Buying a car in (shipping from) Europe?

if you ive in the us i would be very careful before doing this !!!!! is it a gray market vehicle ??????

 

I think the time limit for EPA and DOT waiver is 25 years.
I've never done it, but I did find this quote:

Imported motor vehicles are subject to safety standards under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, revised under the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988; to bumper standards under the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act of 1972, which became effective in 1978; and to air pollution control standards under the Clean Air Act of 1968, as amended in 1977 and 1990. Most vehicles manufactured abroad that conform with U.S. safety, bumper, and emission standards are exported expressly for sale in the United States; therefore, it is unlikely that a vehicle obtained abroad meets all relevant standards. Be skeptical of claims by a foreign dealer or other seller that a vehicle meets these standards or can readily be brought into compliance. Nonconforming vehicles entering the United States must be brought into compliance, exported, or destroyed.

For more government technicalities see: http://help.customs.gov/cgi-bin/customs.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=218&p_created=1043364937&p_sid=Cl2gT6Uh&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MzYmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1jYXI*&p_li=&p_topview=1 (Yikes!)

Also, I have seen postings in other forums about car scams in London and Portugal. It appears the scam is focused on getting a deposit wired to them. The crooks will agree to any and all other terms as long as you wire the deposit to their bank account. Of course, once the deposit is paid, they never follow through.

Good luck.

 

exactly correct !!!

 

Dave you have a PM.

 

I know what Dick Merritt would say, because I asked him just the other day this very same question. He is not a fan of buying cars in europe BUT, if you must, get one from Switzerland. ( I think it was Dick that said that, but someone else also said that as well, because of the annual inspecitons, Swiss cars are likely to be the best of the batch, so to speak). He is always a hoot to talk to and of course, super knowledgeable in all things to do with importation and cars. I have been researching good shops for inspections, with the help of an fchat friend, and if the inspection is right, will fly over and see/drive the car in person. One of the biggest ports is Rotterdam, very close to Amsterdam. Besides the Van Gogh museum, Amsterdam has many lovely sights to share.......

 

Dude,

If you actually go through with this, please enlighten us with the entire step-by-step process of how the car finally ends up in your driveway in Dallas.

 

I did it with my 1963 GTE, and it was not too bad. I wanted a particular car, and my window of opportunity (spousal acquiesence) was short, so I had to act. Obviously, it is easier and less expensive to be patient and to get one locally. Here is my quick story:

I bid on the car on a whim, way under market (huge safety margin). Because of this I was only the third highest bidder. Well....what do you know, two of the high bidders flake on the seller and I get the e-mail, asking if I am interested in purchasing the car at the highest bid. I am not sure if he understood valley-speak, but I was, like, "nooooo", you know....
I did tell him that I was interested in the car, and asked to do a PPI. After some reasearch I found Arie Mandemakers in Holland (just a few kilometers away from Lanakenm, Belgium, where the car was). He runs AME engineering and knows everything about our old V12s. He is Holland's Patrick Ottis or Francois Sicard. He sent me a CD-rom with pics and faxed me an appraisal listing the issues. Translating for me was a member of this forum, Rijk Rietveld (still owe him a beer!). The car had a few issues because of lack of use, but the engine and body were very healthy. Interior was decent, too. Brakes and fuel system needed some servicing. I made a low-ball offer based on the needs (it was just below my initial online bid). The seller initially refused, sat on it for a couple of months....and eventually agreed.
I called around for transoport quotes, decided on an enclosed container, and then picked it up in Oakland, CA port myself to save some dosh. Little did I know that the customs and port union members would need special contributions to open, roll out, and sign everything away. I had a U-Haul trailer with me, just to be on the safe side, but the car was actually OK to drive around.
If you search tomyang.net, you will see an exact write up of what it costs to transport a car from Europe. Shipping, customs duty, and various taxes can add up to a nice sum. Just factor it in, and it is not impossible. I would only do it with a rare old car, after you know it has no rust from European winters and did the PPI for other issues...

 

I believe if you get a car which is 1967 or earlier, you have no worries. After that, I'm not so sure. Obviously Dick would be the authority there.

 

Don, any car older than 25 years is no problem ie. DOT and EPA regs.

Luke, great story.

 

I looked on your website and couldn't find the article you mentioned about shiping a car from Europe. Could you please send me or post a direct link?

Thanks!

 

bottom of the page:
http://www.tomyang.net/cars/story9.htm

 

i've done it twice. did everything myself sort of. arranged for shipping from euro port with a us agent. do not be afraid to ship it ro/ro. cheap and it works fine. how do you think most all cars get here. hired customs broker myself. less than $200 including port fees. hired intercity to pickup at customs broker and bring to me. if more than 25 model years old, piece of cake. pay broker pay duty and you're done. you could drive it home from port if you wanted to.

 

Here is a suggestion.

Get a copy of Hemming's Sports & Exotic Car from October, 2005, or maybe you can view it on line at www.hemmings.com.

Starting on pg 106 through pg 109 of that October issue there is a great article entitled "Bringing Your Dream Car Home".

All the info you would need including freight companies is therein well stated and well presented.

Great article and extremely informative.

 

Oh the irony. I'll bet there are at least several lurkers in Europe like myself salivating over US Ferrari prices and trying to work out how to go through the process you're contemplating but in reverse.