Importing from Europe

I reckon this should be a sticky somewhere - how to import from different countries. I'd love to read one from Australia or South Africa, it would make international ebay more interesting

I've imported 2 cars from mainland Europe, as long as your car is from an EC country you're laughing.

1) Get loads of photos, chat with the owner, size him up, all the usual stuff. Ask if he'll help you with export plates or whatever's needed.
2) Sort out insurance in the UK on the chassis number and breakdown cover too if you like.
3) Ask how he wants to be paid. I've done an envelope full of cash and a bank transfer in the past. If it's a bank transfer, get it prepared beforehand so you can phone it through when you're over there.
4) Fly over, setting off all the airport alarms with your screwdrivers, pliers, spanners etc. Go from the airport to his house and do the usual inspections. No idea if you can do an HPI check or equivalent so trust your instincts I guess
5) Do the deal. In Germany you then go to the vehicle licence office that every town has. You pay a small amount for some (red) export numberplates and basic 3rd party insurance
6) Drive back, having mild panic attacks at the slightest knocking sound or smell.
7) Arrive at Calais, catch whatever ferry is in next, it's pretty much like a bus service from there.
8) Arrive at Dover and have a huge sigh of relief. Only 250 miles to home, in the dark, in a strange car ;D At customs either drive straight through, or if asked what you have to declare say "200 fags and a Peugeot 504"
9) Get home, tape over headlights, straight for an MoT. This will be issued on the chassis number or import plates.
10) Apply for a registration document, this is about £40 if I remember right. You might be asked to present your car for inspection but it's nothing to worry about. Take your insurance document and pay for (if after 1972) a tax disc
11) Buy number plates. Phone the garage that did the MoT and ask them to change the certificate to the new number plate

For France, its as he said ^^, but no need for export plates etc. Just buy the car and go.
The seller will get you to fill out a Cetificate De Vente, which needs your name, address etc. he will score through the Carte Gris (french V5) as write Vendu Le... and the date. You keep this, its your proof of ownership.
Normally if you lived in France, you would go to the prefecture (equivelant the local dvla office) and re-register the car in your name, but seeing as its not being kept in france, No need.
The Crate Gris is your proof of ownership and proof of age, so its vital you get this. DVLA will want it when you go to register it.
As said above, you need to pass an MOT, and need insurance on the chassis number, along with your carte gris and some forms all taken to the dvla office and voila.

For reference, If you see a car advertised Sans CG (carte Gris), this means it has no paperwork. The car is worth very little in France without papers, but this isnt a massive problem for you as long as you can proove the cars age byother means to DVLA.
no proof of age = Q plate when you try to register it.
The french MOT is called a Control Technique or CT. this is every 2 years for cars over 4 years old.
Sans CT = no mot.
Vendu Dans L`etat = sold as seen, which normally means no mot/spares or reair.
If you see a CT certificate, down the right hand side is a list of stuff. The top half are fail points, whch must be repaired before re-test (6 week grace period to do this) and the lower stuff Defauts Sans Contre-Visit are advisories that need repaired but don't require retest. Its common to see cars advertised for sale that have failed, so these are a handly list of prolems to use as bargaining poins.

I´m not much help on the UK side of things but here´s one or two bits of info that might be usefull.

In Germany the V5 is called "Fahrzeugbrief", don´t buy a car without one. The law over here states that the owner of a car has the "Brief" and is not necessarily the keeper of the car so be carefull.
You can apply for new ones for so called "barn finds" but if the car´s been stolen you won´t get a new one.

You will normally get a "Abmeldebescheinigung" with the V5 which is a form proving that the car has been deregistered. Normally when you´re selling a car over here you de-register it, so that the new owner has to insure and register it before he picks up the car.

You can tell a car is deregistered as the numberplates will be missing or the tax and MOT seals will have been scratched off.

There are no Customs formallities when taking a car from Germany back to the UK, the German, French, Dutch & Belgium borders don´t stop you any more.

If you´re picking up a deregistered car don´t drive it on the road over here without custom plates and insurance, the Polizei are very quick and will impound it on the spot, oh and don´t bring a dolly to tow it backeither, they´re "verboten" over here and you definately won´t get away with it!

Although a lot of German motorways don´t have any speed restrictions if you´re towing the max. allowed is 50mph, you´ll get away with 60mph but don´t overdo.
Not only watch out for the Polizei but the BAG(Bundesanstalt für Gütervekehr) they´re responsible for commercial transport but they´ll pull you too if you´re towing.

I´ve heard that you need a bill of sale when re-registering a car in the UK, this is called a "Kaufvertrag" and if you´re worried about the german text you can download them from the german AA (ADAC) website.

If you want to see where the car is registered the first few letters of the numberplate tell you where it came from..
ie. M= München S= Stuttgart B= Berlin etc
You can find the rest here...
www.autokennzeichen.info/

Anyone ever imported from Portugal?

Forgive me for this but you seem to have a thing for coupe shapes

Why Import one



White Opel Monza GSE, 5 speed manual, the car is left hand drive, and on german plates. Same owner several years always garaged. the body is solid, turrets have been weld in the past
the mechanicals are great. interior is superb - with rare black carpets and parcel shelf / trim no tax or mot - starts / runs / drives / steers /stops fine / all the lights / fan etc work.

located buxton, derbyshire.

Last time I checked guy wanted £500 for it as it stood...... (Please note gearbox, pedal box, flywheel, clutch and prop is worth £350)

Ive head that officials in Austria are proper jobsworths!

To get the plates the car doesn´t need any TÜV etc.

Not sure whether a third party can sort it out for you, i think any half decent seller would be willing to give it a go though.