Importing American truck

bumpydog

Hi all, I am looking to import an American Ford F350 crewcab pickup. It is over 3500kg GVW and we are VAT registered. I am assuming that the VRT/Registration costs will be €50. Are there any other costs I have missed? How do I go about getting the lights converted to suit the DOE test?

Does anyone have any recommendations for a shipping company in the US?

Pkiernan

Depending on the trim level - eg Crewcab etc - you may get hit with a higher VRT rate, especially if it is inspected.

When it comes to taxing it, you might be required to present evidence of 3 or more employees to tax a crewcab as a commercial.

Regarding the lights, they will have to be aligned to suit our driving side on the road.

AFA I recall Ford uses amber indicators - check that the rears are not red like on Chevrolet trucks.

There are a couple for sale in the UK - maybe call the dealers there and ask about the lights.

Spares shouldn't be too much of an issue to source but could be pricey to ship.

What year are you looking at? AVOID at all costs and pre 2007 models with the 6.0 litre Powerstroke diesel. This engine was brand new in 2003 and it took Ford a few years to sort out the issues. A LOT of vehicles were classed Lemons and Ford had to buy them back. Keep in mind that a replacement engine for these is approx $18,000 (thousand!!) from Ford.

Much more reliable is the 6.4 litre replacement for the above.

Tyres will be very pricey to find here - remember that you will need "E load rated tyres" to use the vehicle to its capacity.

Regular servicing is easy enough, but they use a lot of oil on an oil change.

Expect 20mpg (using our Imperial gallons).

I believe that you will need a C1 license to drive it. Stupid rule, but were sheep in this country. I can rent a Class A motor home weighing in at around 10 tonnes on my California license!

Good luck with it - they are one hell of a truck. If you ever get bored of it, you can chip it to about 600 hp with little effect on the drivetrain and much more if you are willing to take a chance....

Pkiernan

One quick point - I would stay with the single rear wheel option, and not go dually.

The dually tyres are a pain in the arse to change if you get a puncture, and they will make the truck considerably wider and tougher to navigate on our poxy cow roads.

bumpydog

Thanks for the replies.

Point noted regarding the 6.0 Powerstroke (which most of them are!). As the Dually is over 8 feet wide, I had already dismissed that option (although the added traction is attractive, as I will be looking for an FX4).

As for VRT, my understanding is that the load area has to be more than 45% of the wheelbase. With 172" wheelbase, the 8 foot bed (which I need) is plenty large enough (56%). (The 6 foot bed on a 156" wheelbase is a bit close for comfort at 46%!!)

I have a C1 license so that isn't an issue.

Will just have to see if the budget will stretch to a 6.4 equipped truck.

Pkiernan

FYI - the dually has actually less grip and off-road ability that the SRW.

The load is spread over more tyre footprint resulting in less traction on wet, icy, snowy or muddy roads.

The DRW is only really needed when putting monster loads in the bed, such as a LARGE 5th wheel mobile home or gooseneck trailer.

Regarding budget - post 2007 6 litre powerstrokes do have the bugs sorted out.

You should be able to find a good deal on a 07/08 model. Remember that the model year in the US is different to here. An 07 truck model could have been made and registered as early as September 2006.

911s

I think you will have to pay import duty as the car is being imported from outside the EU.
VAT will then be added to this price - original cost+duty+transport costs. Then you pay VRT!

n900guy

there is a 10% customs charge AFAIK for imports from outside the EU. I think you are only exempt from VRT if you are resident abroad (private or business ), have owned the vehicle abroad (and it was beign used by you) for at least 6 months and are importing it while moving your residency to ireland.

doctorchopper

Pkiernan wrote: »

What year are you looking at? AVOID at all costs and pre 2007 models with the 6.0 litre Powerstroke diesel. This engine was brand new in 2003 and it took Ford a few years to sort out the issues. A LOT of vehicles were classed Lemons and Ford had to buy them back. Keep in mind that a replacement engine for these is approx $18,000 (thousand!!) from Ford.

.

that is right, the 6.0 litre ones suffer form head gasket failure and is extremely expensive to put right even if you catch it in time

R.O.R

bumpydog wrote: »

As for VRT, my understanding is that the load area has to be more than 45% of the wheelbase. With 172" wheelbase, the 8 foot bed (which I need) is plenty large enough (56%). (The 6 foot bed on a 156" wheelbase is a bit close for comfort at 46%!!)

I have a C1 license so that isn't an issue.

I'm pretty sure the above piece of legislation was superceded for 2011. Category C VRT (€50 at the moment, going to €200 in May) will only apply to Crew Cabs currently in stock in Ireland.

By the sounds of it, the GVW is over 3,500kg which makes it a HGV rather than an LCV - and I know sweet FA about HGV VRT.

bumpydog

R.O.R wrote: »

I'm pretty sure the above piece of legislation was superceded for 2011. Category C VRT (€50 at the moment, going to €200 in May) will only apply to Crew Cabs currently in stock in Ireland.

By the sounds of it, the GVW is over 3,500kg which makes it a HGV rather than an LCV - and I know sweet FA about HGV VRT.

Can you point me towards the definitive information about this, as all searches I've done have not shown this? The GVW is well over 3500kg so you are correct about it not being an LCV.

As for import duty, I assume I would be better off bringing one in from the UK (if I can find one)?

Having said that, UK prices for such vehicle is CRAZY (one current 2004 F-350 crewcab pickup for sale on Ebay for £19,950). I could buy a 2008 model for that ($31k) in the US including shipping!

Absurdum

how about this? awesome looking machines!

bumpydog

I don't think that he budget will stretch to the 6.4 Powerstroke models. What are the panels comments about other makes/models where a 4x4 long bed crewcab is offered i.e. Chevrolet Silverado with Duramax engine. I might even consider a petrol model and LPG it. Would prefer a V8 so the Dodge Cummins straight-6 not really an option. Which are the models/engines to avoid?

Open to any suggestions.