Surprising Discovery

My daughter and her family have been living in Tokyo for over 2 years where they have a Discovery 3 bought when they arrived. It has proved an ideal car for carrying around their 3 children and all their paraphernalia and sports equipment, with occasional use being made of the extra seats. They are due to return to the UK next year and, as second-hand values of 4 by 4s are even lower in Japan than here and shipping costs are currently low, are considering shipping the car back. The problem is that, although of course they are RHD, the Japanese models have a 4-litre V6 petrol engine not sold in the UK instead of the usual diesel. Is this likely to cause major problems with spares, servicing, etc.? Other than having to pay VAT on importing the car are there any other expenses or problems which they should consider?

Asked on 16 January 2010 by M.C., London SW3

Answered by Honest John
I've never heard of this engine being fitted to Discoverys, which are all built in the UK. Reads like it might be an American or Australian 4.0 litre Ford Explorer engine. The UK petrol option was a 295PS 4.4 litre V8, but production for UK consumption seems to have stopped in 2007. 07 HSEs currently trade book at a maximum of £24,575, but an import would not be worth anything like that, and they are heavily taxed at £405 a year this year, £435 next year, when an import would also be subject to an additional £950 first registration tax. And on top of that it might not even pass its Enhanced Single Vehicle Type Approval test without which it cannot be registered.
Tags: buying
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