This amazing idea just hit me..

"AM3R" (AM3R)
08/14/2014 at 13:00 • Filed to: Importing

I'm planning a trip to Europe next year. Germany is likely going to be a stop. I SHOULD IMPORT A CAR WHILE I'M THERE!!! But what should it be? E34 wagon? E28? Suggest away. I'm thinking maybe a $6k USD budget for the car not including all the costs of importation (can anyone give me a rough estimate of how much that'll be?). This trip is already gonna be hurting my wallet haha, but if you can find something really clean maybe I'll up the budget.

DISCUSSION (28)

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 13:03

TRABBI.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm…

In fact, you could probably import more than one with your budget...

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 13:04

Cossie Escort. Or a Tickford Capri.

Rainbow > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 13:06

My grandparents have friends who have bought their last several cars straight from the BMW factory. They take a 3-week vacation in Germany, and (apparently) the amount of money they save by buying directly from the factory actually covers their whole trip, and the import fees. Of course, that's if you buy new (and I think they buy it all in one payment, being retired and having all of their savings to blow and whatnot) so I don't know what to tell you. It just seemed relevant. :P

AM3R > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
08/14/2014 at 13:07

A cossie escort looks fun!

AM3R > Rainbow
08/14/2014 at 13:09

Ah BMW euro delivery. I hope to do that eventually, just not yet. Supposedly the guy who owned my E90 before me did a Euro delivery.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 13:09

Sooo much fun. The only car i've ever seen that can do a burnout with all 4 wheels by dumping the clutch.

AM3R > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
08/14/2014 at 13:10

How hard would it be to find a clean one under $6k?

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 13:11

No clue. probably kinda tough to be honest.

AM3R > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts
08/14/2014 at 13:17

yeah they look like they would be very desirable, damn I want one now haha.

KnowsAboutCars > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 13:21

You're not going to find clean cossie escorts for $6k they go for +$13k. Cossie Sierras are cheaper but still too expensive for your budget.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 13:24

You will not be able to find a clean Escort Cossie for $6k, no way. Many Escort Cossies were bought and raced hard by hooligans (Clarkson had one!) and any example you find for anything close to $6k must have been mistreated badly, or is a fake. I severely want one since it's my dream car, but since it's a homologated Group A rally car, prices rise every day...

AM3R > KnowsAboutCars
08/14/2014 at 13:31

Yup a quick search shows that I can't have one haha

M54B30 > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 13:32

eh, not worth trying to be honest. Shipping is $1,200-$1,500 alone, plus fees at the port(s). Let's say shipping ends up being $1,500, that leaves $4,500 for a car. $4,500 spitballing into Euro is about €3500 I'd estimate.

€3500 won't buy anything worth the hassle of buying, fixing up, de registering in their country and reregistering in the States. Don't forget you still have to either pay, or drive it to Bremerhaven (speaking as if you're buying in Germany). To drive it, you need temp tags (€€), temp insurance (€€), hopefully you have your international license and a way back to where you came from. When I looked at prices in 08 (shipping my car back stateside), getting it flatbed'd from Darmstadt (just south of Frankfurt) to Bremerhaven was another €450, a cool $600 or so. Now your car budget is about €3000.

But wait, there's more! Cars being shipped to the US have to be absolutely spotless - USDA requires a massive detailing of the interior, exterior, underbody, and engine. All contaminants and, well, everything, has to be cleaned off. I don't know what it costs. I'm not sure it's even still required to be honest, but it was in 08 when I looked into it. Govt regs don't change in 6 years though, that'd be bureaucratic warp speed.

Assume it's €750 for detailing, now your budget is €2250. I don't even know if the host country will require taxes be paid on the purchase. You won't find anything worth the effort for your budget.

KnowsAboutCars > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 13:33

How about Opel Manta ?

M54B30 > M54B30
08/14/2014 at 13:37

[why isn't the edit button around anymore]

Remember, you're trying to do all this in foreign languages except in England, where the $-£ rate is worse for you than the €

AM3R > M54B30
08/14/2014 at 13:48

Luckily I speak a decent amount of German.

I've actually found some decent looking cars with under 100k km's for around €2000. We'll see what's for sale next year when I'm actually in Europe.

AM3R > KnowsAboutCars
08/14/2014 at 13:49

ehhh not a huge fan

TJDMAX > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 13:57

Wait....I'm not familiar with importing cars...but aside from all the things it sounds like you have to do to ship it over, my question is how do you get around the 25 year import law? Or are all the cars you're looking at older than 25 years?

AM3R > TJDMAX
08/14/2014 at 14:02

Yeah I'm mainly looking at cars older than 25 years. I'd love to ship over a euro E36 M3 but I'll have to wait a few more years.

BZiel > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 14:07

I'll say this: Unless you have the time, money, and resources to fully vet a used car for importation to the US from Europe, don't even try it. There are so many unforeseen potential pitfalls in the importation process that what at first seems like a bargain can turn into a really expensive headache.

Believe it or not, but there is an entire "underground market" in Europe dedicated to scamming people who want to export vehicles. And they are experts at doing so.

Take a read through the response I gave on this exact subject a little over two months ago - http://jalopnik.com/there-just-as-…

Brian Silvestro > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 14:09

Ignore your budget, E34 M5 wagon.

BZiel > M54B30
08/14/2014 at 14:14

Your info is fairly correct. In 2012 I had a container shipped from Wilminton, NC to Hanover. Shipping charges €1600, port fee and customs €400, transport container from Hanover to Sachsenhause €500...about $3200+USD.

M54B30 > BZiel
08/14/2014 at 14:31

yikes, that's some decent money. Shipping alone will be near $6,000, close enough to where all he can look for will be "schrottautos"

BZiel > M54B30
08/14/2014 at 15:17

Genau. Er hat nicht das Budget, um einen Export zu erreichen.

Dusty Ventures > M54B30
08/14/2014 at 15:39

He did say "$6,000 not including the cost of importation," which I assume means "$6,000 not including shipping"

Dusty Ventures > AM3R
08/14/2014 at 15:40

Mk II Escort. Or any Lancia

BZiel > Dusty Ventures
08/14/2014 at 16:11

You are right. I stand corrected.

M54B30 > Dusty Ventures
08/14/2014 at 16:32

crap I missed that part, I read it as "$6,000 not including shipping" as in take shipping out of the 6k. Huked an foniks wurked fer me...