Importing a car from Japan

[Angus]

Anybody done anything like this??

I've brought a fairly cheap Eunos Roadster (MX5) which is currently in Japan. The company I've brought it through will sort out the shipping and duty/customs malarky but I have to sort out the stuff from Southampton; i.e.

get insurance
fit rear fog light
get MOT
get vehicle registered

I can't get registration (and therefore number plates) until I've got an MOT
I can't get an MOT unitl I've got a rear foglight
I can't see that I'd be able to fit a foglight at the docks
I must have insurance before I leave the docks

can I just get insurance and drive home from southampton (to Oxford) on the basis that I'll have an MOT ready booked?

Obviously I'm going to be a moving target for the cops in a sportscar with no registration plates

[Moby-Dick]

sounds like you'll have to trailer it
you can rent a car trailer for £40 - might be the safest option

[Russ]

yep, get ur zr to towe it up.

much easier to sort things from home.

[Angus]

one slight problemo.....

no towbar.

[Moby-Dick]

rent a van with a tobar /beg borrow someone elses ?

[Angus]

Might see if I can borrow Dad and his Montego.

Would be easier if I could drive it though....

[Moby-Dick]

probably would be ;-) but thats one of the hazards of buying an import m'afriad.

you woudl have been better off going to a place that imports AND SVA's them for you

[Angus]

probably would be ;-) but thats one of the hazards of buying an import m'afriad.

you woudl have been better off going to a place that imports AND SVA's them for you

of course - it's more of a personal challenge than anything; something I haven't done before. tbh I'll probably sell the car once it's all sorted (or Charlotte can use my ZR - she passed her theory test today, just the driving test to do now )

I'll either learn not to touch foreign imports with barge poles, or that Japan is actually quite a useful source for vehicles

here's hoping it's the latter...

[Moby-Dick]

indeed - if I had the cash I'd love to import an S15

[unrealrocks]

Yeah - I think towing would be the safest option ...

How much it cost you btw?

[Hammy]

you will probably need to get the car SVA'd before you can mot it
i think after 1995ish

check these sites out for importing
some of them have a lot of damaged stuff but they have straight stuff too

http://www.world-com.co.jp
http://www.tau-net.co.jp
http://www.w-a.co.jp/
http://www.win-tech.co.jp/inventory.html

[5lab]

yeah i think you need to get it sva'd as well as mot'd

[Angus]

you will probably need to get the car SVA'd before you can mot it
i think after 1995ish

check these sites out for importing
some of them have a lot of damaged stuff but they have straight stuff too

http://www.world-com.co.jp
http://www.tau-net.co.jp
http://www.w-a.co.jp/
http://www.win-tech.co.jp/inventory.html

it's a 1990 car, I've been told that it doesn't need SVA.

Cheers for the sites, I'll check them out.

Paid £900 for it, but I will get stung on duty, VAT, and shipping; the vehicle also needs a bit of work doing to it (needs rear fog to pass MOT, and the speedo face replacing to read in MPH and a bit of cosmetic work),

Found a really really useful site about importing vehicles http://www.importedvehicles.co.uk, unfortunately the gentleman who created the site and kept it up to date is having his funeral today.

[J4MES]

how did this all go angus?

[wilsonian]

I can't get registration (and therefore number plates) until I've got an MOT

not too sure what the rules are but my dad was allowed to drive his imported octavia back from dover to manchester. it was on either dutch plates or import plates - either way once he was home he couldn't drive it around with out the paper work and normal plates.

[Angus]

Car arrival date is to be 20th May - so I'm waiting to find out.

The rule is that you're allowed to drive the vehicle to a pre-booked MOT - so the intention is to either book a test for the day of collection and drive the eunos there.

Insurance should be ok - as a last resort there's a company at Lloyds in London that do gap insurance for about £80 which is third party only until the car is registered.

Also I've been offered the use of some trade plates; so I've got pretty much most options covered.

Delivery has taken a long time - but I've just finished my dissertation and the like so apart from revision I have a lot less to worry about

Another bonus is that summer is trying to break through so I might be able to make a penny or two out of the old banger