Your 2k Roadtrip Car?

[aaron_2000]

If you were to drive from Liverpool UK onto an 11 day ferry to Halifax CA, then drive from Halifax to Orlando, what car would you choose?

Criteria:

Up to £1k
Some form of luxury E.G no base spec Ford Ka without PAS and Air Con
2003 or older

For me, if you're driving in a country with cheap petrol, you don't bother restricting yourself on MPG so you do it in one of these:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[embo182]

Miata. I pack light.

[DJP]

Volvo V70 or 850.

Cam belt change and a quick suspension refresh and you're good to go.

[Shuvi McTupya]

I am assuming this would be a one way trip for the car?

I would do some research and find the car with the highest resale value, maybe a left hand drive Old shape mini if that can be had for £1k.

[unsprung]

hang on a minute

if you're going that low on price, why not just buy the car in Canada?

won't that be more comfortable in terms of LHD? and perhaps better value for money? and give you a selection of vehicles that's perhaps more sense-of-occasion?

apologies if I've misunderstood the brief

[Jonny_]

Some sort of Lexus. Comfy and - theoretically - less likely to let you down than a Merc/Jag/BMW etc.

Big Volvo is a good shout too.

[aaron_2000]

It's half pub talk and half realising it would be possible and considering it while I have a good number of free months ahead. I believe you also have to then register the car if you buy it in Canada. In terms of a roadtrip, it sounded like a fun idea to get some old shed like a 320d that's way past it's prime, then give it one last big run out. Likely go to a car show that my old Mondeo is gonna be at too.

[Zetec-S]

I'm a pessimist, so would expect my £1k roadtrip car to have a few issues on the way. Therefore it would have to be something reasonably common in N America in order to make any repairs a bit easier...

Therefore I give you the £900 Lexus LS400...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...


Similarly if it was across Europe I'd probably go for an old Saab 9-3 or Volvo.

[TooMany2cvs]

Shuvi McTupya said:

I am assuming this would be a one way trip for the car?

I would do some research and find the car with the highest resale value, maybe a left hand drive Old shape mini if that can be had for £1k.

Canada is not easy to perma-import cars to. Not quite as utterly humourless as the US, but still not easy.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safeveh...

Temporary import's OK, if you're taking it home again.

[aaron_2000]

TooMany2cvs said:

Shuvi McTupya said:

I am assuming this would be a one way trip for the car?

I would do some research and find the car with the highest resale value, maybe a left hand drive Old shape mini if that can be had for £1k.

Canada is not easy to perma-import cars to. Not quite as utterly humourless as the US, but still not easy.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safeveh...

Temporary import's OK, if you're taking it home again.

Would it be so difficult if the car was leaving Canada to go to the US?

[Zetec-S]

unsprung said:

if you're going that low on price, why not just buy the car in Canada?

won't that be more comfortable in terms of LHD? and perhaps better value for money? and give you a selection of vehicles that's perhaps more sense-of-occasion?

What are car prices like in Canada? No idea how it compares to the US, but remember the TG USA special suggested it wasn't that easy to find a bargain...?

[unsprung]

aaron_2000 said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Shuvi McTupya said:

I am assuming this would be a one way trip for the car?

I would do some research and find the car with the highest resale value, maybe a left hand drive Old shape mini if that can be had for £1k.

Canada is not easy to perma-import cars to. Not quite as utterly humourless as the US, but still not easy.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safeveh...

Temporary import's OK, if you're taking it home again.

Would it be so difficult if the car was leaving Canada to go to the US?

if you wish to sell a UK car in the US, you are facing significant paperwork and, possibly, liability

the likelihood of rejection, by both the customs authority and the environment authority (two independent agencies) is high

the US does, however, look kindly upon cars that are imported for, say, six to twelve months by a non-resident owner before he exports the vehicle along with himself

[TooMany2cvs]

aaron_2000 said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Shuvi McTupya said:

I am assuming this would be a one way trip for the car?

I would do some research and find the car with the highest resale value, maybe a left hand drive Old shape mini if that can be had for £1k.

Canada is not easy to perma-import cars to. Not quite as utterly humourless as the US, but still not easy.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safeveh...

Temporary import's OK, if you're taking it home again.

Would it be so difficult if the car was leaving Canada to go to the US?

That'd be a temporary import to Canada, sure.

But if you were planning on leaving it in the US...?

[aaron_2000]

TooMany2cvs said:

aaron_2000 said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Shuvi McTupya said:

I am assuming this would be a one way trip for the car?

I would do some research and find the car with the highest resale value, maybe a left hand drive Old shape mini if that can be had for £1k.

Canada is not easy to perma-import cars to. Not quite as utterly humourless as the US, but still not easy.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safeveh...

Temporary import's OK, if you're taking it home again.

Would it be so difficult if the car was leaving Canada to go to the US?

That'd be a temporary import to Canada, sure.

But if you were planning on leaving it in the US...?

I'd either scrap it in the US or bring it home and take the £1200 shipping cost. I've spoken to a cargo company, they said it's possible to book a place on their ship as they run passengers too, and book the car as cargo.

[TooMany2cvs]

aaron_2000 said:

I'd either scrap it in the US

I doubt it's that easy.

I've not temporary-imported to the states, but I have several friends who have. Whenever I've taken cars into countries which have a bit of an attitude in that direction, your passport is properly marked with the car, and you are not leaving the country unless and until that's been officially cancelled.

[unsprung]

aaron_2000 said:

I'd either scrap it in the US or...

before you, yourself, exit the US, you will need to show documentation that the "illegal but temporarily allowed" car which you imported has subsequently been exported

it cannot be scrapped in the US

this will be a somewhat Swiss and relentless enforcement

the data protections that prevent certain federal government agencies from sharing information (and following up on US citizens who bend the rules) will not apply to you

[aaron_2000]

TooMany2cvs said:

aaron_2000 said:

I'd either scrap it in the US

I doubt it's that easy.

I've not temporary-imported to the states, but I have several friends who have. Whenever I've taken cars into countries which have a bit of an attitude in that direction, your passport is properly marked with the car, and you are not leaving the country unless and until that's been officially cancelled.

That's interesting to note, in that case, likely smarter to drop the idea of buying a car to do it with and just do it in mine, seeing as it is over 15 years old anyway.

[spikeyhead]

I've driven about 3000 miles on the trans-Canadian highway.

It's dull, too much geography and not enough history, or anything else.

[unsprung]

spikeyhead said:

I've driven about 3000 miles on the trans-Canadian highway.

It's dull, too much geography and not enough history, or anything else.

one interesting twist of history: until the 1960s, Canadians could not drive from coast to coast (within their own country)

drivers had to detour south, into the US, travel for a significant time, then re-enter Canada at a later point to continue their journey

[aaron_2000]

spikeyhead said:

I've driven about 3000 miles on the trans-Canadian highway.

It's dull, too much geography and not enough history, or anything else.

Canada doesn't massively interest me as a holiday destination, although I would like to visit the norther territories. It's the US I wanna drive through. I'd also quite like to make it to H20i in Atlantic City on the 28th September to see my old Ford Mondeo in the show, maybe even get my car parked next to it, even though it's pretty much all VAG stuff (Leon 210 perhaps?)