so I save £7k.
The difficulty here is import duty and VAT. The older and cheaper the car the less duty and VAT you pay as a proportion of the cost. I could have got a 2001 Z06 for about £2.5k less but wanted a 2002 wuith the improvements so what do you do? May as well get what you want and not wonder about what could have been.
The difficulty here is import duty and VAT. The older and cheaper the car the less duty and VAT you pay as a proportion of the cost. I could have got a 2001 Z06 for about £2.5k less but wanted a 2002 wuith the improvements so what do you do? May as well get what you want and not wonder about what could have been.
I last worked out my mpg when I had a manual 1987 Z28 when my commuting figure was 18mpg. After that, I never bothered!
As long as you've got money to put petrol in the filler, it's academic what it does. I think my current Z28 auto does about 20mpg commuting but that's a total guess. It does nearer 30 on a run. The point is if I couldn't afford to put petrol in, I wouldn't have one. Besides, I don't drink much and I don't smoke so it's an offset.
The Z06 has the 405bhp LS6 engine and to be honest, I don't car what mpg it does. A few of my mates have old muscle cars and they're lucky to see 12mpg so everything is relative.
As long as you've got money to put petrol in the filler, it's academic what it does. I think my current Z28 auto does about 20mpg commuting but that's a total guess. It does nearer 30 on a run. The point is if I couldn't afford to put petrol in, I wouldn't have one. Besides, I don't drink much and I don't smoke so it's an offset.
The Z06 has the 405bhp LS6 engine and to be honest, I don't car what mpg it does. A few of my mates have old muscle cars and they're lucky to see 12mpg so everything is relative.
The mpg on a Z06 is actually quite good, depending how you drive it, of course. Mine's still averaging around 25-30mpg.
I'd actually budget for cost of car + 27.5% for tax/duty + shipping (which can cost anything you want to pay) + around £1000-£1500 to get it SVA converted, tested, taxed... basically 'on the road'. You shouldn't have to pay more than that... or too much less!
-kenski
I'd actually budget for cost of car + 27.5% for tax/duty + shipping (which can cost anything you want to pay) + around £1000-£1500 to get it SVA converted, tested, taxed... basically 'on the road'. You shouldn't have to pay more than that... or too much less!
-kenski
It's much less than that if you do it yourself.
Corvette Euro lights around $200. About £250 with shipping. Less than an hour to fit (they say 20 minutes). Not required if the car already has orange indicators.
A basic fog light, wiring and switch (not difficult)
Side repeaters (I'm paying £27 for a pair) and the rest is all basic wiring and a bit of minor drilling.
The flat beam headlamps should pass SVA and the mirrors are exempt as it's lhd.
Have I missed anything?
Corvette Euro lights around $200. About £250 with shipping. Less than an hour to fit (they say 20 minutes). Not required if the car already has orange indicators.
A basic fog light, wiring and switch (not difficult)
Side repeaters (I'm paying £27 for a pair) and the rest is all basic wiring and a bit of minor drilling.
The flat beam headlamps should pass SVA and the mirrors are exempt as it's lhd.
Have I missed anything?
There are the white front sidelights, which you may have covered under the 'assorted drilling/wiring' :-)
You're absolutely right that you can DIY for much cheaper. For myself, I was so paranoid about 'worrying' the GM electrics (visions of HAL2000) that I chose not to... well, that and the fact that if I'd done it myself the car would have been off the road for months while I made the time to do it!!!
I would say that if you're going to buy stuff to do it yourself then to do it while you're over there to avoid tax/shipping/tax on shipping of parts.
-kenski
You're absolutely right that you can DIY for much cheaper. For myself, I was so paranoid about 'worrying' the GM electrics (visions of HAL2000) that I chose not to... well, that and the fact that if I'd done it myself the car would have been off the road for months while I made the time to do it!!!
I would say that if you're going to buy stuff to do it yourself then to do it while you're over there to avoid tax/shipping/tax on shipping of parts.
-kenski
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