1) The Belgian 3 year warranty DOES NOT apply here because the second and third years are underwritten by the Belgian importer and IM are NOT obliged by law to honour it.

2)The savings are NOT as great as made out because imported cars will have very low resale whereas UK cars are still very good.

3)My dealer will bend over backwards to help me whereas he will do only what is required if I had an imported car.

I am NOT a dealer so have no axe to grind.

Advice on selling cars? Low milage cars will always sell. Be honest and ensure that your car is clean throughout and DON'T wear a baseball cap when the buyer comes round.

 

Thanks for all the comments.

I am getting the car into the UK with Cat1 and VAT paid and ferry etc etc for 16K.
I have a four page Excel cost model.

There are two main reasons for this:
1. I have a forward on the Euro from Feb when the Euro was even weaker than today
2. We bought two Scoobies at the same time so got a good discount off list price

16.5K or 22K Sterling its the consumers call!

But agreed the usual price would be 16.5k Sterling.

But I do not include the 200 quid I will save on the booze I will buy from Dave West at Eastenders in Calais.

The Dutch goverment looses out on the deal since they cannot charge the 30% luxury car tax which export models do not attract.
Also Subaru Japan loose out since the net price is lower. So who wins, consumer. Who looses: Dutch tax man, Fuji Heavy Industries.
Lets put it this way, I am not loosing sleep over it!

The UK VAT man still gets his dough.

The only difference I see is the three year warranty for year 2 and 3 from IM. This can be taken out using many insurance companies.
Maybe even IM would underwrite it.

Lillian speaking of Brits going a decent trade on the continent have you ever been to Eastenders?

Lillian which dealer do you represent if you are in the Midlands you can service my car and quote for a Cat1 if you wish :-).
Listers of Worcester have already confirmed they will service and make any year one warranty claims.
Email me at:
jwhitton@hotmail.com

jon

 

I'm sorry boys but people buying from Holand Belgium etc for 4/5k less etc think they know the only way.

Fact: Look at ownership cost. I buy a UK car for 21k. What does someone pay me for it 6 months later ?. Well IM dealers will pay more a lot more than the cost of a new import to take it off my hands. New cost is irelevant, its how much it will get when you come to sell it.

ex I just sold my S3. Bought for 27k, sold for 24k. I could of bought it as an import for 23k, but selling it would of got me 20k. Fact by verified by other S3 owners. So UK or Euro would of cost me the same in depreciation.

A Euro Import bought for 16.5/17k to full UK spec will be worth a lot less than a UK car, unless you find some uneducated buyer. This fact is indeed verified by CAP.

2. Buy a Euro car you typically wait five to six months and judging by some experiences on this BBS sweat out delivery and pay a BIG deposit. On my MY00 from a UK dealer I paid NO deposit and waited three weeks. If I want a car I want it now not in five or six months (P1 aside)

3. My dealer would not bid on px on a Euro Import, and most car dealers dont like them. I cant be arsed with the hastle. I want to be able to px my Scooby to main dealers.

4. Fact is that private customers are dubious about Euro Imports.

The thing is we drive the "performance bargin of the 90's. IM are in a market economy and have only been able by quota regulations to supply x number of Turbos per year to the UK. Why if I can sell all 4000 cars for 21k should (even if I could) sell them for 16k. WAKE UP. To me some people on this BBS have not been in business. 99% of companies will sell on the old Supply and Demand. Why should IM sell a car that has 4wd, 214bhp etc,etc for 16k when a Golf GT TDI cost a lot more !!!!!.

Maybe if the whole UK market dropped in value by 20% then they would change.

Remember Dutch customers past 40% tax on a new car. Drop the price on cars in the UK and the government will reintroduce new car tax. They dont buy cars cheaper then us !.

Jonathan

UK owner and happy.

 

hey lillian, how can you agree with me and yet are a director of a subaru main dealership. I am intrigued.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by KevinS:
<B>
2)The savings are NOT as great as made out because imported cars will have very low resale whereas UK cars are still very good. [/quote]

"Very low"? "very good"? Do me a lemon! I could sell my car tomorrow for what I paid for it to people who I work with!! UK cars are not still "very good" either, for the exact reason that this thread was started.

There was a tale of someone who sold an import for over 19 grand, but that was a few months ago when Imprezas commanded a huge waiting list.

And if Mr Swatman has advised that the 2+3 year warranty will be honoured, I think/hope it will. Even if it isn't, the owner will pay and have to claim the money back off Subaru Belgium.

This is all rather academic as people who have bought abroad are evangelical about it: of the 180 people on the importingimprezas list there has not been one real problem. People who bought in the UK do so for their reasons, and most have considered the import route before writing it off due to risk/warranty/...

I was looking at doing a PCP scheme on the UK car, and then found for the same money I could own the car outright after 4 years by buying from the EU. Didn't seem like a difficult decision to me, as it made sound financial sense. Yes, I was (and am) concerned about a turbo charged 4WD car going wrong, but I've made the decision and I'll live with it. I'm happy. The Dutch dealer network seems superb, too. When was the last time you got a free tank of petrol, bunch of flowers, "free" CD player and still saved money?

When it comes to resale, someone will be getting a UK spec car for a very good price. I'll take the price of an equivalent UK car, multiply that by the savings, add a bit on because the car is too cheap, and sell it. There's no way I'll try and hide the fact that it's an import.

You say values are lower. Have you seen any cheap cars being sold second hand because they are EU imports? Agreed that they should be, but UK second hand values are rather bought into question when the buyer knows that they can import a brand new car for 15K...

 

Lillian, please don't take my comments as having a go at you, that was not the intent at all.

I am just intriqued as to how a UK dealer can agree that UK buyers are being ripped off and yet IM does nothing to quell this feeling.

Is there absolutely nothing that UK dealers can do about this. Could they not collectively put pressure on IM and the government and EU parliament to get this resolved?

 

Sorry John...did I sound tetchy.
I know what you are saying John - I really do.
I do not think that UK buyers are being ripped off. I think, as I said before that the Impreza - even at UK prices is still a lot of car and great value for money.
Buying in Europe - just seems the most sensible thing to do IF price is your main concern.

 

Lies damn, lies, and Subaru propaganda!

This really is an emotive issue, and there really is some bull****!

Nick Lines- My UK import does in fact have an X in the chassis number. How odd Fortunately it's Sonic blue so the "ill informed" can still spot it! (not you Nick!)

KevinS- Everyone knows IM aren't obliged by law to honur the 2/3 rd year. However customers (who have their cars serviced) expect some help. Whether IM coordinate claiming off Euro importers- whatever, I don't care, bu they have the ability to do this easily. If Mr Swatman ids looking into it, it's good enough for me. My dealer has been very helpful in the service department too. Can't think why they'd be bending over to help loyal UK customers? Are the UK customers bending over for the dealers!!!

BTW I had an email offering to buy my Euro Import "duffer", with it's vast differences to UK bought brethren, for almost almost what I paid for it. What a "mug" the buyer must have been. All that hassle he could do without

Did you know that there are two production lines in Japan. 1 produces top class UK cars, the other does the rejects which go to mainland Europe.

DJB- I'm still waiting for the VAT. Hopefully it is lost. I did call Customs and Excise and they have no record of it (yet). My father-in-law bought a 320 CLK in Germany (don't know how he put up with ALL that hassle) and still hasn't had the VAT bill (1 year in July). Bummer; nearly 10 grand in the bank on top of the £16k he saved. He's gutted he bothered with it all.

Some people must get paid an awful lot to think 6 grand isn't worth the effort.

MYTH: there is no great effort. Just a bit more effort.

Bottom line, I would rather buy a car in the UK. However, purely financial reasons make it a nonsense. Maybe I could re-invest my 6 grand saving on a lobotomy

[This message has been edited by sickboy (edited 17-03-2000).]

 

Lillian, So far you seem to have focused on cars sold in the EU.

However what about those brought directly from Japan? You have been instructed by IM Group that under no circumstances can you service models like WRX.

I can appriciate you must hold a certain loyalty to the importer - however how can you respect an importer who with their stuborbness to met customer demands could force you out of business?

 

Sorry another point - you also say that buying outside the UK is fine is price is your main concern.

Well customer service isn't any better either is it? Given you have import restrictions and therefore demand usually outstrips supply you couldn't really care less.

Give us some examples of Subaru customer service excellence that isn't seen in, say, any Ford, Vauxhall or Renault main agent?

 

Phil

Judging by mine and my work mates dealings with Fords, Renault dealers etc there's no comparison and vauxhall are in the third division.

Being dealt with like a human not a number is one example for me. Cant fault my dealer (Adams - formerly Dear Leap).

After buying more than enough cars myself, plus buying all the cars for my company I can state one fact. Vauxhall and Ford will never see anymore business due to their dealerships and their attitude (not their cars)

How do you find the your Subaru dealer Phil, You do have one dont you ?

JOnathan

 

Have to say subaru dealers are in a different league to any ford or vauxhall dealers i have dealt with.

Never met a bunch of people so honest and enthusiastic about the cars they service.

Ford and Vauxhall have been complete pants in my eyes, and believe me i have had a great deal of these cars.

The only guys i get good service from at ford have been the parts guys for when i have been working on my own car. The service depts have allways been crap when working on my company cars.

 

Well my experience of Subaru dealers go back to 1996 or '97 and then again in 1999.

In '96/97 I almost brought one of the last McRae specials. However the dealer (can't remember the name - near Wolverhampton, Coachcraft?) was a waste of time - basically his attitude was "either you want it or you don't" don't waste any of my time. They didn't have a demonstrator and didn't want to get one - even a standard turbo.

Then in '99 it was a similar story - I was after a turbo again and the dealer basically told me that he had sold all his year allocation and that was that. (this time the dealer was the Lye dealer) He as uninterested in any further dialouge.

So there you are, since 97 I've brought new a Lotus Elise, Mercedes CLK, Ducati 748, Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Lupo, Ford Mondeo, ApriliaRS - You are right I don't own a Subaru, but not for the want of trying!

 

I have watched this thread with particular interest.
I think the person who started this thread may well be regretting it

 

I certainly know of no other dealer who would go into print with their opinions.
I also wanted to add my thoughts about Subaru customer service. The J D Power award is independant proof from the customer - that on the whole Subaru owners feel they get a better service than any other car owners...and they have not just won it once either!

 

Thought I'd check out Lillians web page.

 

PhillBennet,
you beat me to it those are the exact reasons i bought my last one abroad,my first experiances with buying a scooby was in 96,just before the explosion of intrest,but every dealer i spoke to sounded like a smug BMW dealer,telling me to pay FULL WHACK or get lost(i spoke to atleast 10 in scotland/n england) all other marques i spoke to would give me some sort of deal for cash, but the subaru dealers wouldnt even barter for a set of mudflaps and a tank of petrol! i ended up getting £750 off from the john wier group who had stacks in stock,but have now given up the dealership,so my point is i am giving two big fingers to all those salesmen!!(although i cant fault my local dealer for servicing,even if they look more at home with tractors! no names given to protect the inocent!!)
regards

 

I'm sure that we aren't in the minority either. I reckon a few private customers are in the same boat.

It is like anything with a more specialist market - the service I got from Lotus was a disgrace to the point where I would NEVER buy a Lotus ever again.

I think there are a lot of rose tinted glasses out there.

 

I had a UK car on order. Same attitude.

I asked for a discount for paying cash. Exactly zero percent was what the dealer offered to knock off.

After mulling it over for months, I decided to buy abroad (Belgium if no-one had noticed! )

Phoned to cancel my order and the dealer was quite OK.

Funnily enough, just after I picked up my car, I got the Subaru Assist card for the car I originally ordered. It was sppoky at the time. I thought I'd do the decent thing and phone IM to let them know. The woman was very blase and asked me to phone the dealer an let them know! I suggested that perhaps it wasn;t my job to do this....

 

Do subaru dealers ever read these pages? I think someone should be telling them to. It must be of some comfort to you guys to see these same dealers squirming now. Perhaps, this could be the turning point. If Subaru dealers are struggling to sell cars - and anyone who has seen the figures for March will know what I am talking about -then maybe the emphasis will be shifted from the sales of subaru to the service - and customer service side of things...after all, all these EU caars coming has got to be good news for their service departments. But on a lighter note - wasn't it grreat news about Burns - first Englishman to ever lead the World Rally Championship! I read that on that news site you gave out sick boy.Great action shots.Mind you I couldn't help thinking that we were all pleased to own McRae as our UK winner - but now they decide that Burns is not the UK winner -but an English winner! But lets no go
there.