Discussion
Interesting stats here. By my reckoning, importing a stock C5 has little advantage over the Euro prices given the hassle involved. (eg 72k miler landed for about £17000 and a 43k miler 2000 for about £22000)
But I've worked out that you can land a low mileage 2001 Z06, all taxes paid and allowing £1000 for shipping and allowing £500 for SVA for £25000 and a 2002, possibly even 2003 model for £30000. The Z06 therefore makes far more sense as an import.
Who does SVA for Vettes and what does it cost so I can finish my sums.
Once the car arrives at the Docks, can you just book an SVA appointment and drive the car there or have you got to have slightly more organisation than that?
Anybody imported one? If so, recommendations for importers. I'm considering doing it blind with a low mileage mint car from a dealer so hopefully I won't need an inspection.
But I've worked out that you can land a low mileage 2001 Z06, all taxes paid and allowing £1000 for shipping and allowing £500 for SVA for £25000 and a 2002, possibly even 2003 model for £30000. The Z06 therefore makes far more sense as an import.
Who does SVA for Vettes and what does it cost so I can finish my sums.
Once the car arrives at the Docks, can you just book an SVA appointment and drive the car there or have you got to have slightly more organisation than that?
Anybody imported one? If so, recommendations for importers. I'm considering doing it blind with a low mileage mint car from a dealer so hopefully I won't need an inspection.
Hi Lusifer,
I did exactly this, but with a brand new 2003 last March approx cost was £44,000 on the road.
Shipping was with Wallenius Wilhelmsen who offer an excellent service. For instance they will ship a car on a RO-RO ferry (no containers here) from the East coast of America (Baltimore in my case) to Liverpool/Southampton/Bristol etc. for approx £500 and for an extra £100 they do all of the customers importing paperwork which means you just turn up at the docks and collect the car!
The SVA test including the work in preparing the car cost approx £1300. I bought the rear euro indicators so that is not included in my cost. The test needs to be booked well in advance as some of the test centres have long waiting lists. The good news for you is there is one in Cardiff and it is the one I used for the 1996 LT4 I imported a few years ago and they were fine.
The work you need to do is as foolows:
1. Rear fog light (mine is mounted between the exhaust pipes).
2. Illuminated rear fog light switch
3. Side repeaters (mine are fitted inside the "gills" on the front wings)
4. Disable the DLRs (Daylight Running Lights)
5. Fit white side lights (these are inside the side lights and are easy to fit)
6. Amber rear indicators
As the Z06 is type approved for the US market the SVA test is minimal in that they don't check everything with a fine tooth comb. As long as the car is presented with good tyres, is clean, and the work listed above is done it should pass without problems.
The cost of the test is about £200 from memory, plus whatever cost you assign to doing the work above plus the bits like rear amber indicators.
I use a very nice man near Baltimore and he does everything including looking at the cars, getting them to the docks, all of the paperwork etc. usually costs me about $500.
I would recommend you don't buy blind! It is a lot of money to spend without ever seeing the car!
(However this is exactly what I did with my 1996 albeit, I did see it before it left the USA therefore I could have resold it without importing it to the UK)....
If you have any question take it off line!
>> Edited by vetteheadracer on Thursday 5th February 16:46
I did exactly this, but with a brand new 2003 last March approx cost was £44,000 on the road.
Shipping was with Wallenius Wilhelmsen who offer an excellent service. For instance they will ship a car on a RO-RO ferry (no containers here) from the East coast of America (Baltimore in my case) to Liverpool/Southampton/Bristol etc. for approx £500 and for an extra £100 they do all of the customers importing paperwork which means you just turn up at the docks and collect the car!
The SVA test including the work in preparing the car cost approx £1300. I bought the rear euro indicators so that is not included in my cost. The test needs to be booked well in advance as some of the test centres have long waiting lists. The good news for you is there is one in Cardiff and it is the one I used for the 1996 LT4 I imported a few years ago and they were fine.
The work you need to do is as foolows:
1. Rear fog light (mine is mounted between the exhaust pipes).
2. Illuminated rear fog light switch
3. Side repeaters (mine are fitted inside the "gills" on the front wings)
4. Disable the DLRs (Daylight Running Lights)
5. Fit white side lights (these are inside the side lights and are easy to fit)
6. Amber rear indicators
As the Z06 is type approved for the US market the SVA test is minimal in that they don't check everything with a fine tooth comb. As long as the car is presented with good tyres, is clean, and the work listed above is done it should pass without problems.
The cost of the test is about £200 from memory, plus whatever cost you assign to doing the work above plus the bits like rear amber indicators.
I use a very nice man near Baltimore and he does everything including looking at the cars, getting them to the docks, all of the paperwork etc. usually costs me about $500.
I would recommend you don't buy blind! It is a lot of money to spend without ever seeing the car!
(However this is exactly what I did with my 1996 albeit, I did see it before it left the USA therefore I could have resold it without importing it to the UK)....
If you have any question take it off line!
>> Edited by vetteheadracer on Thursday 5th February 16:46
vhr
a couple of questions, if I may -
I've imported my own 2 vehicles when I returned from living in the US and am thinking about taking advantage of the exchange rate to get hold of another new one
if you buy new and get it delivered to the shippers, can you avoid US sales tax and registration fees? and how do you prove that you have title to the vehicle for export from the US?
a couple of questions, if I may -
I've imported my own 2 vehicles when I returned from living in the US and am thinking about taking advantage of the exchange rate to get hold of another new one
if you buy new and get it delivered to the shippers, can you avoid US sales tax and registration fees? and how do you prove that you have title to the vehicle for export from the US?
£1300 seems a tad pricey for that work.
On another tack and C5 rather than Z06 related, has anyone imported a used C5 from Germany. The prices are pretty keen, even at 1.4 Euros to the pound. For example, a blue 2000 C5 with 40000 miles on the clock for £20700. I believe American Dreams source their cars from Germany too.
Do Euro imports need SVA? Even if they do, they presumably pass as a technicality. Or do you just register them? Do you pay any import duty or VAT?
On another tack and C5 rather than Z06 related, has anyone imported a used C5 from Germany. The prices are pretty keen, even at 1.4 Euros to the pound. For example, a blue 2000 C5 with 40000 miles on the clock for £20700. I believe American Dreams source their cars from Germany too.
Do Euro imports need SVA? Even if they do, they presumably pass as a technicality. Or do you just register them? Do you pay any import duty or VAT?
To answer your questions:
Mikef
You cannot just walk into a dealer and buy a car in the US if you are a Brit, unless you have a US address. To get the car out of the country you have to have the car titled. To get it titled, you have to pay the state tax on a new car. Obviously if the car is 2nd hand, you don't have to pay the tax and as the car is already titled you can buy it without a US address. I got around the problem by getting my US friend to buy the car using my money (he needs to be a very good friend!)
The only other option is called MSO (military service overseas), some dealers will bend the rules to allow the car out of the US on an MSO ticket, but I haven't done this so don't know how it works, but this would avoid the taxes.
Lusifer
A Euro Spec C5 doesn't need an SVA and the good news you shouldn't have to pay the VAT either as it is being bought from inside the EEC and therefore the VAT would have been paid when the car was new. You may have to pay the duty, but I am not sure about this.
>> Edited by vetteheadracer on Friday 6th February 09:52
Mikef
You cannot just walk into a dealer and buy a car in the US if you are a Brit, unless you have a US address. To get the car out of the country you have to have the car titled. To get it titled, you have to pay the state tax on a new car. Obviously if the car is 2nd hand, you don't have to pay the tax and as the car is already titled you can buy it without a US address. I got around the problem by getting my US friend to buy the car using my money (he needs to be a very good friend!)
The only other option is called MSO (military service overseas), some dealers will bend the rules to allow the car out of the US on an MSO ticket, but I haven't done this so don't know how it works, but this would avoid the taxes.
Lusifer
A Euro Spec C5 doesn't need an SVA and the good news you shouldn't have to pay the VAT either as it is being bought from inside the EEC and therefore the VAT would have been paid when the car was new. You may have to pay the duty, but I am not sure about this.
>> Edited by vetteheadracer on Friday 6th February 09:52
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