Buying a car in the USA
Most of the problems we see with American imports were baked in before the car was paid for. These are the checks that matter, and the order to do them in.
Buying a car on the other side of the Atlantic sounds like the risky part of an import. It does not have to be. The shipping, customs and registration are routine for us. What we cannot fix afterwards is a car with the wrong title, money owed on it, or damage nobody mentioned. All of that is checkable before you pay, and once you have paid there is very little anyone can do.
Send us the listing before you pay. We will tell you whether it is a car we can bring over and quote the whole job, itemised, so you know the landed cost before you commit.
Dealer, private seller or auction?
We collect from all three, anywhere in the country. Each has its own trade-offs.
Dealers
A dealer handles the title transfer every day and will usually produce clean paperwork without fuss. Prices tend to be higher, and many dealers add documentation fees. Ask whether they hold the title now. A car that has just been taken in part-exchange can still have its title with the previous owner's lender, and the dealer may not be able to release it to you until that lien is cleared.
Private sellers
Often the best value, and the person selling usually knows the car's history. You do more of the work yourself: check that the name on the title matches the seller's photo ID, that the title is in their hands rather than with a bank, and that they understand the car is being collected by a transport company rather than driven away by you.
Auctions
Dealer and classic auctions can turn up excellent cars, but the terms are strict. Cars are usually sold as seen, there is a buyer's fee on top of the hammer price, and there is often a deadline to pay and collect before storage charges start. Read the terms before you bid, check what title the auction will issue, and make sure the car is not described as damaged, a total loss or for parts. If it is, it is not one we can take on.
The title is everything
In the US, the certificate of title is the ownership document. It is what the seller signs over to you, and it is what has to be presented to US Customs before the car can be exported. Three things have to be true:
- It is a clean title. Not salvage, rebuilt, reconstructed, flood, junk or any other brand. We only import clean-title vehicles. Our guide to salvage and rebuilt titles explains the brands and how to spot them.
- It is in the seller's name. The person or business selling to you should be the owner named on the title. If someone is selling a car on a title in another person's name, stop and ask why.
- There is no lien on it. If a bank or finance company is shown as lienholder, the lien has to be paid off and released by the lender before the car can leave the country. US Customs will not clear a car with a lien on it unless the lienholder has written to say it may be exported, and in practice we want the lien released before we collect.
Ask the seller for a clear photo of the front and back of the title before you agree a price. A genuine seller will not mind.
Check the history on the VIN
Every modern car has a 17-character vehicle identification number, on the dashboard by the windscreen, on the door pillar and on the title. Check that all three match, then run a history report.
Start with NMVTIS, the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System. It is run by the US Department of Justice to protect buyers from title fraud and stolen cars, and reports are sold through approved providers listed on the official site, vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov. A report shows the current title state, any brands such as junk, salvage or flood, the latest recorded odometer reading, and any total loss or salvage history.
It is deliberately narrow. It does not include service or repair history, and the DOJ itself points out that not every state's data is complete. A commercial history report alongside it is worth the money, as it often picks up accident records, past listings and service visits.
Get it inspected by someone independent
The official NMVTIS guidance strongly encourages an independent inspection before you buy, and we agree. An independent mechanic or a mobile pre-purchase inspection service can look at a car at a dealer or a private address. Ask for photos of the underside, the engine bay, the VIN plates and the odometer, and a note of any warning lights.
You are looking for rust, accident repair, flood damage, worn suspension and anything that would need fixing before a UK test. Cars under 10 years old go through an IVA test and older ones an MOT, and a car has to be roadworthy before it can be registered here. Our registration page covers what each test involves.
Pay safely
Fraud around remote car sales is common enough to take seriously. A few habits keep you out of it:
- Pay the owner named on the title, or the dealer you are buying from, and no one else.
- Use a traceable payment such as a bank transfer. Never pay in gift cards or crypto.
- Confirm bank details by phone, on a number you found yourself, before sending money. Be wary of any email telling you the account has changed.
- Treat an escrow or shipping service that the seller insists on with suspicion.
- Do not send a deposit for a car until the title, history and inspection all check out.
There is usually a reason. A low price, a seller who is overseas or in a hurry, or a title that is "on its way" are all reasons to slow down, not speed up.
Get the right paperwork
Before the car can be collected, we need two documents from you:
- The original title, signed over by the seller with your details filled in as the buyer. Do not accept a title that has been signed but left blank.
- A bill of sale showing the date, the price paid, the year, make, model and VIN, and the names and addresses of the buyer and seller, signed by both.
The price on the bill of sale matters at the UK end too, because import duty and VAT are worked out from the value. Coming from the USA that is normally 10% duty on the value, then 20% VAT on the value plus shipping plus the duty. A vehicle over 30 years old in original condition may qualify as a historic vehicle, with no duty and an effective 5% VAT. The costs page walks through the sums. Our guide to US export paperwork covers what happens to these documents next.
Your checklist before you pay
- Listing sent to us and a quote back
- Photo of the title, front and back: clean, in the seller's name, no lien
- VIN matches on the dashboard, door pillar and title
- NMVTIS report run, plus a commercial history report
- Independent pre-purchase inspection, with photos
- Payment going to the named owner or dealer, by a traceable method
- Original title and bill of sale agreed, to be handed over on payment
- Collection address and the ZIP code given to us
Then hand it over to us
Once the car is paid for and the paperwork is in hand, tell the seller a transport company will be collecting and give us the address. We arrange the inland haulage to an east or west coast port, the export side and the crossing. From collection to UK registration typically takes 8 to 16 weeks, and how it works shows each stage.
Still choosing between a few cars? Send them all. We would much rather talk it through before you buy than after. Get a quote.
Quick answers
Can I buy a car in America without seeing it?
Yes, and many of our customers do. Run an NMVTIS history check on the VIN, pay for an independent pre-purchase inspection, and send us the listing before you pay so we can confirm we can import it and quote the whole job.
What paperwork do I need from the seller?
The original title, signed over to you, with no lien on it, and a bill of sale showing the price, the date, the VIN, and the names of the buyer and seller. We need both before the car can leave the US.
Will you import a car with a salvage or rebuilt title?
No. We only import clean-title vehicles. A salvage, rebuilt or flood brand means the car has been written off at some point, and we do not take those on.
Can you collect from a dealer, a private seller or an auction?
Yes, from anywhere in the United States, once the car is paid for and released to us. We arrange the inland haulage to the export port.