The Process

Several brands honour an International Warranty on imports. For example Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari. Whilst Landrover, Jaguar, Audi do not. Please check with us as this does change.

Yes we do.  Classic cars require different treatment to new/near-new cars.  Pre-purchase inspections are critical.  We have a variety of contacts in the UK for specialist inspectors and companies and will advise.  On arrival, compliance can be complicated.  Again, we have experience here and the contacts you need.  Whether that is for repair certificates or LVV, we talk you through the process and the likely costs.

If you choose a car that is VAT qualifying, you will be invoiced net of UK VAT plus a reasonable fee to manage the VAT on your behalf.    We have a UK buyer who handles the VAT for you.  This prevents you from having to pay VAT upfront and then trying to claim it back yourself.   This can be a time-consuming and complicated process.   It also means that your NZ Customs GST will be less on arrival – as this is based on the UK invoice + cost of shipping.

We will talk you through all the costs involved with an import and once we have found a car of interest we will supply a full cost breakdown.  Any forecasted price we give you will be a realistic end price in your drive based on the exchange rate at that time.   As exchange rates change we can only forecast your end cost.

Corrosion, or rust is something you need to be aware of on UK imports.   Salt is used on the roads in Winter.   And just because the vehicle passes an MOT (like our WOF) in the UK, does not mean it will pass our compliance checks on entry in NZ.   NZ compliance inspectors are very strict re corrosion.   And if found, it will need to be repaired before the vehicle can be passed.  The costs to do this will of course depend on the work required and it is likely a repair certificate or LT400 will also be needed.   These are issued by specialist engineers, and will involve additional costs as well as time.     Most of the vehicles we import are new or near-new so this is not an issue, but with older vehicles it is something you should be aware of.

As part of the process, we give you a full breakdown of your forecasted costs.  However, there are some things we can not forecast such as exchange rate fluctuations, other suppliers changing their prices, BAF/fuel prices for shipping, and if any repairs are required by the compliance inspectors.

VAT Qualifying cars are those cars in the UK that can be exported net of UK tax (VAT). As VAT is currently 20% this is where the savings happen. Typically VAT qualifying cars are new, or ex-demo, financed/leased cars. Once a car goes into private ownership they are no longer VAT qualifying, and instead called VAT margin.

In terms of savings, we find new or near-new European cars work best for import savings. However it is not just about savings, people import to increase their choices too. Many brands, or models, or specification levels are not available in the smaller NZ market, or are delayed by a year or more.

ECI has been in business since 2013 and has imported hundreds of incredible vehicles for its Clients during this time.  Please take a read of their Google and Facebook reviews.     All of which are 5* and clearly show the reasons why their customers chose them and will do so again.  Trust is paramount and if there is anything Sally or Lincoln can do to earn your trust please let them know.   Whether that is a face-to-face meeting, or providing contact details for recent Clients, whatever you need to reassure you before you decide to purchase via their service.

Yes we do.  Classic cars require different treatment to new/near-new cars.  Pre-purchase inspections are critical.  We have a variety of contacts in the UK for specialist inspectors and companies and will advise.  On arrival, compliance can be complicated.  Again, we have experience here and the contacts you need.  Whether that is for repair certificates or LVV, we talk you through the process and the likely costs.

Corrosion, or rust is something you need to be aware of on UK imports.   Salt is used on the roads in Winter.   And just because the vehicle passes an MOT (like our WOF) in the UK, does not mean it will pass our compliance checks on entry in NZ.   NZ compliance inspectors are very strict re corrosion.   And if found, it will need to be repaired before the vehicle can be passed.  The costs to do this will of course depend on the work required and it is likely a repair certificate or LT400 will also be needed.   These are issued by specialist engineers, and will involve additional costs as well as time.     Most of the vehicles we import are new or near-new so this is not an issue, but with older vehicles it is something you should be aware of.

As part of the process, we give you a full breakdown of your forecasted costs.  However, there are some things we can not forecast such as exchange rate fluctuations, other suppliers changing their prices, BAF/fuel prices for shipping, and if any repairs are required by the compliance inspectors.

Corrosion, or rust is something you need to be aware of on UK imports.   Salt is used on the roads in Winter.   And just because the vehicle passes an MOT (like our WOF) in the UK, does not mean it will pass our compliance checks on entry in NZ.   NZ compliance inspectors are very strict re corrosion.   And if found, it will need to be repaired before the vehicle can be passed.  The costs to do this will of course depend on the work required and it is likely a repair certificate or LT400 will also be needed.   These are issued by specialist engineers, and will involve additional costs as well as time.     Most of the vehicles we import are new or near-new so this is not an issue, but with older vehicles it is something you should be aware of.

If you choose a car that is VAT qualifying, you will be invoiced net of UK VAT plus a reasonable fee to manage the VAT on your behalf.    We have a UK buyer who handles the VAT for you.  This prevents you from having to pay VAT upfront and then trying to claim it back yourself.   This can be a time-consuming and complicated process.   It also means that your NZ Customs GST will be less on arrival – as this is based on the UK invoice + cost of shipping.

As part of the process, we give you a full breakdown of your forecasted costs.  However, there are some things we can not forecast such as exchange rate fluctuations, other suppliers changing their prices, BAF/fuel prices for shipping, and if any repairs are required by the compliance inspectors.

ECI has been in business since 2013 and has imported hundreds of incredible vehicles for its Clients during this time.  Please take a read of their Google and Facebook reviews.     All of which are 5* and clearly show the reasons why their customers chose them and will do so again.  Trust is paramount and if there is anything Sally or Lincoln can do to earn your trust please let them know.   Whether that is a face-to-face meeting, or providing contact details for recent Clients, whatever you need to reassure you before you decide to purchase via their service.

Obviously there are variables, however typically allow around 14 weeks from purchase to delivery for cars shipped by container. RORO shipping is usually quicker however currently there is limited availability and delays in Australia are impacting NZ.