Importing v. buying here - food for thought?/follow-up

[Ruth]

Last November I posted my story of why I decided to buy here after all, after looking into importing, so for anyone who is interested here is the end of the tale original post on old forum so here it is again: Thought our experience of price comparisons might be might be of interest to anyone thinking of importing a new van. I’ve spent all weekend looking into this and read lots of postings about the money saved and the practicalities. It’s clear to see that in some cases it is possible to make a big saving, more so on some makes than others, and perhaps especially Hymer. This relates to all sorts of things, doesn’t it, such as availability, continental pricing, the euro, the pricing policy of the equivalent UK dealer, and so on. Therefore I realise that my experience may not equate to a different set of circumstances. We are buying a new German A-Class (Carthago) delivery time is next May/June as it will be on the new Iveco166 with automatic transmission. I obtained a (very attractive) quote from Urbano in Ostend and calculated all my extra costs and English VAT. I also approached other continental dealers to compare. I could exactly match the spec to that supplied by the UK dealer. The only differences would be the reg plates, road fund etc. and the headlamps, speedo and socket. Identical in every other way spec for spec. After negotiations with the UK dealer I ended up with a difference of £2600 more to buy here. So you can have fun thinking what you would have done if you were me. I’ll tell you what I opted to do and why. I’d be interested in your comments. Don’t worry if you disagree, I’m happy with my decision! I opted to buy here (shame as it might have been fun!) Why? 1. The exchange rate is good at the moment so I figured I could wipe out much of that if it deteriorates between now and then. I could buy some now if I was a risk taker but I can’t get them all anyway until I’ve sold my current van. 2. I have done my homework on the import costs and whilst they are fairly low they have to come off that as does going to get it. 3. There’s the time and hassle to bear in mind however easy it is. 4. I would need to return to Belgium for all warranty work and servicing for the first 3 years as the only UK dealer (the one I would be walking away from) is known not to co-operate in this situation. 5. There’s a convenience and piece of mind factor of having the aftersales with dealt with here even though they are 2 ½ hours away. 6. I retain a PX option should I be unable to sell my van privately. Unlikely given 5+ months and a good margin but nonetheless it’s a safety net. 7. Last but not least a UK supplied van holds a higher resale value, how important this is will depend how long I keep it, but again, it’s a consideration So, food for thought? Any comments or experiences of your own? And here's the follow-up: During the time from order to despatch there were a few hitches. Firstly, it occurred to me one day that a crucial requirement of our order, legroom for a 3rd passenger, had not been confirmed in writing. This lack of legroom had ruled out the I47 for us when we first saw it in 2004, but during a conversation with the carthago export manager at the Earl’s Court show, he described how it would be made on 2006 models, an arrangement (as we understood it) not dissimilar to that on the Knaus Sunliner. The salesman also recalled the conversation, so when he contacted Carthago on our behalf, we were dismayed to hear that this would not in fact be a feature of the van until 2007. It was a crucial requirement of our order. I won’t go into worst case scenarios, suffice it to say that the salesman sorted it, and post-production adaptation was promised. It was, and is, a compromise; not what we were led to expect, but in view of everything else that we do like about the van, plus our plan for a bit more modification, it is one that we accept. Another hitch we had boiled down to a misunderstanding about time limits for alteration to specification. There was some deliberating on my part also some vagueness about a final date for changes (really I should have pushed for one) and then a change of production dates by Carthago. I was told that it was too late to add a few bits of extra spec. Full stop. But, that too was dealt with and nearly all the additions we requested were accommodated. The next hitch was a medley of changes to final despatch dates, one change after another, causing us considerable inconvenience over our own work schedules, and, ultimately, anxiety over a deadline for a holiday we could not change (two months after estimated delivery, so we had hoped we were safe enough.) Chris was tireless in chasing this, and keeping us informed, even to the detail of arranging for a colleague to phone on his own day off to confirm it had arrived, and emailing me photos of it arriving in Gunthorpe on the delivery lorry! I am aware that he went to many other lengths besides. So, all told, we are glad that we bought in Britain, as I don’t think it would have been easy to sort all this out with a foreign dealer, from a distance. However, I am aware that this was an order for a van not yet manufactured. If you see what you are buying on a forecourt, new or used, you might think it is a different gamble.

[Brian Kirby]

Ruth

From what you say, you made a good decision.  I'm not sure what can safely be extrapolated from your position, though, except perhaps this. 

There is no hard and fast rule that personal importation will be suitable in all cases.  Anyone contemplating this should follow your example, and be equally thorough in checking the pros and cons as they will change according to personal circumstances.

If you have a part exchange, and can't or don't want to sell your existing vehicle privately, I don't think a personal import will prove a good idea.

If you want an RHD chassis I don't think you'll find much response from European dealers.

On balance I think this is a game for those who can pay cash outright, and want LHD vehicles.

If you do have the cash, you can buy the Euros forward, to eliminate any downside risk on currency exchange rates.  You can even do what we did and open a (in our case French) bank account in the country where you intend buying.  Interesting difference between bank accounts in France and UK, you get into really deep doo-doo in France if you overdraw.  Therefore the French still have confidence in personal cheques.  I paid the whole of the balance on a personal cheque, and drove the van away 30 minutes later!  Imagine doing that in UK.

Last thing, once you've paid your deposit (likely to be around 10%), that's it.  None of this UK shilly shally, you're locked in and you can't back out, the contract is not re-negotiable and is legally enforceable under French law.  One poor (French) lady's husband died before their new van was delivered, and she couldn't drive, so wanted out.  The dealer insisted that the contract be honoured (largely because they had added non standard items to the van), and that she must pay the balance due on delivery.  The van was then sold from his forecourt as new and unregistered, at the best price he could get, but he was not prepared to take the risk of it not selling.  So, be cautious, and think out very carefully what you want, in all its minute details, before you leap in.

[Mel B]

Interesting, not always sure that you do get the best deal buying abroad though, in monetary terms that is. We looked at some vans at Dusseldorf last year, my husband took a liking to a Hymer and we did the exercise of seeing how much it would cost us in UK spec - £39,995 inc VAT delivered. Now that seemed very good, however the proposed PX was abysmal £23,000, even the saleman told us he thought it was abysmal and suggested that we might consider selling it privately, or even to a dealer back home as he thought we'd still get a better price for it by doing that! We decided not to progress this anymore (I LOVE my Rapido!!!) but have checked out the cost of the van in the UK, it's only a few grand dearer here - £43,000ish but the PX would certainly be better. All in all I don't think cost wise there would've been a lot in it, pound for pound (or euro for euro!) but the ease of transaction in the UK and the warranty etc backup would far outweigh any saving we could possibility have made by buying in Europe. Always check out the costs of buying in the UK first so that if you see a good deal by buying in Europe, you know that it IS a good deal when everything is taken into account.

[johnsandywhite]

8-) We bought from a dealer. Got ripped off BIG TIME. Had nothing but trouble from day one. Nearly 5 years of problems and breakdowns AND accidents. Bought from the USA unseen apart from photos. Cheaper by 35% than what a dealer would charge. Made some updates and repairs. Saved a fortune. Trouble was. It turned out to be not BIG enough. Flew to the USA. Went to the auctions. Bought another at 40% less than a dealer here (after importation). The savings allowed us a 3 month tour of the USA, shipping it back and doing any necessary repairs that was/is required and STILL have at least 20% more to play with. ;-) Guess where we are buying the next? (lol)

[Ruth]

Just goes to show that each situation is very different and complex. Glad it was the right thing for you. I agree that USA RV's pose a different scenario.