Importing cars into TRNC

walkersav


Joined: 15/07/2008
Posts: 2


Message Posted:
15/07/2008 21:52

We are hoping to move permanently to Northern Cyprus as soon as we can sell our house over here. We are getting conflicting information about importing cars. The main question is do you think it's worth bringing them or is it better to buy over there. My car is only 18 months old but with fairly high mileage. My wifes car is 6 years old with fairly low mileage. From reading a message on this forum only today it seems as though the import duty has just changed. What are used car prices like in TRNC as this would obviously have agreat bearing on the final decision.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

I'm sure I'll have lots more questions over the coming weeks (hopefully not months).

Thanks

joandjelly



Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 347


Message Posted:
15/07/2008 23:25

It all depends on your budget really but there are loads of cars on forecourts and not much movement. It was reported a while back in Cyprus Today that there are approximately 5000 used cars waiting to be sold so in theory it should be a buyers market. All dealers will quote silly money but you should negotiate hard as they all have similar Japanese imports that they need to shift before they become too old to register. Personally I wouldn't go through the hassle of importing a car as it is very expensive and they keep changing the goalposts.

Jo Valentine



Joined: 10/02/2008
Posts: 138


Message Posted:
16/07/2008 01:00

Hello Stuart

Welcome to the Forum!

I can't help but agree with joandjelly that the hassle and cost can both be considerable. I'll email you chapter and verse on Importing Cars anyway, and then you can make up your own mind!

Kind regards

Jo Valentine

www.jamesvalentineremovals.co.uk

simbas



Joined: 16/07/2007
Posts: 1629


Message Posted:
16/07/2008 04:44

hi walkersav , welcome to the forum , can only agree with last two comments it is very expensive , and by buying in nc you would be supporting your adopted country's economy

good luck , simbas

Dixie Normus



Joined: 22/02/2008
Posts: 112


Message Posted:
16/07/2008 06:32

Hi Walkersav

As has been mentioned, expensive and theres too many funny handshakes and backhanders going on in customs, its a nest of vipers. Ive just done a motor before the prices went up via a fixer, who put the car through 4 grand cheaper than the personal quote I got. I paid him a grand to do it, he halfed that with the inside man so everyones happy( helping the TRNC economy as Simmbas says). Plenty of good deals arround the Nicosia area, dont buy arround Kyrenia as you will be shafted. Keep your eyes on the forum, been some good deals for motors here.



D.N

fire starter


Joined: 19/06/2008
Posts: 231


Message Posted:
16/07/2008 06:40

don't do it. before we can they told us our tax would be 7k when the car got here they charged us 12k. cypriot friend did it, car came in april, he paid the tax this week same old story 12k. they seem to like that figure. if you have money to burn go ahead. we would advise DONT DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also insurance is either full comp which is for our car about 2k per year or third party which i think is only covering you for up to 15,000 ytl, which wouldn't cover replacing a new car! buy second hand, insure third party, and drive like a cypriot thats my advise.

rigsby


Joined: 21/09/2007
Posts: 9


Message Posted:
16/07/2008 06:52

One other thing to consider,Cooling systems on cars vary from country to country,ie;Will an english car struggle to keep water tempature down in this heat.My brother sent his range rover to Australia and had to change radiator,water pump and fan blades so that he could use it.

brian24001


Joined: 23/03/2008
Posts: 283


Message Posted:
16/07/2008 07:37

I posted this a couple of days ago from 'villaowners' but here it is again



http://www.cyprus44.com/forums/3759.asp

alanbarclay


Joined: 22/07/2008
Posts: 1


Message Posted:
22/07/2008 09:04

im importing a car that is in trnc and want to pay import duty before it goes up,im told because its just over 5years they (import office) say the law is being changed any day now, can your ixer help.

thanks

fire starter


Joined: 19/06/2008
Posts: 231


Message Posted:
24/07/2008 08:21

i'm sure all cars imported need to be 3 years old or newer.

Groucho


Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 93


Message Posted:
24/07/2008 09:19

Having bought a new car here I can quite simply say that seeing all the problems, regulations and costs it is simply not worth the hassle (given all the other hassle you are going to have)... the costs of transporting and then paying the import duties don't seem to add up to a bargain.



I would not generally advise buying secondhand here either... the arithmetic just does not add up... i.e. you buy a Jap import for 18 - 20k... yet it only cost about 5k at auction in Japan... It's three years old and has about 30k on the clock... you don't know how hard it's been driven and in three years it will be six years old and not worth much....



Having said that my Brother-in-law bout a neat and tidy fiesta from Tasas for about 5k and it's a gem.... it was not a Jap import of course having been originally sold by Cangar Motors..



One thing the previous owner had racked-up a speeding fine and the police came after the new owner and seemed willing to coerce a "confession" from them! Even though they could prove they were not in the country at the time of the offence, how daft is that?

spud1



Joined: 22/05/2007
Posts: 274


Message Posted:
25/08/2008 11:06

i have asked this before got no response. what are the problems with me driving my 2 year old ford ka to north cyprus and leaving it at my apartment to use when i am out there. it was only 5k new its value now is only about 2k will i have to pay duty on it. spud1

joandjelly



Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 347


Message Posted:
25/08/2008 19:26

Spud1 yes you will have to pay duty. Customs will value it according to the Glass's Guide and charge a percentage of that value plus whatever else they want to add (KDV, etc).

fire starter


Joined: 19/06/2008
Posts: 231


Message Posted:
25/08/2008 19:54

groucho, you are correct. if the car in japan has an accident it doesn't go back onto the road. it is fixed and exported. in the uk we call this grey import. insurance companies don't want to insure them. you cannot get the parts for repairs and also you don't know how bad the accident was. i have been inside a few repair garages here and cut and shut is an understatement. when i purchased my car here, i went to a cypriot friend,friends garage in gonyeli, and purchased a previously uk registered car, that way i could hpi check it, as i would in the uk.

joandjelly, just to let you know that we have been in the customs offices in famagusta and lefkosa and niether have an up to date glass's guide. they just charge what ever they feel like.

spud1



Joined: 22/05/2007
Posts: 274


Message Posted:
26/08/2008 10:07

hi joandjelly. if i drive through from the south with my car how will they know how long its been there if i leave it at apartment and fly back home spud1

joandjelly



Joined: 24/02/2008
Posts: 347


Message Posted:
26/08/2008 10:15

Spud1 - sorry absolutely no idea.



Firestarter - I'm sure you are right. We spent most of yesterday at Customs in Famagusta Port and it took them over an hour to decide how much we had to pay which was strange since they had a letter confirming original price of the car (a classic), had been approved by the Classic Car Club and the Ticaret Dairesi in Lefkosa.



Incidentally, for information, if you are going to pay your import duty at Famagusta Customs they will only accept payment in YTL.

beach resort


Joined: 15/03/2008
Posts: 27


Message Posted:
27/08/2008 12:06

we are thinking of driving across to turkey and down to mersin and ferry to famagusta in a 1995 [m.reg] astra worth about £600 would there be any problems with that and could any one tell me how much tax i would pay to get in famagusta and how long i can keep it there all replies welcome cheers all...

beach resort


Joined: 15/03/2008
Posts: 27


Message Posted:
01/09/2008 16:09

can any one relpy to previous message, thanx....

Maggie&Bernie



Joined: 26/07/2008
Posts: 89


Message Posted:
01/09/2008 16:58

I was told that you couldn't import a car more than 5 yrs old and no more that 3 years old if you haven't owned it from new. We abandoned the idea of bringing our car as the import duty is so expensive. It was something like $1200 plus 40% of the Glasses Guide value of the car....Ouch!

rtddci


Joined: 29/12/2007
Posts: 540


Message Posted:
01/09/2008 17:08

NC and taxes or charges of any sort = ouch!

cyprusishome


Joined: 31/03/2007
Posts: 604


Message Posted:
01/09/2008 17:22

beach resort



unless you have owned car from new you will not be allowed into the country with it.

Maggie&Bernie



Joined: 26/07/2008
Posts: 89


Message Posted:
01/09/2008 17:25

I think you can bring your car in as a tourist but probably have to take it away with you within 90 days. Other people on this forum are probably much more knowledgeable than me as I'm just a 'newbie'!

johnty


Joined: 03/06/2008
Posts: 26


Message Posted:
01/09/2008 17:34

Dont do it taxes very expensive see other threads.

It mustnt be over 5 years old

fire starter


Joined: 19/06/2008
Posts: 231


Message Posted:
01/09/2008 22:08

joanandjelly, we also had the original purchase reciept from a ford main dealer. they don't care about anything you say they just charge what ever they like. glass's guide is for the uk traders. you pay by subscription to get the latest upto date guide or you can do it on line. milage is a very big factor when valuing a car in the glass's guide. they wouldn't know how to used one even if they had one!