Hello,
if I can buy a tax free car in Turkey, how much does it save me? What is the percentage of OTV and KDV?
If I am exempted from any customs deposit, does it make sense to import a car (from the US)?
THanks!

The rates depend on the car (engine size, mainly); the more luxurious the car, the higher the tax band. As a general rule, for a reasonable family car roughly 40%-50% of the asking price is ÖTV+KDV, for a small SUV it's 60% or so. As you can imagine, cars tend to be way more expensive than mainland Europe, not to mention the US.

On the other hand, there's a great deal of red tape that goes with the so called 'blue plate' cars. What you get isn't exactly a tax exemption - you have to sell the car to another foreigner, else you'll be charged the tax, as far as I know. Other expats in the forum can shed more light on this issue.

Check other posts in the forum (this is a very popular topic) but many people find that buying a car here second hand for a high asking price and selling it later with a small reduction makes more sense.

Also be advised that the cars here tend to have MUCH smaller engines than the US counterparts due to high taxes and extortionate fuel prices. My Mazda 3 comes with a 1.6 petrol engine with no other engine options; they don't sell any smaller engines than 1.8 in the US.

I was bother with the same question couple of months ago.

Trust me: forget about bringing your own car from abroad. Also, don't try to buy a car (even from official dealers) at so-called special price for foreigners. It doesn't work, as anyhow you must lock quite a bunch of money on deposit until you sell car (usually to another foreigner, who will agree lock money in lira under interest-free condition) or get the car out of country.

Even if you love your car, and the car is really expensive (e.g. Lamborgini, Bugatti, etc.) you may want to bring it. There's also another point, you need to put your car to port of entry (according to special list) before leaving Turkey (i.e. vacation, business trip, etc.) OR have note of obligation from local company (usually employer, or business partner) that it/he ensures that car is in safe place, bla-bla...

Net, it's much better to buy a car in Turkey either 2nd hand or new, but from reputable dealer. For us (a young family with 2 small kids), using taxi would cost twice as more within 2 years of stay vs. buying new family car. And, of course, I'm not mentioning such points as convinience and certain degree of freedom with own car in the garage vs. taxi (which is not always safe, btw).

Thanks for the responses. What I don't get is why is it so expensive to import a car if I am a) exempt from the tax and b) exempt from the Touring deposit (employer guarantees export of car)? Cars are so much cheaper in the US even when adding any shipping prices... I understand the fuel efficiency point (especially since I would like to have a 7-seat SUV/Van) but still I can drive quite far for the savings I might make with a US price. Where exactly is the problem in Turkey?

I think the problem isn't quite money as you can avoid the deposit. It's more about the hassle and practicality. Hassle: the red tape with these things can be daunting. Practicality: You normally have to leave your car at a car park when you leave the country for a short duration. If you're exempt from that too, then it might be worth a try. Note that, there might be other limitations that I'm not aware of and BAUR might shed more light on these things. But he was trying to buy a blue plate car here, which was a different kettle of fish.

I recommend talking to customs officials, or, at the very least, customs handler agents. The handlers are usually experienced with these things and know the customs people personally. This eases the matters considerably. But the handlers tend to be a sleazy bunch as well. Assuming your company either does some export/import stuff or works with someone that does, may I suggest that you get in contact with their customs handlers?

If you can't find anyone else, PM me and I can give you a name. They are experienced in household stuff but they might be able to help.

good luck.