Car choice: Is it worth importing?

Phil Taylor is looking at importing a BMW 5 Series from Japan, and wonders if there are any pitfalls

A car for the head

There are all sorts of charges which attach to a vehicle that is imported from Japan. Apart from the shipping charge, there are port fees, import duty 10 per cent of the price, plus VAT in all the costs. Also a car that is under ten years old needs an IVA/MOT test fee. Not to mention UK registration fees and a number plate. It is much less bother to buy direct from an import company which has done all the hard work. I think a Subaru Legacy 2.0 BP5 Spec-B at £6,495 from a specialist in the UK would be ideal.

A car for the heart

I know that Phil is after an older BMW 5 Series, but there is a strong re-import market for luxury cars from Japan. Vehicles exported there are right hand drive, which is a good start, but they are also high specification and exclusively petrol powered, usually with the largest available engine. Not only that, vehicles in Japan are very well looked after and the mileages accrued are fairly modest. I found a 2000 Mercedes-Benz S320 with 34,000 miles at £6,996. The specialist importer also has a 2002 S500 model at £7,995 with a year’s MOT.

If you would like James Ruppert to help with your car choice, email james@freecarmag.com. For more motoring views visit freecarmag.com