Importing a second hand motorhome (1 Viewer)

Jul 5, 2013
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Motorhome prices seem very much cheaper in Europe at the moment and I am thinking of buying a secondhand one there. I have seen several threads setting out in detail how to buy new and import, including dealing with VAT etc. But can anybody help me with secondhand ones please.

I am thinking about ones that 2 years or so old, so they should all have a CoC. And I would probably buy from a dealer.

What is the best (cheapest) country to buy secondhand in?
Does VAT have to be dealt with as with a new one?
How do I pay for it and get it over from wherever I buy it back to home?
How do I then get it registered in this country?
And finally are there any problems with insuring imports?

Thanks for any help you can give me.
 

Silver-Fox

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Might be worth doing a search first

There has been plenty of posts about this recently

Good luck with your purchase (y)

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StefAndDi

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Peter,
I see that the N & B that you expressed an interest in has now been flagged up as sold. Somebody's got themself a lovely van.
Stef.

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TheWM

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I did it in May. Easy.

No VAT @ that age.

Paying as you would pay in the UK.

Insurance can be found if you do a bit of searching- depends on level of cover.

Bit of paperwork with VCA and DVLA in the UK but can be turned around in 4-6 weeks.

Germany, France and Belgium all have decent dealers at fair prices.
 
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peterc10
Jul 5, 2013
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I did it in May. Easy.

No VAT @ that age.

Paying as you would pay in the UK.

Insurance can be found if you do a bit of searching- depends on level of cover.

Bit of paperwork with VCA and DVLA in the UK but can be turned around in 4-6 weeks.

Germany, France and Belgium all have decent dealers at fair prices.
Many thanks. Have you got a link to any decent dealers you came across please? And also links in the VCA and DVLA please? Or is it as easy as just searching their site , because in my experience government sites are never that well organised!
 

TheWM

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GWAYGWAY

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Would there be the full VAT to be paid in the country where it was bought from a dealer. I understood that the UK only charges VAT on the balance between the cost and the sale price of a dealer bought vehicle but the rest of the EEC charge the 20% on the full sale price.
I may be wrong and would be delighted if I was as that would make secondhand a lot cheaper from there. You cannot claim back the VAT on a secondhand one from the German dealers. If you look on Mobile.de the ex- rental ones all leave off the VAT reclaimable bit as you must pay it there????????????????????????? The new ones all have the VAT as refundable. I think it is 6 months and 6000 miles when the break point between new and secondhand occurs with HMRC.
 

TheWM

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You will have to pay local tax, yes. Not into the UK as if listed above 6 months or older (unsure of mileage so please do check these points). Even with the local German tax (19%) still cheaper.

And nail the Euro price you buy, which is key. A movement from 1.2 - 1.3 is the equivalent of £3k. I was lucky and managed to get a rate of 1.41, which the movement that week, for me paid for the all the costs (flights, hotels, food, spending money and fuel driving back).

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Mr B

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We did it in March from France.
Would do it again now we got the hang of it.
It's the VCA you have to be careful with ;)
 

Abacist

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We did it in March from France.
Would do it again now we got the hang of it.
It's the VCA you have to be careful with ;)

For those of us who don't know please tell us what a VCA is?

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Abacist

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OK - Got it now - Vehicle Certification Agency
 

Judge Mental

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Would there be the full VAT to be paid in the country where it was bought from a dealer. I understood that the UK only charges VAT on the balance between the cost and the sale price of a dealer bought vehicle but the rest of the EEC charge the 20% on the full sale price.
I may be wrong and would be delighted if I was as that would make secondhand a lot cheaper from there. You cannot claim back the VAT on a secondhand one from the German dealers. If you look on Mobile.de the ex- rental ones all leave off the VAT reclaimable bit as you must pay it there????????????????????????? The new ones all have the VAT as refundable. I think it is 6 months and 6000 miles when the break point between new and secondhand occurs with HMRC.

6 months and 6000 miles correct. its not an either or its both. If its dealer sale you can elect to pay the 19% vat there. If advertised as vat not reclaimable it was probably an owned PX

Once you have done it you will wonder what the fuss was all about. Call dvla and get an import pack

My knowledge mainly with new but last van was a nearly new with 9000 miles and a great buy.

With used you can get an independent vehicle inspection. Or get a budget flight and go over it yourself. Can do this once if you get moneies sorted out beforehand or it may require two trips. Best to keep in say tbe Düsseldorf area as its only 4 hr drive. Other side of Germany can be twice that. I know a good dealer PM me for details. They do all the changes and offer fully comp export insurance... if buying new don't withhold the vat

Eddie
 
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Charlie

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Where are the savings made ?

Is it that the vehicles are simply cheaper in Europe ?

Or is it that buying from Europe taxes paid here in the UK are dodged ?

To be honest I cant see the real gains. If most or all of the vehicles are LHD then come sale time they surely have to worth less money.. OK fair call there is less outlay and less return but even though most of our use will be in Europe I just don't want a LHD vehicle. Personal preference of course but that's me.

But curiosity demands I have to ask where is the money saved ?

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Judge Mental

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Where are the savings made ?

Is it that the vehicles are simply cheaper in Europe ?

Or is it that buying from Europe taxes paid here in the UK are dodged ?

To be honest I cant see the real gains. If most or all of the vehicles are LHD then come sale time they surely have to worth less money.. OK fair call there is less outlay and less return but even though most of our use will be in Europe I just don't want a LHD vehicle. Personal preference of course but that's me.

But curiosity demands I have to ask where is the money saved ?


Substantial.....that is why we bother:) A bit academic Charlie if you cant see yourself driving LHD..Everyone I know prefer them. Easy then to PX for another LHD

pick a van and look on here to compare: wwwe.mobile.de
 

Charlie

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Substantial.....that is why we bother:) A bit academic Charlie if you cant see yourself driving LHD..Everyone I know prefer them. Easy then to PX for another LHD

pick a van and look on here to compare: wwwe.mobile.de

Everyone prefers LHD ? Really ?

My question was where does the saving come from ?
 

Mr B

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Everyone prefers LHD ? Really ?

My question was where does the saving come from ?

Ok. At the start of this year, we was looking at a A class Rapido 9095df from Northern Ireland , price £45995 for a 09 plate, can't remember the miles.
In March, just by looking on this forum (I think it was judgemental) I was told to look on Mobil.de for campers. I eventually (we) found one on leboncoin, from a dealer.
A Rapido 9095df, 2011 plate, 25,000 miles, solar, sat dish, bike rack, thermal screen cover,,,,,,£38,000
So, in my opinion a bit of a saving.
:)

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Charlie

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Ok. At the start of this year, we was looking at a A class Rapido 9095df from Northern Ireland , price £45995 for a 09 plate, can't remember the miles.
In March, just by looking on this forum (I think it was judgemental) I was told to look on Mobil.de for campers. I eventually (we) found one on leboncoin, from a dealer.
A Rapido 9095df, 2011 plate, 25,000 miles, solar, sat dish, bike rack, thermal screen cover,,,,,,£38,000
So, in my opinion a bit of a saving.
:)

You quote my post but in no way answer my question ! I'm not questioning how much is saved I asked twice above where or for what reason the price points differ..

Either we in the UK are asked more for an identical vehicle in the UK or there is tax or duties being dodged ?

There has to be a reason other than the steering wheel being on the wrong side .
 

Mr B

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I think the list price is a lot cheaper over the channel, and there is no tax,duties being dodged, as you have to register the chassis with HM revenue customs before you can get it registered etc. Maybe it's £10,000 to put it to RHD, put an oven in and maybe electric heating along side of the gas one.
Can't really put my finger on why they are cheaper.

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Charlie

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I think the list price is a lot cheaper over the channel, and there is no tax,duties being dodged, as you have to register the chassis with HM revenue customs before you can get it registered etc. Maybe it's £10,000 to put it to RHD, put an oven in and maybe electric heating along side of the gas one.
Can't really put my finger on why they are cheaper.

It would be interesting to know..

I do have experience with importing motor cycles from abroad. We bought them cheaper but the values come sale time were considerably less to the point of them actually costing more for road riders as they had an interest in the residual values.

In short motorcycle dealers often refused to take them in part exchange because imports undermined the sale of the machines in their showrooms. Insurance cost more as well.

To us who stripped all the road gear off them and raced them residual values mattered not a jot..
 
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peterc10
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There has to be a reason other than the steering wheel being on the wrong side .
I would guess the following will effect it.

Bigger market - many more sold in Europe than in the UK. And therefore more competition between the brands and the dealers. Oh and finally I guess the recent strength of the pound against the Euro. And finally the models tend to be less well specced in Europe I think.

It was the same with cars, but less so now.
 

Abacist

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Obviously there will be a price for delivery to the UK and for the higher cost of right hand drive as we all know.

European manufacturers have to decide on a price at which to sell vans in the UK in Sterling whereas all their costs are in Euros. These prices have to be determined well in advance i.e. they have to be ready in about August and will apply to production and orders for the next year. In that time the Euro or the Pound might move against them resulting in significant losses. I would imagine that they build a margin into their prices to hedge against this. This might account for the difference but also the vans have to be competitive against English vans and perhaps the English vans are expensive relative to European costs allowing the foreign vans to have a higher profit margin in the UK as many European vans are made in eastern Europe with cheaper labour or Eastern Europeans are working in Western Europe with lower pay much like we now find that English manufacturers can pay less as cheaper labour moves into the country! We can at the end of the day speculate to our hearts content but those are a few ideas for consideration.

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Judge Mental

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Obviously there will be a price for delivery to the UK and for the higher cost of right hand drive as we all know.

European manufacturers have to decide on a price at which to sell vans in the UK in Sterling whereas all their costs are in Euros. These prices have to be determined well in advance i.e. they have to be ready in about August and will apply to production and orders for the next year. In that time the Euro or the Pound might move against them resulting in significant losses. I would imagine that they build a margin into their prices to hedge against this. This might account for the difference but also the vans have to be competitive against English vans and perhaps the English vans are expensive relative to European costs allowing the foreign vans to have a higher profit margin in the UK as many European vans are made in eastern Europe with cheaper labour or Eastern Europeans are working in Western Europe with lower pay much like we now find that English manufacturers can pay less as cheaper labour moves into the country! We can at the end of the day speculate to our hearts content but those are a few ideas for consideration.

agree with all that. but have highlighted the brief first paragraph...As far as i'm concerned happy with live exchange rate. A fixed rate for dealers convenience not ours.....not lost out yet.

delivery price is quoted in dealer option list. it may be hidden from you in the retail price it may be quoted. So if dealer down the road from manufacturer or in a another country, quotes I have seen have been identical. normally around £1100 - 1400. dealer seem to have a knack of just changing the € for the £ symbol, but not applying an exchange rate..Unsurprisingly same goes for the actual van

RHD option. normally between £1200 - £1700 . so you can estimate under £2K for that. the majority of so called UK spec vans not "handed" behind the steering wheel, identical to Lhd.

Many pay a high price for the narrow stretch of the English channel... right hand cab, an oven, carpets and other nick knacks that UK dealers try and convince are UK spec...all can be had on an import except the Rhd.

my two recent quotes for a Carthago and a Hymer got me nowhere near an import price. Some where £25000 more. Yes there are less speculative dealers in the UK who are more reasonable, but they still want more for what I can easily go and pick up myself thanks:)
 
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Where are the savings made ?

Is it that the vehicles are simply cheaper in Europe ?

Or is it that buying from Europe taxes paid here in the UK are dodged ?

To be honest I cant see the real gains. If most or all of the vehicles are LHD then come sale time they surely have to worth less money.. OK fair call there is less outlay and less return but even though most of our use will be in Europe I just don't want a LHD vehicle. Personal preference of course but that's me.

But curiosity demands I have to ask where is the money saved ?

Normally the price in euros is transposed directly into pounds. I.E. an on the road price of 80000 € would be £80000 in the UK ( if they don't add 2-3k pound s for " delivery " as well ! )
So straight away the euro saving is 32k at todays rate or £23-26000. That's with all taxes paid. Only additional UK expense would be getting it registered.
Yes they are cheaper in Europe.
No taxes are dodged.
LHD are normally worth more. I know car dealers that trade in the midlands & have done longer than I have been alive & that sell only lhd; nothing else. The average second hand vehicle can be 3 times the right hand drive price.

You quote my post but in no way answer my question ! I'm not questioning how much is saved I asked twice above where or for what reason the price points differ..

Either we in the UK are asked more for an identical vehicle in the UK or there is tax or duties being dodged ?

There has to be a reason other than the steering wheel being on the wrong side .

You are being charged more in the UK , You always are.:( ( I remember reading a few years back that Peugeot sold about 10% of it's production in the UK , which contributed 32% of company profits. Says it all really )

As an aside when the " crisis" started in 2008 i asked the question re vehicle prices then .
A car in the UK with a retail price of say 20k ( The fact that anyone rarely paid that figure as normally discount would be given ) would be on sale here at 30-32 k euros ( & discount here is something that they didn't understand).
Roughly £1 = 1,50€ or 1,60€
Therefore as the euro/pound achieved parity it followed that either the UK price had to rise some 50% or the EU prices had to reduce by 30% , Or we are all being taken for fools.
As neither happened then it was obvious what the answer was.

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