The answer is neither,the real answer is the Uk,Sterling has taken a hammering by the Euro over recent years with the effect that european dealers have been vacuming up secondhand bikes in the UK for close on 3 years,and while Sterling has recovered still not enough to make Europe a bargain.

 

Well, I'm coming from the US so neither currency will convert well. And besides, the UK isn't a part of this trip.

 

VAT on used items...

Also, does anyone know if VAT isn't charged on used bikes in Germany or Italy?

 

I can't say for certain which is the best Country to buy in but you could havea look on the Ebay websites for each Country, that will give you an idea of which is best to buy in.

Good luck with the search

 

There are a number of good sites to search for used bikes. For Germany, use www.mobile.de (there's an option for using english in the upper right corner, but all the adds are still in deutsch, so making use of google translator will relief that problem).

For Italy, use www.moto.it . This has lots of adds (all in italian - same problem as before if you don't know italian).

On a general note, in Italy the bikes are cheaper but tend to get more abuse than those in Germany. winger is correct about the UK, you can get far cheaper bikes there (think ~700 euros compared to mainland eu) so it might be worth it, but consider that you need to change/adjust the lights for a bike from the uk, as the driving direction differs.

Regarding VAT, it depends on what you want to do with the bike. If you plan on exporting it outside of EU, I think the procedure is that you apply for VAT deduction and pay VAT to the country you're importing to. So, if you were to buy a bike from Germany to import it to the US, you would ask for the german VAT back on your purchase and pay the american VAT on the remaining value.

If you're gonna keep the bike in the EU, none of this is necessary...

Have fun choosing

P.S. For uk bikes, you can use www.motorcyclenews.com or http://www.autotrader.co.uk/bikes/ (you need to search for a zip from the tinterwebs though, as it won't let you search without one)

 

I take back the statement about the prices in the uk, the difference is not that big... maybe about 5% of the bike's worth... You'll need to do some research yourself

 

Not sure which prices you have been looking at but Euro prices are way dearer,in some cases by 50% hence why so many dealers from Germany/Holland and even the Cezch Republic have been coming over and not even bothering to haggle they have been paying full retail as they are that much cheaper,even on BM forums i know of folk coming over here,yea sure there is a change of headlamp needed,peanuts in comparison to the money save.

In fact it has caused mayhem here in the UK,we have the biggest recession we have had in years and secondhand prices have stayed high because there is a shortage so many have gone abroad,even to the point i know one importer that read the riot act to it's dealers,as they were being subsidised with bikes into the UK,and they were being shipped straight back out for mega profit.

Slight side issue,but the Americans always get their bikes for less than any of us!! don't ask me either.

 

If your intention is to buy a bike in Europe, then do a trip of the Old World on it and either sell it afterwards or take it home as a souvenir, then there are a lot of other aspects to be considered (taxation, insurance, international license and how long you want to travel and how much time you can invest in buying/selling the bike etc.).

I know about it, because I did it several times the other way round (i. e. touring North America).

So please, specify what exactly you are looking for so that the forum members can give you more detailed answers.

Regarding VAT; in most countries of the "Euro-Pudding", VAT is charged on used bikes if they are sold by a dealership, but not if they are sold privately. There are exceptions, e. g. if the dealer is selling the bike on consignment for the owner (no VAT then), but rules and regulations vary as much as the VAT rates themselves from country to country. In tax and vehicle licensing matters the EU is still a million lightyears away from a homogeneous system...

 

So please, specify what exactly you are looking for so that the forum members can give you more detailed answers.

@biketraveller

Exactly right: looking to buy a used bike in Germany or Italy, ride it for about a year, and then sell it. Those two countries are good since I can fly into Ramstein or Aviano for free (military retired). I plan to stay in southern Italy for the winter and then travel north in the spring. I have a motorcycle endorsement for the US and also recently took a state-sponsored riding course.

While on the subject, I'd like to find a cheap place to stay in southern Italy that's not a dump. Most everything I've seen online looks to cater to tourists in large groups--and pricey. The beach (or something near it) would be best, but I've never been there so this should be interesting.

Thanks for the replies so far.

 

Yeh Andreas, I had already looked at buying in the UK and discovered I would actually end up paying more there. The exchange rate right now for the euro and sterling is hideous in any case.

6300 EUR = 8124 USD
6300 GBP = 9803 USD

Has me wondering if shouldn't wait until next year.

 

I doubt the computation you have posted has anything to do with prices at all. For instance, a triumph tiger from '07 in Italy is around 6300EUR (= 8124$), but one with similar stats in the UK would be 5125GBP(= 7974$), so that would come to around 2% cheaper in the UK.. The conversion should always be done to the same currency, but usually what costs 1GBP in the UK will be around 1.2EUR in Germany, so the exchange rate between the two has less to do with it, and it's more the economy of countries involved

 

I doubt the computation you have posted has anything to do with prices at all. For instance, a triumph tiger from '07 in Italy is around 6300EUR (= 8124$), but one with similar stats in the UK would be 5125GBP(= 7974$), so that would come to around 2% cheaper in the UK.. The conversion should always be done to the same currency, but usually what costs 1GBP in the UK will be around 1.2EUR in Germany, so the exchange rate between the two has less to do with it, and it's more the economy of countries involved

Huh? I said I was flying into Ramstein or Aviano. And even if flying direct into the UK, the costs associated with a UK purchase and travel to Italy would be a great deal more.

 

Sorry, must have misread.. I was under the impression you were saying that one bike is 6300EUR in mainland EU and that a similar bike would be 6300GBP in the UK.

My bad

 

I live in Italy and will be heading back to the UK to buy a bike because of the price difference but of course that doesnt sound like a good deal for you especially if you can get free flights. If you go to the lifeinitaly dot com forum, theres a guy there called Paolo who is Italian/American. He comes over to Italy every year and tours on his motorcycle. He might be able to give you the info you need regarding places to stay and visit also information about buying a bike.
Good luck