@Greecy

[slobodan]

Is yours on Greek plates or have you kept it on British, if still on British do you bother with insurance?

[greecysurf]

Hi Slobodan, i keep one on UK plates, but change it every year as the roads here knacker them quickly. The surf is in the process of being put on Greek plates, normal Uk insurance, most people do not realise that the EU law states and requires minimum of 3rd party insurance for all policies to include the EU member states, so a UK policy automatically gives you 3rd party cover for Europe, more than the 30 days they say they give you in the hope you will go for an expensive green card.

[slobodan]

Man, I hear what you say about the roads......
We are not in the EU here, I have always kept my cars on British plates but without tax, insurance etc.
I have started to register them here one by one, but it's expensive.
The Surf they want about 1200 Euro's to swap the reg and about 800 a year registration

I forgot Greece was in the EU,

[greecysurf]

The Greek goverment are supposed to allow you to import a car free of charge, so you go to the Greek embassy, do the paperwork, see a notary public, get countless stamps and pay about 20 quid, when you get to Greece the customs still charge you 45% of the vehicles value, Greek value that is, so my Surf that cost me 300 quid is valued at 7 to 9000 € here. If you do not pay they seize the car, they make 11 Billion Euros a year this way, the EU fines them 3 Billion, so they make 8 Billion flouting the law, every one who has taken them to court has won, but it takes 5 years, by the time you get your car back, most of it has been stolen and no one knows anything. As for the money forget it.

[slobodan]

Hahaha, thats cheered me up no end, sorry.
This is what I've just done for the Isuzu...
I figured I may as well have one car legal.

Found a guy who has connections, (traffic cop)

Go down to the customs centre and find a broker,

Broker says to go get a Serbian inspection certificate.

drive to inspection station, drink coffee (they drink whiskey) drop them 20 E. get paperwork

On the way back to the Customs centre all the roads are closed because the President (not yours) is in town. Sit in car for 2 hours.

Get to the custom broker, he says we need more paperwork from a Border post.

Drive to the border with Croatia, Slip the police a 50, get paperwork.

Return to Customs broker,

Customs values the car at 5000.00 (it cost me 2500) pay 10% (500) then 18% tax (900)

Leave the car in the customs lock up for 10 to 15 days. Drop the Broker a 50

Thank the traffic cop and give him a 50.

Hopefully get it back sometime soon and get the numberplates. (another 600)

Plus, I wasted a day.

But, after your story, I feel good.

[greecysurf]

Thanks mate, because cars are so expensive here, there is hardly any depreciation. ie my Greek D21 nissan pickup, 1986 vintage, cost me 3500€ plus another 500€ in tax no plate change etc. i kept it 18 months then sold it for 3225€. Crazy place. A local garage i use sold a 19 year old Fiat punto with head gasket gone for 1000€. had more holes in it than good metal.
My R reg Escort 1.6 Ghia, which i paid 300 quid for with 12 months test, would be about 3000€ here. I sold my 04 plate Cherokee in the UK, i paid 7000 pounds for it with 19000 miles on the clock, it was the 3.7 limited with all the toys, the same car here was 27000€, no one would buy it here because of the import tax. The main reason i sold it was because Albanians without insurance kept hitting it. I have seen cars pull out and wack the car in front, damaging wings bumpers, they just shrug and drive of without a care in the world, the last Greek that hit me and stove in the side of the Jeep, came out a side road without looking, we had to wait 4 and a half hours for the police to turn up. They earn 600 € a month only, so mostly do not bother, crazy crazy world,

[slobodan]

Hehe, At least it's sunny

I couldn't go back now, it's been 10 years