anyone imported a car from england?

tigermoth

my son-in-law wants to import a car from england. has anyone here done that lately? regards, tom

bob ward

My experience involves importing a 53 coupe from Florida to Australia 12 months ago, and some of what I learned will apply to shipping a car from UK to US.



First thing is get several quotes, prices vary WIDELY and WILDLY.



Go for a UK depot to US depot all inclusive 'no more to pay' shipping deal that covers the many charges and fees at both ends, using a US shipping agent who handles all the paperwork and transport details at both ends.



It is possible to bypass the shipping agents and handle all the details yourself, but there is a lot to learn and there are potential pitfalls. And I doubt that for a one off shipment it would work out any cheaper.

JP

The car must be 25 years or older--or you must have every single component (except right-hand drive) that does not meet US import standards--for that car or similar car that was imported to the US in the year of manufacture (bumpers, lights, speedometer must be in MPH, warning stickers, emissions--many many others). This is a protectionist law--supposedly to save us from the danger of driving foreign cars that are not up to US "safety" standards.



Older than 25 years--"a classic" so original equipment is OK. This is my understanding of a very complex set of guidelines that I looked at a couple of years ago--they are on the internet somewhere (I don't remember now) under the US Customs-import laws. I hink that there is some timespan allowance to have the conversions done (also some services that will do that for a stiff price) or customs will order it to be crushed.



This is an important (very expensive) consideration if the car in question is less than 25 years old.



JP

JP

A correction--



All of the "information" in the previous post (mine) is based on my memory-- now what it used to be--and--not clear knowledge of the laws (now i'm wondering about right hand drive also).



I go to Germany now and then. And, I've been amazed at the relatively low cost (less so today with exchange rate) of beautiful, well-maintained, low-kilometer, four seat, E-Class, Mercedes convertibles that I saw in used car lots in Germany. So I looked into bringing one back, but was deterred by the maze of costly US customs/import requirements for vehicles less than 25 years old.





JP

[Deleted User]

As long as the car is older than 25 model years old or more, it's good to go without any restrictions. RHD or LHD, makes no difference. So, since the '06 vehicles are still considered this years' model, you can bring a model year 1981 or older car or truck back and be in good shape. If the car is already a US-spec car, regardless of when it was built, it can be shipped back w/o problems, too.



I shipped one American car (a '67 Belvedere I wagon sold new in Belgium) back from Germany several years ago; of course, it was built pre-EPA and it's American, so it was also not a problem.