What's The Catch With Importing?

[SuperRetard]

OK folks, look at this:

http://www.monkys.jp/e/ucar/1992R32GTS.htm

then find out what 140,000Yen is in £s here:

http://finance.yahoo.com/m5?a=140000&s=JPY&t=GBP&c=0

then consider they'll ship the car Salford for £500 and if memory serves, you'll get hit with 30% tax on that £710? Ermmm what's the catch exactly???

[Yarisboy]

higher insurance, harder to get parts replaced

[jimma]

OK folks, look at this:

http://www.monkys.jp/e/ucar/1992R32GTS.htm

then find out what 140,000Yen is in £s here:

http://finance.yahoo.com/m5?a=140000&s=JPY&t=GBP&c=0

then consider they'll ship the car Salford for £500 and if memory serves, you'll get hit with 30% tax on that £710? Ermmm what's the catch exactly???

I don't think there is one mate, Cars are just a lot cheaper in Japan (2nd hand) because they all have to sell at a certain mileage because of emmission rules. I have been tempted a few times myself. I sourced an R32 GTR Skyline with 20 odd thousand miles, no mods. Shipped, Vatted and SVA'd for about £4000!!! :o

I can buy a brand new Dodge Ram Pick up in USA pay all they're taxes, ship, SVA and all our taxes paid CHEAPER than I can buy a 2 year old 15,000 miler here!

This country (don't get me started) SUX.

[jimma]

Mind you, I have just been to your links and £709 does seem very, very cheap. What you got to remember is that 90% of all JDM cars in the UK are bought from auctions and just like here in the UK there are an awful lot of lemons at the auctions. Unless thats a misprint, i'd be very wary.

By the way my above post should say R33 GTSt not R32 GTR, that was another of my little obsessive projects.

[SuperRetard]

I think it's cheap 'cos it's only got a recent history, it's not a turbo, it's a manual and it's only a GTS. Plus, the mileage is proper high for a Jap-mobile at 75,000miles!

But still, I wouldn't say no to a 200bhp RWD R32! Especially for £710! 'Kin 'ell, if I sold one of my motorcycles I could buy that and keep it purely as a track car!

[jaxx]

tell me about it with the skylines!

i was looking at the r34 when it came out (not to buy just day dream about!)

56k in this country

29k(!) over in japan, but - after paying tax, duty, vat, sva and all that other nackers you are looking at roughly 42k - a saving of 14 thousand, but imports have limiters for 112mph, no stereo and a normal interior (uk spec get cowhide) but then again, de-limit and speedo conversion £1000, a fantastic install for £5000, a good leather trim for about 3.5k so far a total 51,500 still saving 5 and a half grand which will pay for the tax and insurance for a year.

but as Sam says it will be a bit of a git to find parts and insure it, also ya docs are all in jap. but a bonus is they are right hand drive!

alot of imports are no-older than 3 years when they come across as cars are so cheap over in japan that no-one bothers keeping them after the warrenty, they just buy a new un. so they stay serviced and fully looked after under the warrenty all the time till they get here.

[jimma]

tell me about it with the skylines!

i was looking at the r34 when it came out (not to buy just day dream about!)

56k in this country

29k(!) over in japan, but - after paying tax, duty, vat, sva and all that other nackers you are looking at roughly 42k - a saving of 14 thousand, but imports have limiters for 112mph, no stereo and a normal interior (uk spec get cowhide) but then again, de-limit and speedo conversion £1000, a fantastic install for £5000, a good leather trim for about 3.5k so far a total 51,500 still saving 5 and a half grand which will pay for the tax and insurance for a year.

but as Sam says it will be a bit of a git to find parts and insure it, also ya docs are all in jap. but a bonus is they are right hand drive!

alot of imports are no-older than 3 years when they come across as cars are so cheap over in japan that no-one bothers keeping them after the warrenty, they just buy a new un. so they stay serviced and fully looked after under the warrenty all the time till they get here.

You forgot to mention that at 40,000 miles their road tax increases by about a million fold, thats why there are so many JDM cars flooding the world markets.

[jaxx]

You forgot to mention that at 40,000 miles their road tax increases by about a million fold, thats why there are so many JDM cars flooding the world markets.

ya right i did forget that!

[vmail]

higher insurance, harder to get parts replaced

only if you tell the insurance comp that

[jaxx]

higher insurance, harder to get parts replaced

only if you tell the insurance comp that

theyll know its an import...........

[vmail]

mine comp does know, I didnt tell em, I got it from the UK, someone else imported it for me

[Bibbs]

This is the break down of when I imported my car .. (and the importer got the maths wrong, VAT was higher due to it being calculated on Value+Export+Shipping+Duty - but he kept his word about the price and lost money overall)

Source, export, import, prepare, MOT, tax, register, and supply one Black Revision 2 MR2 GT T-Bar Turbo to requested specification.

Costs:

Price of car: £2700

Export Fees: £800

Total F.O.B: £3500

Shipping: £650

Value Added Tax: £472.50

Duty: £317.25

UK Conversion: £600*

Commission: £300

Extras: £160.25 (Rev 3 rear light assembly)

*UK conversion: Collection, rear fog lights, convert speedometer to mph, expand radio frequency, SVA test, valet, register, tax, number plates, petrol, labour.