Buying my first Corvette...
Discussion
Hi people, first post here and a few questions. I've been lurking for a while and have noticed a few members who seem to be really knowledgeable, who might be able to help me out. Towards the end of summer I'll be in the market for a C5, preferably a 'vert but the right coupe would be great. I drove a '00 'vert on route 66 and fell in love. My questions are more about the buying process than the cars themselves:
1. The way I see it I have 3 options to buy; ie buy a Corvette in the UK, pay a specialist to source a car in the US, or arrange the purchase of a US car myself. Which would be the best option financially? I'm up for an adventure (have spent time in the US and would be comfortable buying there)and am up for flying out there to buy, even buying a west coast car and driving it to the east coast to ship back here.
2. Has anyone here personally imported a car from the US and if so would you recommend it?
3. Ideally I would prefer a car already in the UK, however the choice for sale here is so limited compared to in the US, where I could choose the exact colour combo and model I'm after. Can anybody recommend a good specialist in the UK I could talk to who could search UK cars?
TIA, perv.
1. The way I see it I have 3 options to buy; ie buy a Corvette in the UK, pay a specialist to source a car in the US, or arrange the purchase of a US car myself. Which would be the best option financially? I'm up for an adventure (have spent time in the US and would be comfortable buying there)and am up for flying out there to buy, even buying a west coast car and driving it to the east coast to ship back here.
2. Has anyone here personally imported a car from the US and if so would you recommend it?
3. Ideally I would prefer a car already in the UK, however the choice for sale here is so limited compared to in the US, where I could choose the exact colour combo and model I'm after. Can anybody recommend a good specialist in the UK I could talk to who could search UK cars?
TIA, perv.
Having been in this business for a good while I never buy used vehicles from the U.S. Whilst the choice is larger, given the greater pool of cars, American owners are, in general, far less fastidious than owners in the U.K. and also tend to do many more miles in a year than we do. Bits of bodywork damage that we would be upset by they can consider general wear and tear. It's also a very long way to go to find that the car you'd be looking to buy is not in the condition that you had hoped. You can also find that by the time you have brought a car back it might not be all that cheap compared to cars already in the U.K.
You're always going to be better off buying a car with a verifiable history that you've seen and touched.
M
You're always going to be better off buying a car with a verifiable history that you've seen and touched.
M
Thanks for the replies, I appreciate your advice mitch. I assume there must be a reasonably safe way of importing an American car, as most Corvettes on our roads will have been imported by someone at some stage. I suppose they might have paid an importer to find and ship the car rather than taken the chance and had a go themselves.
I've never been convinced there are any hard and fast rules. I reckon that a fair number of C5s in the U.K. were EU supplied as GM was involved by this stage and brought quite a large number of vehicles with them. A good number of U.S. vehicles will have been brought in new as well. You can run the equivalent of an HPI report on cars in the U.S. through Carfax but it is prone to the same issues as HPI in that cars can still be damaged and not make it onto the register. If it was my money I wouldn't buy a car I hadn't seen myself, regardless of whether I paid somebody else to handle bringing it to the U.K. or not.
M
M
You can get an appraisal done of an American Corvette before you buy, but if you are spending that sort of dosh then surely its worth a trip across the pond to see it in person. You might want ot have a look in this American forum. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zeromain, good guys on there in the main.
Or check the Classifieds here on Pistonheads. BTW Claremont are expensive, to my mind anyway.
G
Or check the Classifieds here on Pistonheads. BTW Claremont are expensive, to my mind anyway.
G
Hi Perv,
I've just bought one from the USA, and would 1000 times over again! I'm a newbie poster here but have been lurking around for a few months now.
I totally disagree with Mitch, to generalize about a country the size of Europe is crazy...of course they all don't have high milage?! Most Americans buy Corvettes as a second car, until recently, the Americans had a very high income, and this reflects in the way they look after their cars..much money thrown at them, even having heated garages for their cars! A quick look at any American forum and you will see most Corvette owners wont even drive their cars in the rain! Remember many owners in the Mid-North only get sumer use out of their cars, there's loads of low milage cars to chose from. They are a truly anal nation of how they treat their prize possessions, as I did, you'll find many pristine examples.
As here in the UK, you can get reputable American car companies to do a multiple point check on the car (like RAC inspection), this will give a detailed report on all aspects of the car, servicing, tyres and importantly bodywork; if in accident, stolen, damage repaired and pictures of any scratches or stone chips etc.
The car will get shipped over the the UK in the exact same way they do from the factory in the USA. Use a reputable shipping company, the extra money spent is well worth it! The marine insurance covers for any damage that may occur, touch wood this is pretty rare.
if you can't find one in the UK, enjoy the experience of going to the USA and finding your perfect car, I certainly did and found a gem of a car!! (BTW low milage, one owner...all the ones in the UK had higher milage, multiple owners LOL!).
The whole process takes around 6-8 weeks, most of that is paperwork. Also a grey area means the cars warranty STAYS in tact once they car is in UK, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Keep the details of the previous owner/dealer and a appeal to GM Europe will process this...GM can't afford a legal action against them, it will open a can of worms!
If you can wait the shipping time etc, then go for it....if too much hassle get one here in the UK where you also have the after sales dealer support.
I've just bought one from the USA, and would 1000 times over again! I'm a newbie poster here but have been lurking around for a few months now.
I totally disagree with Mitch, to generalize about a country the size of Europe is crazy...of course they all don't have high milage?! Most Americans buy Corvettes as a second car, until recently, the Americans had a very high income, and this reflects in the way they look after their cars..much money thrown at them, even having heated garages for their cars! A quick look at any American forum and you will see most Corvette owners wont even drive their cars in the rain! Remember many owners in the Mid-North only get sumer use out of their cars, there's loads of low milage cars to chose from. They are a truly anal nation of how they treat their prize possessions, as I did, you'll find many pristine examples.
As here in the UK, you can get reputable American car companies to do a multiple point check on the car (like RAC inspection), this will give a detailed report on all aspects of the car, servicing, tyres and importantly bodywork; if in accident, stolen, damage repaired and pictures of any scratches or stone chips etc.
The car will get shipped over the the UK in the exact same way they do from the factory in the USA. Use a reputable shipping company, the extra money spent is well worth it! The marine insurance covers for any damage that may occur, touch wood this is pretty rare.
if you can't find one in the UK, enjoy the experience of going to the USA and finding your perfect car, I certainly did and found a gem of a car!! (BTW low milage, one owner...all the ones in the UK had higher milage, multiple owners LOL!).
The whole process takes around 6-8 weeks, most of that is paperwork. Also a grey area means the cars warranty STAYS in tact once they car is in UK, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Keep the details of the previous owner/dealer and a appeal to GM Europe will process this...GM can't afford a legal action against them, it will open a can of worms!
If you can wait the shipping time etc, then go for it....if too much hassle get one here in the UK where you also have the after sales dealer support.
Edited by john_uk on Monday 30th June 05:12
Edited by john_uk on Monday 30th June 05:13
Edited by john_uk on Monday 30th June 05:17
Cheers John! I was hoping someone would chip in with exactly what you said! So did you go to the states and look around until you found the right car, or find it on the web first then go to view it? And did you make the shipping arrangements yourself or use an agent to handle it all? Cheers
From an enjoyment point of view, buying from the States is brilliant fun,
I've just done it and I totally recommend it in the right circumstances,
but from a financial angle, unless it is a C6 or C6 Z06, you are unlikely
to gain anything and loose a lot of time.
Happy to help with answers if you do go the import route, but if not I
am sure Mitch can source you a great car and deal.
I've just done it and I totally recommend it in the right circumstances,
but from a financial angle, unless it is a C6 or C6 Z06, you are unlikely
to gain anything and loose a lot of time.
Happy to help with answers if you do go the import route, but if not I
am sure Mitch can source you a great car and deal.
I just imported a C5 Z06 from the US. The advantage I had is that it was mine and I owned it from new; having said that there are many good Corvette dealers like Kerbeck that have a lot of varied stock, and buying privately shouldn't be difficult if you research before you come over. As in the UK you can smell a rat with dodgy vendors quickly, and alternatively, spot a real enthusiast who doesn't seem to really want to sell his/her pride and joy.
I used Boatwright Partnership to do the whole import end to end including shipping, SVA and registration. I am sure I could have saved a few pounds here and there doing it myself but frankly I did not have time nor the ability to deal with things if they went wrong... I recommend them.
Financially buying in the US has to be best - my C5 Z06 was worth about $28k in the US, was valued by customs at just GBP12k, so after I have paid duty and VAT and shipping etc the car cost me well under GBP 20k, which at the time was a bargain. The gains are possibly better for more expensive C6's as the shipping etc in relatively less.
Sarah Boatwright is on +44 (0)1376 552399 - she did everything door to door and was very easy to deal with.
I used Boatwright Partnership to do the whole import end to end including shipping, SVA and registration. I am sure I could have saved a few pounds here and there doing it myself but frankly I did not have time nor the ability to deal with things if they went wrong... I recommend them.
Financially buying in the US has to be best - my C5 Z06 was worth about $28k in the US, was valued by customs at just GBP12k, so after I have paid duty and VAT and shipping etc the car cost me well under GBP 20k, which at the time was a bargain. The gains are possibly better for more expensive C6's as the shipping etc in relatively less.
Sarah Boatwright is on +44 (0)1376 552399 - she did everything door to door and was very easy to deal with.
Hi Perv, no problems I'm glad to share my experiences with you.
The USA is like any other country, even the UK. You will find all sorts of cars; good, bad and ugly. It's down to you to do a little work to hunt down the good ones. I found my car via the USA's main Corvette forum (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/), as I knew I'd find a car from a fellow enthusiast, like we all are here. From my experience, try to find a privately owned car. By this I mean actually paid for by the owner. Many cars in the US are bought via lease purchase, meaning the owners know after 2/3/4 years that they will be giving it back to the lease company and probably get a new one...meaning these cars may not be looked after as well. The lease companies usually send the returned cars to auction and many will end up on Ebay ect. So my personal experience after viewing cars from both lease and private cars, the private ones where always the ones treated like they where their children, and there are plenty of them.
The car inspection is a MUST! The report will tell you if there is any outstanding finance too. Once this is mentioned to any sellers that you'll be getting an inspection done, the truth usually comes out! So well worth mentioning it. Always ask to see the 'Title' (log book), the back of this will be stamped if on lease, finance or been salvaged. Great system
It's no problem if you buy the car from the West coast, the nearest Port will be either Houston (where I sent mine from) of Chicago, so not so much of a drive.
As with Robin, I used a Shipping agent in the UK to handle everything and it was money well worth spending, as i don't have the time to do this myself...but I actually collected my car in USA, two day drive to Houston, then collected her in Southampton, and amazing experience also adding to the history of my car.
I used Specialized shipping in Woking, and highly recommend them. http://www.specialised-shipping.co.uk/
I'm the proud owner of my C6 Z06, and love my perfect, low mileage example!
The USA is like any other country, even the UK. You will find all sorts of cars; good, bad and ugly. It's down to you to do a little work to hunt down the good ones. I found my car via the USA's main Corvette forum (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/), as I knew I'd find a car from a fellow enthusiast, like we all are here. From my experience, try to find a privately owned car. By this I mean actually paid for by the owner. Many cars in the US are bought via lease purchase, meaning the owners know after 2/3/4 years that they will be giving it back to the lease company and probably get a new one...meaning these cars may not be looked after as well. The lease companies usually send the returned cars to auction and many will end up on Ebay ect. So my personal experience after viewing cars from both lease and private cars, the private ones where always the ones treated like they where their children, and there are plenty of them.
The car inspection is a MUST! The report will tell you if there is any outstanding finance too. Once this is mentioned to any sellers that you'll be getting an inspection done, the truth usually comes out! So well worth mentioning it. Always ask to see the 'Title' (log book), the back of this will be stamped if on lease, finance or been salvaged. Great system
It's no problem if you buy the car from the West coast, the nearest Port will be either Houston (where I sent mine from) of Chicago, so not so much of a drive.
As with Robin, I used a Shipping agent in the UK to handle everything and it was money well worth spending, as i don't have the time to do this myself...but I actually collected my car in USA, two day drive to Houston, then collected her in Southampton, and amazing experience also adding to the history of my car.
I used Specialized shipping in Woking, and highly recommend them. http://www.specialised-shipping.co.uk/
I'm the proud owner of my C6 Z06, and love my perfect, low mileage example!
I imported my C5 Z06 from the US and it was a reasonably painless experience using an agent Stateside to go and look at the car and confirm it was all good and get it put on a ship ro-ro.
The only thing I would say is that what style of Vette you buy is up to you but only one came with 405hp and the better FE4 suspension and that was the hardtop only Z06 which also doesn't have options to trip you up when you come to select a car ie FE1 or Z51 suspension etc etc. All the US Vettes make 350hp after I think it was 2001. The 2001 C5Z06 only made 385hp and was one year only and burnt a bit of oil into the bargain which is why they modded it in 2002.
You need to know the model year VIN codes when buying a Vette as the US model year starts around September/October which means that if you buy a "2002" car, it could still have been registered in 2001 and you'll be looking at an earlier plate when it comes back (not that the DVLA won't give you an earlier plate anyway).
Getting a CARFAX is essential to check the history etc.
Often the Euro cars are better specced but they had wheels which sit 1/2" further inside the arches to conform to Euro regs so the US Vette has a slightly wider stance. Whilst the Euro cars are ready to roll and a US car has to be SVA'd, you can buy Euro light plug'n'play rear light conversions and most people prefer the US size plate and the absence of the big bumper fog-lights on US models.
This is what is involved in converting the car for the SVA:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/627465/2
The only thing I would say is that what style of Vette you buy is up to you but only one came with 405hp and the better FE4 suspension and that was the hardtop only Z06 which also doesn't have options to trip you up when you come to select a car ie FE1 or Z51 suspension etc etc. All the US Vettes make 350hp after I think it was 2001. The 2001 C5Z06 only made 385hp and was one year only and burnt a bit of oil into the bargain which is why they modded it in 2002.
You need to know the model year VIN codes when buying a Vette as the US model year starts around September/October which means that if you buy a "2002" car, it could still have been registered in 2001 and you'll be looking at an earlier plate when it comes back (not that the DVLA won't give you an earlier plate anyway).
Getting a CARFAX is essential to check the history etc.
Often the Euro cars are better specced but they had wheels which sit 1/2" further inside the arches to conform to Euro regs so the US Vette has a slightly wider stance. Whilst the Euro cars are ready to roll and a US car has to be SVA'd, you can buy Euro light plug'n'play rear light conversions and most people prefer the US size plate and the absence of the big bumper fog-lights on US models.
This is what is involved in converting the car for the SVA:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/627465/2
john_uk said:
Hi Perv,
I've just bought one from the USA, and would 1000 times over again! I'm a newbie poster here but have been lurking around for a few months now.
I totally disagree with Mitch, to generalize about a country the size of Europe is crazy...of course they all don't have high milage?! Most Americans buy Corvettes as a second car, until recently, the Americans had a very high income, and this reflects in the way they look after their cars..much money thrown at them, even having heated garages for their cars! A quick look at any American forum and you will see most Corvette owners wont even drive their cars in the rain! Remember many owners in the Mid-North only get sumer use out of their cars, there's loads of low milage cars to chose from. They are a truly anal nation of how they treat their prize possessions, as I did, you'll find many pristine examples.
As here in the UK, you can get reputable American car companies to do a multiple point check on the car (like RAC inspection), this will give a detailed report on all aspects of the car, servicing, tyres and importantly bodywork; if in accident, stolen, damage repaired and pictures of any scratches or stone chips etc.
The car will get shipped over the the UK in the exact same way they do from the factory in the USA. Use a reputable shipping company, the extra money spent is well worth it! The marine insurance covers for any damage that may occur, touch wood this is pretty rare.
if you can't find one in the UK, enjoy the experience of going to the USA and finding your perfect car, I certainly did and found a gem of a car!! (BTW low milage, one owner...all the ones in the UK had higher milage, multiple owners LOL!).
The whole process takes around 6-8 weeks, most of that is paperwork. Also a grey area means the cars warranty STAYS in tact once they car is in UK, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Keep the details of the previous owner/dealer and a appeal to GM Europe will process this...GM can't afford a legal action against them, it will open a can of worms!
If you can wait the shipping time etc, then go for it....if too much hassle get one here in the UK where you also have the after sales dealer support.
.I've just bought one from the USA, and would 1000 times over again! I'm a newbie poster here but have been lurking around for a few months now.
I totally disagree with Mitch, to generalize about a country the size of Europe is crazy...of course they all don't have high milage?! Most Americans buy Corvettes as a second car, until recently, the Americans had a very high income, and this reflects in the way they look after their cars..much money thrown at them, even having heated garages for their cars! A quick look at any American forum and you will see most Corvette owners wont even drive their cars in the rain! Remember many owners in the Mid-North only get sumer use out of their cars, there's loads of low milage cars to chose from. They are a truly anal nation of how they treat their prize possessions, as I did, you'll find many pristine examples.
As here in the UK, you can get reputable American car companies to do a multiple point check on the car (like RAC inspection), this will give a detailed report on all aspects of the car, servicing, tyres and importantly bodywork; if in accident, stolen, damage repaired and pictures of any scratches or stone chips etc.
The car will get shipped over the the UK in the exact same way they do from the factory in the USA. Use a reputable shipping company, the extra money spent is well worth it! The marine insurance covers for any damage that may occur, touch wood this is pretty rare.
if you can't find one in the UK, enjoy the experience of going to the USA and finding your perfect car, I certainly did and found a gem of a car!! (BTW low milage, one owner...all the ones in the UK had higher milage, multiple owners LOL!).
The whole process takes around 6-8 weeks, most of that is paperwork. Also a grey area means the cars warranty STAYS in tact once they car is in UK, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Keep the details of the previous owner/dealer and a appeal to GM Europe will process this...GM can't afford a legal action against them, it will open a can of worms!
If you can wait the shipping time etc, then go for it....if too much hassle get one here in the UK where you also have the after sales dealer support.
Edited by john_uk on Monday 30th June 05:12
Edited by john_uk on Monday 30th June 05:13
Edited by john_uk on Monday 30th June 05:17
.
.
And I would do it all again as well.
I bought this with little over 5000 miles on the clock
..
There is no reason NOT to buy from the States,
Only the greedy UK salesmen will tell you to buy from UK,
go over and pick yourself a nice one.
I think you pay your money and take your choice! You will aleays hear of the good stories from Importing from the States but not many will say about the problems they have had. I looked at both when I bought mine and paid extra for that warranty. A cheap deal is not that good if you end up paying out for a faulty gearbox or engine problems! If you are looking for a car over 3 years old then you would not be getting a warranty anyway, But I would always buy a Euro car just beacuse You can have one that has been factory appoved for the UK. The choice is yours.....
I have personally imported a number of Corvettes over the last 10 years and provided you know what you are doing and buy from a reputable dealer in the US or better still have a US based contact for handling the US side of things then it can save you a lot of money.
If you are looking for a UK based company to buy a C5 or C6 from then Bauer Millett are definitely worth considering as they have been in the business for a long time, they know Corvettes and they will provide you support in the case of something going wrong with your car in the UK.
It really depends which route you feel comfortable persuing.
If you are looking for a UK based company to buy a C5 or C6 from then Bauer Millett are definitely worth considering as they have been in the business for a long time, they know Corvettes and they will provide you support in the case of something going wrong with your car in the UK.
It really depends which route you feel comfortable persuing.
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