well, I've gone and done it . pressed the button and ' won ' an E Bay auction for a 2008 US Pick up truck, based in the Mid West, in the States
This was achieved at $33000 , and I have the following questions ;
a) The seller has confirmed they owe money on the vehicle . I guess it's a substantial portion of the sales price , if not all . They say they want the buyer to pay for it , take it away, he will then square off with the bank and the ' title ' will be forwarded from the bank in 3 weeks to him, then onto to me back in Blighty. My plan is to fly there , inspect, hand over the dough and drive it to the docks in Jersey. I am naturally reticent to part with any money let alone this much without good title . Any ideas what to do here ? he can't pay off the loan without the buyer's dough. I haven't got 3 weeks to kill out there. I don't know the vendor and he could do other things with the cash .
b) Shipping it - any clues who's the main companies ?
c) duties - this will be a business vehicle - so VAT will hopefully be reclaimable. What about the duty - is it 10% for a pick up, like a car ?
d) Will leaving it there for 6 months lead to any savings ?
e) Vehicle ( Ford ) carries a warranty till 2008 - I am giving up on it , but is there a way of claiming in the event of failures / breakdowns ?
thanks
Edited by Pugugly on 21/05/2008 at 18:35
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Don't know much about US law, but I would think that the finance company own the vehicle and will remain the owners until he settles the bill. The vehicle is NOT his to sell and I would strongly suggest you do NOT part with any money until you get the title documents.
And US warranty doesn't apply outside of the US (except sometimes in Canada).
As for duties - contact Customs & Excise, and as for what you'll have to do with the vehicle to make it legal for use in Europe, contact the AA, RAC or DVLA. For example, you'll need new lighting - headlights, rear fogs, reversing lights switched to other side - can you even get the parts to convert it?
Don't want to insult you, but it looks like you've let your backside rule your head and gone into this without any research whatsoever - and now you've committed $33k to something that could come back and eat chunks out of your hard-earned.
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I agree you should have done your homework first,to get it up to UK regs if you manage to get it here could proof impossible if the parts are not available and some are not.You need the German magazine Auto its the bible for amis in europe.There are plenty of firms who will ship it but actually getting it to the docks and all the paper work pre done could be a ball ache you will also need title before its accepted for shipment.I have done it once with a Mustang but I used an agent and a American trader and all went like clockwork but I would hate to have to do it all myself and almost in every case they can now be had cheaper in Germany especially large trucks there fetching peanuts at the moment not even the Russians want them.Good look.
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$33K for Ford truck (on eBay) seems huge, considering how cheap vehicles are there - which model is it?
I guess if the vehicle doesn't have clear title then that could be your get out clause if you don't want to go ahead (there's nothing to force you to complete an eBay purchase anyway).
If you do want to go ahead, then maybe there maybe the US Motors forum on PistonHaeds or somewhere similar would be helpful?
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If you continue with it,YOU pay the money to the finance company,not him.
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Does this explain your desire to save a few £ and skim your old discs instead of paying £25 each for new ones?
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absolutely. and they cost 35 each delivered
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makes sense . It now transpires he owes another $4000 to the finance company - on top of the $33000 sale price . He and the truck are in the mid west , the finance co. are based in Texas. Complicated. Do not want to back out , but am not hell - bent on completing at any cost .
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am not so sure, have been following this model ( I own a 1986 one , have done for 13 years now, great machines ) , which, FYI , is a Diesel F250 Supercab Auto 2008 in black metallic and full leather , Looks the business , so am happy with the deal , it ' only ' translates as &17 k over there , say &20 k here , about the same as a Navarra but with double the spec and massively engineered , plus I prefer left - hookers .
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I admire your chutzpah motorprop, and have a soft spot for those giant Tonka toy things myself.
It will hardly notice speed bumps. But will it fit through those steel bollards and bits of railway line used to prevent the passage of generously proportioned vehicles through large swathes of dormitory London these days?
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well, my current one goes through the 7 foot ones no probs , and 6'6" ones with mirrors folded and preferably a spotter .
I saw a full size dustcart jammed in a width restriction, literally stuck, and they just revved it hard enough until it jarred them loose. The crew didn't give a fig .
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>.pressed the button and ' won ' an E Bay auction for a 2008 US Pick up truck..
To be honest - You're nuts.
Have you thought about why you 'won' the auction and Elmer from Wyandotte County didn't bid higher?
How much are you saving over list price (minus sales tax) for a used F250 of doubtful provenance, with no guarantee and no comeback if the thing is a lemon?
>They say they want the buyer to pay for it , take it away, he will then square off with the bank
>and the ' title ' will be forwarded from the bank in 3 weeks to him, then onto to me back in
>Blighty.
Firstly, what's to stop him reporting it stolen once he's got your cash and you're halfway across the pond?
Secondly, you will not be able to export it without the Title document in your name. It is illegal to export a vehicle from the US without clear title and US customs will want to see the Title.
Lastly, if he does "square off with the bank", the Title will be in his name not yours. You'll need to get it xferred again.
>My plan is to fly there , inspect, hand over the dough and drive it to the docks in Jersey.
Do you know how much hassle it will be to get short term insurance in the US for a vehicle that you do not have title to, your residential address is Motel 6 and you don't have a US drivers license or ID? Or weren't you going to bother with insurance?
>I am naturally reticent to part with any money let alone this much without good title . Any ideas
>what to do here ?
Either have the Title assigned to you in person at the nearest finance Co. office (arranged in advance) or get a lawyer to handle the transaction.
ie. Both of you go to a lawyer and hand over your $33k and the seller's $4k (if he has it). The lawyer then draws up a contract for the sale and you leave the truck and keys with him. He then handles paying off the finance, having the Title transferred into your name and Fedex's the Title to you so you can arrange shipping.
The shipping Co. then collects the truck from the lawyer and ships it to UK.
>Shipping it - any clues who's the main companies ?
Take look here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=4318&m...e
or a colleague's website here: www.import-car.info/
>duties - this will be a business vehicle..
Check with HMRC or whatever they call themselves today. An F250 might be classified as a commercial vehicle which may have different regs.
>Will leaving it there for 6 months lead to any savings ?
Possibly. When I imported my vehicle the UK registration office only checked the date on the title document. I'd owned it for 3 years so there was no problem. The guy in front of me in the queue wasn't so lucky. It sounded like he'd only owned the vehicle for about 6 months and they suspected that he was a dealer trying to evade duty. They wanted his passport and hotel receipts to confirm his story.
>Vehicle ( Ford ) carries a warranty till 2008..
If it's a 2008 model it will probably have a 3 year "bumper to bumper" US warranty but you should check with Ford to see what, if anything, they will honour in the UK.
I'd have no qualms about buying from an established dealer in the US, but you're asking for trouble here.
Kevin...
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