Importing a Dodge Challenger?

[supermanraf]

I drove a Challenger in Florida last year, and really enjoyed it! And as I'm going back to the states later this year, I was after some advice? If I bought the car there, used it to travel round while on holiday, what are the logistics of getting it home? Ie getting it shipped, paying the dreaded, and having it converted to uk spec? Plausible, or a waste of time? Checking some of the online prices, I could pick the car up for around £13000, for an early model, I would just need to get it home, and go from there, any help would be much appreciated!

[LuS1fer]

supermanraf said:

I drove a Challenger in Florida last year, and really enjoyed it! And as I'm going back to the states later this year, I was after some advice? If I bought the car there, used it to travel round while on holiday, what are the logistics of getting it home? Ie getting it shipped, paying the dreaded, and having it converted to uk spec? Plausible, or a waste of time? Checking some of the online prices, I could pick the car up for around £13000, for an early model, I would just need to get it home, and go from there, any help would be much appreciated!

Getting insured to drive it round would be the first issue. If it's not a rental, it's going to be an issue.
I had someone import a Corvette for me back in 2004 but they were increasing the hoops they had to jump through, even then.

You can get them shipped for around £1000 maybe but you have to pay 10% import duty on your £13k, making it £14300 then 20% VAT on that, putting it over £17k then you have to get it SVA'd - about £1000 as it has no rear orange lights and it has to have side repeaters, fog light etc.

The upside is that American cars in the Uk depreciate at glacial pace so it will keep its value and you'll save what a normal car would have depreciated ie you have to look at the big picture. My Mustang cost me about £26k back in 2005 and is worth anything from £16-20k now whereas had I bought a Eurobox, it would be worth about 8k on a good day.

Add in the cheaper VEL and reasobnable insurance and the overall picture is good. It's just the driving it round the US that is the main issue.

[supermanraf]

Thankyou for the reply, I would be buying second hand, so is the 20% vat still due on a second hand vehicle? I understand the import duty, but paying another 20% on top of the purchase price

[LuS1fer]

supermanraf said:

Thankyou for the reply, I would be buying second hand, so is the 20% vat still due on a second hand vehicle? I understand the import duty, but paying another 20% on top of the purchase price

Yes it is.
The only exceptions are historic vehicles which are charged only 5% VAT but classics in the US cost an arm and a leg to strat with.

[chevy-stu]

If the bill of sale from the owner 'happens' to be less than £13k you'll pay less for the import and VAT, but not really any way around it ... Don't forget really good insurance cover for the shipping plus few other handling expenses.

[BillyWhizz888]

Handy info. I plan also to import a challenger or charger in couple years.

Having relatives in the states my idea was to purchase car there had have it registered
To the relatives for a we while before getting it shipped over therefore when they ask for
Purchase I can give them a right low figure if can get away with it that is. ;-)

[Art0ir]

BillyWhizz888 said:

Handy info. I plan also to import a challenger or charger in couple years.

Having relatives in the states my idea was to purchase car there had have it registered
To the relatives for a we while before getting it shipped over therefore when they ask for
Purchase I can give them a right low figure if can get away with it that is. ;-)

While I appreciate the sentiment, I'm not sure posting your plans for tax evasion on a public forum is the wisest choice given the amount of information easily obtained about yourself online.

[LuS1fer]

BillyWhizz888 said:

Handy info. I plan also to import a challenger or charger in couple years.

Having relatives in the states my idea was to purchase car there had have it registered
To the relatives for a we while before getting it shipped over therefore when they ask for
Purchase I can give them a right low figure if can get away with it that is. ;-)

You can't as HMCE have an inherent right to challenge any suspicious import value and value it themselves. It happened to someone who brought in an old police cruiser which he bought at a US police auction, for peanuts, with a galactic mileage. Armed with the fcats and documents, they accepted his value but bear in mind that, if investigated, you could be stuck with a VAT bill you can't pay, a car you can't have which gets impounded and possible charges for fraud.

I'm sure people do sometimes adduce documentation for slight undervalues but doubt anybody is stupid enough to not "keep it real and in the ball-park" but again, the risk and consequences are hardly worth it.

[HD Adam]

You can get temporary insurance in the USA even as a non-resident.

Not necessarily cheap though http://www.4autoinsurancequote.com/learning-center...

Ron Fenton from STS imports operates a shipping service out of Apopka, Florida and is a great guy to deal with http://www.stsimports.co.uk/Shipping%20Vehicles.ht...

Last time I brought one in from the USA, I used Golden Chariots http://www.goldenchariotsinternational.com/index.h...

That was out of Houston though but GC do ship from Jacksonville in Fl. and also Brunswick in Ga.

John Kuhlin is the man to speak to there.

[supermanraf]

Thanks for the replies guys, really helpful, I am going to Vegas for a week, then off to LA, then San Francisco, so will be hoping to buy the car in Vegas, then drive it around, and ship it home just before I leave, very excited about it, just hoping I can pull it off!!

[Camaro]

There is also a one stop shop for getting a car into the country from the States in Milton Keynes called Ship My Car, they will arrange shipping, duty and put it through an SVA for you.

I don't know whether it works out any cheaper, but may take a far chunk of the head scratching out of the equation.

[Saleen836]

supermanraf said:

I drove a Challenger in Florida last year, and really enjoyed it! And as I'm going back to the states later this year, I was after some advice? If I bought the car there, used it to travel round while on holiday, what are the logistics of getting it home? Ie getting it shipped, paying the dreaded, and having it converted to uk spec? Plausible, or a waste of time? Checking some of the online prices, I could pick the car up for around £13000, for an early model, I would just need to get it home, and go from there, any help would be much appreciated!

Is that £13000 including local sales tax?

[BillyWhizz888]

Cheers

Think I'll be a good boy then and skip the extra owner

[ViperDave]

you may also want to consider the level of any modified car you may be interested in. Whilst the one with the sports exhaust may sound the part, it is less/unlikely to pass the IVA test. There is also the element that a lot of the IVA test is covered by the presence of the FMVSS and emissions stickers, its the first thing the IVA tester will look for and when he finds them he puts a line through 90% of the test. They only apply though to the manufactures specification, so if he suspects a modification the item will be subject to the full test criteria. There is no way i would have got the Viper ACR through the test without substantial changes and probably removal of the wing and splitter if it wasn't for them being standard fit and the fmvss recognition rule.

You also need to consider things like HID headlights wont pass IVA without washers and possibly self level, You can bodge some halogens into the housing for the IVA test and that worked on the ACR but I don't know how sophisticated the challengers computers are (probably not) but i can see it becoming a problem to do things like that when the computers are talking to the the bulb unit etc.

What i am trying to say is you may want to familiarize yourself with the IVA requirements before selecting your car, as the one with the sports exhaust and HID's on may look more attractive on the forecourt in Vegas, you may regret not taking the almost identical alternate with stock exhaust when you are standing in the VOSA yard with a failure notice and potential bill for a replacement stock exhaust or headlights.

Buy the sports exhaust, put it in the trunk for shipping and fit it afterwards.

[LuS1fer]

They won't let you put anything in the car for shipping, these days.

[ViperDave]

LuS1fer said:

They won't let you put anything in the car for shipping, these days.

That's a bit unsporting, I must admit i didn't even try as my car was new and prepped by a dealer and i was feeling broke after buying it so was just happy to get it on the boat.

[irocfan]

ViperDave said:

LuS1fer said:

They won't let you put anything in the car for shipping, these days.

That's a bit unsporting, I must admit i didn't even try as my car was new and prepped by a dealer and i was feeling broke after buying it so was just happy to get it on the boat.

you sure about that? See pics in thread below....

http://www.mocgb.net/forums/showthread.php?58863-I...

[LuS1fer]

irocfan said:

ViperDave said:

LuS1fer said:

They won't let you put anything in the car for shipping, these days.

That's a bit unsporting, I must admit i didn't even try as my car was new and prepped by a dealer and i was feeling broke after buying it so was just happy to get it on the boat.

you sure about that? See pics in thread below....

http://www.mocgb.net/forums/showthread.php?58863-I...

It depnds what it is imported as, I imagine. That car is obviously more a collection of parts. It may be different for cars in containers (mine were imported ro-ro) but What you are doing is effectively paying VAT on the value of the car and smuggling other parts in with it. I suppose that provided all parts are inventoried and valued, it may not be such an isue. Perhaps I should say you can't put stuff in the car without decaliring it for duty (3.5% on parts plus 20% VAT).