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xtian	Hi from England, I'm desperate to become a proud Prowler owner in the UK. There are very few available over here - and I'm thinking about importing - but as a new kid on the block... I'm keen to get up to speed quickly with the sort of questions I should be asking a potential seller... I've noted from the exceptionally active topics in this forum that "ball joints" are an issue, but other than that.. I'm clueless! I'm no mechanic - so I'm not going to have a clue looking under the hood. I've never driven one - but then I bought a 9 month old Mercedes SL280 over the internet without having driven that either.. (hindsight is a wonderful thing). I can see there are many proud owners within the group - and I've noted from looking around that there are still a few low mileage cars still available. This brings me to another issue. I intend to use a Prowler as a primary car - covering around 10-12k miles per year... probably for the next 3 years at least. So, any idea on servicing costs? (US Dollar figures fine as I'm told there are only around 10 Prowlers in the UK). Also if anyone knows where to get the Prowler services in the UK reliably - that would be great too. I've found pricing for tyres, around $1k for a full set of Dunlops - Goodyears not available here according to most of the tyres dealers I know. Any help or advice greatly appreciated... I look forward to becoming a proud an active owner - rather than a spectator on the wings. Thanks Christian
CJ	Christian..........welcome to POA!! There are three other owners from England registered on our board, but only one of them left an email address. His name is Phil Gray and here is his email (which I found in our owners registry) Phil Gray You might want to try to contact him to see if he can help you with some of the issues of owning a Prowler in England. About the only thing I can help you with is locating a new Prowler in the States. I have a list of all unsold Prowlers in the U.S. and Canada. If you would like some help, email me at Only1CJ@comcast.net and I'll be happy to help you any way that I can.
Mike Venezia	Christain If you e-mail me your phone number I will be glad to call you as I think I can assist you. What is your color of choice? I do a large shipping biz in England and have a very reputable freight fowarder there in Essex and we could have one brought over RO-RO for ya, Also have a super export broker here in located in Baltimore, MD and I am in the shipping biz....so it could be done pretty quickly or you could call me if you want 732-364-0994 ------------------ Mike Venezia "KATATAK" 2001 Orange Dead Stock except for: Rear Shimmers Mopar Exhaust Ceramic Brake Pads Mud Flaps This message has been edited by Mike Venezia on 07-17-2003 at 05:47 PM
ed monahan	Christian, I am no help but welcome to the POA and you will love the car. Marty drives his everyday. It is not real roomy, not really comfortable but the looks more than makes up for those small inconveniences. ------------------
xtian	Thanks for all your replies so far... Great to see such a quick response from the forum! I've spoken to a chap in the UK today - who's hopefully going to visit with a Prowler next week! Very exciting... I've also investigated the in's and out's with the local HM Customs and Excise (Tax offices) who tell me the cost of importing is as follows.... Take the Insurance value of the Shipment (ie 35k) + Shipping (+$2k - I'm guessing here). so the taxable value is $37k. The UK import Duty is 10%... Bringing the total to - $40.7k Then Add VAT (Value Added Tax) at the standard UK rate of 17.5% Total = 47.8k Then add in the handling fees, shipping agents, clearance agents... etc etc... and all in a $35k car will cost around $50k.... Scary huh! So, I'm probably going to try and source from a UK based supplier - as I really don't think I can face the paperwork nightmare... I will keep this thread posted on developments.. and still welcome any suggestions as to what questions I should be asking... so please.... keep em coming! Thanks Christian PS..... CJ, Thanks for your suggestion - I will try and contact Phil... Mike, likewise - if I don't contact you directly I hope you don't mind if I pass on your details to my contact here in the UK? Ed, Thanks for the welcome - I've had a search around - is that Marty Usher you're referring to? If so I'd like to drop him a note or phone call to see what sort of miles he covers... Thanks again everyone.
Mike Venezia	Christian I am not sure you rough math is correct ...and you may be high by about $8,000.00 usd give me a call..I have lots of ins and outs in the ocean shiping Biz ------------------ Mike Venezia "KATATAK" 2001 Orange Dead Stock except for: Rear Shimmers Mopar Exhaust Ceramic Brake Pads Mud Flaps
roushraven	Hello Christain, I lived in England the last 11 years. You might be able to find a Prowler through American Auto Imports in London or through any one of several dealerships featured in Classic American magazine. For servicing I would highly recommend Mildenhall Auto Center in England (ask for Vic Newlove). Good Luck with your search. Arthur
CJ	Good luck in your endeavor!!!
BeWare	I can't help you with your questions as mine is not a daily driver. But I wanted to welcome you to the POA. ------------------
tangled up in BLUE	I am going to London again in a couple of months...I could install pontoons and drive it over there for you.....London traffic reminded me of living in China....high speed bumper to bumper traffic jams.....you will enjoy the Prowler, even with it's little quirks, more than ANY car you have ever owned...get the color you want and drive it as often as you can.....I have driven one daily for over 4 years until a couple of months ago....just stay out of the way of those giant 100 mph Mercedes on the "M".......
ed monahan	Oh, I thought UK stood for Univ. of Kentucky. lol. Christian, yes Marty is Marty Usher in Louisville, Ky. He drives his a lot.
Paul	Christian, does the UK treat Canadian imports, that is, a Canadian dealer's Prowler more favorably from an importation tax perspective than a US sourced vehicle? I'm thinking you may have an advantage by bringing in a Canadian Prowler.
Rare1	Hi, If I was you I would buy my Prowler today from Germany. There are around 15 for sale at the moment, look at www.mobile.de and you will find them, I would think, like it is for me here in Sweden, it is cheaper and much easier to import one from Germany, as we are all in the EU! Good luck! Mikael