International Auto Source
 

Hi All,

Just used IAS to source a car ready for my full relocation date in Jan. I must say it has been really straightforward, for those that are debating what to do about a car it seems like a no brainer. (providing you can find something within your budget of course)

I am sure there have been numerous threads on IAS, but just wanted to share some positives for anyone in a similar position to myself. (L1 Visa, NO credit in the US and no company car provided by company)

Thanks

Re: International Auto Source
 

Yes we found them good.

I kept my car for 9 years and now my son has it.

Re: International Auto Source
 

Shanks, I'm glad to hear you found them to still be good. I bought a Mustang through IA in 2001 and found the service to be excellent. I have recommended them many many times since then, in fact so many times that someone at IA asked to speak to me! :lol:

I still have the Mustang. :)

Re: International Auto Source
 

Pulaski, yes very impressed - the biggest thing is that they are not jumping down your throat trying to get the deal done, they appreciate that these things take time - having worked in the motor trade for 6 years, this is far from the norm!

Big thumbs up from me.

Re: International Auto Source
 

Good to hear. I'm looking at them right now actually but weighing up whether to lease or finance a used car (or just sort it out when i get there).
What did you go for with them?

Re: International Auto Source
 

I've ordered a car with them too.
Don't forget to ask them about car insurance too. Hugely expensive compared to UK but half what Geico quoted me.

Re: International Auto Source
 

Here's what I got.
Ford Focus Kona Limited Edition with free bike rack and free Kona mountain bike.
loved it for nippy Euro handling.

(Passed it on to one of my nephews.)

http://www.focusfanatics.com/albums/...na_Edition.jpg

Re: International Auto Source
 

Hi, I am also looking at options with auto source. Do you mind me asking what car you decided on as i am finding it difficult without seeing the cars incase I don't like it.

Re: International Auto Source
 

Why not use this?

International AutoSource | Showroom

Re: International Auto Source
 

Thanks. Has anyone any experience of trying to get out of lease if required with international auto source?

Re: International Auto Source
 

What a strange question:confused:

Why agree on a lease while considering getting out of it somehow?
Who would actually require it?

Re: International Auto Source
 

Just thinking that if your circumstances change and you need to return home during the three year lease what would be the implications?

Re: International Auto Source
 

If you returned home there's not much they could actually do anyway...

But to break the lease legally you'd probably need to pay up.
If you didn't, in theory they could sue and collect a judgement, a civil judgement not a criminal one.
I don't think, (I don't know), if that could influence further trips to the US in the future.

Re: International Auto Source
 

But the lessor can only sue for actual losses not the gross value of all unpaid future lease payments, and assuming you turn over the vehicle with its keys the lessor gets back a more valuable (newer and less used) vehicle, so while they might be out some fees for scratches, scuffs, and cleaning, the actual loss for a prematurely terminated lease wouldn't be much for a run-of-the-mill car (US domestic, Volkswagen, or non-premium Japanese), might be more for a prestige brand vehicle.

Re: International Auto Source
 

I have a leased car through IAS. I only took a two yr lease, which i don't really plan on trying to get out of early, but I do recall in the deal there is an early get out in the last 6 mths, if you are leaving the US. Just looked it up & my docs say....."Repatriation Protection Plan:If for any reason, you need to terminate your stay prior to the completion of your vehicle contract, simply provide repatriation documentation from your employer and IAS will cover up to the final 6 months or $2500 of your remaining lease payments." Hope that helps :)

Re: International Auto Source
 

That's pretty good...I suppose it doesn't happen too often.

Re: International Auto Source
 

Pic of ours when we handed it over this summer.

Re: International Auto Source
 

Hi All,
I am also moving to Arizona end Dec on a IR1 Visa and was wondering if I would still qualify to use IAS considering the following:
I don’t have a job lined up yet but i am confident of getting one once I am there.
My wife and two kids (USC) have already made the trip, and she is working already but she is using an old Toyota Corolla donated to her by a relative.
We do have a small amount of money we could put towards a deposit ($4000) for a new or used but in good condition (i.e low millage).

Thank you
Doug

Re: International Auto Source
 

You could ask them?

Expat Car Sales without a Local Credit History & Global Car Rental | International AutoSource

(Where are you moving to and what kind of work will you be seeking? You may get good local advice from some members.)

Re: International Auto Source
 

Thanks for the link Hotscot,

I am moving to phoenix and will be seeking employment in Information Security(cyber security) field. I have over 10 years experience in application development as a release engineer/Application management but I have just completed my Msc in Computer Systems Security Management and will be looking for an entry level in cyber security field(career field change).

Any advice whether it's to do with buying a new car or finding a job is very very much appreciated.

Thanks

Re: International Auto Source
 

I admire your career interests...I think Phoenix will be a little thin on that sort of opportunity though, (I could be wrong), compared to the coastal regions.
You could also search for work at home jobs, and also create a robust LinkedIn entry.

Re: International Auto Source
 

Hi. Has anyone had problems with IAS?

for the last 2 months we have been trying to get a quote for a Ford Expedition yet each time they quoted they adjusted the spec. As we only have 3 weeks til we move we emailed again saying we were ready to go ahead and we were very specific on the car and spec and the quote we wanted to take up.
They happily took our deposit then came back to us with a lower spec car for more money each month telling us the car will be ready in November!!!
We have asked for our deposit back which they are refusing to do as they've ordered the car.....not the car we requested and we certainly don't want to be hiring a car for 3 months in the interim.

We've now decided to use savings and buy outright but we can't afford to lose $1000 and really don't need the stress on top of moving our family overseas.

Re: International Auto Source
 

What does the order that you signed say? If the car they are saying they've ordered is different to the signed order form then you're entitled to your deposit back I'd say.

Re: International Auto Source
 

We haven't signed anything but they're saying the deposit is non refundable despite pointing out numerous breaches to their t&c's

Re: International Auto Source
 

Do you have emails? I had them email me all the quotes and then replied to the one I wanted.

Re: International Auto Source
 

IA order new cars from the manufacturer and are subject to whatever delivery they get quoted. My Jeep took 15 weeks back in 2006.

Are you dealing with the UK office. If you are having problems in might pay to call the New York office and speak to someone there. If you were very specific in detailing the car you wanted, and they have ordered something else, I don't see they can argue.

You can call Ford Customer Service on 1-800-392-3673 8am to 8pm eastern time, and explain the problem to them. The car companies come down on dealers who piss customers around.

Re: International Auto Source
 

Why would you send a deposit when you haven't signed a contract? :confused:

In the absence of a contract I hope that there is an e-mail from you that says we want Model V in colour W, with options X, Y, and Z. Deposit to follow. Under UK law that is an "offer", which they can accept, or counter. Under UK law by accepting your deposit/ cashing your cheque, they accepted the terms you offered and cannot substitute other terms without your agreement.

Getting your deposit back might be tricky, but telling them that your purchase order was for Model V in colour W, with options X, Y, and Z, and that anything else will be rejected, should be straightforward, relatively.

In our case, we told IA what we wanted, they countered with what was "available". We responded saying that we wanted exactly what we wanted, and would wait to get it. IA ordered it directly from Ford Motors Corporation, and that was what was delivered to us. :)

Re: International Auto Source
 

Although the car is ordered through IA, it is Ford who do the financing. Phone Ford directly and tell them what is happening. if you need a phone number, I can probably dig one out because we got our car through IA and Ford almost 2 years ago.

We had no problems at all but we were warned to only order what they had in stock at that time - a colleague ordered a fancy Audi and it took months and months to arrive, IA kept pushing back the delivery date.

Re: International Auto Source
 

The finance might not be with Ford. Ours wasn't even though it was a brand new Ford Explorer. The finance was through a bank (M&T Bank).

Re: International Auto Source
 

I've leased 2 cars through IAS, pick them up in a about 8 weeks, sales process all been good. Its god to hear about positive experiences

Re: International Auto Source
 

How does the credit check process work? I see it says you don't require a "local" credit histiry, but does that mean you have to provide /they obtain a credit history from your current country?
Thanks

Re: International Auto Source
 

In my case they wanted three references from my US employer, plus details of salary (signed offer letter etc). I don't know if they actually called them up or not - would suspect not! But I don't think a traditional credit check was performed, either in the UK or the US...

Re: International Auto Source
 

Thanks

Re: International Auto Source
 

I got a quote through IAS, although I was keen on test driving the vehicle first and wanted to check insurance so decided against it, which I'm glad about personally.

I found most if not all dealerships offered manufacturer backed programs to finance new & used vehicles based on Tier 1 credit (i.e. most favorable rates) for people arriving on visas, they just required an employment letter showing a salary (i.e. > $75k). This is quite often enough to get 0% financing.

Also to consider is rebates is a massive thing, especially on domestic vehicles, and they're always offering deals on clear-out models so if you can be flexible there's some really decent deals to get in person, and also the dealerships have a lot more stock 'ready to go' than in UK, so you can 'sign & drive'.

I'm not 100% sure on legals, but the dealers all said you will need a US license. Not sure how IAS get around this, so maybe there's ways around it for leasing.

You'll want to make sure the lease/finance is tied to your SSN so it builds your credit rating I would think, does IAS allow you to add this information after?

Re: International Auto Source
 

Yes, in fact you are required to.

Re: International Auto Source
 

We arrived 9 days ago so don't have our SSNs yet.
We tried to lease a Toyota but they wouldn't do it without a SSN.
We're paying through the nose for a rental car!
Any advice on which dealerships might be able to help us?
Thanks 😀

Re: International Auto Source
 

Ford, GM, or Chrysler-Dodge are the big three domestic manufacturers, and I would recommend them in quality in that order (Ford = best). From what I hear, the desperation of dealers to sell cars is in the reverse order, with Chrysler-Dodge and Chevrolet "highly motivated" to sell cars. I read recently of a wag who reported that Chrysler-Dodge would finance a sale to a stray dog so long as it didn't pee on the showroom floor! :rofl:

Joking aside, Volkswagen is often reported on BE to be desperate to sell cars willing to finance vehicles for new immigrants.

Re: International Auto Source
 

Ok thanks for the info. I'll try Ford and VW then I think 😀

Re: International Auto Source
 

i don't know about everyone else here but we had no us credit when we moved and it posed us several problems at every dealer we went to and our uk credit or salary didnt matter at all to anyone. the dealers treated us like ghosts. international autosource is by far the best source for an expat to get their car. after moving to the US I have quickly realized that what these other car companies advertise is total rubbish. international autosource also guaranteed that I will pay the lowest for the car that I ordered so in case I did get a real offer for less they will beat it for me. guess what? i tried hard to get something lower and not any dealer would give me a real offer that was lower! it's really an easy decision in hindsight and I encourage more people to use international autosource before you realize how much rubbish everything else is here and what an opportunity you missed out on. i should also add that their insurance program saved me some extra money. insurance is mandatory here and you will need it

Re: International Auto Source
 

Bit of an update for anyone following this thread...

We went to Ford (having also been to Toyota previously) and they can't do anything without a SS#. Even buying a new/used car outright isn't an option because without a SS# and in fact ID card, you can't register the car in your name and therefore cannot get insurance.

I spoke with International Autosource today and they offer a great service, even reimbursing your car rental costs whilst you're waiting for your new car to be ready for delivery.
However, it proved too expensive for us. We need a 7 seater so he was looking at a new Ford Explorer and it is $340 a month with a $7500 down payment (plus another $1300 in sales tax).
Maybe this is a fairly standard amount but it seems crazy to me that over the 3 year leasing period, we'd be paying out around $20k but never owning the car! It's only worth around $32k to begin with.

I think we're just going to have to wait for our SS#, get an ID card and buy a used car outright from a dealer for around $10k.

This is by far the most stressful and difficult aspect of our move this far!