Buying abroad

Beerbiker

Beerbiker

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Hi
I am currently in Sicily and have visited Alfacaravans in Syracusa. Despite the weak pound prices here seem much easier than the UK. One problem....the used vehicles have NO service history but they do look great (no under corrosion in the warm climate). Do I have have to re-register to get insurance for instance? Any thoughts/advice welcomed. Does anyone have any experience of buying abroad?

P.s Alfacaravans is a huge and very long standing Laika dealer.
 
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If you do a search on the site, there are many threads that address this, after reading,you may then have specific un answered questions.

In a nut shell, many have done it (myself included) and its not difficult
 
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The problem with southern Italy will be insurance for getting it home at best you will only get basic road traffic act 3rd party insurance.
UK companies will only insure once on British soil.
I've imported 3 vans all from Belgium where our dealer drives the van to the port for us.

As Alistair says loads of threads about importing on Fun.
 
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OK..thanks..I'll search...lazy me..came back after a fine lunch and etc etc
 
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Humph...must getting even dottier than I thought...can't find anything specific...gas bottles, asci cards etc etc

Back to my original q.....anybody any experience?

Thanks for the skinny on insurance, Lenny. How would you get 3rd party? Via the dealer, maybe?
Would I have to register in the UK for UK insurance?

P.s Where near Gatwick so it can be cheaper to fly to Catania than up North! Well that's my excuse!

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Don't know about Italy but in Germany you have to buy export plates together with insurance.
Once on UK soil you can get insurance on the VIN plate.
 
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Why not ask a dealer how you , as a non-resident , can buy ,insure fully to be able to drive it to the UK ?
 
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The other option is to get it transported, I know from southern Germany it costs about €1500 probably be around €2.5k from southern Italy but if you are saving 10-15k not too bad.
 
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The dealer has been very helpful...and a great selection.

I'm gonna do a bit of research with whomever and try to come back with a structured plan.....

P.s No corrosion problems here but they are a bit tardy with service records. However they do offer as standard a two year habitation warranty and one year mechanical.
 
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I have now discovered that it is illegal for a UK citizen to drive a vehicle with foreign plates on UK roads. Ipso facto one must have to change plates before importing. With a then UK plated vehicle it can be insured wherever it might be at the time. I have applied to the DVLA for the appropriate docs. I wonder if it's that seemple?

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Ilegal for a uk residents to drive a vehicle that is registered in another country. If the vehicle is being exported it won't be registered.
You are suposed to drive from the port to home without plates. Our Belgium dealer fits false pates as far less lightly to get stopped with foreign plates than with no plates and I very much doubt mr if plod knows that bit of law in detail so as long as you are insured nothing to worry about.
 
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Hi Beerdrinker

I copied this information from a post on here a few years ago as I was thinking of doing the same one day. Here is a copy of the post:-

  1. We imported a Frankia I 740, new from Germany, for the second time in 7 years.

  1. This time the rules and regulations had changed, and the process is a bit more complicated, but don’t let it put you off. Just follow a step by step approach and be patient. The steps you need to take may vary if you are importing from a different country or if it is second-hand.
  2. The steps we took were:
  3. 1. Find a dealer convenient to the UK, Munich is a long way, Aachen is about 4 hours from the channel ports.
  4. 2. Negotiate a Euro price net of VAT. (The Caravan Salon at Düsseldorf is best for good discounts).
  5. 3. Insure the vehicle on a VIN – Vehicle ID Number (Safeguard, Saga and Comfort will do this in theory, but see below) from arrival at the UK channel port.
  6. 4. Book a ferry advising that you will let them know the registration number on arrival.
  7. When the motorhome is ready for collection at the dealer:
  8. 5. Fly or take a train/coach to the dealer.
  9. 6. Register the motorhome for export, obtain insurance and obtain an export plate. Export plates ("Ausfuhrkennzeichen") are for vehicles being exported. The month/year on the right side indicates their maximum validity in Germany. Insurance is a separate matter - you can simply sign up for a short term insurance with the company of your choice, or have the dealer arrange it for you as most do. You do need the insurance cover and certificate before you can get the plates. As the insurance is 3rd party only we obtained 15 day insurance cover, enough to get us home.
  10. 7. Pay for the motorhome without VAT. The dealer may require you to deposit the VAT amount in their bank or in our case provide them with a Euro cheque, which they will return when you provide proof that you have paid the VAT to HM Customs and Excise in the UK (see below). Our bank would provide a Euro cheque but the amount would have been taken from our sterling bank account and credited back when the cheque is cancelled. It proved cheaper to open a Euro account, with a cheque book, depositing a nominal amount and close it again when the transaction was finished. This account also came in handy for buying Euros when the rate was good and using them to pay for the van by bank transfer.
  11. 8. Drive the motorhome or arrange for the motorhome to be transported back to the UK.
  12. When the vehicle is home:
  13. 9. Modify the speedometer to show MPH. Our Mercedes had the ability to show a digital output in MPH but the Fiat did not so we obtained a replacement dial from Lockwood (www.lockwoodinternational.co.uk) and had it fitted by a local MOT garage.
  14. 10. Modify or replace the headlights to dip to the left. Ours are Hella low beam lights that can be adjusted by releasing 3 bolts, twisting the assembly and screwing bolts back, one in a different hole. Temporary solutions such as beam benders are not acceptable.
  15. 11. Modify the rear light clusters so that rear fog light is on the right. If not possible add an extra fog light in the centre or on the right and run a wire from the fog light on left. We had the dealer switch the position of the reversing and fog lights, rewiring appropriately.
  16. 12. A local MOT station needs to check that the work has been done and write a statement or an invoice (on headed paper giving their full contact details including their MOT test station number and VAT number and registered address or Companies House number and registered address. It needs to quote the 17 digit vehicle chassis (VIN) number, be dated and make clear the garage has worked on, or inspected the vehicle for conformity.
  17. 13. It is necessary to obtain a ‘proof of ‘Mutual Recognition’ certificate from the VCA/Department of Transport (http://www.direct.gov.uk/pdfs/apply-commission-notice-motorhomes.pdf) this will require you to complete a self certification form and send it with the Original European Certificate of Conformity (with 52 numbered items confirming that the vehicle is a motorhome), the above garage evidence that the vehicle meets the United Kingdom national requirements (UK specification headlights, dual marked speedometer, suitable rear fog-light(s)) and £100 payment.
  18. 14. While waiting for the VCA to send you a certificate you can deal with the VAT payment. You must send a Notification of Vehicle Arrivals (NOVA) form to HMCE within 14 days of the import or you may be fined.
  19. You can do this online or ask the VAT helpline for a VAT NOVA1 form. You’ll need a Government Gateway account to use the online service. Vehicles can only be registered with the DVLA after you have confirmation that HMCE has processed the NOVA form. All notifications on progress are found online by checking the Nova progress periodically. The VAT receipt, sent by post, takes some time to arrive although an acknowledgement of payment received will be posted online immediately.
  20. 15. Send a copy of the confirmation to the dealer to return cheque or funds.
  21. 16. Now you can process the registration:
  22. 17. You will need to send the following by special delivery to DVLA Swansea SA99 1BE.
  23. • completed form V55/5(registering a used vehicle for the 1st time, not V55/4 (new vehicle)as the vehicle was 1st registered in Germany)
  24. • proof of ‘Mutual Recognition’
  25. • foreign registration documents or any papers relating to the vehicle
  26. • evidence showing the date the vehicle was collected (normally the invoice from the supplier)
  27. • the appropriate HM Revenue and Customs forms, showing you’ve paid VAT and/or duty (if applicable)
  28. • a copy of driving license (photocard and paper)
  29. • a current British motor insurance certificate
  30. • the cost of the vehicle tax
  31. • the new registration fee of £55.00.
  32. • an addressed special delivery envelope
  33. All being well you should receive a Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C), commonly known as a logbook, the vehicle tax disc and your identity documents by post without too much delay.
  34. 18. Get your plates made up and away you go. Easy wasn’t it.
  35. Now for the problems:
  36. Some Insurance companies that insure on a VIN will not provide cover for driving the vehicle from the port; they will only cover whilst the vehicle is at your home. Only Safeguard would provide cover for us, others may on cheaper motorhomes.
  37. All insurers want a Thatcham approved alarm system, German dealer fitted systems are usually not approved. All insurers want the alarm fitted within 14 days but no insurer was initially prepared to cover us to drive to have an alarm fitted (safeguard eventually did agree to cover this after Vanbitz intervened with a telephone call to their contact) We had to drive on the German plates to Vanbitz as registration takes longer than 14 days.
  38. All insurers require a registration number within 30 days even though the VCA quote 5 days and the DVLA quote 4-6 weeks. Safeguard allowed us an extension but it proved unnecessary as the registration finally occurred 32 days after the German registration and 26 days into the UK insurance. The process may have been quicker, but thinking we were registering a new vehicle, we first used form V55/4. This was returned to us with a form V55/5 which we completed and resent. Our registration when it arrived, logged the vehicle as new with no previous owners!
  39. We found out that the German 3rd party insurance was good for the entire EU (including the UK) and allowed us to drive from Germany to home and to the local MOT station and back.
  40. Further details on request, Frankia or other German manufacturers.
,

 
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You can't get UK plates until it is registered which takes 4-6 weeks once the vehicle is on UK soil.
I don't think Italy will be any cheaper than Belgium or Germany and a lot easier as most of the dealers are familiar with exporting.

Broken Link Removedwill give you an idear of German prices
 
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WOW!.....Gulp!

I think I need a beer........

Fortunately I am in no great rush to do this but the attraction of buying from a dry-ish country is attractive as I have seen a lot of the red stuff underneath.

Thanks one and all....
 
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