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Uk/australia Imported Vehicles Pros & Cons


MoneyMaker

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Hi All,

I am thinking about buying a vehcile imported from UK and would like to know the pros & cons

I am getting mixed infomration, So far:

Pros

  • More options
  • Leather seats (More frequent)
  • Alloy Wheels (More frequent)
  • Build Quality of vehcile is better
  • Noise reduction due to highway use

Cons

  • Rust
  • No agent warranty
  • Not climatized hence crack appear on dash boad, seats etc..(3-7Years)
  • Vehicle name may differ (Example: Montero and Shogun)
  • 2nd hand market is less for UK imported vehciles
  • Book states recondition altough vehicle is brand new

I would like to know what the experts on this forum think? Some of these points are very valid when choosing a vehicle but there is always a growing demand for UK imports.

I did skim through past topics to look for answer but infomration is scattered in many threads and want to know the most updated information if any, hence the reason to start a new thread.

Looking forward to a healthy thread

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I ain't and expert, just my experience.. been using a UK spec Hilux for over 2 years, no complains at all, the trim is way better, no rust so far. The only downside is that certain peers say is that it has a common rail and the agent import has a 3L, but to me this is not a con. . I guess the answer to your question depends of the Service History of each and every vehicle prior to import.

Edited by tiv
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Hi All,

am thinking about buying a vehcile imported from UK and would like to know the pros & cons

I am getting mixed infomration, So far:

Pros

  • ore options
  • Leather seats (More frequent)
  • Alloy Wheels (More frequent)
  • Build Quality of vehcile is better
  • Noise reduction due to highway use

Cons

  • Rust
  • No agent warranty
  • Not climatized hence crack appear on dash boad, seats etc..(3-7Years)
  • Vehicle name may differ (Example: Montero and Shogun)
  • 2nd hand market is less for UK imported vehciles
  • Book states recondition altough vehicle is brand new

I would like to know what the experts on this forum think? Some of these points are very valid when choosing a vehicle but there is always a growing demand for UK imports.

I did skim through past topics to look for answer but infomration is scattered in many threads and want to know the most updated information if any, hence the reason to start a new thread.

Looking forward to a healthy thread

What exactly do you mean by the 2 points I have highlighted?

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Hmm....I dunno...those pros and cons tend to lead people from the fact that each car is its own and at the end of the day should be assessed as such when purchasing; especially when it is a pre-used car.

- Build Quality is better

Are you comparing the UK/Aus imports against a Thailand/India/etc built vehicle or a Japan built vehicle ?

Because, firstly, if it is a Japan built vehicle some models for the UK/AUS/US/EU market are built in Japan so there isn't a difference in quality. Can't say the same about vehicles built in South East and South Asian regions.

- More Options

Could be...also some specifications would be different as they would be spec'd to meet regulations of the country the car is intended for.

- Noise Reduction...

Uhh...as Watchman asked..what does this mean ?

Are you suggesting that because UK/AUS imports are driven more on highways the interior and stuff would be less ikely to be rattling ? If so it is subjective; as, for example, a UK imported Hilux might just have 10000kms with most of it done on a farm or some estate whilst a Hilux from Thailand with 25000kms might have spent 90% of its time stuck in Bangkok traffic...so...this is very subjective.

If you are implying that UK/AUS imports are manufactured with highway use in mind so they do better sound proofing...no idea...I have driven Prados and Hilux for UK,Asian, and African markets and honestly can't recall/feel noise differences. Only differences were mainly option differences and perhaps the suspension.

- Rust

Again think of the farm vs. city use example from above

- No agent Warranty

I am curious...if you buy a car that is Japan or Thailand built and imported from one of those places outside of the dealer does the dealer give you warranty on it ? If you go to some car dealer and import a brand new or nearly new vehicle from Thailand or someplace you might not necessarily get a full warranty on it ?

In the past I have had to use cars that were bought in South Africa and used in South East Asia. I got agent's warranty only because it was the manufacturer who told me to go to SA and I still bought it within the approved dealer-network.

- Book states reconditioned

Uhh..no idea how this works in Sri Lanka...

but in Japan when you buy most of these "brand new" JDM cars for export, although the auction grade is "brand new", the official paperwork says "Registered/Used" because JDM brand new models you buy, especially when you buy it directly off of the manufacturers' dealership network; 98% of the time have to be registered in Japan to take out of the manufacturer's dealership and then de-registered for export. Since the car was registered for just one day (sometimes even less) it goes as "registered/used". Granted there are creative ways to get through this like the car can be transffered as stock to another dealer, registered for export etc... but again 98% of the time it is not worth the trouble. :)

Edited by iRage
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  • Rust

Rubbish. Double cabs and vans are commercial vehicles and they are subjected to rugged use in any country. UK is no different. I know a couple of L200 vans imported brand new by Unit#d Mot#rs in 2011 have gathered rust already.

  • No agent warranty

WIll you get warranty from the agent for a Japanese import???? Only agent imported vehicles carry agent warranty. It has nothing to do with UK.

  • Not climatized hence crack appear on dash boad, seats etc..(3-7Years)

Climatizing has nothign to do with dashboards and seats. It so happens that most of the vehicles imported from UK are either luxury vehicles or commercial vehicles.Luxury vehicles have leather interior and leather needs to be taken care of, unlike plastic. Commercial vehicles are subjected to rugged use anyway. If someone imports a toyota corolla from uk, will it have the same problem you mentioned?

  • Vehicle name may differ (Example: Montero and Shogun)

You may call it a dog if you like but a montero by any name is still a montero

  • 2nd hand market is less for UK imported vehciles

that's an idiot's preception. decide whether you want to be in the pile of idiots

  • Book states recondition altough vehicle is brand new

any vehicle imported outside an official agent will go as a reconditioned vehicle. it has nothing to do with UK

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I was also thinking about giving away our agent imported montero and bring down a suv from uk

I also sent pm to members here but didn't get a reply.

I even advertised and got a resonable offer for my vehicle

I completely ignored my uncles opinion from England not to import one from UK.

I was in the hunt for a vehicle to bring down from uk and visited a lot of people who advertised with a diverse range of prices.

Finally a known importer who i had done business for some time told me that it's not worth going trough all the trouble as a 6mnth- 1yrs used vehicle from England can be of any sort.

And asked a friend from an insurance company who said if the vehicle was registered as recondition they will not be able to pay the price of the brand new part from the company in a claim(not sure about this tough )

There was also the risk of the exchange rates going back to previous highs which meant I'd have to spend over 20% of what i expected

The end result was that I registered the vehicle and started to enjoy it,

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What exactly do you mean by the 2 points I have highlighted?

Noise reduction due to highway use:

The bulit quality of the vehicle seems to be better as the the example taken for this point is the Hilux from UK Vs Thailand. The Hilux coming from the UK is made in South Arfica the doors have padding etc..

Book Recon:

Well example taken for this point is E Class bought by XXXXX Motors is Brand New from Germany and not Via the agent but the book states recondition on the book which makes you wonder if it is worth going for the vehicle.

This point may be of no interest to some people.

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@ Crosswind & iRage

The reason for UK vehicles having under carrage rusting issues is due to the salt sprayed on snow. Snow dissolves very fast when salt is sprayed on. During bad wheather conditions there are salt spraying trucks which go around spraying salt on the roads. This leaves the the roads very salty and vehicles travelling in these conditions gets a good amount of salt on their under carrages. Over time rust appears & growns and hence the rusting issues.

Again not all vehciles have this issue as it may have not Snowed in the UK @ the point of the 1st sale of vehicle till it was shipped to SL.

Climatization

I have personally had experience with 2 UK import vehicles where rubber parts, plastics & dashboards etc whcih have cracked or begins to alter with the heat.

Warranty

This something very important when buying a vehicle. The options and the choices given by the agent my not be the most loaded vehicle but we spend alot of money of on vehicles in Sri Lanka and having warrantly would give you a peace of mind. But this is totally based on opinion and choice.

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Noise reduction due to highway use:

The bulit quality of the vehicle seems to be better as the the example taken for this point is the Hilux from UK Vs Thailand. The Hilux coming from the UK is made in South Arfica the doors have padding etc..

Book Recon:

Well example taken for this point is E Class bought by XXXXX Motors is Brand New from Germany and not Via the agent but the book states recondition on the book which makes you wonder if it is worth going for the vehicle.

This point may be of no interest to some people.

1) so the noise reduction has nothing to do with "Hihway use". It's just the country of origin.

2) Are you Fu##ing serious? If your car is actually brand-new does it matter what it says on the book? Do you have your book framed and hanging in your living room so that Mr.Perera from next door and all your visitors "KNOW" your car is brand new? pfftt....

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I think what you are missing here is that you should select a car based on each individual car's condition....not WHERE the car came from...you can just as easily find a rusted car from Asia....I livedin Utah for 5years and is probably the world capital for salt spraying on roads....my car and quite a few cars were completely rust free and almost new like after several years of use whilst some newer cars looked like they were bathing in salt water for years ! So it is the car ! Not the place...

As crosswinds pointed out outside of the registered dealer you buy a brand new car it is going to say "recon" again has nothing to do with whether it is from the UK/Aus or Asia as originally querried by you.

As for extra door padding etc...really not sure about that (never ripped apart the doors of either of my office cars). Like i said before...use UK spec and Japan sepc Prados and South African built Hilux and Thailand built Hiluxes....really can't feel a difference in noise reduction...then again these are driven on gravel roads, muddy tracks and normal roads..not on highways at 100mph...so atthat speeds maybe the wind noise makes a difference but on average use (like in SL ?) there hardly would be a difference unless you have super human hearing.

Warranty can be important when buying a brand new car....but the reality of the matter is you are only going to get the manufacturer service+parts warranty from the agent only if you buy the car from them ! Irrespective of whether it is UK/Aus or Asia spec (granted agent's models are Asian spec'd). Granted there are cases where the agent will extend the manufacturer's warranty if you pay a "registration"/"service" fee which is usually an exorbitant amount. I have had experiences in some other countries where the manufacturer provides the part but I have had to pay labor+delivery charges because I didn't buy the car from the local agent...on a side note don't forget 95% of people in SL who can't afford buy brand new cars and opt for recons live without agents'/manufacturers' warranty :), Again...depends on who you buy the car from and not really whether it is imported from UK/Aus or Thailand/Japan/etc....

Edited by iRage
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Book Recon:

Well example taken for this point is E Class bought by XXXXX Motors is Brand New from Germany and not Via the agent but the book states recondition on the book which makes you wonder if it is worth going for the vehicle.

This point may be of no interest to some people.

Utter rubbish!

1. How can someone buy a brand new RIGHT HAND DRIVE Merc from a dealer in Germany?????

2. Get this in to your head now... ONLY AGENT IMPORTED B/N vehicles can be registered as brand new in Sri Lanka. Because they hold the official license from the parent companies to sell brand new vehicles. It has nothign to do with UK/Aus/Germany/Japan or Koswatta Handiya

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Warranty

This something very important when buying a vehicle. The options and the choices given by the agent my not be the most loaded vehicle but we spend alot of money of on vehicles in Sri Lanka and having warrantly would give you a peace of mind. But this is totally based on opinion and choice.

Oi... agent gives warranty for a limited time period. Max 4 years. Warranties are not valid for consumables like tires, batteries, mounts, bushes, brake liners etc. Real troubles start as time goes by. Usually not in the first few years.

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...and by the way....you are planning on buying a brand new car from the UK/Aus? and you are thinking if it will have rust ? hmmm

FYI: As for buying a Merc in Germany for a right hand drive country....I know a person in SG who ordered a Merc with the SG dealer then went to the Merc plant/office in Germany and "collected" it <which was pretty much a showing of the car that he ordered and watch it get prepped for shipping...>. Which mind you is NOT the same as buying it at a German dealership that sells left hand drives as what you are talking about

Edited by iRage
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Utter rubbish!

1. How can someone buy a brand new RIGHT HAND DRIVE Merc from a dealer in Germany?????

2. Get this in to your head now... ONLY AGENT IMPORTED B/N vehicles can be registered as brand new in Sri Lanka. Because they hold the official license from the parent companies to sell brand new vehicles. It has nothign to do with UK/Aus/Germany/Japan or Koswatta Handiya

Check out Nanda Motors its pre ordered.

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Cons

  • Rust
  • No agent warranty
  • Not climatized hence crack appear on dash boad, seats etc..(3-7Years)
  • Vehicle name may differ (Example: Montero and Shogun)
  • 2nd hand market is less for UK imported vehciles
  • Book states recondition altough vehicle is brand new

You get same vehicle from Japan itself in different brand names.

Best Example: Suzuki Alto , Mazda Carol , Nissan Pino...

Edited by Sampath Gunasekera
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