Anybody brought in a left hooker from the continent?

[adder]

Seems the cheapest I can get a RHD 1.4 Estate for with discount is £17107

Now in their infinite wisdom (read wanting to rip off the UK consumer) Skoda UK says I can't have a 1.4 in basic 'S' spec - it's different for those EU punters!

ie I could get a left hooker in Active spec with the following

Rear parking sensors Maxi-DOT display Front fog lamps Four additional speakers in the back Four-spoke leather steering wheel Manual climate control Remote central locking Radio/CD 'Swing' with Aux/USB inputs 16" Steel wheels

Total price 13197 

Think I can live with steel wheels +/- a few other minor things for nearly a £4k saving, I'm just trying to convince myself it's ok being able to see where the kerb is rather than where the traffic is for overtaking on B roads?   :peek:

[Toxicvrs]

Title got my hopes up :(

[Yogi-Bear]

Total price 13197 

 

I'd be interested to know where you got that price from, and whether you've considered potential tax liabilities when importing the car, such as VAT.

 

https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/vat-and-tax-vehicles-from-within-the-eu

 

If you haven't, then the extra 20% on top of that wipes out a massive chunk of that saving.  And the remainder will be more than wiped out by the second-hand value being considerably less than for RHD UK spec cars.  Oh, and finding insurance may be a pain / will almost certainly be more expensive as you won't be able to answer 'yes' to the 'is your car UK spec' question.

[adder]

1st car imports and it includes VAT. Fair point about the insurance, but another good thing about europe is that your insurance will cover you for all the other countries too!!!

Don't forget the EU is one 'big happy family', you decide where you want to pay the vat....

[Yogi-Bear]

Don't forget the EU is one 'big happy family', you decide where you want to pay the vat....

 

Not quite, no.  If you have paid some form of VAT in another country, then you can reclaim it, but you have to pay VAT in this country if you import a new car.  It's all on the link I posted.

 

Besides, I'm still not convinced a LHD car is a sensible option... there are many good reasons we have RHD cars for driving on the left.

Edited 16 October, 2014 by WiggosSideburns

[GatorLinearFade]

for some brands you can even buy a RHD version on the continent, e.g. at dealers near Calais, at EU prices. Don't know whether it works for Skoda.

 

A few years ago, when the pound was weak against the euro, the reverse happened a lot: UK dealers selling LHD cars to us at UK prices, which worked out well below EU prices. 

[adder]

for some brands you can even buy a RHD version on the continent, e.g. at dealers near Calais, at EU prices. Don't know whether it works for Skoda.

 

A few years ago, when the pound was weak against the euro, the reverse happened a lot: UK dealers selling LHD cars to us at UK prices, which worked out well below EU prices. 

Interesting thanks

Do you have to much any luxury/high performance tax on cars in Belgium?

[markytop]

The dealership in Luxembourg that I purchased my vRS through certainly can supply RHD versions to UK customers. I have no idea of price as at the time they said they were mainly to people who wanted to jump the queue and beat the long vRS waiting lists as for some reason you could have a RHD spec delivered to Lux in about half the time of a RHD UK delivery.

 

Dealership if anyone interested was Garage M Losch, in Bereldange, Luxembourg. I've no affliation with them other to say i received good service from them and would use them again.

 

Also if thinking of using a dealer in Luxembourg, VAT goes up here by 2% (to 17%) on 1/1/15, so get in before the end of year to save an extra 2%

 

Be careful of spec though if you do go down this route as there were quite a few differences between UK and European specs - think this has narrowed slightly with the 2015MY changes as many of items standard on my 2014 Euro spec is now available on the UK models.

Edited 16 October, 2014 by markytop

[GatorLinearFade]

 

Do you have to much any luxury/high performance tax on cars in Belgium?

 

21%, but that doesn't matter as you'll get the VAT (BTW here) refunded when exporting, and then you'll have to pay the VAT in the UK. 

[adder]

The dealership in Luxembourg that I purchased my vRS through certainly can supply RHD versions to UK customers. I have no idea of price as at the time they said they were mainly to people who wanted to jump the queue and beat the long vRS waiting lists as for some reason you could have a RHD spec delivered to Lux in about half the time of a RHD UK delivery.

 

Dealership if anyone interested was Garage M Losch, in Bereldange, Luxembourg. I've no affliation with them other to say i received good service from them and would use them again.

 

Also if thinking of using a dealer in Luxembourg, VAT goes up here by 2% (to 17%) on 1/1/15, so get in before the end of year to save an extra 2%

 

Be careful of spec though if you do go down this route as there were quite a few differences between UK and European specs - think this has narrowed slightly with the 2015MY changes as many of items standard on my 2014 Euro spec is now available on the UK models.

Another interesting post thanks

Yes I heard about the lower Vat rate in Luxembourg, I know they always have long queues for the petrol on the motorways as well! 

Do you have to have a 'home address' in Luxembourg to register a car there? ie I'm wondering if I can save 5% on vat over UK by registering there first 

[Yogi-Bear]

Do you have to have a 'home address' in Luxembourg to register a car there? ie I'm wondering if I can save 5% on vat over UK by registering there first 

 

Seriously?  Have you read the link I posted at the start of this discussion?  Even if you register the car in Luxembourg first, if the taxman deems that it is a new car when you bring it over here (which he will if it is a couple of days old with hardly any mileage), then you're going to have to pay UK VAT @ 20% on it.

 

No offence, but given you started this out by saying we are being ripped off in Britain, and in the other thread you started you've found out that other countries end up paying a lot more than we do, are you honestly still thinking this is the best idea?  At the end of the day, over the life of the vehicle it's going to end up costing you a lot more, even if you do save a couple of £k up front.  Is the hassle really worth it?

[GatorLinearFade]

there's never a tax benefit in such constructions. Only an exchange rate and pricing policy advantage or disadvantage. 

[bouff34]

Don't you also get a shorter warranty if you do this...? The third year is supported by SUK so you won't get this if the car has come from Europe.

[adder]

Seriously?  Have you read the link I posted at the start of this discussion?  Even if you register the car in Luxembourg first, if the taxman deems that it is a new car when you bring it over here (which he will if it is a couple of days old with hardly any mileage), then you're going to have to pay UK VAT @ 20% on it.

 

No offence, but given you started this out by saying we are being ripped off in Britain, and in the other thread you started you've found out that other countries end up paying a lot more than we do, are you honestly still thinking this is the best idea?  At the end of the day, over the life of the vehicle it's going to end up costing you a lot more, even if you do save a couple of £k up front.  Is the hassle really worth it?

You need to keep up, we're down to circa £8800 for a basic 1.4 from the Czech republic 

Maybe it is a load of 'hassle' to buy a car in Prague, pay tax in Luxembourg, live in France for a month or so, then finally register it in the UK to save many thousands of pounds.....

I'll study the VAT issues closer but I thought the whole issue of a united Europe was no borders, no import tax, VAT only gets paid once????  Long live the EU! lol  :clap:

[Yogi-Bear]

You need to keep up, we're down to circa £8800 for a basic 1.4 from the Czech republic 

Maybe it is a load of 'hassle' to buy a car in Prague, pay tax in Luxembourg, live in France for a month or so, then finally register it in the UK to save many thousands of pounds.....

I'll study the VAT issues closer but I thought the whole issue of a united Europe was no borders, no import tax, VAT only gets paid once????  Long live the EU! lol  :clap:

 

I don't know how much more clearer I can make this - YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY UK VAT @ 20% WHEN YOU BRING THE CAR OVER HERE.  You will have to register it in the UK and the tax man isn't stupid, he will know it is a new car, even if you have lived in France with it for a month.

 

So... you've got a very basic LHD Octavia into this country for, let's say, all in around £11.5k including VAT and costs of getting it over here.  That's a £3k saving on a 1.2 S hatch with no options based on a price on Orangewheels, and I'm sure you could potentially have it for cheaper still.  Does the very basic car you have meet the 'S' spec, or is it even more basic?  Are you going to be happy driving it around for a long time?  If not, and you're going to look at selling it in 3 or 4 years, you'll either get next to nothing for it because it's not UK spec and it's LHD, or you won't be able to sell it at all.  So that'll be your £3k saving gone already.  Add in the extra that you will pay on insurance because it is LHD and not UK spec, and as someone said above you may have warranty issues after year 2...

 

I'm not saying it's not possible to get a car into this country for a cheaper up-front cost, but you're hardly comparing like-for-like, and you're not looking at the total cost of owning that car.

[bouff34]

WiggosSideburns, on 16 Oct 2014 - 14:16, said:

I don't know how much more clearer I can make this - YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY UK VAT @ 20% WHEN YOU BRING THE CAR OVER HERE.  You will have to register it in the UK and the tax man isn't stupid, he will know it is a new car, even if you have lived in France with it for a month.

 

So... you've got a very basic LHD Octavia into this country for, let's say, all in around £11.5k including VAT and costs of getting it over here.  That's a £3k saving on a 1.2 S hatch with no options based on a price on Orangewheels, and I'm sure you could potentially have it for cheaper still.  Does the very basic car you have meet the 'S' spec, or is it even more basic?  Are you going to be happy driving it around for a long time?  If not, and you're going to look at selling it in 3 or 4 years, you'll either get next to nothing for it because it's not UK spec and it's LHD, or you won't be able to sell it at all.  So that'll be your £3k saving gone already.  Add in the extra that you will pay on insurance because it is LHD and not UK spec, and as someone said above you may have warranty issues after year 2...

 

I'm not saying it's not possible to get a car into this country for a cheaper up-front cost, but you're hardly comparing like-for-like, and you're not looking at the total cost of owning that car.

And as for that first overtake of a slow moving tractor on a narrow country road...out a bit, bit more, bit more...oh dear.... I suppose you could pay for a spotter to sit in the offside passenger seat????

[bouff34]

You need to keep up, we're down to circa £8800 for a basic 1.4 from the Czech republic 

Maybe it is a load of 'hassle' to buy a car in Prague, pay tax in Luxembourg, live in France for a month or so, then finally register it in the UK to save many thousands of pounds.....

I'll study the VAT issues closer but I thought the whole issue of a united Europe was no borders, no import tax, VAT only gets paid once????  Long live the EU! lol  :clap:

So why isn't everybody doing it if there is such a massive saving and it's all so easy to do? Why aren't brokers doing it for us if there's a profit to be made?

[adder]

I don't know how much more clearer I can make this - YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY UK VAT @ 20% WHEN YOU BRING THE CAR OVER HERE.  You will have to register it in the UK and the tax man isn't stupid, he will know it is a new car, even if you have lived in France with it for a month.

 

So... you've got a very basic LHD Octavia into this country for, let's say, all in around £11.5k including VAT and costs of getting it over here.  That's a £3k saving on a 1.2 S hatch with no options based on a price on Orangewheels, and I'm sure you could potentially have it for cheaper still.  Does the very basic car you have meet the 'S' spec, or is it even more basic?  Are you going to be happy driving it around for a long time?  If not, and you're going to look at selling it in 3 or 4 years, you'll either get next to nothing for it because it's not UK spec and it's LHD, or you won't be able to sell it at all.  So that'll be your £3k saving gone already.  Add in the extra that you will pay on insurance because it is LHD and not UK spec, and as someone said above you may have warranty issues after year 2...

 

I'm not saying it's not possible to get a car into this country for a cheaper up-front cost, but you're hardly comparing like-for-like, and you're not looking at the total cost of owning that car.

Who mentioned a 1.2? The minimum I will take is 1.4  (PRICES BASED ON A 1.4!( Ok it's the old one and actually I'm holding out for the new ACT version  :p

Look, Skoda UK deam that the min spec for a 1.4 is SE at circa £20k. The rest of Europe disagree...... The price difference is humongous!!! So ok I'm happy paying UK vat on an £11k 1.4 Octavia.....on the other hand I might go and live in Europe, I think the 'wealth effect' is starting to wear a bit thin over here lol 

[Yogi-Bear]

The price difference is humongous!!!

 

 

So is the difference in spec.  As I said, you're not comparing like for like.  If you want a really basic car for as little cash as possible, go look at someone like Dacia.  They'll give you a warranty and a RHD car for a lot less still, and without the hassle.  I really can't see the point of being hell-bent on getting an Octavia for bottom dollar in LHD to use in this country.  It doesn't make sense on many levels.

[ExpatHotspur]

I genuinely admire your lateral thinking. While you couldn't perhaps get equivalent market rate for an imported LHD in UK, what's to stop you selling it abroad too? Because of the income inequality, cars in the Czech republic hold their residual value much longer, because owners tend to hold onto their cars for much longer compared to the UK. Lots of mk1 Octavias/ Felicias/ Favorits over here etc. For example, a friend here in Prague recently paid 2000 GBP equiv for a 2003 Ford Mondeo Estate petrol I wouldn't expect to pay more than 1000 for in the UK.

[gt40]

...on the other hand I might go and live in Europe, I think the 'wealth effect' is starting to wear a bit thin over here lol 

 

[Yogi-Bear]

I would expect someone to pay me to take a 10 year old Mondeo off their hands...  :p

[ExpatHotspur]

I would expect someone to pay me to take a 10 year old Mondeo off their hands...  :p

Amen

[adder]

So is the difference in spec.  As I said, you're not comparing like for like.  If you want a really basic car for as little cash as possible, go look at someone like Dacia.  They'll give you a warranty and a RHD car for a lot less still, and without the hassle.  I really can't see the point of being hell-bent on getting an Octavia for bottom dollar in LHD to use in this country.  It doesn't make sense on many levels.

The spec isn't!!!! You're still having difficulty believing my original post aren't you? Look all I want is one of the best engines in the world at a reasonable price, why is that so unreasonable? I think you've been brainwashed into accepting high prices, lol

Edit: I'm actually starting to believe I can get it even cheaper now after checking out those czech prices 

Edited 16 October, 2014 by adder

[adder]

Yes very good Freud, I think I'll come here more often for my psychotherapy