importing

[kenkeo]

hey im new to importing and was wondering does any body know if ibc or neweraimports are easier and better to use than any other importer

[johnny]

never used newera but have used IBC a couple of times. They have good service and a wide selection of cars but they seem to be a bit dearer than other places. If your buying a car from their stock cars send them a ridiculous offer, and just keep increasing ur offer bit by bit, they seem to get peed of after the 5th or so low offer and accept lol. One thing i would say is that their cars are graded fairly and ive never had any suprises when a car arrives in. Good luck anyway, what ya bringing in? GPX?

[kenkeo]

no hoping to bring in a gs. budget restrictions unfortunately and vrt is a grand more.

[Muad_dib77]

Did you test drive a GS and a GPX prior to coming to that decision?

Also make sure to get insurance quotes prior to "doing the business" - a few insurance companies don't differentiate from model to model, so maybe the difference is running cost is more managable than you might think. Ofcourse Tax and Petrol will be dearer.

[kevinod]

Did you see the import guide on the fto-ireland front page?

Didn't realise the difference in VRT would be anything like that much! Nothing wrong with the GS, but as the guys say, insurance cost between the GS and GR/GPX can be very little (think I was quoted only 100 quid more for the GR/GPX for the year).

[kenkeo]

the vrt is a grand more alright. went onto quinn theres only 200 quid difference between the gs and gr. that was online quote. hoping it will stand up if i buy online.

[CJ]

the vrt is a grand more alright

What year of manufacture are we talking about here kenkeo?

CJ

[adrian]

Myself and a mate are looking at importing a motor or two with a view to selling on (an S2000 or Boxster or 350Z maybe) and we have found www.showatrade.com the best. You have to fax a sign up paper to them, but it's very good.

[johnny]

If i was you mate id scrimp and save for a while to bring the budget up for a GPX... the difference between it and a GS is immense.... just have a think... i know i was so satisfied when i got the GPX.... drove a GS before i got it.....GS was a big let down...

Agree with Aido, showatrade arent a bad bunch, although i get cars for on average a grand cheaper and dont even think im gonna give away my secret contacts in japland

[GarLaf]

Guys, Dont try and talk the guy out of buying a GS, thats not what he is asking for. Not everybody can afford to run a 2.0 at 1.15 a litre. An fto is an fto no matter what model. Kenkeo, I imported through bonsaicars and got a grade four gx. Good to deal with and you get to pick your car rather than selecting from someones stock. The end product is fantastic but if you are going to do it dont wait around as shipping availability gets tight towards the winter and spring. Good luck.

[johnny]

of course...by all means buy a GS... just letting him know there is a decent gap in performance between the 1.8 & 2.0. And honestly I cant see the petrol consumption being that much more, unless you would be opening up the mivec all the time...

All that said... power isint for everyone... if you get a GS youll have a cracking looking car - give us a shout if you have any other questions about importing - good luck with it...

[kenkeo]

cheers lads. hoping to get 97 cj. got my loan, just down to deciding what company to give a deposit to. too many import companies. there was a guy in wicklow who said he will bring me in one and vrt and valet it for me but his fee is 500 euro. what u think worth it or better off doing it myself and just getting a crowd like mmc to take it off the boat. TOO MANY OPTIONS AHHH!. oh ya one last thing lads i was going to try and wait for a manaul but not many around wht are the autos like. sorry for the length of post

[kevinod]

Watch for the 97s - you can get both facelift and non-facelift 97s so be sure you specify facelift if you want a facelift model.

I imported myself, and tbh there's not a lot to it (see import guide from fto-ireland home page). That said, what exactly is he offering for the €500? Few months warranty? service? if the car arrives with any 'surprises' is he going to sort it out?

I drove one tip tronic, and it wasn't bad. Other guys on here know a lot more about it than I do, but there's both pros and cons.
main pro:
- good in traffic
main cons:
- needs regular oil change
- takes a little power from the car to operate it, and is thus a little slower

Its all down to personal choice. Take a drive of a tiptronic before you decide, then you'll know which is the better option.

[kenkeo]

readyour import guide first day. great guide spot on. just gotta choose a company