Quiestion for UK Opponaut about Cars

"Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW." (aya-yu)
12/01/2013 at 11:03 • Filed to: None

My friend tells me he wants to visit UK somewhere in december. And because of that challenge from Top gear, i really wondering of joining him on a trip to uk, but using buying a used car, Jeremy Clarkson style. How hard can it be? Or is it even possible?

DISCUSSION (13)

duurtlang > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW.
12/01/2013 at 11:15

I'm not British, but I am European. So I can't comment on the UK specific details, but can give you some things to look out for.

Buying the car isn't a problem. It's registering one. And insuring it. In the Netherlands, where I live, you need a Dutch address for registration. This might be the same in the UK.

Pitchblende > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW.
12/01/2013 at 11:17

Possible, but expensive if you wish to do it legally. You will need to insure the car, and insurance companies are notorious for not counting a no-claim bonus from outside of the UK, if you don't have a permanent UK address you will struggle to find cover, and if you lie then the insurance is invalidated.

Used cars might look cheap in the UK, but that's because of the costs elsewhere.

Sparf > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW.
12/01/2013 at 11:18

Used cars in the UK are dirt cheap (at least compared to the rest of Europe), but watch out for the insurance costs ! They're astronomical even for slow cars.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Pitchblende
12/01/2013 at 11:27

Well then.
That means my only chance for buying car in europe was in German., if i need address.

My mom have a friend living in german, and i think she would't mind if i used his address for cover.

duurtlang > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW.
12/01/2013 at 11:30

Where are you planning on driving? If it's mostly in continental Europe I'd advise on buying a car on continental Europe as well. UK vehicles are RHD, continental Europe is LHD.

Pitchblende > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW.
12/01/2013 at 11:42

There are probably companies that will issue temporary insurance to non-residents, a quick and inaccurate Google search gives me companies like:

http://www.keithmichaels.co.uk/specialist-car…

Which isn't exactly what you need, but close enough to suggest that some companies with handle it, as long as your driving lisence is valid in the UK.

But depending on the length of time you want the car for you might find it still works out cheaper hiring.

lepie > duurtlang
12/01/2013 at 11:52

^^this

tapzz > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW.
12/01/2013 at 12:18

Heh. We're probably in the worst position to give advice, because I have no idea what it's like to try to register and insure a car in the UK if you're not resident here...

What I can say is that renting one is fairly cheap and painless, and the choice is slowly getting better.

davedave1111 > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW.
12/01/2013 at 12:22

As others have said, the only problem is insurance. You might want to investigate short-term insurance. If you can find one which doesn't ask if you're UK resident, you'll be fine.

Rentals are dirt cheap as well, though - Ł8-10 per day the cheapest supermini from an airport.

You may be able to do something tricky with full-year insurance like cancel within the cooling-off period and only pay for a month plus admin fees, but if you're non-resident that month might be expensive.

If you don't do things legally you'll probably get away with it, but you'll be looking over your shoulder the whole time for the cops. You'll have much more fun being fully legal in a Fastest Car... In The World.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > duurtlang
12/01/2013 at 13:12

Well, maybe if i need adress to insurance i'll start from german, to london, watch chelsea plays at stamford bridge, and took the car to german where that thing will be sitting until i figure out how to ship her out from german.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Sparf
12/01/2013 at 13:33

This.

BMW E36 325i? Ł275

Insurance for a year for me at age 23? Ł1200

KirkyV > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
12/01/2013 at 14:34

Holy shit, it's over five grand for me. I've gotten far better quotes on cars that are very nearly as fast.

EDIT: Actually, now that I think about it, I've gotten significantly better quotes on slightly faster cars, at least in terms of acceleration. That BMW must be in a pretty crazy insurance group for what it is. (Also, another quote popped up for just below four grand while I wasn't looking.)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > KirkyV
12/01/2013 at 16:34

Yeah, I think the E36 was particularly popular with people who liked to drive them like hooligans and wrap them around trees.

For a comparison, my Alfa 156 2.5l from the same era with the same performance is Ł800.