Importing A Car From South Africa

Aedan

Hi All,

Im looking at importing a car from South Africa back here to Ireland. I'm just wondering if any of you guys have any experience in doing this. If so would love to hear any advice or any good or bad stories arising from your experience's.
Thanks in advance guys.

Aedan

-Corkie-

I thought it was the other way around OP. I am flat out sending vehicles out there. It must be something special like Hammonds Kadett.

Aedan

Its not quite as dashing and handsome as Oliver but defo a car I want here and a week's holiday and a big saving thrown in is always good

johnos1984

-Corkie- wrote: »

I thought it was the other way around OP. I am flat out sending vehicles out there. It must be something special like Hammonds Kadett.

The used prices out there are insane AFAIK.

What are you sending out there Corkie?

Aedan

johnos1984 wrote: »

The used prices out there are insane AFAIK.

What are you sending out there Corkie?

Sometimes yes sometimes no, like you'll pay the eqivilant of around €4,000 over there for a standard 97 1.4 VW Vento

-Corkie-

Aedan wrote: »

Its not quite as dashing and handsome as Oliver but defo a car I want here and a week's holiday and a big saving thrown in is always good

Thats true I had a nice golfing holiday in Cape town last year.:)

@john I am sending out all the nama readymix trucks!

johnos1984

-Corkie- wrote: »

@john I am sending out all the nama readymix trucks!

If you need a driver during the summer I'll happily make my own license and drive one down:D

corktina

Be very cautious,crime is rife there. make SURE that whoever you are dealing with is sound. i hear horror stories of containers arriving with a wreck instead otf your car.... welding up the container doors is favourite Im told.

I was going to do the same but was put off the idea (what you buying?) get me a Cortina Exocet whilst you are at it :-)

johnos1984

Would it be a safer bet to import one from Australia?

-Corkie-

johnos1984 wrote: »

If you need a driver during the summer I'll happily make my own license and drive one down:D

Can you drive the P&O..;)

Aedan

johnos1984 wrote: »

Would it be a safer bet to import one from Australia?

In a word yes, it would definatly be safer to import from OZ but to by the car in the 1st place would be double the money.

johnos1984

-Corkie- wrote: »

Can you drive the P&O..;)

I've no work for the summer so I'll happily try anything :D

johnos1984

Aedan wrote: »

In a word yes, it would definatly be safer to import from OZ but to by the car in the 1st place would be double the money.

That would be an issue then. is there any way of having it checked out?

There was a thread here recently about a guy on the Honda NSX owners club who got the seller to take a photo of themselves with the car for piece of mind

Aedan

johnos1984 wrote: »

That would be an issue then. is there any way of having it checked out?

There was a thread here recently about a guy on the Honda NSX owners club who got the seller to take a photo of themselves with the car for piece of mind

Well this is why I want to go and look at the car personally, then physically load the car into the container myself and lock it myself etc, that why going to OZ is a no-no also cos getting me back and forth from oz will again cost double what it would cost to get to SA

johnos1984

Aedan wrote: »

Well this is why I want to go and look at the car personally, then physically load the car into the container myself and lock it myself etc, that why going to OZ is a no-no also cos getting me back and forth from oz will again cost double what it would cost to get to SA

I understand now. Out of interest what is this special car?

Here is the photo of the guy I was talking about above

Aedan

I defo wouldnt trust that guy ha ha. He'd probably tell me I am the long lost relative of a corupt dictator and that I'm due his interitance all I gotta do is sign my house over to him to recieve a billion quid. Car im looking at is a totally standard totally orginal totally rust free mk2 escort rs2000. Now the guy selling it will send me any pic I want but wouldnt be at all happy buying it without seeing it with my own 2 eyes.

johnos1984

Worth a read for your own enjoyment

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104987

As for the RS, thats a good choice but could I recommend you ask on the classics section as I'm sure some of the guys over there have done this before

Aedan

Christ that NSX thread is funny, well worth the hour outta my life to read that. I'll ask the guys in the Classics forum too. Thanks for the help John

jamesk_irl

Aedan wrote: »

Christ that NSX thread is funny, well worth the hour outta my life to read that. I'll ask the guys in the Classics forum too. Thanks for the help John

Me too - I love these 419 baiting stories

Check the following - best in class
http://www.419eater.com/html/SkeletonCoast/

http://www.419eater.com/html/RoadToChadDarfur/

bkehoe

I lived in SA for over a year and bought a mk5 Golf when I was there. Car was a year old and about half the price of a similar model would have cost in Ireland. However older used cars seem to hold their value surprisingly well there!
Anyway I seriously considered bringing it home with me though in the end I didn't bother. I was concerned that there would be issues with the emissions regulations and passing the NCT and the VRT, VAT (because it was coming from outside the eu) and shipping charges would have added up to quite a bit.

Esel

bkehoe wrote: »

I lived in SA for over a year and bought a mk5 Golf when I was there. Car was a year old and about half the price of a similar model would have cost in Ireland. However older used cars seem to hold their value surprisingly well there!
Anyway I seriously considered bringing it home with me though in the end I didn't bother. I was concerned that there would be issues with the emissions regulations and passing the NCT and the VRT, VAT (because it was coming from outside the eu) and shipping charges would have added up to quite a bit.

You could have imported it free on Transfer of Residence exemption, afaik.

OP: Factor in

Value of car (not the cost to you...)
+ Shipping & insurance
Duty on total of above
VAT on total of above three
VRT (if 30 years or over, this is €50)

endabob1

My 2 cents

I live in SA and can confirm that cars are extorinate here, I'm selling a 2003 freelander with 180kms on the clock and am looking for the equivalent to around 7k euros, no idea what they go for at home but in the UK that would be a fraction of the price, my work is selling an 05 x3 again with 180ks on the clock 14/15k equivalent

Also I imported a VW polo from Oz to the uk a few years back, it was brand new and Oz didn't work out, it cost less to ship it than I'd have lost offloading it in a hurry to a dealer. Anyway there was no major issues with the test in the UK, car was built to the same spec as the European model, I had to change the speedo from Km's to miles but the OP wouldn't have that issue.

Most of the cars built here are made for export BUT there are some cars that are only built for the local market, these are the ones I'd be wary of looking to import. VW for example are still builfing last years polo, rebadged as a "polo vivo" with a lower spec than the current model, I suspect it would struggle on some of the EU tests.