Buying Ex UK cars- Problem??

Kermitt

Hey folks, haven't posted in a good while, but changing my car and I'm looking at 03 Passat TDI's. Have seen a few nice ones but they all have ugly fake wood dash in comfortline models. I don't like this at all. I've also looked at a couple of re-registered Ex UK company cars with reasonable mileage (70000 or so). These have much better spec for the money but I'm a tiny bit wary of imports. Are these best avoided or are they worth the money?

peasant

Kermitt wrote:

reasonable mileage (70000 or so)

Reasonable to you, or the guy who clocked it?


verification, verification, verification !

Kermitt

peasant wrote:

Reasonable to you, or the guy who clocked it?


verification, verification, verification !

Obviously I look for full service history to confirm mileage, Both I looked at today have from Uk Main dealers. I'm aware that its easy clock a car but other than that is it a bad idea?

The_Conductor

Kermitt wrote:

Obviously I look for full service history to confirm mileage, Both I looked at today have from Uk Main dealers. I'm aware that its easy clock a car but other than that is it a bad idea?

In general the specs of the ex UK cars are far higher than those sold here in Ireland- because the higher spec gets whallopped by higher VRT when the car would have originally been sold here in Ireland. Providing the car has a verifiable service history and you are satisfied with its provenance, there is no reason whatsoever to avoid an ex-UK car.

Henry Ford III

HPI it!

JohnCleary

I bought my last car in the UK and no regrets, delighted with it, both the spec and price.

I will never buy a (decent) car in Ireland again. Prices are too high and tbh the english take better car of their machines

AntiVirus

Got my Celica from the UK and I'm very happy with it.

bazz26

Kermitt wrote:

Obviously I look for full service history to confirm mileage, Both I looked at today have from Uk Main dealers. I'm aware that its easy clock a car but other than that is it a bad idea?

False service history documentation which coresponds with false mileage is quite common too.

The only way to really be sure is to get a HPI report done on the car in the UK via it's chassis number.

AntiVirus

Can anyone link to a garage actualy being done for importing cars from the uk and over clocking them as it seems to be so common. Surely you would run the same risks buying any car no matter where its from even if its an Irish car.

One of my friends took a Main Volkswagen dealer to court for selling him an "Irish" car that was in a crash and resprayed. He was told the car had never been in an accident. They settled out of court in the end.

AntiVirus

Actually with the new SIMI system in place now which is link directly to the British national car mileage database when a car is registered here its UK mileage is checked at the same time.

Kermitt

Thanks for input folks. Think i'll go ahead with UK spec Passat, Much nicer than Irish cars. Now to sell mine own!!