Yes is the short answer.
Lots of our customers apply from Germany or other countries to purchase vehicles. You can usually take the vehicle back as well, although in some places this isn’t practical for obvious reasons. It is quite common for people to contact us from abroad, and prepare everything remotely so when they return on leave, or for good, they can collect their new car when they land.
There is not really much point applying for finance unless you are within a couple of weeks of needing a car though, we do get enquiries from customers who are not returning for a number of months and want to get everything prepared before they come. The problem with this is that most lenders will issue an acceptance that will expire in a fixed time, usually 14 or 28 days, although some are different to this. Which means if you applied in March for an intended purchase in September, the original acceptance will have expired and we would need to issue you with a new one. As each reissue or an expired application requires a new credit search, and credit searches reduce your credit score a little bit, it makes no sense to put a search on your file for an application you can’t progress for an elongated period, it’s much better just to make one application close to the time you need a car.
It is however perfectly normal, and ok, to make an enquiry before you need to actually apply. We receive many phone calls each week asking for information about what to do, options, vehicles, and what to do closer to the time. We won’t make an application for you until you have confirmed you are ready, and that the time scale for you needing a car is going to fit with the likely expiry date of any approval we may get, so this is fine.
There are many people currently coming out of Germany, and many of those are to be relocated at Catterick. If you need information regarding acquiring a vehicle for when you return, please apply through the website, or call us on the main number, and one of the team will be happy to explain your options and what we can do to help you get your new car when you come back to the UK.