Looking to import car suggestions on model

beagle001

Looking to take a car over from the UK in Feb.
Will have around 3,500 sterling to spend and sourcing it round Northampton area.
Any advice what to get would love an 05 something economical,does not have to be fancy and low vrt when I bring it over.
Any suggestions,no kids so 2 door fine early 30's.

bazz26

I was looking at importing recently. I found that I was saving very little financially, the reason I considered it was because I could not find a similar spec car here. Ended up buying here as I eventually found what I was looking for, ironically the car is from the UK originally.

Have you looked at cars here first? Giving the current exchange rate it may not be worth importing from the UK unless you are going for something premium. Just look at similar cars here first and then do the maths to see if it is worth going across the Irish Sea.

It seems your only motivation for this is a perceived saving over buying a car here ?

beagle001

Yes off course it is,
2 members of my family have bought over there this year and saved 3-4 thousand each on the difference once costs were factored in.
I have looked around Galway etc but I cannot find s decent bargain and I don't trust the auctions.
Know a mechanic in Uk who will check it out before I buy it as well just not sure what to get.

si_guru

3.5K... minus VRT.. You're not going to get a lot.

beagle001

3.5k plus vrt on top of it max spend 5500 euro all in.

-Chris-

Are you looking at any particular makes/models? Is there anything you have your eye on at the moment?

beagle001

beagle001 wrote: »

Will have around 3,500 sterling to spend

beagle001 wrote: »

Yes off course it is,
2 members of my family have bought over there this year and saved 3-4 thousand each on the difference once costs were factored in.

How much did they spend to save thss €3000/€4000 ?

Also they reckon they saved it, more than likely going off windscreen prices here and erring towards making themselves look shrewd out for bragging rights

Factor in time off work etc and you'll save feck all when spending so little, the revenue will fla you on the OMSP of what you are bringing in too, double hit if it's a petrol model as the VRT is emissions based. In summary, not a good idea.

beagle001

Wouldn't mind a diesel to be honest and something under a 1.9 age can vary 6yrs max really under 80k on the clock.
I am not choosey

beagle001

RoverJames wrote: »

How much did they spend to save thss €3000/€4000 ?

Also they reckon they saved it, more than likely going off windscreen prices here and erring towards making themselves look shrewd out for bragging rights

Factor in time off work etc and you'll save feck all when spending so little, the revenue will fla you on the OMSP of what you are bringing in too, double hit if it's a petrol model as the VRT is emissions based. In summary, not a good idea.

Both bought diesel 2007 models,both retired so no time of work.
Accomodstion no problem relatives live there,one way Ryanair and boat back.
60 euro diesel to make journey spent 7000 each or so,vrt factored in total cost 9.5 euro same cars were going for between 12.5-14 on carzone,done deal etc with higher mileage and lower spec.
Not looking for bragging rights,simple facts if you do your homework you still save.
Can always travel on a weekend,hence why I am posting to get info on models.
I won't b taking in a petrol guzzler and aim for the cheapest possible conversion as cars are way over priced here.

beagle001

beagle001 wrote: »

same cars were going for between 12.5-14 on carzone,done deal etc with higher mileage and lower spec..

so they did indeed go off screen / asking prices

EPM

beagle001 wrote: »

same cars were going for between 12.5-14 on carzone,done deal etc with higher mileage and lower spec.

Sticker prices mean nothing. They are not actual selling prices.

beagle001 wrote: »

Not looking for bragging rights,simple facts if you do your homework you still save.

While true, it's going to be hard for people to suggest a car for you. You should try and decide what you are interested in and then investigate that. Some cars have ridiculously high OMSP's pushing up the VRT payable.

beagle001 wrote: »

I won't b taking in a petrol guzzler and aim for the cheapest possible conversion as cars are way over priced here.

Not as much as you may think, and in many cases not at all...learn how to bargain;)

beagle001

Also checked local dealers and tried a couple of adds in the paper but were met with a resistance on the price and inferior models to what they got.

EPM

beagle001 wrote: »

Also checked local dealers and tried a couple of adds in the paper but were met with a resistance on the price and inferior models to what they got.

Since you're willing to travel to the UK for a car it might be worthwhile looking outside local dealers too then...

stevenmu

There'll be different levels of savings to be made at different price points. Naturally enough the lower your spend, the lower the potential savings to be made. I'd suggest you take a look at what your 5k will get you here, keep in mind that 5k in cash will probably be enough to buy most cars advertised at 5.5k or maybe even 6k. Then take a look at what you can get for your 5k (including VRT) in the UK and see is there really that much difference.

Also keep in mind that when you import you are effectively buying without warranty, so you should be comparing to private sale prices as opposed to dealer prices.

carface

hi beagle
when you say you were meet with a resistance on price what do you mean??
five year old diesel cars with reasonable milage ie.80k=less than average miles per year are very desirable and saleable at the moment.
Dont expect any dealer providing you with a warranty on a diesel car(even the minimum under the sale of goods) to beg you for your business on your budget. When considering importing the biggest saving is often when you spend bigger amounts and often only on vehicles up to 3years old.
Be careful lots of people end up here with no major saving made and no back up only pay out again each time they find a faulty issue with their purchase.
Certain cars even in diesel are cheaper to buy here at the moment when you go back in years dont assume everything is cheaper in uk.

johnos1984

Firstly: you need to provide more detail on what you want!

Secondly: if you REALLY want a bargain you have to go to a used car auction in Britain.

Thirdly: You need to know how to scrutinize a car at auction properly, and even the best caught out here. I think I know my way around a car but I'd still be very hesitant about purchasing that way.

Going back the years but this is a dealer I know and I would recommend it to you.

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/CARS_popup.jsp?formid=DD&photo=1&dealerid=90917&sort=5&start=5&adcategory=CARS&channel=CARS&id=201049375104246