Selling RHD cars in Germany
Discussion
Hello,
Does anyone have any experience of selling a RHD car in Germany? I am in the process of moving across to Germany and need to make up my mind whether to bring a RHD Mazda MX-5 NA. I was planning on selling it at sometime this year anyway, but I'm trying to work out whether to just sell the car cheap and move it on in the UK, or to bring it across and enjoy it over the next couple of months before trying to sell it for (I hope) a better price.
I have had a look on both Autoscout24 and Mobile.de and see that MX-5s tend to command better prices than the UK, but I haven't seen any RHD examples for sell. Mine is a 1.8 litre JDM Eunos (VR-Limited) with the uprated chassis and engine modifications, if that counts for anything....
So, do any German based Pistonhead petrolheads have any experience/advice they can impart on selling RHD cars in Germany?
Thank you.....
Does anyone have any experience of selling a RHD car in Germany? I am in the process of moving across to Germany and need to make up my mind whether to bring a RHD Mazda MX-5 NA. I was planning on selling it at sometime this year anyway, but I'm trying to work out whether to just sell the car cheap and move it on in the UK, or to bring it across and enjoy it over the next couple of months before trying to sell it for (I hope) a better price.
I have had a look on both Autoscout24 and Mobile.de and see that MX-5s tend to command better prices than the UK, but I haven't seen any RHD examples for sell. Mine is a 1.8 litre JDM Eunos (VR-Limited) with the uprated chassis and engine modifications, if that counts for anything....
So, do any German based Pistonhead petrolheads have any experience/advice they can impart on selling RHD cars in Germany?
Thank you.....
I'd imagine it being a JDM car wouldn't help. I reckon Germany are a lot stricter on the Type Approval that it might not meet without some various mods to convert it to EUDM MX-5 spec. Personally it wouldn't be worth it for me, easier to sell up here and buy something over there. I plan to move there too and bring my UK-spec Passat. All it needs changing is LHD headlights, fog light swapping from right to left and a km/h speedometer fitting. All easy and cheap stuff as it meets normal EU4 emissions and has an EU type approval certificate being built in the EU already. Not to say it isn't possible, but from what I've experienced of German automotive bureaucracy nothing is made easy or cheap for expats...
The only RHD's cars that i see that aren't priced for export are really rare or truly British. Lotus Elise, Caterham 7's etc.
I was tempted by a RHD Boxster but it was no cheaper than if i had bought it in the UK and wasnt even registered in Germany.
As another poster has said, if your MX5 isnt UK spec then the Germans maybe a little funny as you will need a CoC to start the registration / TüV process here.
I bought a trailer in the UK 2 years ago to shift my stuff across on the cheap. I manged to register it fairly easily but only once i got the CoC and moked up a contact of sale in the uk.
I was tempted by a RHD Boxster but it was no cheaper than if i had bought it in the UK and wasnt even registered in Germany.
As another poster has said, if your MX5 isnt UK spec then the Germans maybe a little funny as you will need a CoC to start the registration / TüV process here.
I bought a trailer in the UK 2 years ago to shift my stuff across on the cheap. I manged to register it fairly easily but only once i got the CoC and moked up a contact of sale in the uk.
I actually came back to the UK to buy my 335i and then import it to Germany because they are so much cheaper in the UK. It was a bit of a headache, but if you like the car enough I would say its worth it to keep it. As you said you were probably going to sell it anyway I would recommend selling it in the UK as being RHD puts a lot of people off over here, even when I brought mine over people keep asking me why I would want a RHD car makes it sound like it's diseased... for some reason people really don't like the idea of it.
RHD car values are certainly a lot lower here in Germany, and as has been said already people are just put off by the wheel being on the other side. I bought my E46 M3 in London because it was a lot cheaper than an equivalent example in Germany, but moving it on will mean losing a lot of money if I don't export it to the UK or Australia.
That all said, registering a RHD car is no issue at all and actually a pretty painless process; roadworthy certification (TÜV or DEKRA), emissions check depending on the age, and a certificate of conformity, and Rob's your father's brother.
That all said, registering a RHD car is no issue at all and actually a pretty painless process; roadworthy certification (TÜV or DEKRA), emissions check depending on the age, and a certificate of conformity, and Rob's your father's brother.
Nunga said:
RHD car values are certainly a lot lower here in Germany, and as has been said already people are just put off by the wheel being on the other side. I bought my E46 M3 in London because it was a lot cheaper than an equivalent example in Germany, but moving it on will mean losing a lot of money if I don't export it to the UK or Australia.
That all said, registering a RHD car is no issue at all and actually a pretty painless process; roadworthy certification (TÜV or DEKRA), emissions check depending on the age, and a certificate of conformity, and Rob's your father's brother.
Does it have to be 100% standard? I want to bring a car over and it's far from it...That all said, registering a RHD car is no issue at all and actually a pretty painless process; roadworthy certification (TÜV or DEKRA), emissions check depending on the age, and a certificate of conformity, and Rob's your father's brother.
mercedeslimos said:
Does it have to be 100% standard? I want to bring a car over and it's far from it...
I believe so I'm afraid. Basically for an import the first TUV will be checked along side the certificate of conformity. When I imported mine it was, however I was also told by one person that they didn't need their CoC so it does seem like it could be a bit hit and miss. Before you do anything I would call around some test centers as ask as they all seem to have different opinions on things. For example, the main issue for me was my headlights. One place would say that flat beam was not good enough whereas somewhere else said they were fine, so I had to find a place that worked for me so I didn't have to spend 2K on some lights.
mercedeslimos said:
Does it have to be 100% standard? I want to bring a car over and it's far from it...
To put it simply, YES...... if ANY parts are non-standard, they must be either TüV approved and written into the car paperwork or have an ABE (allgemeine Betriebserlaubnis). I doubt if any parts which are not of German origin would ever have an ABE.... so you'll be looking at a special vehicle TüV Inspection which might cost up to €1500,- and then not even pass.....My thoughts... sell it in GB and buy another one here, especially at the moment where, due to Brexit; we're not exactly the flavour of the month.... pigheaded burocrats etc....
Balls.
It's a TDI, with an engine block from a stronger TDI (so engine number doesn't match). a big turbo from a different TDI and custom exhaust, no EGR etc.
That sinks my plan.
I could always put it back to standard, selling it here in Ireland isn't an option. My grandmother bought it for me before she passed away so it means a lot to me.
It's a TDI, with an engine block from a stronger TDI (so engine number doesn't match). a big turbo from a different TDI and custom exhaust, no EGR etc.
That sinks my plan.
I could always put it back to standard, selling it here in Ireland isn't an option. My grandmother bought it for me before she passed away so it means a lot to me.
Sorry for the late reply.
Cars certainly DON’T have to be standard but they need engineering approval for many modifications, not simply an “E-number” or an “ABE/Zulassung” for its use. Plenty of cars have engine conversions and so on, and myself I drive a modified E46 M3 so it’s doable.
Cars certainly DON’T have to be standard but they need engineering approval for many modifications, not simply an “E-number” or an “ABE/Zulassung” for its use. Plenty of cars have engine conversions and so on, and myself I drive a modified E46 M3 so it’s doable.
There’s a popular company in Landau called RHD-speedmaster and they’re famous for being able to find loopholes to gain approval for most modifications, and roadworthying lpts of Jap stuff. Exhausts are a big deal now to approve as the Government has effectively made any exhaust louder than standard/with flaps etc illegal (that might be an EU measure), so I am in discussions at the moment about what to do with my setup which hasn’t been installed yet, to see if it can be.
Individual approvals for modifications ranges between €50 and €300 depending on engineer; I’ve not seen anywhere that charges in the thousands.
As an aside, someone mentioned headlights needing approval. Well, of course they do, seeing as UK is left-traffic and Germany is right-traffic. Some assemblies can be swapped relatively straight-forward while others like mine need replacement. That wasn’t so expensive for brand-new LHD headlights. Plug and play for me.
Individual approvals for modifications ranges between €50 and €300 depending on engineer; I’ve not seen anywhere that charges in the thousands.
As an aside, someone mentioned headlights needing approval. Well, of course they do, seeing as UK is left-traffic and Germany is right-traffic. Some assemblies can be swapped relatively straight-forward while others like mine need replacement. That wasn’t so expensive for brand-new LHD headlights. Plug and play for me.
A few points…
1.There is a market for some RHD cars in Germany but only to dealers who export them, usually Africa.
2. Prices for second hand cars are much higher in Germany compared to the UK. I bought a 2 year old E Class Mercedes 6 years ago for £21k that would have cost £32k over here (exchange rate at the time). I’m going to be selling it next month and have already been offered £10k (current exchange rate). I ran in through webuyanycar.com on its old UK plates and the offer was £5.5k last week (125000 on the clock).
3. Post Brexit importing a car to the EU would be a nightmare now and you may even have to pay some import duty on it. Best not bother in my opinion
1.There is a market for some RHD cars in Germany but only to dealers who export them, usually Africa.
2. Prices for second hand cars are much higher in Germany compared to the UK. I bought a 2 year old E Class Mercedes 6 years ago for £21k that would have cost £32k over here (exchange rate at the time). I’m going to be selling it next month and have already been offered £10k (current exchange rate). I ran in through webuyanycar.com on its old UK plates and the offer was £5.5k last week (125000 on the clock).
3. Post Brexit importing a car to the EU would be a nightmare now and you may even have to pay some import duty on it. Best not bother in my opinion
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