Silly question coming...
Discussion
I know this is probably a silly idea but....
Buying a car here and importing it back home when we leave the GCC? Just dont fancy having to trudge through auto trader or flee bay looking at boring Euro motors.
I know it would have to have all the UK road spec bits done etc just wondering if anyone knows if this is a complete waste of time and cash.
And btw, no im not thinking of importing my Nissan Sunny...
Buying a car here and importing it back home when we leave the GCC? Just dont fancy having to trudge through auto trader or flee bay looking at boring Euro motors.
I know it would have to have all the UK road spec bits done etc just wondering if anyone knows if this is a complete waste of time and cash.
And btw, no im not thinking of importing my Nissan Sunny...
You need to get on the HMRC website and find out what the latest rules are on importing cars to the UK. The last I checked (several years ago) was that full VAT was payable if the imported car was less than 6 months old. IIRC, you could buy a new right hand drive UK spec car out here and register it on export plates for a max of 6 months before it had to be shipped out.
So providing the costs work out, it's all possible. But that was back when the exchange rate was very different to today, and also European cars were 25-30% cheaper in the UAE. No longer the case, so I don't really see the point of doing this for new cars.
It doesn't make sense on used cars either, as they seem so damn cheap out in the UK at the moment. Plus you would have to export a left hand drive car, so it would have to be something that's (a) only made in left hand drive and therefore "special" (integrale, E30 M3, Carrerra GT etc) and (b) incorrectly valued (a friend of mine picked up a very unloved Alfa SZ for silly money from a local who let it gather dust for several years and had no idea how special the car was).
So providing the costs work out, it's all possible. But that was back when the exchange rate was very different to today, and also European cars were 25-30% cheaper in the UAE. No longer the case, so I don't really see the point of doing this for new cars.
It doesn't make sense on used cars either, as they seem so damn cheap out in the UK at the moment. Plus you would have to export a left hand drive car, so it would have to be something that's (a) only made in left hand drive and therefore "special" (integrale, E30 M3, Carrerra GT etc) and (b) incorrectly valued (a friend of mine picked up a very unloved Alfa SZ for silly money from a local who let it gather dust for several years and had no idea how special the car was).
Silly question gets silly answer! Thanks Dan! 
Not fussed about it being a left hooker as i've been wanting a American car for ages, and if i did do something like this it wouldnt be a new one anyway as much as i would love to take home a 2010/2011 Camaro....
It was more of a general sat in the pub type question, i will obviously check all the legal bits and bobs, export rules etc if the reddies allow for such a thing.
Not fussed about it being a left hooker as i've been wanting a American car for ages, and if i did do something like this it wouldnt be a new one anyway as much as i would love to take home a 2010/2011 Camaro....
It was more of a general sat in the pub type question, i will obviously check all the legal bits and bobs, export rules etc if the reddies allow for such a thing.
Dunk1982 said:
Silly question gets silly answer! Thanks Dan!
Not fussed about it being a left hooker as i've been wanting a American car for ages, and if i did do something like this it wouldnt be a new one anyway as much as i would love to take home a 2010/2011 Camaro....
It was more of a general sat in the pub type question, i will obviously check all the legal bits and bobs, export rules etc if the reddies allow for such a thing.
I wouldn't bother with a stock car, even if it is a Camaro, esp. as I presume it will be a couple of years at least before you ship it home. If you look at the prices of Mustangs for example shipping it back might cover the costs of tax, shipping and SVA (or whatever it is) but there wouldn't be much upside left so why bother? Not fussed about it being a left hooker as i've been wanting a American car for ages, and if i did do something like this it wouldnt be a new one anyway as much as i would love to take home a 2010/2011 Camaro....
It was more of a general sat in the pub type question, i will obviously check all the legal bits and bobs, export rules etc if the reddies allow for such a thing.
If you can find something that only comes in LHD and will always be pretty rare you'll do much better. There are some amazing bargains with Corvettes (stock, admittedly, but they do give it the beans!) and GT 500 Mustangs (20-25k here, upper 30s in blighty I think).
I hear those SLS AMGs are pretty handy...
Gassing Station | Middle East | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff