EVO II, USA Or Bust. Step 2

"monovich" (monovich)
03/24/2014 at 12:26 Х Filed to: E30, M3, EvoII, BMW

Deposit is in and car has been taken off the market. Woot!

Next steps: Fine grained inspection in UK. Seller has his mechanic but I'm considering trying to find a very unbiased 3rd party that can inspect the car. Any UK London peeps know of a place?

I'm also getting bids from ICI / RI in US. So far I've looked into three of them. One quoted up to 16k, one 8k and one 6k on their general inquiry forms. Getting more details now. Recommendations are welcome. I'm in Colorado so it would be nice to import to a port closer to me, although a reputable ICI is more important than a close port.

This car is listed on the NHTSA list of eligible vehicles under VSA # 35. I'm trying to determine if this also applies to my car or just the US spec M3. The form just says "M3" 1988-1989.

I do know that the car would need to have catalytic converters fitted, but it is pre OBD and pre airbags so that may make it a bit simpler than many more modern cars... I hope.

ЧЧЧЧЧЧЧЧ

EDIT:

Just got off the phone with Dan Kokal from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Spoke with him for 15 minutes. Very nice gentleman with 25 years experience. Bottom line: NONE of that complicated stuff I just wrote above applies to this car because it's an '88. No EPA, no NHTSA, No DOT. It's as simple as choosing a container or a ro-ro vessel, getting the car here, clearing a few customs things, and driving it home and registering it here. I am overjoyed. That just wiped out thousands and thousands of dollars off my cost spreadsheet. W00T!

DISCUSSION (5)

Arben72 > monovich
03/24/2014 at 12:37

For 10,000 you could fly it as cargo. I shipped my suv from central Indiana to eastern Europe for 2,500. That included trucking it from the Indiana to the port. Other than that gl, and I'm jealous.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > monovich
03/24/2014 at 12:43

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. You shouldn't be bothering with any kind of NHTSA eligibility issues, as an '88 it's an exempt vehicle. No cats need to be added, nothing, just check a box on DOT Form HS-7 and EPA Form 3520-1 and call it a day.

Shipping costs are wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy high as well, but I'm assuming that's because they're firms that are talking about importing it as a non-eligible vehicle instead of as an exempt vehicle; they're happy to do that, because working through that paperwork and mess is how they make their money.

monovich > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
03/24/2014 at 12:45

Very interesting news! I don't have to do ANYTHING other than bring it in and tick the boxes? I'm a TOTAL newb at this driven by nothing but ignorance and passion, so I'm learning as I go. What you are saying is almost too good to be true but you sound familiar with the process. The shipping costs alone should only be around 2.5k-ish, but I was under the impression that I HAD to use an ICI / RI. Tell me more! Save me! :)

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > monovich
03/24/2014 at 12:53

Here's a quick little thing from US Customs, but I'll also give you the gist of it:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/deЕ

Essentially, 25 years old or older, from the date of manufacture (very important for this information to either be contained in the VIN (not always the case for Euro manufacturers) or to get documentation of some type confirming your specific car's date of manuf.), and you just need those two forms, on each of which you will tick one box that basically says "This car is 25 years old, it's exempt." You can find copies of those forms online (at the link I showed you, I believe) where you can read them in full.

All you need at that point is a Roll-On/Roll-Off service. Yes, there is a possibility that Customs will be a bitch, but if you have proper proof of ownership, proof of date of manufacturer, and you do your paperwork correctly, it's supposedly a breeze and you'll save yourself thousands of dollars. Many services will also assist in getting your car onto ground transport to get it from the port to your home, or you can fly in and do the process yourself.

Companies to look into:

http://www.2wglobal.com/www/customerSeЕ

http://www.kingstown-shipping.co.uk/boat-info.htm#Е

Disclaimer: I haven't undergone this process, but I've done a ton of research as I'm looking into importing a vehicle here in the very near future. I've spent some time talking with 505turbeaux on here, who has imported a car before and had very good advice. Try finding him in a thread and see if he has a moment to confirm what I've said.

monovich > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
03/24/2014 at 12:56

Thanks for the info! Going to go read it all right now. This is where an @ feature would be great on Kinja.