moving to england(Lakenheath) should i take he car?

hello i;m in the military and and i'm going to be moving to england and i'm wondering if anyone here in the forum might live there or have any advice? also would i have problems with the cops/registration? it is ***led/insured.
it is a 28 ford 5 window, 5in chop 5 inch channel, chevy 327, open headers, gl*** in the windshield only.

 

PM Flat Ernie. He was stationed down the road at Mildenhall, with his car.

Thanks for your service to our country.

 

Fenders would be the issue, I have plenty of friends running fenderless there though , but be prepared to drive in the rain , all yr round You'll meet loads of Hot Rodders if you take your rod over though, something to tell the kids/grandkids in years to come

 

The only problem I could forsee is possibly having to do an MOT(Ministry of Transport) test. Whether or not that would apply to your car I don't know. The other thing is driving on the wrong side. Which brings me to a really bad joke. Why did the siamese twins go to London? So the other one could drive!

 

Yep, that was a really bad joke! Ouch!

 

No MOT if it's not being registered /staying in the UK , as long as US tags are current , no problemo ,driving on the other side is not a problem you'll soon get used to it .

 

Bring the car! We have a good scene over here and you would be made welcome.
Lakenheath is in Suffolk which has a good traditional rod community of it's own but you will also be only 2 hours from London. There are a number of UK rodders on here who will give you more detailed information than I can but I'm sure you will be made more than welcome.
If you want to get to know people before you get here it could be worth joining the UK NSRA web forum. We run differently to the NSRA over there and welcome all styles of rod.As a forum we were recently able to help Don Dillard make his arrangements for coming to the UK Hotrod Drags and I know that a few others from here are forum members. If you do want to join I'm a moderator so will make sure that your introduction goes smoothly. www.nsra.org.uk
Regarding the car itself left hand drive is no problem over here. I and many others run fenderless. It's possible to get stopped for it, some have, but most guys take the chance. I'm ***uming you would still be on US tags though? Gas prices will shock you. We have a lot of speed cameras but also some great driving roads still. Yes we do get rain but not all year round! Can get cold in the winter but the last few years have been pretty mild. Things slow down through the winter but activities get going again in March with the Southern swap meet followed by events right through the summer.
Did I say bring the car...

 

I dunno how long you can run US plates back home...Best check with the DVLA in Wales.

 

I'm not sure about the 'tag' question Dave. I'll ask people in the know.

 

Hope this helps although I guess the military have their own advice centre for legal issues?

http://www.nsra.org.uk/newforum/showthread.php?p=119255&posted=1#post119255

 

not sure how it works in the UK, but when I was stationed near Stuttgart on a US base (i was British Army attached to US Signals at the time), my car had to be registered on the German system. All the US cars were still running US License plates though. I'm guessing that there is some sort of system in place to allow you guy's to do that?
Like Steve says, come on over and bring the car, I'll look forward to sahring a beer and swapping war stories with you!
p.s. bring plenty of Bud with you, british beer is warm and ****......

 

I would bet you can get a way with a bunch of things the Blokes' can't. As I recall it, you register to US specs being a military guy. I wasn't stationed inthe UK, but Germany. they have insane touogh inspection laws there, and when the German's cars wouldn't p*** inspection; they'd sell 'em to us and we'd drive them under the USAF umbrella.

 

Good luck Bobcat & thx for serving!

Plumpcars is right, it does get cold over there, so better add a heater if you're gonna drive it year round.

 

I think he'll need another 5 bits of gl*** in that coupe too as well as the heater. Oh and a case of RainX if he doesn't have a wiper cos it's definitely gonna rain a bit while he's there.

 

thanks guys for the advice i'm really thinking about taker here now i just need to do more research.

 

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

 

My thoughts? Leave the car here and BUY AN ANGLIA or Model Y Ford to bring back to the states!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

OK - I did this. Lived at RAF Lyneham for 2 years, then moved to RAF Mildenhall for 4.5 years. I did not bring a car over, rather, I bought a few while there & put one on the road from scratch (South African import).

MOT - You WILL have to MOT the car. Big things for your car will be fenders. While not specifically required by the MOT, they will be requiered to drive it. Most MOT stations, however, are not smart enough to make that very fine distinction and won't p*** it w/o fenders.

LIGHTS - I believe pre-'36 do not require two taillights and taillights can also be combined with brake lights as is common over here. Again, you'll need to find a rod-friendly MOT station who understands this. I also believe turn signals are optional for pre-36 cars - again, finding the right MOT station will be the challenge.

WIPERS - You don't need wipers if your windshield opens legally, but you will NEED wipers practically (although rain-x does a great job, it's no match for the UK weather). Consider a windshield washer - with the amount of stuff sprayed up whilst driving, you'll be hard pressed to keep it clean.

PLATES - You will have to get UK plates & follow all UK motor rules. When you car gets in (it will arrive in Brandon) you can drive it home. You can make an appointment for the MOT & drive it to the MOT (must have appointment). Once MOT is done, you will have to register it proving proof of insurance & MOT as well as your customs paperwork the vehicle shippers will provide. The base P*** & ID shop will help with this. You should receive a tax-free application from DVLA where you can then go get a tax disc - you'll need a disc even though you pay no tax as an historic vehicle (pre-'72???) But make no mistake, you will follow all the UK rules for registering the car & running the plates. There is NO grace period for running US plates and/or driving your car w/o an MOT. If caught, it's something on the order of £1000 fine too.

The Status of Forces Agreement with the UK stipulate that we follow all their rules. The only time you fall under US rules is UCMJ stuff that happens on base. If it happens off base, you're in double-jeopardy as you'll deal with UK law and then whatever the UCMJ does to you.

You cannot drive on US plates on base only either. Besides, why would you want to? The base is tiny.

INSURANCE - Use USAA. No questions asked & they have a London office.

When I had my '29 roadster, I had removeable fenders. I never got stopped by the cops, but it's one less h***le if you've got them on (I ran them for the MOT as it was a new tester I was using).

Definitely join the UK NSRA, check out their website (linked in plumpcars #7 above) - great bunch of guys over there all eager to help.

Find a local newsagent (convenience store or newstand) that sells "Custom Car" magazine. Subscribe - it's worth it.

In the Lakenheath area, you'll need to link up with Phil (monkeybiker) and get plugged into the local scene. There's a bunch of great guys in the area who can point you in the right direction. Ivor (not on computer) at Red Barn can hook you up with most repairs you may need and has a good MOT tester. Shame Ratty's not still there in Thetford though...he's always good for a laugh & a pint!

Bring the car. Make it to as many shows as you can (several are nearby), but you must not miss the Hot Rod Hayride in August!

My advice is to bring the car, sell it over there, buy a Model-Y or an Anglia/Pop and bring it back.

 

I was thinking along Tmans lines, except don't take that car, take a different one to resell, make a nice profit, and buy something european but driveable to use in the meanwhile then import to the states for profit.

I guarantee uncle sam ain't making ya rich, so use the auto transport benefit to it's fullest. good luck

 

You know, when I went over I thought I'd buy a nice little British sports car like an Austin Healey, or an E-type Jag, or maybe even an Aston Martin - they should be cheap over there, right? I could then import it back to the states & make a killing.

Nope.

I should've bought every one of those cars I could find and afford over here and shipped them back home to the UK. At best, it's dollars for pounds, but usually the number is higher in pounds too!

Rods are still reasonably priced over there believe it or not. I think once he turns the pounds into dollars, his coupe will bring more there than here.

I made most of my profit on the dollars to pounds conversion as I bought & sold up during my time there.

 

I would take it for the fun factor and that if you grew tired of it it would bring twice what it's worth in the states.

 

Maybe, but its still better than ****wiper....Jeez...go try Sam Adams

 

Seems a lot of the Brits do like Bud & MGD for some odd reason. Probably the "hard to get" factor - like when Coors wasn't sold east of the Mississippi - we all clamored for it because it was "illegal" and hard to get.

I've got to admit, the real ales are mostly **** in my opinion - they are warm, flat, & beery-tasting piss.

The bitters, however, are awesome. I like "cream" ales too (Boddingtons, John Smith, Caffreys, Worthingtons, etc).

But the occasional, hand-pulled ale like Old Speckled Hen or Broadside ain't too bad (but they'll give you a killer hangover the next day)!

 

the more i read the more that i'm thinking about taker with, and i'm looking forward to the traveling and different pubs/beers to try

 

I have been to the UK many times, if you are not in the US Miltary you can send your personal car over , drive it around on USA plates (mine were California) and as long as you had insurance and a current tag and a USA drivers licence you were OK.,

I did this for years since I would always have a car ready when I arrived (left it at a friends)

Since you are in the Military you need to follow local registration laws and whatever base laws.

One thing about the UK, it rains , maybe not everyday but a couple times a week even in summer , so if you are leaving your rod outside protect it from the rain....
and it will rust since the ground never really gets dry....

With luck you can buy "petrol" on base at USA prices, local price is about $8 a US gallon,

have fun

 

I have NO idea how things are in Europe, but here in Japan we have a limit to number of vehicles that a SOFA member can register. Unless you are ging to use the rod as a daily.. Maybe a check with the P*** and Reg would be an idea for info.. As well, if living on base, you know dang well there are typically no garages, lucky if you have an overhang...

 

Thanks for serving our wonderful country bobcat!!!!! And if you decide not to take it, you can leave it with me free of charge, and i'll keep it running for ya!! HAHA...

 

[quote

One thing about the UK, it rains ,

[/quote]

It hasn`t rained for 2 weeks,,,,we`re talking sahara here...follow what ernie says and you wont go far wrong

 

Whaddya mean "maybe not everyday"? It damn sure does rain every day! But it's not real rain - it's that super light drizzly misty stuff - just enough to annoy you!

Yes, military members can buy gas on base. The price is based on the previous two week's US national average plus about $.50-.60. Current average in Brandon is £1.19/L * 3.78 = £4.50/US Gal * 1.85 = $8.33/US Gal of base! The exchange rate has come way down, so not quite as painful as earlier in the summer!

No limit on vehicles, but there is a limit on imported "tax free" vehicles. In other words, if you import a daily driver (to include your rod), you don't pay any import tax on it. It is marked on the V5 (registration) as a "tax free concession vehicle" and when you try to sell it, someone has to pay the tax on it (either you or the buyer). Of course, you can sell it to another military person & they don't have to pay tax. You're allowed to have no more than two "tax free" vehicles, but as many vehicles as you want so long as you pay the tax on the rest of them.

 

When I lived on the Air Base here, was one car per licensed driver with an exception if you wanted a bike. Now living on a Navy base and you need to prove parking available before you even get one vehicle, then have to justify need for a second for the other licensed driver... Guess we went in the wrong direction from "The World".... And of course no garage...