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Author Topic: how can you tell if car is an import  (Read 8092 times)

Offline micaerin

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how can you tell if car is an import
« on: June 16, 2010, 04:13:29 pm »
just wondered how you can tell if a car is an import or not?
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Offline Hedge

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2010, 04:23:06 pm »
Steering wheel on the other side.  :driver:  :signLOL:

Sorry mate.  :ashamed:

I think you can tell from the VIN but I don't know how.
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Offline vRS Carl

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2010, 04:27:05 pm »
Just what I was going to say  :signLOL:

The vehicle docs should say if it is an import or not I think.
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Offline Top Cat

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2010, 04:27:38 pm »
Easiest way is to ring a dealer.  :happy2:

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Offline Janner_Sy

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2010, 05:58:49 pm »
surely the easiest way is chassis number and a call to the DVLA
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Offline micaerin

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2010, 07:18:59 pm »
i was just wondering if there was anything obvious to look for
thanks for the responses :happy2:
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Offline Top Cat

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2010, 07:20:35 pm »
Lots of the imports did not come with a spare wheel.  :happy2:
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Nasir

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2010, 07:23:25 pm »
Some imports have different specs, so look out for the standard equipment. If it's missing it could mean it's an import.
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Offline Richn83

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #8 on: June 16, 2010, 08:06:59 pm »
Fairly sure the v5 has import indicator, somewhere on it.  Im not aware of any obvious visual cues.
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Offline snapey

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #9 on: June 16, 2010, 08:23:54 pm »
Mines an import and the only difference I've been able to find is that there's a inflation kit thing in the boot-well appose to a space saver wheel and the stickers on the pillars are in Germany.

The only thing I'd add on imports is that they aren't as bad as many people make out. I got mine for 13K in November 2008 and it was literally 10 months old at the time with 9k on the clock and other than the cock-up’s I've made with the car it's been perfect.

Easiest way to check (to get a rough idea) if it's been left standing and a rough idea of the duration is to remove the engine cover. It'll be stamped with a date, I'm not sure if its the installation date of the part, or the date in which the part was manufactured. I have however found other dates on bits of trim that have been replaced that are either the same or around the same date.

Compare these dates to the date the car was registered in the UK, easiest way to get an estimate of the cars history. In my case the dates between the V5 and the parts differed by about 3 weeks so I'm pretty confident on the history of the car.

Just a little tip  :happy2:
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Offline Mandy

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #10 on: June 16, 2010, 09:24:15 pm »
Previously, whilst shopping around for a golf, I came across an import at a used cars garage-

99% of the log book was in german, and IIRC the stamp inside the first page of the log book was not a uk address.

Despite this, the dodgy dealers still tried to claim that it was not an import, I asked to have a look at the v5, I see somehwere on there indicated that the car was indeed an import. They made up a load of BS and still tried to flog me the car! It must be because I'm a woman, but still I'm not that stupid!  :fighting:

But to be honest, the car just looked the same as any other golf, inside and out. If I hadn't seen the documents, I probably wouldn't have known...
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Offline S2 Ant

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #11 on: June 16, 2010, 09:40:50 pm »
Dealer will be able to tell you if its an import as country of supply would have a country code for its origin
If its genuine service history then the book would have a foreign stamp for the inspection.

Some import cars will have it mentioned on the V5 as well but dealer will be your quickest and easiest bet as they will be able to give you a print out of car colour, full spec, order date build date etc and country of origin from the VIN number
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Offline VWellsy

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #12 on: June 16, 2010, 09:57:36 pm »
Bought mine from a dealer who didn't say anything about it being an import. :confused: Had a set of UK VW plates on it and a full UK MD history. Ran an AA and DVLA check on it and nothing said it was an import, :surprised: but after I got it home and had a closer look through the paperwork I noticed the very first stamp in the service book was from Denmark! :sad1:

Felt a bit gutted at the time, but checked loads of stuff out (with the original UK VW dealer and my local dealer), and put in some research on t'internet, and now absolutely not bothered about it. :smiley:

The car was only purchased in Denmark to save some money, it was a full UK spec - with all the manuals in English etc... Proper spare wheel and a fantastic spec. All the stickers are UK and to be honest the one thing I read on this Forum somewhere, by someone far wiser than me said
 "It's not a problem as all VW's are imports!" :congrats:

And above all that when I saw the car - I knew it was the one for me - and I still love it!!!

Just my Imported penneth Worth :grin:




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Offline S2 Ant

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #13 on: June 16, 2010, 10:12:57 pm »
Imported cars seem to be better spec as well as they cost less in the first place - if anything you'd be stupid to buy a UK car in the UK given the savings that could be had from importing a UK spec car from somewhere like Denmark
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Nasir

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Re: how can you tell if car is an import
« Reply #14 on: June 16, 2010, 10:29:07 pm »
Quote from: S2 Ant on June 16, 2010, 10:12:57 pm
Imported cars seem to be better spec as well as they cost less in the first place - if anything you'd be stupid to buy a UK car in the UK given the savings that could be had from importing a UK spec car from somewhere like Denmark

Not really considering you do get an extra years warranty (as oppose to 2) and people like the experience of going to buy a new car from the dealer.
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