Warning about taking car back to the U.K.
Apr 23rd 2006, 12:13 am
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 23
Warning about taking car back to the U.K.
We were planning on taking our 11 month old Mitisubishi Outlander back to the U.K. and while we discovered that we wouldn't have to pay import duties taxes on the car we learned the following:-
a) Australian cars despite being built in other countries including Japan are built to Australian road standards so therefore:-
our 5 year warranty and extended 10 year warranty falls away as soon as the car leaves the country.
Sorry I know some may raise their eyebrows and think that this is obvious but it wasn't obvious to us so we now have to sell our car as well as our house!
a) Australian cars despite being built in other countries including Japan are built to Australian road standards so therefore:-
our 5 year warranty and extended 10 year warranty falls away as soon as the car leaves the country.
Sorry I know some may raise their eyebrows and think that this is obvious but it wasn't obvious to us so we now have to sell our car as well as our house!
Apr 23rd 2006, 1:34 pm
#2
Small Dane
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: UK, was Japan
Posts: 42
Re: Warning about taking car back to the U.K.
I looked into the possibility of bringing a car with me (Japan also has right hand drive) but I would have faced a terrible cocktail of paperwork, compulsory modifications (catalytic converter etc.), shipping costs (800 pounds or so), and a wait of 3 months or more.
However the price differential between the UK and Japan is astonishing, for newer models the same car is 1000's of pounds cheaper in Japan, and usually with a higher spec as well. I can see why there is a brisk trade in Japanese grey imports in Britain. Even the little independent dealer in Japan, from whom I bought my old Toyota when I was there, knew that Britain was termed "treasure island" by the Japanese manufacturers. He casually asked me how much the cars on his lot would fetch in Britain, and I could see the Yen signs flashing in his eyes when I told him the prices of similar models from Autotrader!
Car-buyers of the UK be in no doubt: you are being right royally taken to the cleaners :-(
Petrol is 63p a litre in Japan as well. And insurance is cheaper because there's no car crime.
(If you haven't guessed, I just bought a used Nissan Almera and the price tag stung, but I told myself for the hundredth time: "you're in the UK now, better get used to it"). Hey ho, it's only money.
However the price differential between the UK and Japan is astonishing, for newer models the same car is 1000's of pounds cheaper in Japan, and usually with a higher spec as well. I can see why there is a brisk trade in Japanese grey imports in Britain. Even the little independent dealer in Japan, from whom I bought my old Toyota when I was there, knew that Britain was termed "treasure island" by the Japanese manufacturers. He casually asked me how much the cars on his lot would fetch in Britain, and I could see the Yen signs flashing in his eyes when I told him the prices of similar models from Autotrader!
Car-buyers of the UK be in no doubt: you are being right royally taken to the cleaners :-(
Petrol is 63p a litre in Japan as well. And insurance is cheaper because there's no car crime.
(If you haven't guessed, I just bought a used Nissan Almera and the price tag stung, but I told myself for the hundredth time: "you're in the UK now, better get used to it"). Hey ho, it's only money.
