Thinking of buying an E-Type

[DJS]

Hello All,

I have just joined as I need some advice. My father was a jaguar enthusiast and had a few over the years.

I now have the chance to buy an LHD ‘68 series 2 roadster from America. The seller seems pretty genuine, he has sent lots of videos and pictures and he has a good dealership specialising in older cars. His description is extremely thorough and seems spot on.

It’s at the top of my budget-£30,000, it seems like a bargain when you see some of the prices quoted for series 2 roadsters but as mentioned the dealer is an older gentleman and has a good track record.

I am just wondering what I need to do to register the car here and what work I would need to do? I don’t mind it being LHD but I don’t want to buy this car then discover I have import taxes and then a massive bill for an MOT and registration fees.

I am so excited about this car as is my father who is now 72 and disabled but it’s good to know what I’m getting myself in to! Thank you for any advice you can give me

David

[Series1 Stu]

You'll have import duty to pay. 6% if I remember correctly. Then you've got 20% VAT to pay as well. So that's around £8000 on top of your purchase price. Then add the cost of shipping, insurance and any fees you may need to pay a shipping agent and it all starts to mount up.

Then there's the cost of Anglicising it with converting the lights to UK spec. Getting it running etc.etc. There's a lot to do and spend. Suddenly that cheap car is not quite as cheap as it first seems.

As time goes on you'll probably want to replace the smog gear, swap the Strombergs for SU's and maybe convert to RHD. All of which costs a lot of money.

The thing to remember though, is that after all that, you'll have an E Type Jaguar and that is something not everyone can say!

[politeperson]

Stu,

for cars over 30 years old, originally made in the EU, the import duty is zero, although you have to pay 5% VAT.

James

Using a NOVA for import tax
The first of these is to inform HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that the vehicle is in the UK, within 14 days of its arrival. This can be done using the Notification of Vehicle Arrivals (NOVA) online tool. A paper notification option is also available but will take a lot longer.

The relevant taxes and VAT that need to be paid will then be calculated. If your car was built outside of the EU, then the duty will be 10 percent of the total price and you will pay 20 percent VAT on top of that figure.

If the car is over 30 years of age, is largely standard and will not be used as a daily driver, then the duty can be waived and the VAT portion is reduced to 5 percent. A large number of expensive classics are imported through the UK because this is currently the lowest import duty in the EU.

If you are a private individual or are importing the car through a non-VAT-registered business, then you will not be required to fill in the NOVA form. Don’t get excited just yet, however, as you will still need to contact the HMRC to find out exactly what alternate forms you’ll need to fill in.

Registering an imported car
Once the payment has been made, HMRC will provide online confirmation that the vehicle can be registered with the DVLA. For this process you will be required to complete the following and send it to the DVLA:

Fill in a V55/5 application form.
Pay the vehicle tax as specified by HMRC.
Supply an original non-UK registration document (this will not be returned to you). If this document is unavailable, you will need a letter with a dating certificate from the manufacturer.
Certificate of insurance using the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
A fresh MoT certificate. Some cars may also need to have modifications carried out – such as fitting amber indicator lenses – before they’re allowed to be driven in the UK.
Photocopies of your name and address; a UK driving licence or passport for the name, and a current utility bill for the address, will suffice. If you’re importing the car through a business you will be required to provide proof of your business address.
Evidence of Type Approval. This can be in the form of a Certificate of Conformity, Mutual Recognition Certificate or evidence of previous UK registration (V5C form). If none of these forms is available, an Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) test will need to be carried out.
The first registration fee may need to be paid. This amounts to £55 and can be paid only via cheque or postal order to the DVLA. An online payment system would have made it all too easy...

[Gfhug]

David, why not chat to Angus Moss: https://www.mossjaguar.com/index.html
He has imported and restored quite a few E Types and will give you an honest appraisal of what is involved, also, if you give him all the information you have from the seller he could assess it, as best as can be done without inspecting the car.
With any car, import or home market, you can't tell what you'll get until the car is thoroughly inspected. However genuine the seller seems is there rust lurking in the cills? It might look good externally but hidden problems on the body will cost you a lot of money.

Good luck and as always Caveat Emptor

Geoff

[mgcjag]

Hi David welcom to the forum......if you have had a good look through here you will note that everyone is out to help each other......anyone here looking for a roadster will probably have already see the car your looking at.....if you post more detail here about the car and the seller you will get good advice ( is the seller reliable..does the car look genuine).... also worth checking on http://www.xkedata.com just to see if the car is on there ..it could give you some good information....Steve

[tim wood]

Hi, I imported my car last year and spent a while looking at the various options and web sites.
My experience ( which may not be common to others).

Cars listed on Autozin at incredible prices almost always could not be viewed before purchase. Make of that what you will
Cars on Bringatrailer.com seemed good value but again my view is that you need to inspect
Cars at Beverley Hills are very comprehensively described but review others experiences
Cars listed on Hemings are varied . I purchased from a private seller but went over to view the car first. I would absolutely not part with substantial sums without meeting the seller. Again my view. Others have done so with success.

I used a transport company reasonably local to me to pick up the car from California and take to their holding facility where I trailered it home. Actually not me trailering it but a good mate. Lots of options here but in the end I chose for a sole container with full insurance. ( you can see I’m risk averse) cost was about £5k. Plus import duty at 5%. No vat.

I spent a while inspecting the car and test drove it. On arrival I guess it was as I expected, bodily sound with great panel gaps. Braking system was shot and almost every piece of rubber needed to be changed.

Looking back the car was reasonable value. ( yours seems great value- much cheaper than mine). More work than expected but I’ve got plenty of time.

Contact me if you want to know more.

Tim