How to buy a car from USA without seeing it?

IanM · Post by **IanM** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 8:06 pm

Has anyone here ever bought a car from USA without seeing it?

How to do it?
How to send money?
How to exchange ownership of the car (after PPI) whist being in the UK?
What is 'title'?
etc

TIA

Nige · Post by **Nige** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 9:12 pm

Quite a few as far as I know, Mark - 912uk has amongst others.

Gone in 60 seconds · Post by **Gone in 60 seconds** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 9:30 pm

Hello
I brought this car blind

http://www.ddk-online.com/phpBB2/viewto ... sc&start=0 (page 2 for pictures after I finished the car)

I received around 100+ jpegs and 20 mpegs of the car to inspect, I also paid for an independant inspection/report and full appraisal in the US of the car, via the PC-USA.

That said you there will always be a risk....lots of people have been burnt so weigh up your arguement not to buy a car in the UK you can view. The price in the US may be cheap as the cars have a lower end value in addition to a strong pund, but you will have to pay to move the car to a port, duties in the US, to get it on a boat, disembarkation at the docs, Duties + VAT, and possibly transportation in the UK, so this may add up to a point that your close to the price of a UK available car without the risks.

All that said I am very comfortable in my decision to import and the economics worked well for me.

How to do it?

I used Schumacher Cargo who arranged all duties etc, and door to door transport, I paid via the US office to save a few bob.

How to send money?

I brought my money via a currency agent not a bank his costs were minimal and their rates are dramaticly higher than highstreet banks, within their service they also completed a bank transfer to the vendors account (cost £20)

How to exchange ownership of the car (after PPI) whist being in the UK?
What is 'title'?

The title is fine, your also need a bill of sale from the vendor, to confirm you have brought the car and the price, then valid insurance, the Customs forms when your car clears the docs to show youve paid the duties, and an MOT, give all that to your local DVLA office and you should get a registration number and your away...

I have a step by step guide if you send me your email.

Its far easier than it might appear, and lots of past threads on here with info in addition so search archives (use "import").

Id only import a "rare" or "interesting" 911 otherwise I think you may find its cheaper to search one already here out in the classifieds...

Good Luck James

Gone in 60 seconds · Post by **Gone in 60 seconds** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 9:51 pm

to help you master the import - the guide i recieved;

Importing your vehicle into the United Kingdom.

The following is given as a general guide to importing your vehicle into the United Kingdom. It covers most of the situations that arise. But if you think that they do not apply to you please contact us for further information and advice.

Bringing your vehicle to the UK/EC on change of residence.

If you are moving to the UK/EC on a permanent basis, returning to live in the UK/EC or are coming to work in the UK/EC for a company. You can usually bring your vehicle into the UK/EC without having to pay any Import Duty or VAT providing that you can satisfy UK Customs that:-

You have owned and used your vehicle outside the UK/EC for a period of more than six months and that you have lived outside the UK/EC for a period of more than 12 months.
This will also apply if you can prove that you have lived outside the UK for a period of more than 185 days in 365 days.

The documentation that you will need is:-
Title for vehicle in your name.
US or foreign drivers licence.
Proof of purchase for vehicle.
Utility Bills (Gas, Electric, Telephone etc)
Letter from your employer.
Copy of your Passport.

Bringing your vehicle for a temporary visit to the UK/EC.

If you are coming to the UK/EC for a temporary visit, you can usually bring your vehicle in for a period of six months, after which the vehicle must be shipped out of the UK. It is possible to obtain a further six months temporary visit but this is only allowed at the discretion of UK Customs and Excise.

The documentation that you will need is as above.

Bringing your newly purchased vehicle to the UK.

If you have recently purchased you vehicle outside the UK you will have to pay Import Duty and Import VAT on it when you bring the vehicle to the UK. These are calculated on the purchase price of the vehicle and your shipping costs. An example of how these figures are calculated is shown below.

Import Duty and Import VAT rates are as follows:-

Vehicle Duty Rate VAT Rate

Cars, Vans, Motorhomes 10 % 17.5%

Pick Up Trucks, Commercial Vehicles 22 % 17.5%

Motorcycles 6 % 17.5%

An example for calculating Import Duty and Import VAT.

Calculating Import Duty:-

Cost of Vehicle:- GB£ 8,575.00

Shipping to UK Port:- GB£ 975.00

Total:- GB£ 9,550.00

Import Duty @ 10%:- GB£ 955.00

Calculating Import VAT:-

Cost of Vehicle:- GB£ 8,575.00

Shipping to UK Port:- GB£ 975.00

UK Handling/Agency costs:- GB£ 330.00

Import Duty applicable:- GB£ 955.00

Total:- GB£ 10835.00

Import VAT @ 17.5% GB£ 1896.12

Additional Information:- ( This Section will be updated from time to time)

In the past old vehicles used to be able to obtain a BTI for them which would effectively mean that Duty was waived and only VAT at 5% was chargeable. This has now been stopped for all but very High Value Historic Vehicles and vehicles manufactured prior to 1950.

The rules on Duty relief for vehicles originally manufactured in the EC/UK have also undergone change and are at the moment uncertain but in general the following rules apply:-

1) The vehicle MUST be imported back to the UK/EC within 3 years of its original export and documentation to prove this must be provided. If this is the case then Import Duty will be waived and only VAT at 17.5% will be charged.

2) If the vehicle is outside the 3 year period but was originally manufactured in the UK/EC then :-

For Private Importers a minimum amount of duty will be charged at GB£ 50.00 and the full rate of VAT 17.5% will be charged.

For VAT registered importers and dealers the full rate of Import Duty 10% and VAT 17.5% will be charged.

All of the above information is given as a guide only. Schumacher Cargo UK Ltd accept no responsibility whatsoever for information that may be unclear or incorrect. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of it in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Schumacher Cargo UK Ltd
Abacus House
Station Yard
Needham Market
Suffolk
IP6 8AS
01449 723576

bjmullan · Post by **bjmullan** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:11 pm

Just remember that now you will be charged 10% duty of the price of the car plus shipping and then 17.5% VAT on top of that figure. So a couple of years ago US cars where cheap but not as much these days.

And as James says get it inspected.

Good luck living the dream

NARP · Post by **NARP** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:17 pm

And you have friends here you haven't met. Just post at Pelican Parts, 914club.com, POC, or PCA sites and someone local will look at the car for you. It's pretty commonplace here because of the distances involved.

Doesn't replace the touch/feel/drive thing, but if it's a good enough deal...

Gone in 60 seconds · Post by **Gone in 60 seconds** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:45 pm

its only 10% duty if your a dealer, its changed AGAIN.....

2) If the vehicle is outside the 3 year period but was originally manufactured in the UK/EC then :-

For Private Importers a minimum amount of duty will be charged at GB£ 50.00 and the full rate of VAT 17.5% will be charged.

IanM · Post by **IanM** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 1:00 am

Thanks. Is sending money to any vendor secure? How do I get the bill of sale from the vendor?

Gone in 60 seconds · Post by **Gone in 60 seconds** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 12:25 pm

When I brought my car in the US, the vendor sent me a BOS in advance and had it notorised by his town clerk to make it an official document - A BOS is just a reciept.

Ref the money I used electronic transfer which is 100% secure but likewise your able to add a reference when you send money (to anyone UK or abroad) so I added the ref that it was payment for car reg xxxx etc so if anything occured I had a clear path to the money..

All that said I had a great confidence in the vendor from long correspondance so was relaxed - if you have doubts I probably wouldnt do it.

912uk · Post by **912uk** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 3:35 pm

Any questions you want answered on buying from vendor I can help with as I have done this a number of times and there is ways around it to secure you as there are rip off merchants out there I hear of horror stories and cars popping up for sale to over seas buyers..

I will PM you my number

Mark

IanM · Post by **IanM** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 5:10 pm

Thanks very much, I understand better now.

Post by **Bootsy** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 5:30 pm

Some great advice there - I really useful thread for anyone looking to import - this is what DDK is all about, yes?

Gone in 60 seconds · Post by **Gone in 60 seconds** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 5:50 pm

Just what the DDK is about when I imported I found 90% of the answers I needed here and thats continued since owning my first and now second 911's, not to mention the Replica before..always a great place!

912uk · Post by **912uk** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 5:57 pm

100% agree we all wanted a place to add comments. We have it here at DDK. The advice is for the taking why re-invent the wheel......

IanM · Post by **IanM** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 7:52 pm

Me too, I agree.

Will the customs want to see the bill of sale? Only I want to declare the value lower..