What if the car turns out to be disappointing on arrival?
To prevent disappointment, we advise having an independent pre-purchase inspection carried out in Germany before buying. On arrival in the Netherlands, we additionally perform a 15- or 30-point arrival check, during which we document any deviations from the purchase contract with photos. Should anything be disappointing, we will guide the entire settlement with the seller, so that you do not have to handle this yourself.
Would you like to know how we can arrange this for your situation? Our advisers are happy to prepare a quote for you without obligation.
What happens in the case of hidden defects or a legal dispute with the German seller after purchase?
We do everything we can to prevent this. In advance we recommend an independent purchase inspection in Germany and we check the condition, history, maintenance documents and mileage of the car for you. We record the purchase in a signed purchase agreement including, among other things, the parties, make/model, VIN, the actual mileage, the Erstzulassung and the warranty. On arrival in Zaandam we carry out a 15- or 30-point check, so that discrepancies are identified in good time. If something later breaks down that falls under warranty, then with a manufacturer's or brand warranty you can usually simply go to a Dutch brand dealer. Even after delivery Das Import remains your point of contact if desired: contact us and we will look into the possibilities towards the seller together with you.
What is the difference between an official brand dealer and a verified seller?
On our website you can filter by type of provider: official brand dealer, verified seller or all providers.
An official brand dealer is an official dealer of the relevant brand. This provides the most certainty about the history, maintenance and warranty of the car.
A verified seller is a business provider on AutoScout24.de and/or Mobile.de who meets strict requirements: active for at least 1 year, at least 20 cars on offer (so no small dealers) and good reviews as a guideline (4.5/5 or higher on Google, AutoScout24.de, Mobile.de or Trustpilot). If you are interested, we carry out additional checks during the process.
Das Import (car import service from Germany to the Netherlands) acts as an intermediary; in most cases you conclude the purchase agreement with the provider itself (exception: with financial lease constructions). Would you like certainty about a specific provider or car? Feel free to request a no-obligation quote or contact one of our advisors.
How do I know if I am buying a reliable car in Germany and how can I avoid a bad purchase?
We always advise buying a car from an authorised brand dealer. This reduces the risk of a bad purchase and often offers you as a customer better conditions, such as a warranty that is valid throughout the entire EU. Moreover, you have the advantage that you can turn to a brand dealer in the Netherlands for any service or maintenance. By buying from an authorised dealer, you can be confident that the car has been well maintained and that you have the necessary legal protection.
What are the risks of importing yourself, and how does Das Import remove them?
When importing yourself, you run a number of risks: an unknown history, mileage that is difficult to verify, hidden damage and the danger that you pay too much BPM (Dutch vehicle registration tax) or receive an additional assessment afterwards. Das Import removes this for you with a thorough document check, a purchase inspection (optional, additional cost) and a substantiated BPM declaration, so that you can be sure where you stand. This peace of mind is part of our packages Registratie, Standaard, Versneld and Deluxe.
Would you like to know what we can do for your situation? Feel free to request a no-obligation quote or contact one of our advisors.
Who owns the cars I find on the Das Import website?
All cars in the search module come from official brand dealers or verified sellers. This gives you extra certainty about the maintenance, the history and the mileage of the car.
Das Import is independent: we do not sell cars ourselves, we are not a brand holder and we have no stock of our own. We act as an intermediary and work for you, not for the seller. So we have no interest in steering you towards a particular car — you choose, we arrange the import.
How do I know I'm not paying too much?
We assess the asking price, compare it with the market and advise you on whether the price is reasonable.
Are all cars on Mobile.de reliable?
No. Just as on other sales platforms, this varies per seller. That is why we assess not only the car, but also the available documentation and the reliability of the offer before we advise you.
Why should I have my car imported by Das Import?
Importing a car from Germany can yield a lot of savings and gives you access to an enormous range. The import process itself, however, is laborious and there are various things that can go wrong.
Das Import has been guiding car imports for twenty years and has by now imported many thousands of cars. As a result we know the process, the risks and the possibilities and we can handle the entire process efficiently for you: from purchase and transport to BPM (Dutch vehicle registration tax) declaration, registration and delivery.
Thanks to our experience, size and knowledge of the various BPM regimes, we can moreover work sharply and, where possible, save on the BPM. Our services therefore in many cases pay for themselves in whole or in part.
The most important thing, however, is that you can benefit from the large German range and the possible savings without much time or worry. That we also deliver on that promise, we prefer to let our customers tell you: take a look at our references.
How do I know whether a German car advertisement is genuine and not a scam?
Pay particular attention to advertisements that look too good to be true: a price that is far below the rest of the market, few or reused photos, a seller who only wants to communicate via WhatsApp or e-mail, does not allow a viewing, or insists on a deposit before you have been able to check the car or the seller.
Assessing this yourself is difficult, because such advertisements often look polished. Therefore, send us the link, and we will read out the advertisement for you and assess the seller. Among other things, we look at how long the seller has been active, how large the offering is, and what reviews there are.
In addition, we call the seller ourselves. If suspicion arises during that first contact or when requesting the documents, we advise you to look at another car, preferably at an official brand dealer. That also gives you the most certainty. If the risk turns out to be too great, we say so and do not proceed with the car.
Are the cars you offer damage-free, or could there also be a damaged car among them?
We focus exclusively on roadworthy cars; we do not import damaged cars.
Whether a specific car is truly without a damage history is something we cannot answer in general beforehand. We check this per car with the seller. Our import adviser inquires about the actual condition, including any damage history and repaired damage, and has this recorded in the purchase agreement. If any damage or signs of use are reported, we can request photos of them.
Also pay attention to the German terms: 'unfallfrei' means no accident damage (small cosmetic repairs may be permitted) and 'nachlackierungsfrei' means that the car has never been resprayed. In case of doubt, we record in writing exactly what the seller guarantees and we advise an independent purchase inspection.
Request the car without obligation, and we will look into this for you.
Can Das Import also act as an intermediary for a car offered by a private individual?
The cars in our search module come from official brand dealers or verified sellers. We deliberately steer towards this: it gives the most certainty about the history, the maintenance, and the mileage, and you run less risk of hidden defects.
Importing a car from a private seller is possible, but we do not offer our extensive import packages with purchase handling and transport for that. With this type of offering, there is usually less insight into the origin and condition of the car.
In most cases, you can buy such a car yourself and have it driven to the Netherlands with a temporary licence plate — at your own expense and risk. We then take care of the import and the Dutch registration via our Registratie package. Your import adviser will be happy to explain the possibilities and risks by telephone.
Who pays if the Belastingdienst rejects the BPM declaration or does not accept a valuation?
An additional assessment for BPM (Dutch vehicle registration tax) is always imposed on the person who submitted the declaration. So if you make the declaration yourself, that financial risk lies with you.
If you use one of our car import service packages, we make the declaration in the name of Das Import. If the declaration is corrected or a valuation is not followed, the additional assessment comes to us and not to you.
That is why we substantiate every declaration with the correct documentation and the most favourable valid regime, and we record the final BPM in a guaranteed total price in your contract. That amount does not change afterwards.
Would you like to know how this works out for your car? Request a no-obligation quote.
Who bears the cost of the damage if my car is damaged in transit or does not arrive?
The risk does not lie with you. We transport your car by trailer with additional all-risk coverage that reimburses damage or loss up to the total purchase sum (standard up to 40.000 euro, extendable to the full value). This is deliberately more extensive than the standard transport conditions (AVCM/AVC/CMR), under which only reimbursement per kilogram is provided and you are almost always underinsured.
To prevent disputes, we record the condition of the car at loading, at unloading, and on arrival in Zaandam. If something turns out to be wrong, we report and handle the claim with our insurer; you do not have to do anything yourself.
With open transport, only stone chip and hail damage are excluded; with closed transport at an additional charge, that exclusion no longer applies. The car also remains all-risk covered during storage in Zaandam. Questions about your situation? Our import advisers will be happy to help you.
Do I have to make a down payment in advance, and what happens to my money if the purchase does not go through?
Usually a down payment is not necessary. In a normal import process we can generally first reserve the car for you briefly and then secure it definitively. In most cases you pay the full purchase price directly to the German seller, just before the planned transport date.
Some German sellers do ask for a down payment (Anzahlung) to definitively secure the car. Whether this is necessary, how high the amount is and under what conditions it is refunded if the purchase does not go through, differs per seller. We inquire about this for you in advance and record the agreements about it before you pay.
We steer as much as possible towards purchase from official brand dealers and verified sellers. With many German brand dealers we have by now done business several times. Before the full purchase price is paid, we ensure that the purchase is recorded in writing and we coordinate the payment and the transport with the seller.
If a purchase unexpectedly does not go through, whether a possible down payment is refunded depends on the reason and the agreements made with the seller. That is precisely why we check and discuss these conditions with you in advance. In a normal import process the payment for the car runs directly between you and the German seller and not via a third-party or escrow account of Das Import.
With financial lease the purchase and payment work differently; in that case Das Import buys in the car and the payment is settled within the financial lease process.
How do I claim warranty on my imported car, and what do I do if the Dutch dealer refuses to honour it?
If the car still has a manufacturer's warranty, this is usually valid throughout Europe and tied to the car. In principle, you can go to an official brand dealer in the Netherlands for a warranty claim. Naturally, the manufacturer's warranty conditions apply.
Additional warranties from German brand dealers and official used-car programmes are also valid in the Netherlands in many cases. However, this differs per brand, warranty programme and car. That is why, at the time of purchase, we are happy to check which warranty is present, how long it runs and whether you can also go to a Dutch brand dealer with it.
If it concerns a warranty provided solely by the selling German dealer itself, or the statutory German Gewährleistung, then the handling may go through the German seller.
Should an unexpected problem arise after purchase, or should a dispute occur over a warranty claim? Then we will not leave you to deal with it alone. We are happy to assist you in contact with the Dutch brand dealer, the German seller or the relevant warranty party and help where possible to reach a suitable solution.
Exactly which rights and coverage apply depends on the car, the seller and the warranty conditions. That is why we prefer to check this for you before the purchase.
