2nd hand cars
 

Given that 2nd hand cars are so expensive here in Hungary, I am looking at the possibility of buying in the UK and bringing it here, to eventually re-register it on Hungarian plates.
There are some problems associated with this but I have seen a few UK reg cars for sale here so it must be possible.
I'm not sure how I'm going to do this without a UK address to register the car but there must be a way to buy for export with the EU.
Does anyone have any experience or ideas re this process?

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

Could you not buy a car from Germany? I don't know the ins and outs but my brother-in-law's brother bought a LHD Ford Mondero estate from Germany. Absolutely good condition and from the sound of things a good price too.

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

Possibly, or I suppose the Netherlands etc. I'm not clear though how easy it is to do so while not a resident in those countries...
Certainly worth some research though.

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

You can import cars but there is quite a high registration fee to pay (AKA import tax!!) The amount you pay depends upon the cars age and if you import a UK car (right-hand drive) then I believe there are restrictions on resale (like you can't)

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

A tax calculator can be found at

Regadó kalkulátor - regisztrációs adó számítás (autó / motor) | Euvonal

Commercial vehicles (vans) are much cheaper as minimal registration fee

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

We ended up buying new as the eventual price between the new version and the 5 year old version was almost the same.

I would be wary as the registration tax can be expensive even for Hungarian registered cars and I would imagine importing one as a private person would be an absolute headache. We have bought two used vehicles and just bought locally registered cars as the headache was enough with them rather than buy abroad!

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

I "sold" my German car to my Hungarian son in law after he was stopped once and told that it was illegal to drive the car for more than 24 hours (even with authorisation) and he later told me that it was a real hassle and a lot of paperwork - even for him who speaks Hungarian and obviously knows all the rules, looked them up on the internet ...
I wrote on this before - you have to leave the papers and the old licence plates (!) because there used to be a lot of cheating there ...

And he couldn't give me any documentation so after some time (more than a month ...) I called the German office responsible for cars and the nice woman on the phone just asked for the number of the licence plate. Then she looked into her computer and said:
Oh yes, everything is alright - the Hungarian authorities informed us and soon you'll get a letter from the tax office which will give you back your tax. And you can use that letter to ask the insurance company to give you back your money too ...

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

I bought a small, basic, car that was less than 3 years old. I bought it from the dealer in Hungary who had also sold it new and presumably took it in part exchange for another new car. This was in 2012 and I paid just under a million ft, which at the time was about the going rate for a 6 year old Astra. They did all the paperwork, including insurance so it was all very easy. The worst bit was waiting for the bus on the day I was due to pick it up. It was -18 c that morning, the coldest day since I moved to Hungary.

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

No restrictions on RHD cars at all. The Slovaks used to really hold up the paperwork as they considered them unsafe to drive on the wrong side of the road but the EU soon put them right and they go through normally. The best bet if you want left hand drive is to 1. Buy in Germany (where 92% of 2nd hand cars come from) you then get transit plates and insurance valid for a week in order to drive the car back. The car should however have a valid tuv. Add up the costs of plates, insurance, possibly a tuv if it doesn't have one, getting there and back plus Hungarian registration and see what the car would really cost vis a vis buying a similar used car in Hungary.

Buy in Italy, the plates stay with the car like the UK and you can get insurance to cover driving back. The same applies in the Netherlands. However Italian cars are more than in Gemany and Dutch prices are pretty horrendous.

A UK car has to be registered to you and you should have a valid UK address. Your normaul insurance covers you 3rd party in Europe without having to advise the insurance company. However at the end of 12 months you either take it back for MOT or register it here. Used to be a breeze in the old days in Spain with MOT by post if you knew a friend in the trade. The main advantage with UK cars is they are cheap by continental standards.

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

Are these transit plates issued in Germany or Hungary? I have been worried about the catch 22 situation that I can't get Hungarian insurance unless my vehicle has Hungarian registration but I need to drive it to the government MoT station to get it inspected as part of the registration process. I have been thinking in terms of getting temporary UK insurance (expensive as my UK NCB has lapsed since I've not had UK insurance since 2012) or get it transported by a recovery firm.

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

You get them there. The dealer will sort them out for you. I think the all in cost is around 100 eurs. Look on line for temporary registration in Germany

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

Sorry, I was only wanting to know if such a system operates in Hungary as I still want to register my UK van on Hungarian plates. I have asked before if there is any system in Hungary like the UK trade plates but nobody seems to know.

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

There is a 'P' plate - P with numbers after it. P is for próba (= test) which garages use but last time I knew anything about them the use was restricted to work days (can not be used on Sundays) and like trade plates in the UK they are restricted issue.
So they exist but I have no idea how to get them.

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

Some very helpful and thought-provoking comments, thanks to all.

Re: 2nd hand cars
 

I just heard from a German friend who has a small garage that he sold three used cars today to a group of Hungarians that arrived with a small truck. One car was loaded up (it was a bit in need of repair ...), for the other two they brought Hungarian P-licence plates with them to Stuttgart with which they drove off - it's only 700 km ...