Is there any process for bring American-made cars into Europe tax-free?
Also, I've heard that you can get quite a deal on Japanese imported cars into Europe if you know what you're doing. They've some strict regulations which adds to the cost of owning a secondhand car, meaning that they look to sell off cars quicker than other countries.
But there is another factor here that determines what you’re buying in the secondhand car market: the notorious “shaken.” This consists of all the bits of bureaucracy you need to keep your car on the road — weight tax, vehicle inspection and compulsory insurance (car tax and more comprehensive insurance coverage are separate). If you buy a new car, you have three years until you need to jump through the hoops and start forking over cash. After that, you have to do it every two years, and it can easily cost you over 100,000 yen each time.
The end result of this is that people tend to sell their cars when the “shaken” runs out. Dealers will usually arrange “shaken” so that potential buyers have two years to go — a big selling point in the secondhand market. The upshot of all this is that used cars will usually be available when they are 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 years old. So the first thing you want to check is the length of “shaken” left.
A relative did this with an MX-5 a few years ago. They went via a company who managed the whole process, so they didn't have to deal with all the legal issues themselves. They seem to have been very happy with it.
£400 / year just to keep a car on the road seems steep! But if it includes insurance cover, then it's not really very different to the UK market which has similar requirements (annual tax, annual inspection, minimum insurance level). In the UK, you generally pay these yourself regardless of the age of the car (except for the annual inspection which kicks in after three years, but only costs £40). Interesting how the psychology of suddenly being faced with the 'new' annual cost (which of course you've effectively prepaid for the first few years as part of the purchase price of the car) nudges people into getting rid of their cars instead of keeping them running.
Also, I've heard that you can get quite a deal on Japanese imported cars into Europe if you know what you're doing. They've some strict regulations which adds to the cost of owning a secondhand car, meaning that they look to sell off cars quicker than other countries.
But there is another factor here that determines what you’re buying in the secondhand car market: the notorious “shaken.” This consists of all the bits of bureaucracy you need to keep your car on the road — weight tax, vehicle inspection and compulsory insurance (car tax and more comprehensive insurance coverage are separate). If you buy a new car, you have three years until you need to jump through the hoops and start forking over cash. After that, you have to do it every two years, and it can easily cost you over 100,000 yen each time.
The end result of this is that people tend to sell their cars when the “shaken” runs out. Dealers will usually arrange “shaken” so that potential buyers have two years to go — a big selling point in the secondhand market. The upshot of all this is that used cars will usually be available when they are 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 years old. So the first thing you want to check is the length of “shaken” left.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/buying-a-u...
Anyone have experience of importing Japanese cars to Europe?