Volvo Community Forum. The Forums of the Volvo Owners Club

Forum Rules Volvo Owners Club About VOC Volvo Gallery Links Volvo History Volvo Press
Go Back   Volvo Owners Club Forum > "General Topics" > General Volvo and Motoring Discussions

Notices

General Volvo and Motoring Discussions This forum is for messages of a general nature about Volvos that are not covered by other forums and other motoring related matters of interest. Users will need to register to post/reply.

Information
  • VOC Members: There is no login facility using your VOC membership number or the details from page 3 of the club magazine. You need to register in the normal way
  • AOL Customers: Make sure you check the 'Remember me' check box otherwise the AOL system may log you out during the session. This is a known issue with AOL.
  • AOL, Yahoo and Plus.net users. Forum owners such as us are finding that AOL, Yahoo and Plus.net are blocking a lot of email generated from forums. This may mean your registration activation and other emails will not get to you, or they may appear in your spam mailbox

Thread Informations

Considering buying a Jap import..Are there any issues?

Views : 3968

Replies : 16

Users Viewing This Thread :  

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old Jan 15th, 2022, 23:40   #11
Nick04
Member
 

Last Online: Mar 3rd, 2024 00:05
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Newcastle
Default

Just awaiting delivery of one. Will let you know how it turns out. I guess the main thing is to buy the seller, at least that's what I did. And just be aware of all the costs involved.
Nick04 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 16th, 2022, 18:38   #12
Wagon Sailor
Junior Senior
 
Wagon Sailor's Avatar
 

Last Online: Today 00:37
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Hampshire
Default

Another issue could be the 180 km/hr speed restriction. It's not much of a problem on public roads, except for some in Germany, but it's a no-no on track days. The cost of fixing it varies hugely from car to car.
__________________

------------------------------------------------------
Comfy and roomy but a bit boring. I've had two.
Wagon Sailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 24th, 2022, 14:35   #13
Nick04
Member
 

Last Online: Mar 3rd, 2024 00:05
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Newcastle
Default

Have got mine on the driveway now awaiting registration, so here's some information on my experience. At this stage, it may differ from what some others say, but of course - everyone has their own experience and information!

I bought and imported my vehicle through Goonet Exchange who were absolutely excellent as things stand. I chose them because they were the only company I could find who accepted payment by credit card. I wanted to pay this way for extra protection. All others required funds to be sent by bank transfer (not necessarily anything wrong with this if it's a reputable company). During the process with Goonet I was in touch with the same customer representative throughout and everything was arranged via email. All communication was very good and prompt.

Like all the importers, Goonet are just a middleman/agent between you and the actual seller. So it's vital to do your homework on who is actually selling the vehicle. I always believe with things like this that you've got to buy the seller; so check everything about them. Look at where they trade from, what their capital is, type/condition of vehicles they sell, no of employees, who the owner is, reviews, etc - anything you can think of. Also, was the vehicle a trade in or bought from auction? I bought mine from a Volvo specialist who provides a 2 year comprehensive warranty with all their domestic sales. Some of the advertised vehicles on Goonet come with a condition rating, but if not - you can pay for one for about £40.

With regards to costs involved, they were as follows.

Initial cost is:
Cost of vehicle and transfer to port (FOB) + shipping

then on arrival:
Import duty @ 10% of FOB + shipping
VAT @ 20% of FOB + shipping + import duty
Port handling fee
Customs agent fee
Car insurance
Courier to deliver vehicle (if not picking up)
MOT
Vehicle registration + vehicle tax
Any other prep/repairs/servicing

Obviously all the costs add up, which is why it's important to buy well and consider all expenses and logistics. I'd suggest the main aim is to end up with a vehicle that costs less and is in better condition than a UK market equivalent whilst negating any of the risks involved.

With regards to some of the points already made. I've checked with Volvo HQ and they said rust protection should be the same as European specification. Of course, this would make sense as it's a European manufactured vehicle - not a Japanese one. My mechanic also noted that the undercarriage looked like it had full factory protection on. I'm going to triple check with The Main Stealer when it goes in for the language change. But I suspect the extra underseal thing is often a marketing ploy used by companies selling imported vehicles. The Volvo company hails from Scandinavia, one would suspect their rust protection is already more than adequate. Also, if worried about salt on roads, just make sure the vehicle is rinsed underneath on a regular basis.

Insurance is going to be higher initially as it will be done on the chassis no. The brokers/specialists were nonsense for me, their quotes were very high even though I had maximum no claims and they all seem to work in the same clique by passing business onto each other through commissions, etc. I didn't like the vibe of them. I went with Direct Line who were 60% cheaper than the brokers. I'll get some more quotes when the vehicle is registered to see if it's worth changing.

You don't have to switch to mph for the MOT. It's fine in kph. It's not really worth switching for me as it would mean having a mixture of mph on the speedo and kph per on the odometer. Unless you're going to start tampering with the electronic mileage recorder, wouldn't do it personally. Try it in kph for a while, if it's annoying, then consider the various solutions.

Tyres should be fine if they are supposed to be. Premium brand and good tread all round on mine. If any worries, just get them checked out. Also, any warnings will be in English, as long as you get the software change. Costs about £150 at The Main Stealer. The independent specialists seem to charge a bit more for some reason.
Nick04 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Nick04 For This Useful Post:
Old Jan 27th, 2022, 00:21   #14
Frankiee
Junior Member
 

Last Online: Feb 25th, 2024 23:48
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Kent
Default

Hi Nick04- What did you buy and how much was it in total?
Frankiee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 27th, 2022, 20:34   #15
Nick04
Member
 

Last Online: Mar 3rd, 2024 00:05
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Newcastle
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankiee View Post
Hi Nick04- What did you buy and how much was it in total?
I bought a Volvo V50 2.4i (2009) 49k miles Total cost to get on the driveway was £4700. Will be spending about another £500 on routine maintenance.

Are you looking to get something?
Nick04 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 28th, 2022, 00:03   #16
Familyman 90
The Brit Brick
 
Familyman 90's Avatar
 

Last Online: Aug 13th, 2023 10:39
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Warwickshire
Default

That seems a little pricy compared to buying a UK car, unless I'm missing something?
__________________
2005 C70 2.4T Collection convertible. 40,000 mile sunny day toy.
Familyman 90 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Jan 28th, 2022, 14:10   #17
Nick04
Member
 

Last Online: Mar 3rd, 2024 00:05
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Newcastle
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Familyman 90 View Post
That seems a little pricy compared to buying a UK car, unless I'm missing something?
Yeah, the costs all add up. There's lots of different vehicles and prices out there, so it really depends what someone is looking for. Cheapest route is to go through the auctions.
Nick04 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 01:38.


Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.