You can save thousands by buying your new car in Europe rather than the UK. These are the basics of personal importing, but unfortunately they can't cover every situation.

Before you start, obtain the official paperwork from HM Customs, the local Vehicle Licensing Office and your local Vehicle Registration Office (VRO). Good luck!

Choose your country According to the last European Commission survey (November 1998), Portugal and Holland are cheapest. However, if you don't speak the language, Northern European countries offer more chance of spoken English.

Nearer to home, Southern Ireland can also offer savings, but not for all cars and specifications. Get a list of dealers Lists of official foreign dealers or importers can be obtained from manufactuers' UK head offices. If you use the handbooks supplied with UK cars, make sure the list is up to date. Phone or, better still, visit. Use only fully authorised large dealerships. Be clear that the car is to be to UK, right-hand-drive specification and supplied for export. You may be asked to prove you are a UK resident with a copy of your passport.

Some dealers may also want a letter of credit. Ensure it's UK specification Use UK brochures to be sure of the UK specification. UK spec means right-hand drive, speedometer in MPH and right-hand-drive headlamps. Then you use the options list to bring the car up to UK level - specs vary considerably between countries. Log all telephone calls. Get it in writing.

Confirm the specification in writing and the delivery date. Make sure any supplement for right-hand drive (if any) is included now. Do not pay local taxes. However, some German dealers are asking for the VAT to be paid first, which they reclaim once you prove you have registered the car in the UK. This is not a legal obligation, but one in the contract between you and the dealer so you can negotiate or refuse.

Arrange the money if you have the balance ready and are concerned about being hit by a fall in Sterling's value, get your bank to arrange a foreign currency draft ready for the day you collect, or buy currency and put it on deposit. For example, a draft from a typical bank costs a maximum of £50 in charges. Pay the deposit A deposit can be paid by credit card, which offers some recourse if goods are not delivered, or direct into the dealer account. 20% is the average deposit. Confirm the order once more, confirm the details, especially deposit paid, in writing.

Wait Be patient waiting for your car - it can take up to 9 months. Be wary of shifting delivery times and do not accept last minute price changes. Get transit plates For a small charge, the dealer will arrange transit or temporary export plates for the drive home. As the time nears, make sure he has organised a Certificate of Conformity. This proves the car meets European safety standards and will be needed when you register it in the UK. Arrange insurance The dealer can arrange insurance or you can get you own insurer to do this. Be prepared to shop around - many will not give cover on only a chassis number.

Collect the car Keep all travel receipts and fill up with fuel to prove you have driven the car abroad. Pay the VAT At the port, or within seven days of arrival in the UK, declare the car to HM Customs & Excise Vehicle Appraisal Unit (address below). To calculate your VAT, they need to see the invoice, temporary registration document, travel tickets and Appendix D of Form 728 (Available at local customs advice centres). Customs will then work out your VAT bill at 17.5% of the invoice price and send you a bill plus Form C&E 386 or 388, allowing you to register the car. You have 30 days to pay. Get number plates and a tax disc Go to your local Vehicle Registration Office with all your customs, sales and registration documents. Fill in Form V55/5 to first register the car and pay the £25 fee. Get the tax disc, buy some plates and away you go. Common questions Will my warranty be valid? Yes.

All EC made cars come with a one-year pan-European warranty valid in all states. The same car may have three-year cover in the UK but it's two years of extra cover bought by the UK supplier. You can still buy that extra cover from them or from independents. Any problems with service? Your local dealer should be quite happy to service the car. Does this new test called SVA affect my car? There has been a lot of recent press about single vehicle approval and restricted import numbers. SVA is an extra safety test for kit cars and non-EC imports. It does not apply to mass-produced cars which carry European type approval. What about part exchanges? Sell your part ex at home - dealers won't want a used right-hand-drive car. Personal imports cont.

If you have difficulty in sourcing a right-hand-drive car, call the manufacturer hotline numbers below (taken from the European Commission's web site):

AUDI 0049 180 5 25 74 34 00

BMW M Heckenstaller 0049 89 38 22 49 51 (Germany)

M Prugger 0049 89 38 22 30 58 (Germany) FAX 0049 89 59 72 42

CITROEN 0800 262262 M Cherryman 01753 843296

FIAT(F)/ ALFA ROMEO (A) Belgium 0032 2 773 61 68 0032 2 726 61 80 Denmark 0045 43 22 88 00 France 0800 34 35 36 Germany 0049 180 5 50 40 (F) 0049 180 5 50 45 (A) Greece 0030 1 9 39 15 27 0030 1 9 39 15 28 0030 1 9 39 15 11 Netherlands 0031 800 0 99 88 80 Portugal (F) 00351 13 88 51 51 (HQ) Spain 0034 91 8 85 37 47 (F) 0034 91 8 85 37 98 (A) FORD 0345 231231

HONDA Austria 0043 223 6 69 08 10 Mr Rish Belgium 0032 5 3 72 51 11 Mr Deleplanque France 0033 1 60 37 30 00 Mr Delavenne Germany 0049 69 83 09 324 Mr Alt 0049 69 83 09 219 Mr Woedy Italy 0039 45 82 89 311 Mr Ten Brink Netherlands 0031 180 491 777 Mr De Zeeuw Portugal 00351 1 915 53 12 Mrs Costa Spain 0034 93 370 80 07 Mr Beltran United Kingdom 0181 746 9520

MERCEDES 0049 711 179 7417

NISSAN 01923 899828

OPEL/ VAUXHALL 01582 427200

PEUGEOT 01203 884000 Ask for customer relations

RENAULT 0800 072 3379

VOLVO 01628 477977 0345 564636 (T)

VW 0049 180 5 89 89 00

Contacts HM Customs and Excise Vehicle Appraisal Unit PO Box 242 Dover Kent Customs information: 01304 224372/224370

For DETR leaflet P12 on personal imports, write to: Vehicle Standards and Engineering DETR Great Minster House 76 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DR or visit the DETR website: http://www.roads.detr.gov.uk

If you are refused a right-hand-drive car or badly treated, contact: Dieter Schwartz DGIV European Commission 200 Rue de la Loi 1049 Brussels Belgium The European Commission publishes a comparison of car prices across the Union in May and November, although it often doesn't appear immediately.http://europa.eu.int/rapid