Importing camper van from Germany

SourKraut · 15-06-2009 1:37pm

dowtchaboy

you're bang on there.

I can't really keep a german address, for a number of reasons I won't go into. Otherwise I suppose I could do that (after checking legality and/or taking a risk)

As you say, the Ducato isn't over 3 tonnnes, so I would be into paying VRT on it. It's just a guess as to what value the revenue will put on it, I suppose. I've started a thread on that separately

As for the diesel restrictions - that must have something to do with the increased supply around at the moment. Most of the older vans are not able to get an 'Umweltplakete' which is the sticker that you need to drive into most cities.

robmill · 04-07-2009 10:39pm

hi i am interested in going to germany to buy a motor home, can anyone reccomend any good dealers out there thanks

Macspower · 29-07-2009 3:37am

robmill wrote: »

hi i am interested in going to germany to buy a motor home, can anyone reccomend any good dealers out there thanks

before you go do some more checking here...

there is value to be had and the gap has certainly closed on the german prices.. while maybe still a bit cheaper I'm not sure it justifys the effort anymore

dowtchaboy · 29-07-2009 7:52am

Macspower wrote: »

before you go do some more checking here...

there is value to be had and the gap has certainly closed on the german prices.. while maybe still a bit cheaper I'm not sure it justifys the effort anymore

I agree. I imported 18 months ago - but now I find the selection, price and quality of what's available here has improved so much I might not have bothered. Of course "improved" depends on which side of the fence you are on! Mind you prices have dropped a bit in Germany too. The only ones here that are maintaining a serious premium are the righthand drive models. My guess is that is one of the most important tick boxes for a female driver?

There are still some dealers and sellers who have totally unrealistic ideas of what their van is worth - just like the house owners who imagine they can hold on till they get "what it's really worth" - it's "worth" what the buyers will pay and that's way down on last year. If you look around at websites and newspaper ads you'll spot vans that have been languishing there since LAST summer..... If it ain't selling it's priced too high, guys, and it ain't gonna get any better for a few years yet.

mikemike · 22-08-2009 3:58pm

hi all ,

When the lovely VRT people weigh the camper , can I still keep the safari room in the top box to bring up the weight ? or would they take this out as it's not 'connectd' or bolted onto the camper ..?

I need to bring the weight up by about 80 kgs ,, diesel tank won't take any more , it's full to the brim ..

the water tank has to be empty does it ?

also , do the vrt guys go by the unladen weight on the paperwork or by the weight as it sits on the weigh station in front of them ?

also , also , is the weight requiement 3,000kgs or 3,050 kgs ?
I was led to believe it was the latter ..

thanks

Macspower · 22-08-2009 6:52pm

not sure about the water tank but I would certainly fill both tank and waste tank... I know they are very much up to speed on these things now compared to a few years ago... they ahve a list of what each one should weigh...

I'm still for tacking lead flashing inside all the presses and floor of the van.... tell him your paranoid and in the event of a nuceluer bomb you believe all the lead will protect you

TigerTim · 22-08-2009 7:41pm

Borrow a big trolley jack from your friendly mechanic. That should gain you a good few KG's. 2 gas bottles with "heavy" gas;). Blankets rather than sleeping bags. Heavy spare wheel?

T.

peasant · 22-08-2009 8:08pm

Lads, you do realise that this is a public forum?
No more tax-dodging advice please.

dowtchaboy · 22-08-2009 8:35pm

I don't think you would have any problem justifying 2 items that maybe you could add: Full length wind-out awning, and a tow-hitch - on mine my guy had to add quite an amount of steel for this - and you might be allowed an extra 110 AH leisure battery if it is wired and strapped in - but don't forget that technically they can "get" you if you did not apply for VRT within a couple of days of bringing the van in to the country.
Oh - and a satellite dish might add a few Kg.

But Peasant is quite right - they probably read this forum too, and they know all the tricks.

mikemike · 23-08-2009 11:13am

thanks dowtchaboy ,

it already has a wind out awning attached , but I will need to attach a tow bar to tow a small trailer behind ..I was gonna do this at a later stage but might as well do it now .

still a little confused .... does the toilet flush tank have to be empty and the toilet waste tank ? and the fresh water tank ?

do the vrt guys (or girls , mustn't be sexist) take EVERYTHING out of the camper , sleeping bags , books etc. etc. basically everything that isn't bolted down ??

thanks .

peasant · 23-08-2009 11:29am

What's being weighed is the "unladen weight". To my knowledge there are no specific guidelines for campers on what exactly is to be considered load or not.

But a cupboard full of encyclopedias isn't exactly goingt to endear you to the VRT person, now is it.

There is recent EU legislation out there that states that manufacturers have to state the "empty weight" in the brochures for campers in a ready to use state. That does contain things like a 50% full water tank, a full fuel tank, all model/trim specific accessories, electric hookup cables and some other stuff ...but even there they do not allow for pots&pans and personal luggage.
Either way ...the "unladen weight" for VRT purposes is an altogether different animal and basically consists just of the vehicle(and anything that is permanently fixed to it), in a state ready to be driven. No water, no tanks full of sh!t, no books, no blankies.

milagan · 23-06-2010 3:25pm

You are lucky if your van weighs over 3000kg unladen as you will only have to pay €50. Anything under 3000kg and you will have to pay 13.5% of the book value of the van. This value is calculated by the vehicle regristartion office or the the customs and seems to be an arbitary figure depending on how hard up they are feeling this week. I am currently being asked to pay nearly €800 on a 1989 4 berth as they have somehow calculated that it is worth €6000 in this country.

Does anyone else feel that they have been ripped off by the Customs and if so have you ad any success in appeallling their decision?

Irishgoatman · 23-06-2010 3:44pm

Hi Miligan,
See my posting today under V.R.T.

dowtchaboy · 23-06-2010 4:02pm

Yes I had some success with an appeal. I documented it somewhere in this forum. Gathered up every ad I could find for similar vans and pointed out that it was LHD. You only have a limited time to do it though. Your personal circumstances, what you paid for it, and what senior Civil Servants make and the cushiness of their pensions are not relevant so keep it focussed!

It's worth spending a few hours drafting the letter if it gets you 100 or 200 back. Can't see them valuing it at less than 4k to be honest even though a car of that age would be deemed to be worth zero.

maclovin67 · 23-06-2010 7:09pm

i had sort of success in the fact that they had my rv down as a diesel instead of a petrol when i pointed this out they dropped vrt from 1350. to 880. but still a joke figure..but who can you appeal to????

good luck

wbmkk · 16-06-2011 1:57pm

Hi, I am a newbie here.

I intend importing a used VW campervan into the UK in a couple of months time and have just starting looking into the procedure.

After searching a while the most useful thread on any forum is this one here .. some very good information indeed.

The last post is almost a year old, so I was wondering whether anything has changed.

A colleague of mine bought a van, bringing it to the UK two years ago, or at least his father did that bit for him. He was saying the German export plates are legal in the UK for up to 1 year, but a posting on another forum said to drive the van straight from the port to the nearest DVLA.

Who is right ?

I am going to read all the postings here again (all 116 of them) and start making notes for myself. A couple of folk have offered to assist, by sending a private message, so I might take them up on that offer.

10 out of 10 for the thread

spaceHopper · 16-06-2011 3:01pm

Read the blong on supercamper.co.uk he will have a guide that is relavent to the Uk all be it Jap campers (you have to pay vat if it's from out side the eu). But this forum is more for Ireland do we can't say want the english system will be like except that you will be taxed less.

wbmkk wrote: »

Hi, I am a newbie here.

I intend importing a used VW campervan into the UK in a couple of months time and have just starting looking into the procedure.

After searching a while the most useful thread on any forum is this one here .. some very good information indeed.

The last post is almost a year old, so I was wondering whether anything has changed.

A colleague of mine bought a van, bringing it to the UK two years ago, or at least his father did that bit for him. He was saying the German export plates are legal in the UK for up to 1 year, but a posting on another forum said to drive the van straight from the port to the nearest DVLA.

Who is right ?

I am going to read all the postings here again (all 116 of them) and start making notes for myself. A couple of folk have offered to assist, by sending a private message, so I might take them up on that offer.

10 out of 10 for the thread

Buford T Justice · 16-06-2011 3:32pm

Yeah, the irish system is complicated at the best of times. We have enough trouble getting heads around this one never mind the UK one, sorry I couldn't be of more help.

peasant · 16-06-2011 7:02pm

wbmkk wrote: »

VW campervan the UK

let me point you to the perfect forum for all your questions:

http://forum.club8090.co.uk/

Importing camper van from Germany

Comments