Service & Extras

In order to have your beloved classic car registered, it is necessary to have it examined for technical faults – don’t worry, we will help you with this, too.

Before we can take your vehicle to the TÜV or DEKRA, we are going to check the most important points to ensure that your car will fulfil all the necessary requirements on the first attempt.

Which documents you need for the examination in order to have your car registered in Germany, depends on the individual case. Should your classic car get a road permission with a historic registration number as a classic car for the first time, you need an expert opinion according to §23 StVZO if your vehicle had been registered in Germany before and has got a German registration document. This assessment will find whether your vehicle really meets the requirements of the term ‘classic car’. Not only is the minimum age important, which is 30 years. First and foremost, most of the parts must be original components and must have been contemporarily rebuilt. Furthermore, your auto mobile must, technically and optically, at least meet grade 3 on the Classic-Data Assessment.

Especially in the case of imported classic cars, it is necessary for the registration to develop so-called data sheets. In cooperation with DEKRA, we create these for you. Here, it is often necessary to convert imported classic cars: turn signal system, brakes or the type of lighting must be adapted to the legal regulations in Germany. These changes must be technically accepted by DEKRA after the conversion, so that they meet German standards.

Should you have purchased a classic car in a non-EU country and want to drive in on public roads, a so-called approval according to §21 StVZO is necessary. For some special equipment features, such as a non-existing anti-theft device or missing test marks on your seat belts, you will also need an exceptional permission according to §70 StVZO.

In special cases, individual expert opinions are necessary so that you are permitted to drive your classic car in Germany – this may concern, for instance, the technical equipment or the exhaust emission characteristics of your vehicle. Generally speaking, the less common a classic car is, the more effort is required to obtain all expert opinions.

This small overview clearly shows that obtaining all permissions, depending on model, type, country of origin of your vehicle, can be quite costly. That is why we are very happy to have experienced and customer-oriented partners at DEKRA and TÜV, which enable us to inspect your classic car in a technically and professionally correct manner as well as reliably and quickly.

In order to make an evaluation of the state of repair and to receive a value assessment for classic cars or modern classics, we have been, for years, cooperating with “Schnorr & Kollegen”, a highly experienced engineering expert office in Leipzig.

The value of your classic car is not the only thing interesting for you. The prepared expert opinion serves as a basis for the calculation of your insurance rate. “Classic-Data”, the oldest and market-leading company for evaluation of classic vehicles, works with an evaluation system, which ranges from grade 1 (very good) to grade 5 (bad), according to the state of repair of the vehicle. It is worth knowing that insurance companies usually consider vehicles up to grade 3 as worthy of being insured.

Evaluation is of great importance. For this reason, the value assessment has to be carried out by an experienced specialist and needs to be as precise as possible. Thus, in case of losing your classic car, the insurance company will pay you an appropriate compensation.
The evaluation of your vehicle may be based on its market or replacement value. These values can differ considerably from each other. If you bought, for instance, a Porsche 911 with a market value of 35,000 euros and invested 70,000 Euros in the restoration of your classic car, its replacement value is 105,000 Euros

In addition, the value report comes either in a simple or a detailed version. Depending on the value of your classic car, it can be worthwhile to pay a little more for an extensive and detailed evaluation, as it will be easier for you in case of insurance claim. We will gladly talk you through which expert opinion is best for you.

And finally, another useful hint: Values of classic cars are not fixed, but change from year to year. That is why we recommend to have an expert opinion made by us with Classic Data for your classic car on a regular basis, at least once a year.

Classic cars are also a special topic in the field of insurance, because there are no normal standard evaluations like DAT or Schwacke with common second-hand cars. For the insurance of your classic car we have been successfully cooperating with a regional insurance company for years, which offers excellent insurance rates for classic cars. On the basis of a Classic Data expert report for your classic car and according to the state of the vehicle you will receive a made-to-measure insurance package, which will completely protect you in case of damage or loss.

Furthermore, competent insurance experts will look after you around the clock. More information about classic car insurance you can get from us – simply call us – we will be happy to arrange a personal support for you.

The registration of a classic car can be a delicate issue in Germany. Particularly when having your car registered for the first time, there are some hurdles to consider. How good that you have specialists like us supporting you, who know exactly what is needed to get the car on the road.
We will gladly take responsibility for your vehicle registration, which can be really time-consuming and nerve-racking. Therefore, we cooperate with the renowned registration service “Speed“, which is familiar with the different conditions of each federal state. No matter whether you need technical data sheets, proof of ownership, proof of import, or a proof of request that your car was de-registered abroad, we take care of it or help you to get the necessary papers and forms. Of course, we are sometimes also dependent on your cooperation. A vehicle identification test is often necessary for registration, which we naturally also take care of. Should you require a special registration number or a special registration number size, we will do our best to fulfil your request.

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee this as the final decision is taken by the vehicle registration authority. Due to many years of experience, we are aware of the certain peculiarities of the regional registration authorities, which may help to fulfil your wishes. In case it seems that you are not getting a registration for your classic car – do not panic: We know how to get your classic car registered by detours.

With the registration of your classic car the vehicle tax needs to be paid, as well. Currently, the tax for a historic registration number is about 191 Euros per year (reviewed on August 2016). This means the tax is independent of cubic capacity and exhaust emission characteristics. Please note that this general vehicle tax only pertains to vehicles whose initial registration took place at least 30 years ago.

Different countries have different customs – this also applies to classic cars. For example, the Chevrolet Bel Air was the representative of the United States during the 1950s. This looks different in the UK: At this time the giant among the sports cars was the Jaguar XK120. Therefore, it is not surprising that, even nowadays, classic cars can be found in their home countries.

Moreover, in regions with a mild climate true rarities have remained. These are classic cars, which are usually in an excellent condition, without any trace of rust. Therefore, an international search for a classic car can be a good idea. For this reasons, the import of classic cars has been part of our business for some time.

Of course, it is difficult to examine a vintage car through photos, but with the help of our competent expert, alias Hans, it is nevertheless feasible.

Thanks to the knowledge of the English language, it is possible for us to carry out a professional pre-analysis for you of your dream car abroad via telephone or Skype. It is not only important to ask the dealer the right questions, but also to read in between the lines. And it’s at least equally important to be able to interpret a silence correctly.

If an offer proves to be interesting even after the first inquiry via phone or Skype, Hans will go and inspect the classic car, either by himself or together with you. You can find out here how this works in detail.

As a private person it can be quite difficult to gather all necessary documents for the import of your vintage car. We also offer our help with this, since we know which documents are needed in order to import your classic car.

In order to give you a little insight, here is an example: In principle, every vehicle may be imported in Germany, though it is subjected to the customs declaration. As a general rule, the purchase price plus freight and packaging of your classic car will be cleared by ten percent duty in Germany. In addition, 19 percent import sales tax are payable on the total of your vintage car, freight, packaging and customs. In some EU countries, customs clearance, but not import tax, is omitted. There is a optional reduced rate of seven percent for collector’s items, for example „contemporary witnesses of special historical or ethnographic events“, original racing cars or perfect originals.

This is not enough though: The classic car has not yet arrived at your home. Very significant is the way of transport: trailer, closed truck, with an overpass mark etc. We cooperate with professional contractors, who are familiar with classic car transportation and are happy to help you in bringing your Vintage car to your home.

If you’re playing with the thought of selling your classic car abroad, there are customs, tax and border formalities. We would be happy to assist you with advice and deed: Whether export declaration at the customs office, transfer, forms to be filled in- we will handle this for you in cooperation with experienced hauling companies!/p>