I've always loved cars that stand out from the crowd. When I was a kid, all
my mates had posters of Lamborghini Countachs and Ferrari Testarossas on their walls
because they were the glamour cars of the early Eighties. Me, I had a MASH-style
US Army Willys Jeep and a Saab Sonett. There was nothing wrong with the mainstream
stuff, I just wanted something different.
It's great to have any car you can enjoy, care for and even modify. But for some
enthusiasts, part of the appeal is owning something that little bit more unusual.
One way to achieve the dream is to import something exotic from Japan or America.
These petrolheads are a key part of the Swinton Specialist family – and I'm going
to tell you how you could be one of them!
The place to go for cover
Swinton Specialist's call centre manager is Ian Galloway and he's at the front line
when it comes to talking to customers like you.
"Whatever import you're considering, Swinton Specialist is the place to come
for cover. Whether it's something fairly standard such as a Mitsubishi Pajero, Toyota
Celica or Mazda Eunos Roadster, or weird and wonderful like a Mazda Bongo, Ford
Freda or Nissan Largo, we have specialist sales advisors who know exactly what you're
talking about."
So where do you find an import?
That depends on whether your dream wheels are already in the UK – meaning someone
else has gone through the hassle and expense of bringing it in on a boat – or whether
you want something hot and brand new from abroad.
Let's start with used cars – more affordable for more people – that were imported
some time ago. After all, it's a whole lot easier to kick the tyres when you don't
have to take a 12-hour plane ride to do it! There are plenty in Auto Trader magazine;
the Jap stuff tends to be mixed in with UK cars under the vehicle type heading,
eg 4WD, but yank tanks are under 'Classics, American and LHD'. Alternatively, go
on www.autotrader.co.uk and search more specifically.
A quick web trawl using the name of the car you're after will usually bring up some
enthusiast websites, which are always a good source of vehicles for sale. They will
have been loved and owners are usually happy to chat and answer questions about
their pride and joy. Also check the small ads in the specialist motoring magazines,
such as American Car World or Japanese Performance. Here you will find private sales
but also independent traders (who may also be the import agent) specialising in
foreign metal.
What about getting something new?
Fancy a factory fresh Jap-spec Mitsubishi Evo X? You need to go further a field
to find one and make no mistake, the current pound vs yen exchange rate means it's
going to cost you. But if you're looking for something special to mark out your
motor from your mate's, you can't beat it.
Sadly, there's no website with a web cam helpfully pointing at a Tokyo new vehicle
park, where you just pick what you want and pay with plastic. It's a whole lot more
complicated than that, and very few private individuals do an import themselves.
Most people use an agent. Again, a few minutes of computer time will give you loads
of firms, but there's one place you're guaranteed to find a reputable one.
The British Independent Motor Trade Association (BIMTA) is the umbrella organisation
for importers and its chairman is Trevor Wood. He also runs his own vehicle import/export
business, GT Vehicles, and offers advice for import buyers.
"We would strongly recommend people use a BIMTA-registered import agent. They
understand exactly what's required, will be able to help with all the paperwork
and be fully abreast of all the latest regulations. And the reality is it will actually
be cheaper for them to do it for you"
Visit www.bimta.org for more info.
Let's talk cost
The import cost depends on the car, but once you've paid for the vehicle, you'll
be looking at up to £1,000 to get it to the UK, either on a container ship
or a roro vehicle transport vessel. There's then 10 per cent import duty plus VAT
on the value of the vehicle. Oh yes, and finally there's anything up to £2k
to make it legal for UK roads.
If would be great if you could just find your car on the dockside and drive home
with a grin from ear to ear. Guess again! There's a whole heap of red tape you've
got to fight your way through first, and that's where an import agent is worth his
weight in gold.
The car's got to be registered and taxed with the DVLA, and if it's coming from
outside the EU – so countries like Japan or America – you're going to need to get
it checked out to make sure it's legal and conforms to our road rules. For years
this has meant getting Single Vehicle Approval (SVA), but from April there's a new
test called Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA). It's fundamentally the same, but
takes account of the latest safety and emissions regulations. There's stacks more
detail on what you need to do – including an 'Import Information Pack' – available
from the DVLA. Visit www.dvla.gov.uk for more.
In the end, I put my money where my mouth is. I couldn't stretch to an original
Willys Jeep so I bought the next best thing, its spiritual successor. In my garage
today is an ancient and roofless Jeep Wrangler; the body roll on roundabouts is
shocking and the 4.0-litre engine sucks petrol forecourts dry, but it puts a smile
on my face when I drive it. And that's what being a car fan is all about. My wife's
got a Ford Focus estate for running the kids around but we keep that quiet.