Importing a car from US

[crossy67]

I have seen a car in the US I am very interested in. Does any one know if there is such a thing as an organisztion or someone trusted that could go and view the car to make sure it exists and is genuine? Flying over would cost quite a bit and be very difficult due to work commitments.

Also, does anyone have any experience shipping from California to Europe (I need it in France but that's another hurdle) and a rough idea of costs and time frames please.

Thanks.

[TooMany2cvs]

Look very carefully at French import and registration restrictions - the Service des Mines can be a real bugger.

[crossy67]

Thanks for that. I will get it done regardless if it takes me years, the car will only ever go up in value. There are a lot of US cars registered here for some reason, far more than I ever saw in the UK so it must be doable. The car is a 1973 so could go on a classic CG, I believe?

[Rich G]

This link may give you some help if you want to import it via the UK...

http://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/licensing-legal-s...

Others may be better placed to advise but it may be easier to import to the UK, register it here and then regester it in France (as it'll then be an "import" from an EU country)?

[crossy67]

Thanks Rich.

And thanks who ever emailed me too, it didn't say a sender I recognise off here but thanks a lot, nice to get a grasp of actual ideas of costs.

Much appreciated all.

[davepoth]

crossy67 said:

Thanks for that. I will get it done regardless if it takes me years, the car will only ever go up in value. There are a lot of US cars registered here for some reason, far more than I ever saw in the UK so it must be doable. The car is a 1973 so could go on a classic CG, I believe?

Having the steering wheel on the proper side means that a fair few of them were sold on the continent through official channels.

[Cooperman]

Try 'Schumacher Logistics' in England. They were very helpful and knowledgeable when we shipped a California registered Sunbeam Tiger over last year. Classic car importation is their speciality.

[Broadspeedwannabe]

Track down a guy called John at Golden Chariots they will do everthing for you and offer advice on passing over the money etc, when it arrives in UK they sort the NOVA registration for you and suggest you UK reg it then shift it over to French reg after, may be a smoother transmission. My mate in Tamworth has used GC 4 times now any hassle they sort it not you trying from 4000 miles away.

[Grindout]

Just be careful who you deal with as far as a shipping company. While there are many that will be able to handle the transport aspect, not all of them are well-versed in the taxes, documentation and processes involved. It can expensive quick.

[aeropilot]

Cooperman said:

Try 'Schumacher Logistics' in England. They were very helpful and knowledgeable when we shipped a California registered Sunbeam Tiger over last year. Classic car importation is their speciality.

Yup, I know someone that has used Schumacher twice now to bring a yank over from USA, and they definately recommend them.

[Chewykneeslider]

If you are based in France, then there are probably some sound reasons for shipping it to the UK first, get your Binding Tarriff Index BTI sorted over here, only pay 5% import duty on the car, then move it on to France.

I imported a car last year from a dealer in LA, and used Kingstown Shipping as my agent at this end. No problems with the process, and they only charged £50 to sort the BTI exemption paperwork, meaning a substantial tax saving.

Do your sums carefully, get independant shipping quotes, then ask for recommendations from companies like Kingstown. If necessary don't be afraid to haggle a little.

In the end it worked out cheapest to use the dealer's recommended handling and shipping from their end, and Kingstown when the car was in the UK. They sorted out the NOVA registration also, which proves you have paid all your taxes so that the vehicle can get a registraion document for the UK.

I also used Transferwise for the currency conversion, that proved much better than banks or any of the more normal channels. Best of luck!

[crossy67]

Thanks for all the great advice, tips and contacts chaps. All I need to do now is persuade Mrs C it's a good idea