Advice please! Coming from Italy to buy a car in the UK
Discussion
Hi Pistonheads memebers!
I'm a new member here, decided to sign up as I'm helping my cousin buy a car in the UK quite soon, so I thought this would be the most appropriate place to get some advice and tips. Hope I didn't post in the wrong section
So, the car in question is Uk registered, has been for many years, although originally not a UK market car. I have read a bit about exporting cars from the UK, but I'm sure there's always more to learn and pickup on.
The owner (person not dealership) is quite intent on selling the car, he says it is in very good conditions, no scratches, no problems, runs very well. he has had some 'light restoration' done, and maintenance including cambelt, tires, brakes, AC, and so.
As we are coming from Italy, I wanted to get a clear view of what documents we will need exactly and a time frame of how long it will take. I know there is a V5 form that is for permanent exportation.
How long will the process of change of ownership take? Can it be done in a day, do we need to go to the DVLA? These processes take a long time in Italy so I have no idea of how they are in the UK.
What about proof of ownership, what can we expect to be given on the day of the sale.
As for insurance, he says he still has 6 months left, we need to see if he says its ok to use it to get back to Italy, or if we need to find a temporary insurance for foreigners. Could we have any trouble crossing borders with his insurance? I want to avoid any surprises!
Also, for HPI and so, the owner said the car is clear of HPI, but we might invest 20£ to have peace of mind. Since a service like HPI doesn't really exist in Italy, I wanted to know if it is really useful or not.
As for payments, we intend to pay with Bank Draft, is this quite standard practice in the UK? It gives my cousin more guarantees than other forms of payment.
For now I think that's it..hope I can get some feedback, if it all goes well I'll do a nice writeup of the trip with pictures
ciao
D
I'm a new member here, decided to sign up as I'm helping my cousin buy a car in the UK quite soon, so I thought this would be the most appropriate place to get some advice and tips. Hope I didn't post in the wrong section
So, the car in question is Uk registered, has been for many years, although originally not a UK market car. I have read a bit about exporting cars from the UK, but I'm sure there's always more to learn and pickup on.
The owner (person not dealership) is quite intent on selling the car, he says it is in very good conditions, no scratches, no problems, runs very well. he has had some 'light restoration' done, and maintenance including cambelt, tires, brakes, AC, and so.
As we are coming from Italy, I wanted to get a clear view of what documents we will need exactly and a time frame of how long it will take. I know there is a V5 form that is for permanent exportation.
How long will the process of change of ownership take? Can it be done in a day, do we need to go to the DVLA? These processes take a long time in Italy so I have no idea of how they are in the UK.
What about proof of ownership, what can we expect to be given on the day of the sale.
As for insurance, he says he still has 6 months left, we need to see if he says its ok to use it to get back to Italy, or if we need to find a temporary insurance for foreigners. Could we have any trouble crossing borders with his insurance? I want to avoid any surprises!
Also, for HPI and so, the owner said the car is clear of HPI, but we might invest 20£ to have peace of mind. Since a service like HPI doesn't really exist in Italy, I wanted to know if it is really useful or not.
As for payments, we intend to pay with Bank Draft, is this quite standard practice in the UK? It gives my cousin more guarantees than other forms of payment.
For now I think that's it..hope I can get some feedback, if it all goes well I'll do a nice writeup of the trip with pictures
ciao
D
Welcome to PH.
Insurance - in the UK the driver is insured to drive a car, rather than the car itself having insurance. So if you are going to insure the car in Italy maybe the insurer there could insure it for driving in the UK ?
Around exporting to Italy, I'm sure there is a section for "permanent export" on the UK V5 you can complete. The DVLA website should have more information on this.
Insurance - in the UK the driver is insured to drive a car, rather than the car itself having insurance. So if you are going to insure the car in Italy maybe the insurer there could insure it for driving in the UK ?
Around exporting to Italy, I'm sure there is a section for "permanent export" on the UK V5 you can complete. The DVLA website should have more information on this.
elwooditalia said:
Also, for HPI and so, the owner said the car is clear of HPI, but we might invest 20£ to have peace of mind. Since a service like HPI doesn't really exist in Italy, I wanted to know if it is really useful or not.
D
HPI Check will show whether the car has been stolen, written off (crashed beyond economical repair), and any outstanding finance on the vehicle.D
I sold my Elise to a guy from France - I'd imagine the process is somewhat similar.
You do not need to tell the DVLA in advance that the car is being exported - just send in the required part of the form once you get home. You will need the V5 to register your car in Italy.
Insurance - make sure you arrange your own.
Bank drafts can be forged (I know I have a very good one that even had a hologram on it). My advice would be to bring cash providing it is not a silly amount. On this subject - this is where my sale almost fell through. Be aware that a cheque/draft or cash in EURO is unlikley to be acceptable to the seller of the car due to the cost of exchanging it into £'s Sterling. The charge on my transaction was going to amount to almost £600. There was no way I was prepared to 'lose' this amount and the buyer was struggling to understand why he would have to pay more to allow for the fees. Just as well to ensure you have this bit sorted out first
You do not need to tell the DVLA in advance that the car is being exported - just send in the required part of the form once you get home. You will need the V5 to register your car in Italy.
Insurance - make sure you arrange your own.
Bank drafts can be forged (I know I have a very good one that even had a hologram on it). My advice would be to bring cash providing it is not a silly amount. On this subject - this is where my sale almost fell through. Be aware that a cheque/draft or cash in EURO is unlikley to be acceptable to the seller of the car due to the cost of exchanging it into £'s Sterling. The charge on my transaction was going to amount to almost £600. There was no way I was prepared to 'lose' this amount and the buyer was struggling to understand why he would have to pay more to allow for the fees. Just as well to ensure you have this bit sorted out first
HP will only show if its "recorded".
IE if it was on tpo cover, and crashed. So for a large sum of money, I'd say a visual inspection by a qualified engineer or service like the AA was just as, and possibly more important than an HPI certificate. Any ex hire car, most fleet cars ect will be tpo cover and so if rebuilt, will not be done so with the benefit of an engineering report or a record on HPI of its previous total loss status.
Seriously, been to auctions years ago where the vehicles still had blood on them from accidents, as all tpo police recovery vehicles. The chassis plate and v5 were really what was for auction.
IE if it was on tpo cover, and crashed. So for a large sum of money, I'd say a visual inspection by a qualified engineer or service like the AA was just as, and possibly more important than an HPI certificate. Any ex hire car, most fleet cars ect will be tpo cover and so if rebuilt, will not be done so with the benefit of an engineering report or a record on HPI of its previous total loss status.
Seriously, been to auctions years ago where the vehicles still had blood on them from accidents, as all tpo police recovery vehicles. The chassis plate and v5 were really what was for auction.
elanfan said:
I sold my Elise to a guy from France - I'd imagine the process is somewhat similar.
You do not need to tell the DVLA in advance that the car is being exported - just send in the required part of the form once you get home. You will need the V5 to register your car in Italy.
Insurance - make sure you arrange your own.
Bank drafts can be forged (I know I have a very good one that even had a hologram on it). My advice would be to bring cash providing it is not a silly amount. On this subject - this is where my sale almost fell through. Be aware that a cheque/draft or cash in EURO is unlikley to be acceptable to the seller of the car due to the cost of exchanging it into £'s Sterling. The charge on my transaction was going to amount to almost £600. There was no way I was prepared to 'lose' this amount and the buyer was struggling to understand why he would have to pay more to allow for the fees. Just as well to ensure you have this bit sorted out first
Thanks, I found the payment information extremely useful. You do not need to tell the DVLA in advance that the car is being exported - just send in the required part of the form once you get home. You will need the V5 to register your car in Italy.
Insurance - make sure you arrange your own.
Bank drafts can be forged (I know I have a very good one that even had a hologram on it). My advice would be to bring cash providing it is not a silly amount. On this subject - this is where my sale almost fell through. Be aware that a cheque/draft or cash in EURO is unlikley to be acceptable to the seller of the car due to the cost of exchanging it into £'s Sterling. The charge on my transaction was going to amount to almost £600. There was no way I was prepared to 'lose' this amount and the buyer was struggling to understand why he would have to pay more to allow for the fees. Just as well to ensure you have this bit sorted out first
I see what the issue is with a bank draft, but if we go to the bank with the seller and make him cash it into his account that should solve the problem...
What kind of guarantee could one get to prove the money was given in exchange of ownership?
As for insurance I have looked into temporary insurance, but my fear is this would delay us leaving for many days in order to get covered...unless this is a fast process?
I realise the downside of a hpi, the car is quite a niche car, and in the 13k range.
Anyone have more info about how long it would take to complete all the paperwork and change of ownership? The V5 is only an export document and not proof of ownership right?
elwooditalia said:
I see what the issue is with a bank draft, but if we go to the bank with the seller and make him cash it into his account that should solve the problem...
Nope, it doesn't. The fact the underpaid teller doesn't recognise every other bank's drafts will not stop the bank clawing back the money weeks later. Which is awful, and doesn't help you in the least. Cash. Might see if you can arrange a transfer from your Italian bank to a UK associate bank.elwooditalia said:
What kind of guarantee could one get to prove the money was given in exchange of ownership?
Written receipt.elwooditalia said:
As for insurance I have looked into temporary insurance, but my fear is this would delay us leaving for many days in order to get covered...unless this is a fast process?
Incredibly fast if you can find someone to actually quote. Might be better seeing if you can use dayinsure.com or similar, or talk to a UK broker before the trip.elwooditalia said:
I realise the downside of a hpi, the car is quite a niche car, and in the 13k range.
Won't hurt, but won't tell you anything that you can't see yourself. Might inform the resale value though.elwooditalia said:
Anyone have more info about how long it would take to complete all the paperwork and change of ownership? The V5 is only an export document and not proof of ownership right?
Long as it takes you to count out the cash 
randlemarcus said:
elwooditalia said:
I see what the issue is with a bank draft, but if we go to the bank with the seller and make him cash it into his account that should solve the problem...
Nope, it doesn't. The fact the underpaid teller doesn't recognise every other bank's drafts will not stop the bank clawing back the money weeks later. Which is awful, and doesn't help you in the least. Cash. Might see if you can arrange a transfer from your Italian bank to a UK associate bank.elwooditalia said:
What kind of guarantee could one get to prove the money was given in exchange of ownership?
Written receipt.elwooditalia said:
As for insurance I have looked into temporary insurance, but my fear is this would delay us leaving for many days in order to get covered...unless this is a fast process?
Incredibly fast if you can find someone to actually quote. Might be better seeing if you can use dayinsure.com or similar, or talk to a UK broker before the trip.elwooditalia said:
I realise the downside of a hpi, the car is quite a niche car, and in the 13k range.
Won't hurt, but won't tell you anything that you can't see yourself. Might inform the resale value though.elwooditalia said:
Anyone have more info about how long it would take to complete all the paperwork and change of ownership? The V5 is only an export document and not proof of ownership right?
Long as it takes you to count out the cash As for written receipt for cash, I have looked up Bills of Sale for cars, and I'm guessing that could work as a receipt... This is an example I found (don't know if the UK calls it something different) http://www.autocrisis.com/print_billofsale.html
Anyone have a good template I could use?
The owner replied and said we can use his insurance to get back to Italy, so thats a positive thing.
If anyone has any other tips or things that I should remember please feel free to contribute!
ciao
[quote]
The owner replied and said we can use his insurance to get back to Italy, so thats a positive thing.
If anyone has any other tips or things that I should remember please feel free to contribute!
ciao
[/quote]
You will not be able to use his insurance unless he gave the insurance company your drivers details/history etc - And that will be a problem due to your s cousins Italian license, Or so I beleive
The owner replied and said we can use his insurance to get back to Italy, so thats a positive thing.
If anyone has any other tips or things that I should remember please feel free to contribute!
ciao
[/quote]
You will not be able to use his insurance unless he gave the insurance company your drivers details/history etc - And that will be a problem due to your s cousins Italian license, Or so I beleive
elwooditalia said:
Thanks, I found the payment information extremely useful.
I see what the issue is with a bank draft, but if we go to the bank with the seller and make him cash it into his account that should solve the problem...
What kind of guarantee could one get to prove the money was given in exchange of ownership?
As for insurance I have looked into temporary insurance, but my fear is this would delay us leaving for many days in order to get covered...unless this is a fast process?
I realise the downside of a hpi, the car is quite a niche car, and in the 13k range.
Anyone have more info about how long it would take to complete all the paperwork and change of ownership? The V5 is only an export document and not proof of ownership right?
For insurance, look up a company called Italsure. They insured me driving a car on UK plates in italy & round Europe.I see what the issue is with a bank draft, but if we go to the bank with the seller and make him cash it into his account that should solve the problem...
What kind of guarantee could one get to prove the money was given in exchange of ownership?
As for insurance I have looked into temporary insurance, but my fear is this would delay us leaving for many days in order to get covered...unless this is a fast process?
I realise the downside of a hpi, the car is quite a niche car, and in the 13k range.
Anyone have more info about how long it would take to complete all the paperwork and change of ownership? The V5 is only an export document and not proof of ownership right?
When you fill in the V5 you will be given a small portion of it, the new keeper's supplement. It is the seller's responsibility to post off the main part of the document to the DVLA, who will send you a new copy of the V5 with your name down as the registered keeper.
If I was the seller I'd be quite happy to accept a banker's draft provided the buyer came with me to the bank, we handed it to the bank and it was verified there. Then I'd hand over the keys, write a reciept and sort out the V5. It's a good point someone made about making sure the draft is in Pounds Sterling.
crofty1984 said:
elwooditalia said:
Thanks, I found the payment information extremely useful.
I see what the issue is with a bank draft, but if we go to the bank with the seller and make him cash it into his account that should solve the problem...
What kind of guarantee could one get to prove the money was given in exchange of ownership?
As for insurance I have looked into temporary insurance, but my fear is this would delay us leaving for many days in order to get covered...unless this is a fast process?
I realise the downside of a hpi, the car is quite a niche car, and in the 13k range.
Anyone have more info about how long it would take to complete all the paperwork and change of ownership? The V5 is only an export document and not proof of ownership right?
For insurance, look up a company called Italsure. They insured me driving a car on UK plates in italy & round Europe.I see what the issue is with a bank draft, but if we go to the bank with the seller and make him cash it into his account that should solve the problem...
What kind of guarantee could one get to prove the money was given in exchange of ownership?
As for insurance I have looked into temporary insurance, but my fear is this would delay us leaving for many days in order to get covered...unless this is a fast process?
I realise the downside of a hpi, the car is quite a niche car, and in the 13k range.
Anyone have more info about how long it would take to complete all the paperwork and change of ownership? The V5 is only an export document and not proof of ownership right?
When you fill in the V5 you will be given a small portion of it, the new keeper's supplement. It is the seller's responsibility to post off the main part of the document to the DVLA, who will send you a new copy of the V5 with your name down as the registered keeper.
If I was the seller I'd be quite happy to accept a banker's draft provided the buyer came with me to the bank, we handed it to the bank and it was verified there. Then I'd hand over the keys, write a reciept and sort out the V5. It's a good point someone made about making sure the draft is in Pounds Sterling.
So far it looks like the most complicated issue is insurance...I swear I remember reading other people being able to use the sellers insurance..possibly because he added the buyers name on the policy or had a policy that includes more than one driver. (anyone have any knowledge of Aviva insurance? they do temporary insurance also)
I'll keep you guys updated with any news.
elwooditalia said:
Ive taken a look at Italsure, I'll get my cousin to do a quote..
So far it looks like the most complicated issue is insurance...I swear I remember reading other people being able to use the sellers insurance..possibly because he added the buyers name on the policy or had a policy that includes more than one driver. (anyone have any knowledge of Aviva insurance? they do temporary insurance also)
I'll keep you guys updated with any news.
If you have you're own insurance policy you can generally drive someone else's car third party but only in the UK. This is probably what he means, in which case you can NOT do this.So far it looks like the most complicated issue is insurance...I swear I remember reading other people being able to use the sellers insurance..possibly because he added the buyers name on the policy or had a policy that includes more than one driver. (anyone have any knowledge of Aviva insurance? they do temporary insurance also)
I'll keep you guys updated with any news.
To use his insurance he would have to put you as a named driver on his policy, although even this could lead to complications as he would no longer be the registered keeper. Can you not insure it through an Italian policy? I'm guessing not as it's not an Italian registered car.
If you decide to pay in cash, there are some places in London that offer great exchange rates, see the link below;
http://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/
I actually bought a car from the UK last month, flew over with euros and changed them at the airport. I asked the Exchange bureau there what their best rate was, and after some haggling (I politely walked away twice, they kept calling me back to the counter
) got very close to the best rate I found online (shows how massive their mark-ups are - their first quote for £2.5 was over 500 eu more that their last one 
) so took it for the convenience. This will still probably be more expensive than an online transfer to a UK account, but easier if you don't have easy access to UK account or need the cash at the weekend.
Couple of things to remember if you go down this route though, don't take 500eu notes, no-one wants them! Also, If you're flying to the UK I think the limit on cash before you have to declare is 10k euros (per person I guess), I don't know what happens if you take more than that...
Regarding crossings, I don't know if you prefer train or boat, but I regularly use the Eurotunnel and they often don't even check passports, and never car paperwork so far. So if your proof of ownership worries stem from there, you should be fine especially if the car is on UK plates.
Hopefully this is useful, although I don't know how you were planning to get here and back so it might be completely irrelevant! Anyway good luck with your adventure!
http://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/
I actually bought a car from the UK last month, flew over with euros and changed them at the airport. I asked the Exchange bureau there what their best rate was, and after some haggling (I politely walked away twice, they kept calling me back to the counter
) got very close to the best rate I found online (shows how massive their mark-ups are - their first quote for £2.5 was over 500 eu more that their last one ) so took it for the convenience. This will still probably be more expensive than an online transfer to a UK account, but easier if you don't have easy access to UK account or need the cash at the weekend.Couple of things to remember if you go down this route though, don't take 500eu notes, no-one wants them! Also, If you're flying to the UK I think the limit on cash before you have to declare is 10k euros (per person I guess), I don't know what happens if you take more than that...
Regarding crossings, I don't know if you prefer train or boat, but I regularly use the Eurotunnel and they often don't even check passports, and never car paperwork so far. So if your proof of ownership worries stem from there, you should be fine especially if the car is on UK plates.
Hopefully this is useful, although I don't know how you were planning to get here and back so it might be completely irrelevant! Anyway good luck with your adventure!
I had some friends over from Germany and loaned them one of my cars.
My Insurance would not cover them as named driver due to their German licenses.
They had to get temporary cover on their own German car Insurance for my car for the short period in the UK.
As previously mentioned, when the seller says it still has 6 months cover, this sounds like the Road Tax Disc, which is paid on every car annually in the UK.
I would strongly recommend that you get the car inspected before you get on the plane. I've heard of one or two very upset people who have travelled long distances (let alone all the way from Italy) only to find the condition is far from being as described.
Good luck.
My Insurance would not cover them as named driver due to their German licenses.
They had to get temporary cover on their own German car Insurance for my car for the short period in the UK.
As previously mentioned, when the seller says it still has 6 months cover, this sounds like the Road Tax Disc, which is paid on every car annually in the UK.
I would strongly recommend that you get the car inspected before you get on the plane. I've heard of one or two very upset people who have travelled long distances (let alone all the way from Italy) only to find the condition is far from being as described.
Good luck.
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