anyone imported from europe ?

[mnoble_uk]

I'm in the process of using an agent to import an IS200SE from Belgium. They've had good reviews on usenet and they actually negotiate a discount on the car which more than covers their commission, BUT ..

initially (after taking my deposit !) they said they couldnt give me a definite build date because Lexus wouldn't tell the dealer. They said this was normal and some other manufacturers do it also, but not to worry they fully expected it to take 16-20 weeks. Well, surprise surprise 20 weeks have passed and after a bit of prompting they are telling me the car will be at the dealers on the 3rd Sep. This will be 28 weeks after taking my deposit.

So, my question is, has anyone else imported from Europe and if so, what were the delviery times like and did they get a build date from their garage ?

I'd really like to know if I'm being spun a tale to keep me off their backs. I will be passing their office on Thursday and wonder if it would be worthwhille calling in unanounced and asking to see the correspondence with the dealer.

[ricky_is200]

Hi, and welcome to the club!

Have a look at this thread:

http://www.teamlexus.co.uk/forums/viewthread.php?tid=1591

There are a few people here who have imported their IS200's. You might want to try sending them a U2U message.

[jenners]

Welcome to the club. I've U2U'd you if you have any specific questions.

[Richie]

I buy all my cars there, LOL.

[mnoble_uk]

well I could pretend that I was asking if anyone in the UK got an accurate build date too, but of course that would be a lie ...

[TonyGoose]

When i ordered mine, delivery was quoted as 20weeks. That was buying direct from a dealer though rather than through an agent.

A week or so later they called to say a car was on it's way over without a buyer allocated - same as i'd ordered but with satnav too - so i had that.

End result was, ordered mid march, car arrived mid may, collected mid june.

[Wallace]

Hi, welcome to the club.

My Toyota dealer promised to save pounds by importing from Belgium. Ordered IS200 end of April, 6-8 weeks wait. June still no car, 6-8 weeks wait. End of July still no car, said it could be September! Phone Lexus Wolverhampton, had one in the show room- got it next week. They warned that the car from Belgium would be first registered there,and may not be full UK spec. You pays your money..................

[ricky_is200]

I think UK dealers will always tell you 'horror' stories to put you off importing. When you import it it will be registered as new in the UK.

[jenners]

Couldn't agree more with you ricky_is200 ! - the only reason you would not get a UK spec car is if you didn't order a UK spec car.

The UK dealer I went to first gave me allsort of stories - hardly an unbiased view.

I would agree that if you want your car quickly then get it in the UK. The only downside to getting in Europe is the delivery time.

[mnoble_uk]

Thanks folks, the garage in Belgium now says 3rd Sep. We'll see !!

On the UK spec thing, a mate of mine imported an alpha from Dublin, asked for UK spec and the garage said no way. He got a bit upset and insisted, they responsded with OK, so you want us to take the air conditioning out and the spoiler off then ....

another mate imported an alpha (again from Dublin), they couldn't get a right hand drive one quick enough so the garage sourced one from ... you guessed it ... London, and sold it to him at Irish prices.