|
|
|
|
#1
07-06-2022, 05:03 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
OT: Importing car from Spain
Hope I won't get flogged by the OT police but since we have quite a few JDM owners here...
Thinking about buying a '89 Mercedes in Spain and importing it to the US. Got a quote from a shipping company with this statement: Our shipping rate is based on a RORO service. This includes ocean freight, terminal handling and customs clearance from point of origin. The price does not include any fees at destination or customs entry charges into the USA. We can provide this service if requested. So it sounds like they can cover everything up to the point where the car cleared customs and sits in their warehouse in NY. Besides shipping to IL or pick-up, what needs to be done from that point on to get the car ready for registration in IL? I.e. process to obtain a title etc. How much do I have to add on top of what the shipping company quoted? Just trying to figure out whether this still makes sense after adding up all the $$$, hassle and and effort. 
|
|
#2
07-06-2022, 05:14 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Wasent the late 80s about the time where all us sold cars had special bumpers etc to comply with safety regulations. I dont know about us regulations but make sure the car would be street legal in usa or what it would cost to bring it up to speed if not. I
Last edited by tuscanyswe; 07-06-2022 at 05:18 PM.
|
|
#3
07-06-2022, 05:24 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I've been adjacent to this process a few times and you'll need to get through four major hurdles.
1) The speedometer and odometer will need to be converted to read in miles as the primary unit. This probably means a complete swap of the instrument cluster (if you can even get one). 2) Lights will need to be legal in the US. This might involve having to replace the headlights and may require a reconfiguration of the tail lights. 3) Safety systems will need to be correct. This is where I'm a bit fuzzy as you'll likely be OK with whatever restraints are installed, but you might have to deal with the ridiculous DOT bumper thing. 4) You'll need to pass whatever inspection and smog check is in place in your state. Unless this is an extremely rare or desirable car it's probably not worth the hassle. You can probably get some exceptions based on the age of the car, but that will likely limit how it can be registered and driven.
|
|
#4
07-06-2022, 05:31 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I would contact someone in the local European car clubs (Alfa, MB, Porsche, etc) and ask them in anyone in their club has done this lately, then go from there.
I'm most familiar with the St Louis Alfa club, and if the Chicago club works the same way, the officers of the local chapter would be a good place to start: Example: https://www.caroc.com/board/index.php
|
|
#5
07-06-2022, 05:50 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Basically it needs to be old enough and not going into California, That is how all the JDM stuff comes in too. There used to be stricter law. There are customs duty issues etc. you have to work around of course.
Quoted excerpt from: https://usacustomsclearance.com/proc...g-cars-to-usa/ "4. 25 Year Old Age Limit Need an easier way to import a car to the US? The day a car reaches its 25th birthday, it’s legally allowed to pass customs clearance in the United States with no restrictions. Happy Birthday older cars! Your present is no inspections whatsoever! There are only two hurdles to the 25 year rule. The state where your import car is going may require modifications for safety items to receive a tag and registration. And in the state of California, older cars mandate stricter emission requirements for all cars manufactured after 1975. US Car Import Laws: 21 Years Versus 25 years There are actually benefits for cars being 21 and 25 years of age. A 21-year-old car does not have EPA requirements for import inspection. A 25-year-old car can legally enter the U.S. without complying with Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)."
|
|
#6
07-06-2022, 06:38 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Not to offend but I can't think of a 1989 M-B that would be worth the trouble and expense to me. Does the car in question have big emotional appeal to you? The good news is that M-B is very good about providing worldwide shipping of most parts for their older "classic" cars.
|
|
#7
07-06-2022, 07:35 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
hmmmm there are a ton of amazing 1980s MBs that are totally worth importing. Sure some were here and can be found but could be something special or a good deal. Some stuff here is impossible to get for a good deal and can still be got for a good deal in Europe
|
|
#8
07-06-2022, 08:59 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
I could list many...
|
|
#9
07-07-2022, 05:15 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I can see a 560 SL. But these are available in the US.
The old G-Class is probably pretty rare here but not that good.
|
|
#11
07-07-2022, 05:26 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
 Leaving aside the 2.3-16 variants (too obvious), a Euro-spec C126 coupe with the high compression engine for me, please. Wouldn't mind a manual S124 wagon either. Or a proper G-Wagen. I guess when we are talking about any 10+ year-old car, the personal/emotional appeal plays a big role. We could say the same for, say, a '68 Mustang.
__________________
Jeder geschlossene Raum ist ein Sarg. Last edited by goonster; 07-07-2022 at 05:34 AM.
|
|
#12
07-07-2022, 05:26 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3GA4vP7PKWg
|
|
#13
07-07-2022, 05:34 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I've imported 5 European cars across international borders, 2 into the USA and 3 into Canada. If the cars are older that 25 years old (or 15 years old for Canada), you are exempt from complying with the federal safety and emission standards. This does not however mean that you can register them without having to jump through hoops. Each state/provincial DMV can have their own regulations.
For example: Registration in NJ: when I imported the 2 cars into NJ (Renault and Fiat) by sea from Italy, they were respectively 27 and 47 years old. I did not have to get them inspected whatsoever, which I personally find absurd. I had owned the cars respectively 7 and 10 years, but I was still required to pay NJ sales tax on the value of both cars before I could register them. I also needed to pay duty. At the port, I needed to pay for the cars to be moved from the bonded warehouse where they first went upon arrival to an unbonded warehouse where I could pick them up. The cars all had their original km speedometers and odometers. headlights were not checked. Registration in Ontario Canada: I imported a 12 year old Saab from the USA. I was required to show that the car was certified for the Canadian market (all cars sold in North America generally have a certification plaque under the hood or on the door jamb that lays out to which standards it complies.) I also had to get a Registrar of Imported Vehicles inspection carried out on the car, where the main stumbling blocks are generally: daylight running lights (Saabs come with the option of daylight running lights, so all I needed to do was put some super glue that prevented me from moving the knob to non-DRL), ISOFIX child seat fasteners (standard on Saabs), indication of the speed in at least km/h (the dual scales found in Saabs are completely acceptable). The odometer could read in miles as long as it was clearly indicated in a permanent manner. Once it passed the RIV, it then had to pass the provincial safety inspection. In my case, I needed to replace the brake rotors and pads to pass the minimum acceptable level (they still had 30% life left but the province knows that this is likely the past time they will see the car for a while, so they set a much higher safety margin than is otherwise necessary). I needed to pay duty (6% for the Saab), provincial sales tax on the current value of the car and excise taxes for tires and having A/C on the car. Registration in BC Canada: I imported a 1 year old BMW from the USA. I was required to show that the car was certified for the Canadian market. I also had to get a Registrar of Imported Vehicles inspection carried out on the car, With the Bimmercode app, I set the headlights to DRL and changed the measurement units to metric and it comes standard with ISOFIX child seat fasteners. Once it passed the RIV, it then had to pass the provincial safety inspection. Since the car was basically new, I did not need to get any work done on the car but they did subject it to a complete inspection. I needed to pay duty (6% for the BMW), provincial sales tax on the current value of the car and excise taxes for tires and having A/C on the car. I also imported a 19 year old Renault from Japan by sea to Canada. Since the car is over the 15 year age threshold, I did not need to pass the federal RIV inspection. I did however need to pass the provincial safety inspection. There was a small exhaust leak that had to be repaired, a suspension part that needed replacement, two rotors to be replaced and then came the lighting and reflectors. The RHD headlights needed to be replaced to make them work for use in North America and I needed to get additional amber turn signals installed on the front and certified amber and red reflectors on the sides at the front and rear of the vehicle. All of these replacement units needed to have specific markings to prove they were acceptable, which led to major hassles as the inspector did not properly understand the marking regulations and I ended up getting the author of the provincial regulation to intervene to finally get my headlights accepted. I needed to pay duty (6%), provincial sales tax on the current value of the car and excise taxes for tires and having A/C on the car. I also needed to pay a customs clearance fee and a fee to move the car from the bonded storage to the non-bonded storage. Last edited by Polyglot; 07-09-2022 at 02:19 PM.
|
|
#14
07-07-2022, 08:30 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
|
|
#15
07-07-2022, 08:38 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
__________________
Jeder geschlossene Raum ist ein Sarg. Last edited by goonster; 07-07-2022 at 08:40 AM.
|
 |
|
|
Linear Mode
