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Old 01-05-2012, 07:20 PM   #1
PicardZhu
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Exclamation Shipping a car to the UK for 4 months from US

Hi, I'm new to automotive forums! Surely someone here has shipped a car from the United States to the United Kingdom for a vacation or to live there.

I'm a student who is set to study abroad just outside of London and I wanted to ship a vehicle over. For those who say "just rent a car", it's not the same as taking a road trip in your own vehicle, and I think renting a car is more expensive for a 20 year old for 4 months. So what are some of the things I need to know? I looked at some places and most of them don't fully answer my questions such as if I will require UK insurance, or if my Ohio license plate and drivers license will be valid in the UK. Another thing is, will I need to make modifications to my vehicle? Also does anyone know any shipping companies that are well known? I've looked into a few and one of them has replied to my request, but will not reply to my email asking questions about vehicle modifications.

I plan to take one of the following vehicles:
2009 Black Ford F-650 (standard height)

2000 Black Hummer H1

2011 Yellow 4 door Jeep Wrangler (stock)

None of the vehicles have rust and are in a clean condition
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Old 01-05-2012, 09:55 PM   #2
MagicRat
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Re: Shipping a car to the UK for 4 months from US

Welcome to AF.

Look here for much of the info you need: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...le/DG_10014623

I know you don't want to read this but you should reconsider this venture. Your vehicles, especially the 2 trucks are unsuited for use on UK roads for several reasons.

Have you ever driven in the UK? Obviously they drive on the left side of the road...... so the driver sits on the right side of the car, for good reason. Visibility is much better on this side. The UK is full of roundabouts (traffic circles) where excellent vision on the right side of a car is a must. You will be at a disadvantage with your vehicles' left hand steering wheel.

Your trucks are way too big and cumbersome for comfort on UK roads. Many UK roads are tight and narrow, with heavy traffic and many sharp bends. They strongly favor smaller cars. Big trucks are a real handful.

Fuel is really expensive in the UK. You think Ohio fuel prices are high? Try $10 per US gallon in the UK!!! Trust me, after a couple of tankfuls, you will be wanting to take the bus everywhere. Again, think small with great fuel economy.

Your Jeep is a better size but still is at a disadvantage vs. a smaller car. .

Parts and service for your vehicles will be a headache, especially the Hummer and Ford. There are NO parts for these in the UK, and no mechanics are familiar with them. A mechanical or electrical problem, or accident damage could halt your trucks for weeks while you find a mechanic willing to work on them and/or waiting for parts to arrive. And then you will have to rent a car to get around.

Jeep has a dealer presence in the UK which might help you, http://www.chryslerjeep.co.uk/ but UK - spec Jeeps are somewhat different from yours, and I think they never sold the 4-door version so you may still have a problem.

Finally, there is the logistics problems of shipping the cars, with attendent expense, loss, damage etc.

To summerize, I think its entirely impractical to ship a US vehicle to the UK for the relatively short 4-month time. If you insist, the Jeep is the only rational choice.

But its a much better idea to go for a long term rental, or buy a UK car, then sell it again when you are done.

Another alternative is car sharing...... its cheaper than renting and an EXCELLENT alternative.
Look here!: http://zipcar.co.uk/

Last edited by MagicRat; 01-05-2012 at 10:34 PM.
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Old 01-05-2012, 10:31 PM   #3
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Re: Shipping a car to the UK for 4 months from US

I'm aware that people from other parts of Europe visit the UK and I believe a good portion use a left hand drive vehicle just fine over there. I'm not worried about the smaller streets. I've already looked at my routes and the area I will be staying. I'm going to be staying in a more rural area of Kent at a friends house, I won't be driving into London with my vehicle. I'm not worried about price or parts, I'm willing to take that risk of waiting for weeks for a repair since that's how long it would take here anyways. I think Ohio fuel prices are pretty low actually, you're right that UK prices are high but again I'm not worried about that. Thanks for the suggestion for a Jeep, I wanted to take the hummer however I've only heard of one other person who has one, he lives in Berlin Germany. Also to answer your question to driving in the UK, no I've never driven there, but we've got roundabout here too and I've driven on plenty outside of Ohio. I realize to some of you this may seem, odd to ship a vehicle over. However, I like a challenge. I'm not worried about how much it costs, I just want to know what I can do because it has been done before but only few have done it.
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Old 01-05-2012, 10:59 PM   #4
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Re: Shipping a car to the UK for 4 months from US

Quote:
Originally Posted by PicardZhu View Post
I'm aware that people from other parts of Europe visit the UK and I believe a good portion use a left hand drive vehicle just fine over there. I'm not worried about the smaller streets. I've already looked at my routes and the area I will be staying. I'm going to be staying in a more rural area of Kent at a friends house, I won't be driving into London with my vehicle. I'm not worried about price or parts, I'm willing to take that risk of waiting for weeks for a repair since that's how long it would take here anyways. I think Ohio fuel prices are pretty low actually, you're right that UK prices are high but again I'm not worried about that. Thanks for the suggestion for a Jeep, I wanted to take the hummer however I've only heard of one other person who has one, he lives in Berlin Germany. Also to answer your question to driving in the UK, no I've never driven there, but we've got roundabout here too and I've driven on plenty outside of Ohio. I realize to some of you this may seem, odd to ship a vehicle over. However, I like a challenge. I'm not worried about how much it costs, I just want to know what I can do because it has been done before but only few have done it.
Far be it for me to dissuade people from making irrational vehicle choices. I've made plenty of my own

I though the Hummer would be very rare over there. But there are a few there. Here are 3 H1's for sale in the UK:

http://cars.oodle.co.uk/hummer-h1/england-area/

Have you considered selling it in the UK after your stay? There are plenty of enthusiastic collectors who might pay a really good dollar for it, perhaps enough to make it worth your while.
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Old 01-05-2012, 11:09 PM   #5
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Re: Shipping a car to the UK for 4 months from US

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Originally Posted by MagicRat View Post
Far be it for me to dissuade people from making irrational vehicle choices. I've made plenty of my own

I though the Hummer would be very rare over there. But there are a few there. Here are 3 H1's for sale in the UK:

http://cars.oodle.co.uk/hummer-h1/england-area/

Have you considered selling it in the UK after your stay? There are plenty of enthusiastic collectors who might pay a really good dollar for it, perhaps enough to make it worth your while.
I don't think I'll sell it anytime soon, I just got it over the summer. I really wanted to take it to the UK because I mean no one really sees that kind of stuff. It would turn heads, even just an Ohio license plate would turn heads. But after I spend some time with it, I might ship it over to somewhere in Europe and sell it. I have not really had any problems, it has a pretty good turn radius.
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