Pros and cons of uk import

Roycropper63

As the title says,
A lot of cars that interest me seem to be uk imports,,, astra diesels aka vauxhall, 308s and focus etc,
Seem wary of uk cars for some reason? Guess I want speedo in kms at long last,,,have seen a 308 displaying the digital dash in km but comes up as uk import so getting rightly confused,,,, think I need a drink lol

colm_mcm

I would assume the 308 has a switch that goes between miles and km. my civic has that anyway.

punisher5112

Some better cars and higher specs over the water.
Costs involved would be only off putting such as exchange rate.

Lot of digital dash now let you change to km.

darragh o meara

As above, most dashes can be changed to display kms or miles. Mine is being changed this week in an 08 passat to make the speedo display kms instead of the miles it's originally programmed for.

bazz26

Up to about 11 years ago we drove for decades with analog mph/kph speedos the same as the UK. I really don't see where some people form a mental block about needing a kph only speedo.

Rough rule of thumb:

30 mph - 50 kph,
40 mph - 70 kph,
50 mph - 80 kph,
60 mph - 100 kph,
70 mph - 120 kph.

Atlantic Dawn

Pros...

• Typically better spec and documented service histories
• An official write off system so cars are graded according to crash damage
• An MOT history check that can be viewed online for mainland UK cars, saves having to pay for initial history check on out and out lemons www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

Cons...

• MPH only speedos can be a pain in the hole
• I'd be weary of buying any diesel car that spent time in NIRL because of widespread diesel washing/fiddling
• Any that are on sale here with UK plates still on them would ring alarm bells as to why they are not already registered, particularly if a private sale
• Possible rust issues as the UK use/used a heavier salt on the roads for deicing than we do here
• Not doing a history check will usually end in tears
• Extended warranties over the 2 year EU default given in the UK don't have to be honoured by the Irish distributor.

Seweryn

bazz26 wrote: »

Up to about 11 years ago we drove for decades with analog mph/kph speedos the same as the UK. I really don't see where some people form a mental block about needing a kph only speedo.

Personally, I hate the double scale speedometer scales. They look like a big mess of numbers all over the dial. Just for comparison...

bazz26

Those photos look like they are from 1990s early 2000s cars though.

More modern cars have clearer displays. My last 3 cars have been UK imports and I don't have any problems with them, drive original Irish cars with kmh dials regularly too and no issues. It's like anything really once your brain learns, it becomes academic.

gctest50

Lots of flood damaged cars in the UK , some would have slipped through

Michael Lloyd, director of the insurance company said he is concerned that many flood-battered vehicles could reach the open market and be sold on despite insurers' best efforts to dispose of the written-off soaked cars.

newwan

Im buying a diesel in belfast on Wednesday. 1.6 2005. 110k miles... Full fsh and mot 3 weeks ago... I havent done a backround check... Yere scaring me here!

gctest50

Be grand, can't go around worrying


https://www.facebook.com/ThePutneyHighTideClub

colm_mcm

newwan wrote: »

Im buying a diesel in belfast on Wednesday. 1.6 2005. 110k miles... Full fsh and mot 3 weeks ago... I havent done a backround check... Yere scaring me here!

You should do a background check regardless of where it's from.

The Guvnor

I think that atm with the better exchange rate - there are mostly pros for buying in the UK.

Yes there is some expense incurred going over but at least there over say a weekend you can go to places with 2000-5000 cars on display etc.

I know for my next car it will be a UK import - price is one aspect but it's the sheer volume of stock compared to here that is key for me.

bazz26

newwan wrote: »

Im buying a diesel in belfast on Wednesday. 1.6 2005. 110k miles... Full fsh and mot 3 weeks ago... I havent done a backround check... Yere scaring me here!

It's a bit naive not do background checks on a car you are buying irrespective of where it is being sold, especially on an 11 year old diesel car with such low mileage.

millington

It's far better value at the minute buying fresh (08+ cars in the UK)

There are no more cons than there are here and massive savings to be had. History checks are cheaper & more comprehensive.

Saved €10k on a car from the UK lately and it still has a years manufacturer warranty left

CiniO

bazz26 wrote: »

Up to about 11 years ago we drove for decades with analog mph/kph speedos the same as the UK. I really don't see where some people form a mental block about needing a kph only speedo.

Rough rule of thumb:

30 mph - 50 kph,
40 mph - 70 kph,
50 mph - 80 kph,
60 mph - 100 kph,
70 mph - 120 kph.

Well in most of my cars, considering that speedometers over read the real speed is was 1:1.5

So
20mph = 30km/h
30mph = 45km/h
33mph = 50km/h
50mph = 75km/h
66mph = 100km/h
80mph = 120km/h
100mph = 150km/h
140mph = 210km/h

That's what worked very precisely with most mph cars I had. And much easier to quicly calculate in your had when you have to multiply by 1.5 than 1.609

bazz26

That's why I said my figures were a rough rule of thumb.

The Guvnor

Make and Model to satisfy our curiosity.

millington wrote: »

It's far better value at the minute buying fresh (08+ cars in the UK)

There are no more cons than there are here and massive savings to be had. History checks are cheaper & more comprehensive.

Saved €10k on a car from the UK lately and it still has a years manufacturer warranty left

millington

The Guvnor wrote: »

Make and Model to satisfy our curiosity.

2014 Audi A6 S Line 2.0 TDI Auto

Neighbour just bought a 2011 C220 CDI and saved about 5k aswell

The Sidewards Man

newwan wrote: »

Im buying a diesel in belfast on Wednesday. 1.6 2005. 110k miles... Full fsh and mot 3 weeks ago... I havent done a backround check... Yere scaring me here!

It having an mot is meaningless, an mot can be got without a car even going to the mot place.