Car Registered In Poland

[HongKongphooey]

Seena a car for sale with Polish number plate. If I bought it would you have to pay import duty on it. Its a Fiat 126 and quite old, not sure how much its worth but I really like it!!

[KARL]

As Poland is in the EU, it is unlikely that any fee would be payable on importation into the UK of a car ten years or more in age. However, there may be documentation problems unless the Polish side is satisfactorily intact, i.e. including whatever the UK authorities need to get sight of and/or retain. The DVLA will provide information on what you need.

[shoota]

You would also need to obtain a UK MoT which would entail changing the headlights for driving on the left. I also think that you cannot insure a foreign registered car so it would have to be re-registered at more cost. Unless it is pristine and low mileage I doubt if it would be worth it.

[Graham-W]

Also bear in mind the extra insurance you are likely to pay because the car is left-hand drive. May not be the bargain you expect. Have the headlights been changed so they dip to the left instead of right? Is the high output rear fog light on the right? These changes could be expensive when you come to MOT time.

[Graham-W]

Sorry Shoota. Crossposted but same ideas.

[shoota]

They were produced under licence in Poland until 2000 as 'Polski Fiats' so it probably won't be an Italian Fiat (which is probably why it exists because the Italian ones rusted like crazy....)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_126

[EDDIE51]

I was once offered a left hand drive car but insurance was 3 times the cost of the same car with 'normal' drive. it was not worth it.

[HongKongphooey]

thanks guys,all great answers. Will look into it carefully before buying.

[EDDIE51]

Be warned , spare parts are scarcer than rocking horse sh!t . Fiat parts don't fit and Polski Fiat has long gone out of business.

[Fudiot]

It depends on how much you want it.... As for LHD, I have not had much problem with insurance because of it. I have had 2 Smart Fortwo's. The first was an early model and only available in LHD from U.K. dealers. The second was a later RHD and the insurance premium for each was within a few pounds. If your having it as a second car and is old enough, you may get it on a "Classic" policy. They finished making them in 2000 so even the newest is 14 yrs old. So ask about. As for parts, join a club or forum. They made over 4 million 126's and more than 3 million were made in Poland so I doubt that you will struggle to get what you need.