importing a g55 from usa

[mercmanuk]

ive been thinking about importing a g55 from the usa for a while,with the $ being 1.85 to the £ its a viable idea.compare what a 2003 g55 sells for here,and look what you pay in the usa its crazy.has anyone imported from the usa who can give advise,transporting,import taxes etc etc etc.
cheers baz

 

[wongl]

Are you looking at new or used?

I have imported a used car from the USA, but as I was relocating back to the UK at that time and had the car for more than 6 months I didn't have to pay any import tax or VAT.

The shipping costs varied from US$500 (if you were to drop off at the docks in NY and collect from the docks in Southampton) to around US$3000 door to door (our car was collected from Chicago so there were added shipping charges to NY as we did not want our car to be driven there).

If you are buying new, I would suggest buying at a US dealer on the European collection program. Under this program a US buyer travels to Germany, collects the car off the production line, drives around Europe and drops it off at various collection centres to have the car shipped to a US dealer. Now what if you did not return the car to the collection point but imports it to the UK? Sure you will have to pay import duty and VAT (as the car would have been supplied tax-free) but I don't think Mercedes can force you to drop the car off at their collection centre!!!

 

[jgevers]

Unless you can document that the car has been in your name in the country of initial registration, you will have to pay 10% duty and 17.5% VAT.

As for shipping, the East coast docks are all regulated by the Teamsters, so very expensive. Better to ship through Montreal and almost half your shipping costs.

Good luck

 

[Benzowner]

If you are considering used, you can also import from Japan. They will still be left hand drive. Try one of the Japanese car importers, some also import non Japanese cars

 

[wongl]

Unless you can document that the car has been in your name in the country of initial registration, you will have to pay 10% duty and 17.5% VAT.

As for shipping, the East coast docks are all regulated by the Teamsters, so very expensive. Better to ship through Montreal and almost half your shipping costs.

Good luck

I have always wondered if a US Mercedes collected via their European Program was imported to the UK without being it ever being shipped out of the EU, would this still attract car import duty? Having imported a Merc from Denmark, I can confirm that there was only VAT to pay with no duty to pay since it was imported within the EU.

Not sure how a US purchased Merc imported from Germany will be treated by HM Customs.

 

[league67]

I have always wondered if a US Mercedes collected via their European Program was imported to the UK without being it ever being shipped out of the EU, would this still attract car import duty? Having imported a Merc from Denmark, I can confirm that there was only VAT to pay with no duty to pay since it was imported within the EU.

Not sure how a US purchased Merc imported from Germany will be treated by HM Customs.

If the VAT was paid in Denmark (Denmark is part of EEC right ?). Then no taxation whatsoever is due.

Stand to be corrected.


Regards Voya

 

[wongl]

If the VAT was paid in Denmark (Denmark is part of EEC right ?). Then no taxation whatsoever is due.

Stand to be corrected.


Regards Voya

No, no. Denmark is a high taxation country, so their car tax is something like 65%! Under the current EU rules, new cars, boats and planes have to be taxed in the country they are to be registered (permenantly) in, so I "had no choice" but to buy my Merc tax-free from Denmark (a savings of nearly £10K) and then pay UK VAT when I registered it over here (a net savings of nearly £7K).

It was a fully loaded A170 CDI - UK on the road price of £22.5K, Denmark tax-free price £12.5K, UK VAT £2.2K, ferry costs £400.

 

[A-AvantGarde]

When did you import your car from Denmark?

I thought the rules had changed (although perhaps this only applies to the EU). I seem to recall that changes meant that those importing cars from the EU made you liable to pay VAT in the country of purchase, then VAT again in the UK at which point you can claim the VAT back from the original country of purchase.

Still worth doing in many cases, however this stopped a lot of parallel imports, as you'd be out of pocket for a while...

If Denmark still works this sounds like a good option as their 'pre-tax' prices are very cheap.

 

[wongl]

When did you import your car from Denmark?

I thought the rules had changed (although perhaps this only applies to the EU). I seem to recall that changes meant that those importing cars from the EU made you liable to pay VAT in the country of purchase, then VAT again in the UK at which point you can claim the VAT back from the original country of purchase.

Still worth doing in many cases, however this stopped a lot of parallel imports, as you'd be out of pocket for a while...

If Denmark still works this sounds like a good option as their 'pre-tax' prices are very cheap.

A170 imported in 2001, but as far as I know the rules have not changed. However Germany (or at least Germany Dealers) insists that you pay German VAT which you can claim back on production of your UK VAT reciept. I know of at least two seperate cases where the German dealers only held on to the cheques for the German VAT which they simply returned on production of said UK VAT receipt. This leads me to believe that this not actually a German law, but the dealers protecting their behinds in case the buyer never pay VAT in another EU country. Presumably if this happens the dealers are liable for the VAT.

What has changed however is the Mercedes RHD surcharge. When I placed my order for the A170, the RHD surchage was around £400, but the order was never accepted by Mercedes Germany until the face lift W168 came out, and as such the price went up by around 2% which I didn't mind, but the RHD surchage went up to something like £650 which I did mind. In the end I complaint to Germany and they reduced the RHD surcharge back to the original price when I placed the order.

On the bigger car (e.g. S-Class) I heard that the RHD surcharge is something like £2k to £5K.

 

[DC_insider]

On the bigger car (e.g. S-Class) I heard that the RHD surcharge is something like £2k to £5K.

I don't know what the current RHD surcharges are but the EU Commission periodically publishes a report on car prices acroos the EU and it lists the RHD surcharges for the models they sample.

The latest report (November 2005) is available here:

http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/car_sector/price_diffs/

C180K RHD surcharge €2,135
E220 CDi RHD surcharge €1,815
S350 RHD surcharge €3,345

 

[jgevers]

I have always wondered if a US Mercedes collected via their European Program was imported to the UK without being it ever being shipped out of the EU, would this still attract car import duty? Having imported a Merc from Denmark, I can confirm that there was only VAT to pay with no duty to pay since it was imported within the EU.

Not sure how a US purchased Merc imported from Germany will be treated by HM Customs.

Cars imported from an EU country don't attract duty. Cars from outside the EU normally attract 10% duty as far as I know.