Advice Needed About Importing a Car From EU to UK

Hi Guys-

My Dad offerd to give me his 92 Honda when he buys a brand new car this summer. It might be a bit old but it has extremly low miles and drives like a new car(30K miles). The car is in Austria and i will need to pick it up from there .

Does anyone know what sort of hurdles i will be faced with when importing a used car  to the UK ?. I had read somewhere that having an " EU " license plates is quite beneficial when driving in London although i have no clue how you go about getting " EU " plates .

I know it will be LHD but coming from the States it will be very familier although i dont know if that poses a problem when importing a LHD car.

thanks heaps
Zufan

Have a look at this site and see if it helps:

http://www.topgear.com/content/new_cars/features/importing/01/


BTW, I also have a LHD car and have no major  problems driving here.

My car is registered to my address in the Czech Rep, Driving on those plates

in London is no problem at all. Driving on foreign plates in the UK has its   

advantages , I have never received a speed cam ticket or a congestion

charge penalty.


jc

the one thing you might want to think about is do you really want a car in London?  You'll have to pay for insurance, shipping, parking charges (which vary depending on where you live), etc.  Might add up to quite a bit of cash on a regular basis.  Just something to think about...

Thanks both of you..

Well the car will be a gift from my dad so hoepfully i wont be taxed an arm and a leg ( here or over in Austria hopefully ) .

The next flat we move into will have a parking garage so parking should not be a problem. We have brought our " five year claim free " letters from A.A.A. in California and both have the International drivers license which i am told will help in reducing insurance cost.

We plan on using the car once in a while...so hopefully maintanance will be at a minimum. I just cant see around not having a car..just the other day, i wanted to pick up an excercise bike from Argos but couldnt because of lack of transportation..sure i can hire the mini vans but they are not cheap.

Or on the days its really ugly outside, i really do wish i had a car...or on the night out..sometimes you just dont want to deal with the bus etc.

I guess i am trying to justify it to myself...how much i miss my car in Cali hehe.

high five
Zufan

off topic - you found a flat then? what area?  just being nosey ...

Nah...still in " merry Ol Dalston ".
Because we've paid the rent for this month, we are going to have to wait a bit and pick up the hunt in about two weeks.
Zufan
PS we did manage to visit a few places last months...all were Slum-Lord-operated..Yiikes!

When I moved to the UK in '97, I drove here in my car from Germany. No probs at all. However, the insurance was horrendous as it was a non-UK car (steering wheel on the left hand side).

The "EU" sign you're referring to has probably to do with the 'newer' number plates, that means if you change residences a lot, you have to register your car each time anew at the local Vehicle + Transport Dept. (in Germany the number plates specify the town/area you're from, I think the same goes for Austria), they take the old plates off and pin new ones on. If your Dad didn't move in the past 10-12 years then his car will probably still have its original number plates (without the blue vertical stripe on the left [?] side). I don't think this is a concern.

Definitely call around and get some insurance quotes before you take the car.  For some reason, insurance is generally higher on LHD cars and non-UK cars.  A free car is no good if you're paying out the wazoo for insurance!

Thanks for those good tips

In the intrest of saving time )) can anyone suggest any tried and tested insurance companies that offer the most competitve rates ?

I know the specific dollar amount will depend on each individual drivers age/sex/wether claim free or not etc. etc.

Zufan

In the intrest of saving time )) can anyone suggest any tried and tested insurance companies that offer the most competitve rates ?

I use More Than,don't know how they compare financially,but service is good and they throw in breakdown cover.

Dave

Thanks Daver..

its called " more than " ?

Zufan

www.morethan.com

And don't forget that one year after moving over here you do need to get a UK drivers licence...from what I understand in terms of your insurance, they really don't care about the fact that you're a good driver in the States...you are a NEW driver here in their eyes and it's frickin expensive.  I'm not looking forward to having to pay it someday.

I do recognize the want for a car...I'm just not willing to put in the time and money needed...petrol is expensive, maintenance is expensive (BF just had to buy a tire which was £50...oy!).  Good luck with everything!

Yeah...it is important to point out the US driving history means nothing over here.  I drove for 10 years in the US, but was told that wouldn't be considered when applying for insurance coverage here.   

Very important points to ponder on indeed.

Definitley will check with the cost of bare bones insurance first before i get in over my head.

No wonder used cars are ridiculosly cheap out here...that figures.

thanks you guys.

Zu.