Buyers beware: the pros and cons of importing a vehicle

Despite the huge wealth of diversity in the car marketplace, sometimes, it’s not quite enough. You find yourself hankering over a special edition, or something that isn’t available in your home country. There might be a technical bit of wizardry that you just don’t feel you can live without or a model that you can’t resist. The itch may become so extreme that you can’t help but look at the logistics of scratching it. Is it feasible to import a car? Should you, could you do it?

Before plunging into any decision of this magnitude, it’s important to focus on the facts. Some of those facts are going to be good; the things that make you think it’s a worthwhile endeavour for you. However, those good facts can become so overwhelming in your mind that you forget the downsides – and you do need to know the downsides. For every silver lining there is a cloud!

Let’s bring both sides of the argument together and look at the peaks and the valleys of this decision. That way, you can ensure you’re going into it with your eyes wide open rather than making a mistake and regretting it later on.

PRO: You’re going to have one of the most unique cars on the road

Yes, specs and all that matter with cars – but so does the simple fact that cars are a statement. Sometimes, you want that statement to show that you’re different and unique. You can do that with various mods or a paint job that will grab attention, or you can take it to a whole other level by importing your own. That’s one way to guarantee that you’ll be unique when you pull into a car park.

CON: It might be expensive

You might be tempted by the price tag with overseas imports. If you’re buying from somewhere like Japan, the upfront purchase price might be a lot less than you would pay for a similar model at home. However, you might be subject to all kinds of taxes when you import – so you need to be 100% sure the costs still bear out. You then have to ensure that the car is going to get to you in an affordable safe way. There are ways and means of guaranteeing this with help from those such as Car Shipping Made Simple, but there might be a few other paperwork hoops you need to jump through.

PRO: EU importing means safety

If you don’t want to import from somewhere as far flung as Japan, then importing within the EU is a great option. While Brexit may complicate matters in the future, for the next couple of years at least, you can ensure that your car is going to be subject to rigorous safety standards. That eliminates some of the risk from an import, as while the drive may feel different, you know it’s going to have all the right boxes checked when it comes to keeping you safe.

** This is a collaborative post