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- Find your car!
Be VERY careful at this point, do not commit to buying until you have personally viewed the car, or had it viewed by a knowledgeable third party. The members of the DeLorean Mailing List may be able to help here.
http://www.dmcnews.com
- Pay for the car!
How you do this is up to you - there are many ways, including Paypal which effectively puts the transaction on your credit card, and Bidpay which will allow you to send a cheque to the seller and put it on your credit card, or an cheque drawn from your bank in US dollars. At this point it is vitally important to obtain a written receipt (called a"bill of sale") EVEN IF IT'S A PRIVATE SALE.
http://www.paypal.com
http://www.bidpay.com
- Paperwork.
At the time of sale, the title must be signed over to you. This is the US equivalent of the V5. On the title, there's a section for a previous owner to sign over ownership to a new owner. This is then Notarised by the authorities. This would normally result in the title being submitted to the authorities for re-issue in the new owner's (your) name. THIS IS NOT NECESSARY. The only thing this document is now going to be used for is proof of ownership. It is required by US customs for leaving the country, and by the DVLA when you come to register the car over here. The shipping company will require the original title and bill of sale to submit to US customs.
- Shipping
Find a company to ship the car. DO NOT use a UK-based firm as they will charge significantly more than a US-based firm. Club members have used TransGlobal Auto Logistics who ship from anywhere in the US to either Liverpool or Southampton. They are very helpful, making sure to keep in contact at every stage. The prices are competitive too, and they accept non-running cars at no additional cost.
http://www.tgal.us
- Marine Insurance
This is a bit of a funny area. Basically, the car is insured for transporting to the port and loading onto the boat, but NOT during actual shipping. But, if the boat sinks, you get the perceived value of your car (presumably the price you paid). Now the funny bit.... If you want to insure it against damage during shipping, you must take out marine insurance. This costs a certain percentage of the car's value. By paying this, you state the car's value (eg if you value it at $10000 and the percentage is 1%, you'd pay $100). But in the event the car's damaged, and you try to claim, the cost of the repairs will only be met if you valued your car at what it would cost to replace with a "new" one. As there's no such thing for a DeLorean, the replacement value effectively amounts to the cost of its parts! So it would cost an awful lot to get marine insurance on a DeLorean if you have a hope in hell of getting anything back should any damage occur. For example: Let's say the value of a DeLorean as a sum of its parts is $100000 (this is not far off!). If you paid $10000 for your car and covered it for the same amount, and the left front fender got dented ($4500 replacement cost), you would be re-imbursed for 10000/100000 times 4500 = $450.
So to summarise: It ain't worth it!
Transcar specialise in cars and have brought over several other DeLoreans - all of which have arrived with no problems. When one of our members collected their DeLorean in Southampton, it was parked up next to a load of brand new fork-lift trucks, several new american cars, and a few personal imports (one family were moving to England and had shipped their people carrier over). If shipping to Southampton through Transcar, you get 5 days free storage in Southampton, and that storage is under cover.
- UK Customs
A stock original DeLorean is now firmly established as an "item of historic interest". This means it should be given a tax bracket of 5% under tarrif classification 970500 00 00*. To ensure the authorities "get it right" you can apply for a BTI. This is a "Binding Tarriff Information" and is a free application to Customs and Excise to pre-classify the car before it arrives. With this issued, all you have to do is submit your paperwork together with the BTI, and get your cheque book out! HERE 's how to fill out your BTI application form (with the form in front of you, it will make sense). To get a form, and any advice on how to fill it out, ring HM C&E on 01702 366077 and pick option 4 on the automated answer. The lady you'll speak to actually issues the BTI and knows a lot about DeLoreans!
- More Paperwork!
Transcar takes responsibility for all paperwork at the US end. We recommend using a shipping agent in Southampton to sort out all your paperwork in the UK. Although you don't have to, and it costs to do so, it takes all the guesswork and worry out of the proceedings and gurantees that when the car arrives (and clears customs), you can collect it immediately. As soon as the ship sails from the US, Transcar send you all the documents. Add to this the BTI form and any forms required by the UK agent. We have used Transcar's agent in Southampton: Wainwright Bros (see BTI Form Filling ). Make sure to pay all bills prior to the car arriving - you don't want to be delayed picking your car up! You can pay money direct into Wainwright's account. They also accept cash on the day.
- Go and pick up your car!
If you have bought non-runner use a car transporter to collect it. A company can be found by searching Scoot and Yellow Pages for Breakdown Services in the area of DESTINATION (they are few and far between, and expensive in Southampton!). If you intend driving your car home, check with the DVLA and as long as it's insured, the police will tend to turn a blind eye as long as you're just driving it home (make sure you have the US plate on it!) Only use this as information.
http://www.scoot.co.uk
http://www.yell.com
Good Luck!
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