diff --git a/git/repo/base.py b/git/repo/base.py
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@
import os.path as osp

from .fun import rev_parse, is_git_dir, find_submodule_git_dir, touch


log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -177,9 +179,21 @@ def __init__(self, path=None, odbt=DefaultDBType, search_parent_directories=Fals
            args.append(self.git)
        self.odb = odbt(*args)

    def __del__(self):
        if self.git:
            self.git.clear_cache()

    def __eq__(self, rhs):
        if isinstance(rhs, Repo):

diff --git a/git/test/lib/helper.py b/git/test/lib/helper.py
@@ -7,18 +7,22 @@

import contextlib
from functools import wraps
-import sys
import io
import logging
import os
import tempfile
import textwrap
import time

from git.compat import string_types, is_win
from git.util import rmtree, cwd

import os.path as osp
if sys.version_info[0:2] == (2, 6):
    import unittest2 as unittest
else:
@@ -96,7 +100,6 @@ def wrapper(self):
            # a windows-only issue. In fact things should be deleted, as well as
            # memory maps closed, once objects go out of scope. For some reason
            # though this is not the case here unless we collect explicitly.
-            import gc
            gc.collect()
            if not keep:
                rmtree(path)
@@ -144,9 +147,10 @@ def repo_creator(self):
                os.chdir(prev_cwd)
                rw_repo.git.clear_cache()
                rw_repo = None
-                import gc
-                gc.collect()
                if repo_dir is not None:
                    rmtree(repo_dir)
                # END rm test repo if possible
            # END cleanup
@@ -303,7 +307,8 @@ def remote_repo_creator(self):
                rw_daemon_repo.git.clear_cache()
                del rw_repo
                del rw_daemon_repo
-                import gc
                gc.collect()
                if rw_repo_dir:
                    rmtree(rw_repo_dir)
@@ -357,7 +362,6 @@ def setUpClass(cls):
        each test type has its own repository
        """
        from git import Repo
-        import gc
        gc.collect()
        cls.rorepo = Repo(GIT_REPO)