Importing a car into the UK
Discussion
So I have been a bit silly.... 
I now own half a Trabant that has made its way from Hungary to the UK via a friend of a friend. Long long story.
So to the question.
How does one go about importing the car legally and registering it in the UK?
Its a 1990 Trabant Limousine 1.1L in a fetching shade of pink.
I have had a look on the direct gov website and it is damned confusing and I dont really know where to start. Also it doesn't seem to give a step by step process. Does it need an MOT, SVA, Mutual compliance cert or an IVA, or a combination of them?
Also is there a time limit on how quickly you have to get it registered since it crossed the border into the UK? I have heard somewhere 90 days, but again not sure.
I am prepared for ridicule so let lose, also some serious answers will be very very much appreciated!
I now own half a Trabant that has made its way from Hungary to the UK via a friend of a friend. Long long story.So to the question.
How does one go about importing the car legally and registering it in the UK?
Its a 1990 Trabant Limousine 1.1L in a fetching shade of pink.
I have had a look on the direct gov website and it is damned confusing and I dont really know where to start. Also it doesn't seem to give a step by step process. Does it need an MOT, SVA, Mutual compliance cert or an IVA, or a combination of them?
Also is there a time limit on how quickly you have to get it registered since it crossed the border into the UK? I have heard somewhere 90 days, but again not sure.
I am prepared for ridicule so let lose, also some serious answers will be very very much appreciated!
If it's over 10 years old there's no need for any special paperwork - but registration docs for its spell in Hungary will make DVLA smile (because it will easily confirm the date of original sale, if nothing else).
In mid-2007 I aquired an English-brand LHD car which was produced in 1983 and originally sold new in Germany in the same year; I registered it in early 2008 at DVLA Preston. All I had to do was MoT it on the VIN, insure it on the VIN, complete the V55/5 (I think!) and visit my local DVLA office with the MoT, insurance certificate, V55/5 and a cheque (for £50 back then for 'first registration' plus at least 6 month's tax); they were pleased to see one of the two German reg docs as well, and wrote "other registraton record lost" on their records apparently...
No need for an IVA/SVA/Certficate of Compliance etc because it was over 10 years old and had been registered previously.
Hopefully you'll find it as easy with your Trabant .
In mid-2007 I aquired an English-brand LHD car which was produced in 1983 and originally sold new in Germany in the same year; I registered it in early 2008 at DVLA Preston. All I had to do was MoT it on the VIN, insure it on the VIN, complete the V55/5 (I think!) and visit my local DVLA office with the MoT, insurance certificate, V55/5 and a cheque (for £50 back then for 'first registration' plus at least 6 month's tax); they were pleased to see one of the two German reg docs as well, and wrote "other registraton record lost" on their records apparently...
No need for an IVA/SVA/Certficate of Compliance etc because it was over 10 years old and had been registered previously.
Hopefully you'll find it as easy with your Trabant
.So, I'm the owner of the other half of this Trabant.
There's quite a story behind it, and indeed how Alfachick and myself fell into ownership of it. The short version tells the tale of a friend of mine, ending up finishing the Black sea run in this Trabant, when the Fiat Panda he started the run in had been long since ditched at the side of the road. With a lack of any other way home, he borrowed this car from a Hungarian friend, also on the run, in order to get home to Blairgowrie. He was so taken with the car, he drove up to Aberdeen a week later to show it off, and to take me out for a spin. Unfortunately, the veteran of three complete Black Sea runs suffered a starter motor failure that weekend. Despite an entire Saturday in my Garage trying to get the starter to play ball, the Trabi was eventually bump started and driven back to Blairgowrie. When the Hungarian owner was informed of the problem, he revealed that he planned to simply scrap it when it got back to Budapest, which is where it was to be taken this week. Now, not wishing to ask for a bump start every time he stopped for fuel my mate suggested he get rid of it here in the UK. Of course, upon hearing this, and after a couple of glasses of wine, I naturally asked Alfachick here if she would like to save the pink Trabant from certain doom. The owner would let us take it off his hands for the handsome price of £1. At which point she said..."Tell you what, I'll go halves" Well... we couldn't let a car like that go to a scrappy!
Anyway yes, the MOT is going to be the interesting part right enough, but it's actually in quite good nick all things considered. I'm reasonably confident, it's going to be an adventure!
And for the curious, some photos...
Showing off, still running!
When we finally decided that there was no saving the starter.
There's quite a story behind it, and indeed how Alfachick and myself fell into ownership of it. The short version tells the tale of a friend of mine, ending up finishing the Black sea run in this Trabant, when the Fiat Panda he started the run in had been long since ditched at the side of the road. With a lack of any other way home, he borrowed this car from a Hungarian friend, also on the run, in order to get home to Blairgowrie. He was so taken with the car, he drove up to Aberdeen a week later to show it off, and to take me out for a spin. Unfortunately, the veteran of three complete Black Sea runs suffered a starter motor failure that weekend. Despite an entire Saturday in my Garage trying to get the starter to play ball, the Trabi was eventually bump started and driven back to Blairgowrie. When the Hungarian owner was informed of the problem, he revealed that he planned to simply scrap it when it got back to Budapest, which is where it was to be taken this week. Now, not wishing to ask for a bump start every time he stopped for fuel my mate suggested he get rid of it here in the UK. Of course, upon hearing this, and after a couple of glasses of wine, I naturally asked Alfachick here if she would like to save the pink Trabant from certain doom. The owner would let us take it off his hands for the handsome price of £1. At which point she said..."Tell you what, I'll go halves" Well... we couldn't let a car like that go to a scrappy!
Anyway yes, the MOT is going to be the interesting part right enough, but it's actually in quite good nick all things considered. I'm reasonably confident, it's going to be an adventure!
And for the curious, some photos...
Showing off, still running!
When we finally decided that there was no saving the starter.
Edited by stevenzop on Monday 15th October 11:55
at going halves on £1.Why is a Hungarian car covered in graphics for a modest music venue in Oslo, Norway?
They're probably just about holding it together; a bit like the band...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZkfOdQNjFQ
They're probably just about holding it together; a bit like the band...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZkfOdQNjFQ
aw51 121565 said:
Hopefully you'll find it as easy with your Trabant .
Well I phoned up the DVLA this morning to confirm what we have to do to get it registered and legal in the UK. It turns out that it is exactly the same as what you had to do aw51. The DVLA are going to be sending us out a registration pack with all the details and forms etc. Its going to cost us a princely £55 to get it registered. So plus the £45 for the MOT and whatever the tax is going to be we hopefully will get it on the road for less than £100 each. Which will be nice .The hardest part is going to be getting it through an MOT. Should be interesting at least...
The car has a VW 4 pot engine fitted to it. Apparently its the same engine that was used in the VW polo of the time. So spares should be slightly easier to come by if (when) we need them, also it should keep the MOT man happy.
As it has the 4 banger it is not just the lowly 601 it is the "limousine L" model.
What does the L stand for I wonder? Lunatic?
I think the Norwegian stickers are a relic from its Black Sea runs, it has done three. One of them must have been at the hands of some crazy Norwegians.
Not sure what the plan is for the stickers, keep them, add to them, get rid or what.
). Not a bad little car for its class and era (the 2-stroke was awful...).Alfachick said:
...
The hardest part is going to be getting it through an MOT. Should be interesting at least...
...
Glad registering an older car in the UK is still as I said The hardest part is going to be getting it through an MOT. Should be interesting at least...
...
(top tip: make sure the Insurance Company put the last digits of the VIN Number on the Insurance Certificate and NOT the first few digits if there isn't space for them all, or DVLA won't accept it - ideally get them to put the whole VIN No. on if possible or provide a covering letter with the full VIN No. and saying the car with that VIN No. is insured as per the Insurance Policy with partial VIN No. xxx on). The Trabant looks good
.My car under discussion was 25 years old in 2008 and had been sat in long grass and/or under trees for most of the previous decade (still got pine needles falling out from behind the plastic trim!
), although a couple of people in the UK who had had their mitts on it before me had rebuilt the by-then non-existant floorpans.It failed on a couple of minor things (seized handbrake cable, split fuel tank breather pipe and a hole in a sill from memory), but nothing insurmountable after a lay up of several years then a check that all the lights and the horn worked and there weren't any fuel leaks around the engine.
Have a look at http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual/contents.htm regards the MoT and what they'll check
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