Hello,
I'm considering buying a car that was first purchased in the Channel Islands. It has since been imported to mainland UK and is now for sale.
I have spoken to the dealer in the Channel Islands who assures me that cars sold there are full UK spec and are in fact exported from mainland UK in the first place.
I spoke to the DVLA about whether the car is classed as an import and they gave me a yes/no answer. The car will always have a history as an import, but in terms of insurance etc is is a fully legit UK car.
My concern is that this import history will deter (as it is with me) future buyers when I come to sell the car on.
Furthermore, the current owner has lost/had stolen their original service history booklet so they have a partially complete book (stamped with "Replacement", I guess).
This second factor is probably more of a worry than the first.
Thirdly, and this is more of a question, what do people think about cars from the Channel Islands? Are they more prone to bodywork corrosion, or is that a thing of the past now we have galvanisation etc?
I'm looking for advice/opinions on whether I should give this car (and its seller) a chance or give it a wide berth.
Other than these factors, the car seems to be exactly what I'm looking for and it falls within my price range (which is at the lower end of the scale for this type of car).
Thanks and sorry for the ramble,
JoshM
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A close friend is from the Channel Islands, and the advice from that quarter would be a simple "don't".
The cars never get beyond 30mph, or complete a journey where they have time to warm up ... and the little roads are so congested that the gearbox wil have been worked to bits.
To add to the fun, the streets are so narrow that the cars spend their time kerb-hopping.
If my friend's judgment is remotely accurate, the car is cheap 'cos it's knackered.
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Run a mile,no proper docs it will have been a hire car no doubt a dealer would buy it but at a very much reduced price around about 30% below bottom book.
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Agreed. Its the missing service history that would concern me.
Brother is looking to buy an Astra at present, found a dealer with five ex-hire year-old examples, all in excellent condition, with computer print-out of full service history provided by the hire company.
So if your Channel Island car is ex-hire, you should expect a similar history. If not, ask yourself why not?
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If the price is right the fact that it was a CI car is irrelevant,many small cars sold thru main dealers at 6 months old are ex CI rentals.Its the car that matters,not the fact that it came from CI.As for buying them 30% below bottom book,well thats just fantasy.
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If the price is right the fact that it was a CI car is irrelevant,many small cars sold thru main dealers at 6 months old are ex CI rentals.Its the car that matters,not the fact that it came from CI.As for buying them 30% below bottom book,well thats just fantasy.
Fantasy ! just try and sell one to a dealer no proper docs CI reg or re reg you do not know it its history no insurance damage records on CI cars.There are to many straight cars around to bother with this tat.
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May be a bit dated but in 1989 I bought an XR3i brought in from Jersey by a Warrington Motor outlet. It had less that 2500 miles on the clock at 6 months old. Doubtful therefore that it had been up to its possible speed of over the ton.
The vehicle is still in my possession and giving good service and still capable of exceeding the NSL by some margin. Touch wood have had little trouble with it but it is pampered and undersealed etc every 2 to three years.
VC5 under Special Notice section states " Was Registered/Used overseas."
Maybe I have been lucky?
dvd
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Ive never had a problem with channel island cars and quite a few of them had more spec than the badge said, so if you are happy with the car and the price is good it wouldnt bother me .It will say " Was Registered/Used overseas." as
Dwight Van Driver quite rightly says ,oh and they dont rot as bad as mainland cars do.
i think its fair to assume its ex rental though
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It really matters not where it came from. Its the missing service book thats key. Think about trying to sell a car without one!
The market is awash with good cheap second hand cars. You dont need the service book agro - walk away and find another.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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A close friend is from the Channel Islands, and the advice from that quarter would be a simple "don't". The cars never get beyond 30mph, or complete a journey where they have time to warm up ... and the little roads are so congested that the gearbox wil have been worked to bits. To add to the fun, the streets are so narrow that the cars spend their time kerb-hopping.
Have you ever been there NowWheels ? I've only been to Guernsey so can't speak for Jersey; for a start the roads are not congested, there are no traffic jams,a handful of traffic lights and from what I remember 2 sets of speed bumps; the drivers seem to drive their cars very gently. Riding the kerbs, yes they do, but have you seen the height of them !
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Have you ever been there NowWheels ? I've only been to Guernsey so can't speak for Jersey; for a start the roads are not congested, there are no traffic jams,a handful of traffic lights and from what I remember 2 sets of speed bumps; the drivers seem to drive their cars very gently. Riding the kerbs, yes they do, but have you seen the height of them !
No, sadly I've never been there, and I'm relying entirely on the word of my friend who lived in Guernsey for thirty years. She's no mechanic, but her memory is of cars which wear out at a much lower mileage than those in England.
There is a lot of talk on this forum of the beneits of cars with a high number of motorway miles. A Guernsey car sounds to me like the exact opposite of that.
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Thank you for all of your replies, this was my first post and I'n very impressed at how responsive this forum is!
I think my head is telling me what a lot of you are telling me, and that is to treat this one with caution. However, my heart quite wants all of these worries to dissolve since I've been looking for the "right" car for some time.
To give a little more info on the car since some of you are suggesting that it might be ex-rental, the current owner has had it from new and imported it to the mainland himself. I hope that I can rule out the rental route, since the V% should reflect the sole ownership.
The confusing bit (for me, since I have little knowledge of the mechanisms in place) is that the owner claims that it was purchased in the CI to take advantage of tax breaks.
Now, if the car was purchased in CI, would it not be liable for VAT when it was imported to the mainland? Would this VAT be the amount on the original purchase price? If so, where is the advantage?
As for the service booklet, there is apparently an official replacement but I guess there is now an unchartered history before the new stamps started. Perhaps the owner has kept receipts of earlier services, or I could piece it together by calling dealerships...
As one of you rightly says, there are plenty more cars for sale, I hould probably wait until I find one that feels right. I still might go and have a look anyway, just to satisfy my curiosity! :)
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>>The confusing bit (for me, since I have little knowledge of the mechanisms in place) is that the owner claims that it was purchased in the CI to take advantage of tax breaks.
>>Now, if the car was purchased in CI, would it not be liable for VAT when it was imported to the mainland? Would this VAT be the amount on the original purchase price? If so, where is the advantage?
see
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=17390
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I get regular mailings of available stock from www.ci-cars.net they are ex daily rental stock, seeem well prepared, but certainly not cheapest source.
But as for your one, if someone admits to doing something a bit underhand, or 'clever' regarding tax & such like...walk away.
No telling what else he's up to!!
VB
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SFAIK the cars go to Jersey VAT free and when they are re-imported VAT is paid on the value at the time of import and not the new cost when they were exported, so there is a saving to be made and it is legal, if this is what is being done of course!
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