Colin and Jean Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Has any member any information regarding buying Burstner motorhomes in Germany and saving up to £10k or is this just hear say. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Yes, you can, though the saving will depend on a number of factors, not least the exchange rate you are able to get when paying. If you buy in Germany your only option for insurance for the journey from the dealer to the port/chunnel will be German export insurance which is third party only. You may wish to talk to Lime Street Brokers ("Google" them) about buying additional/alternative insurances, but as the German vehicle will be sold without registration plates, you will need to find out whether export plates are available without the insurance. Lime street may be able to sell an insurance that supplements the German third party to enhance the level of cover to include fire, theft and accidental damage. But, I think the vehicle has to be permanently registered (UK or foreign). I'm sure they will explain the options. I have no idea of their charges. An alternative is to pay a third party to source, buy, import, register and tax a van to order. The saving will be reduced by the importer's costs, but should still be better than you will get from a UK dealer. Google "Bundesvan", for example. The biggest savings will be made by buying vans already in stock at German dealerships, especially at this time of year as they make room for new, 2018, vans. You can order new, and in a few cases order RHD vans, through German (or other) dealers, but the saving will be reduced. The biggest savings will be for the most expensive vans: bottom of the range models will show less saving in cash terms, though you should still get a useful percentage off. If you're particularly looking for Burstner, there is a Burstner dealer in Calais (Calais Caravanes) who has experience of exporting to UK. There is no export insurance available in France, but the van will have temporary export registration plates. I think this dealer will drive you and the van to the chunnel/port on his trade plates, but you will need UK f/c insurance on the chassis number (VIN) to be able to drive it home. Not many UK insurers will do this. I'm sure others will be able to say which. UK insurers will place a time limit on how long you will have to complete UK registration. If you can't get this completed within their time limit the insurance will be liable to lapse. Make sure you understand how long this limit is, and whether, if the process stalls for reasons outside your control, it can be extended. You will have to park the van off road until it is registered with DVLA, and cleared for registration by VCA (the vehicle certification agency). You will also have to pay UK VAT before you can register it. You should be able to buy VAT free in France Belgium or Germany, though not all dealers will do this. If they won't, you will have to claim back the VAT paid as well as pay UK VAT. DVLA produce a pretty comprehensive import pack that explains all the requirements. You will be wise to get this well before you place an order, and to be sure you have understood all the requirements, and the order in which they must be completed. It's only admin, and not especially complicated, but the insurance time constraint means that delays/mistakes are best avoided! To register in UK the headlamps must dip left (masks or "benders" are not permitted), the speedometer must read MPH and KPH (excellent replacement speedometer face "cards" available from Lockwood International), and the rear fog light must be on the vehicle centre line or UK offside if only one is fitted. You have to supply evidence that these modifications have been made. The simplest and quickest is to get a UK garage to do the work, (making clear exactly what was done on their invoice). This enables the VCA certification to be completed as a purely "paper" exercise, which is quickest. Failing that, you can DIY, but you will probably find that VCA will insist you present the van for inspection and certification, which in some areas can be a bit slow. Others will doubtless contribute additional comments/corrections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Brian Kirby - 2018-02-07 6:54 PM ...If you're particularly looking for Burstner, there is a Burstner dealer in Calais (Calais Caravanes) who has experience of exporting to UK. There is no export insurance available in France, but the van will have temporary export registration plates. I think this dealer will drive you and the van to the chunnel/port on his trade plates, but you will need UK f/c insurance on the chassis number (VIN) to be able to drive it home... Are you sure about temporary export registration plates being available for a new motorhome bought in France? Having purchased a Hobby motorhome in Germany in 2005 and driven it home, in 2014 I toyed with the idea of buying a Rapido in France and doing the same. I discussed this with a salesman at a Rapido dealership near Caen who told me they had sold new motorhomes to Brits who were exporting them back to the UK. I asked if temporary registration (similar to that in Germany) was available and he asked if I had an address in France. I said No and he said “in that case the vehicle cannot be registered temporarily or otherwise”. I enquired if they would be prepared to drive the motorhome to Ouistreham ferry-port on their trade-plates and he agreed that they would do that if I wished, but had not done so before. I said “So what have the other UK buyers done about registration, insurance and so on?” He said “They’ve just paid us and driven the motorhome away. They have never asked us about registering the motorhome or insuring it and we have never raised the matter with them”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 The fall in the British Pound compared to the Euro since we declared our intention to leave the Eu has had a big impact on the cost savings from importing MHs, so the financial benefits are smaller and are now dependent largely on getting an individual good deal because the motorhome market abroad is much bigger and there are therefore more likely to be bargains to suit you if you know where to look and how to negotiate effectively. Most deals will be for LHD vehicles but you can get RHD drive too. And that's where Bundesvan comes in because they have experience and contacts, so if you can tell them what you want and trust them to find it and import it for you, you should still be able to make a saving compared with buying from a UK dealer. But of course Bundesvan charge for their services - about £2,000 last time I looked, so that has to come off what you might save if you could do it all yourself. Doing it all yourself involves more risk as well a some bureaucracy but there are German dealers who are well used to selling to UK customers and know how to organise export plates for you. I bought a new Hymer via Bundesvan and they were worth every penny. We knew exactly what we wanted (from past experience and from looking at UK examples of the model) and it worked a treat; we paid a deposit, they put in the order (they chose a Hymer Dealer in Dortmund) and we paid them the rest when they turned up at our door with the vehicle. The few warranty issues we had subsequently were dealt with well too and although I also suffered a complete gearbox failure a few weeks later, Fiat UK solved that one by replacing it in UK without hesitation. I did look at importing again myself a few years later and used Bundesvan to do some searching and inspection while they were on their travels but eventually decided against. All I paid was their marginal expenses. For £2,000 (or perhaps a bit more now) for the complete job they were excellent. Nice people too. In summary I suspect the days of really big gains have gone until the exchange rates become more favourable but the used market is bigger abroad and there might be some scope for making a useful gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin and Jean Posted February 8, 2018 Author Share Posted February 8, 2018 Many thanks Brian that's given me lots to think about. Regards Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monique.hubrechtsgm Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Even in belgium we do this buying in germany new or used. We have a transit plate system by some insurance actors mostly on cars. However there other players on this. Who do the whole thing for you at a price. A truck transport is about 1000 euro insurance included, They must carry the COC papers. Once in belgium a very strange method should be followed: To pay the belgium 21 Vat you need a document from the supplier. And whit that document you have to go in face, not by computer to a local custom office to pay the vat. Just that and they manage the plate for belgium In case you buy from a belgium dealer he pay for the vat and give you the document for plate. but you have to pass the customs that the vat was paid at the entrance in belgium borders customs mostly truck imports. Our famous deep loaders.The most tricky thing are the coc papers and paid invoice which is the only prove of ownership and a insurance plate if not by truck transport. In our club we specialists to assist. But Brian was very comprehensive for your country. Just make a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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