Importing a 68/69 C3 From US
Discussion
Hiya, I'm new here so be kind! Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere but I've been reading through the posts on this forum and can't find a direct answer anywhere.
I would love an early (1968-72) C3 vette, nothing fancy (don't care about matching numbers etc.) just a straight, tidy car that I can use at weekends without breaking the bank.
With the current US$ exchange rate the prospect of importing one from the states is fairly attractive, by trawling the web I have found a few reasonable looking cars out there for $12000-$15000. (for cars that would be probably £12000-£15000 here)
Does anyone know exactly what would need to be added to this before I could be driving it here in the UK though? I've looked around, and the DVLA and UK C&E sites are almost impossible to decipher as far as cars that old are concerned.
I would appreciate any advice on the following questions:-
I can figure out that the car doesn't need an SVA but would need to pass an MOT. Would this entail changing lights or anything else on a 68-72 car? If So, what would this cost approximately?
What duty/VAT is payable? I read somewhere that cars over 35 years old weren't subject to duty or VAT, just a 5% historic vehicle levy, this would obviously make a big difference to the total cost, but I can't find confirmation of this one way or the other, does anyone have any experience of importing a car of this age?
The cars I have been looking at online are mainly in the western USA, would I be better off getting it shipped via the east or west coast? Ro-Ro or container? Have you any recommendations of shipping companies to use?
Any words of advice, help or caution much appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Paul
I would love an early (1968-72) C3 vette, nothing fancy (don't care about matching numbers etc.) just a straight, tidy car that I can use at weekends without breaking the bank.
With the current US$ exchange rate the prospect of importing one from the states is fairly attractive, by trawling the web I have found a few reasonable looking cars out there for $12000-$15000. (for cars that would be probably £12000-£15000 here)
Does anyone know exactly what would need to be added to this before I could be driving it here in the UK though? I've looked around, and the DVLA and UK C&E sites are almost impossible to decipher as far as cars that old are concerned.
I would appreciate any advice on the following questions:-
I can figure out that the car doesn't need an SVA but would need to pass an MOT. Would this entail changing lights or anything else on a 68-72 car? If So, what would this cost approximately?
What duty/VAT is payable? I read somewhere that cars over 35 years old weren't subject to duty or VAT, just a 5% historic vehicle levy, this would obviously make a big difference to the total cost, but I can't find confirmation of this one way or the other, does anyone have any experience of importing a car of this age?
The cars I have been looking at online are mainly in the western USA, would I be better off getting it shipped via the east or west coast? Ro-Ro or container? Have you any recommendations of shipping companies to use?
Any words of advice, help or caution much appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Paul
Hi Paul,
I would use a Ro-Ro rather than a container as it is ridiculously cheap. It cost me less than £500 last year to ship from Baltimore to Liverpool (they ship from loads of places on the East Coast of the US to a number of places in the UK).
To find one, I would use www.traderonline.com as this is like the Autotrader here, except they have a Corvette & Chevy Trader for Corvettes only. You can search by Zip Code so find a Baltimore code, then search within 300 miles and it will only return cars fairly close to the port!
You are correct that you don't need to pass an SVa but you will need to modify the lights to pass an MOT or find an American car sympathetic MOT station!
Not sure about Duty and VAT on the car but if you do have to pay, it will be 10% duty and then 17.5% VAT on the price,the duty and the shipping.
I would use a Ro-Ro rather than a container as it is ridiculously cheap. It cost me less than £500 last year to ship from Baltimore to Liverpool (they ship from loads of places on the East Coast of the US to a number of places in the UK).
To find one, I would use www.traderonline.com as this is like the Autotrader here, except they have a Corvette & Chevy Trader for Corvettes only. You can search by Zip Code so find a Baltimore code, then search within 300 miles and it will only return cars fairly close to the port!
You are correct that you don't need to pass an SVa but you will need to modify the lights to pass an MOT or find an American car sympathetic MOT station!
Not sure about Duty and VAT on the car but if you do have to pay, it will be 10% duty and then 17.5% VAT on the price,the duty and the shipping.
Hello again, thanks for your feedback vhr, I have found some valuable information out so will repeat it here for anyone elses benefit!
The critical thing when importing the vehicle is its 'commodity code' for excise purposes, if the vehicle is over 30 years old and (critically here) is an 'original' vehicle (with it's original engine) it CAN be imported at a VAT rate of 5% (and no 10% duty either!) as an historic vehicle (you do need to get a 'Binding Tariff Information' document from HM C+E to prove at the port the commodity code of the vehicle)
This information took a lot of digging to get hold of! So I guess now, I am looking for a matching numbers car after all!
Big difference between Purchase price + shipping + 5%and Purchase Price + 10% + Shipping + 17.5% though isn't there?
I will feedback here on any further progress, hopefully to let you know when my vette is coming!
Paul :-)
The critical thing when importing the vehicle is its 'commodity code' for excise purposes, if the vehicle is over 30 years old and (critically here) is an 'original' vehicle (with it's original engine) it CAN be imported at a VAT rate of 5% (and no 10% duty either!) as an historic vehicle (you do need to get a 'Binding Tariff Information' document from HM C+E to prove at the port the commodity code of the vehicle)
This information took a lot of digging to get hold of! So I guess now, I am looking for a matching numbers car after all!
Big difference between Purchase price + shipping + 5%and Purchase Price + 10% + Shipping + 17.5% though isn't there?
I will feedback here on any further progress, hopefully to let you know when my vette is coming!
Paul :-)
Paul - One thing to bear in mind here, the US view versus the UK view in value terms on things like in this particular example, older cars, is different. In the US, a much higher value can be attached to an older say 68 to 72 car, because of it's age or rarity ro both than in the UK. If that happens, the value increase can and usually will be exponentially higher than that in the UK too.
To that end, let's take a 70 Corvette as an example, whose value has bottomed out both here and in the US and is now on the increase, then I would not be surprised if the car in the UK was fetching say 12 k GBP would fetch a higher, and maybe much higher, value even after the current exchange rate benefit than the same 70 Corvette in the US.
To that end, let's take a 70 Corvette as an example, whose value has bottomed out both here and in the US and is now on the increase, then I would not be surprised if the car in the UK was fetching say 12 k GBP would fetch a higher, and maybe much higher, value even after the current exchange rate benefit than the same 70 Corvette in the US.
A good site to try is www.import-car.info ,has a list of shippers,customs duty and vat webs, sva test centers the lot, step by step instructions on bringing a car to UK.
Ok.... I've agreed to buy a 1969 350ci/350hp, Muncie 4spd, numbers matching car for £7k from the US 
The car is in New Jersey, so not too bad for shipping...
Can anyone recommend a good place to get any work done on lights etc. that will be required for the MOT (should just be indicators and running lights, and headlight alignment dip) and the MOT itself?
Regards, Paul
The car is in New Jersey, so not too bad for shipping...
Can anyone recommend a good place to get any work done on lights etc. that will be required for the MOT (should just be indicators and running lights, and headlight alignment dip) and the MOT itself?
Regards, Paul
Update: The shipping company screwed up and my car still isn't here (how impatient am I getting!?) and it's going to miss the nationals and goodwood (not to mention all the great weather we've been having 
) it is now arriving next week though... definitely...
Does anyone have any recommendations of MOT centres in the midlands area that would be a good place to have the car put through its first one before Registration. I'd like somewhere that has more experience of Vettes than your average test station.
Hopefully a cheerier update soon...
Pauly
>> Edited by popkid on Tuesday 22 June 13:26
) it is now arriving next week though... definitely... Does anyone have any recommendations of MOT centres in the midlands area that would be a good place to have the car put through its first one before Registration. I'd like somewhere that has more experience of Vettes than your average test station.
Hopefully a cheerier update soon...
Pauly
>> Edited by popkid on Tuesday 22 June 13:26
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