I'm looking at a car which is now in Beaconsfield, Victoria, Australia. Any idea what kind of nightmare it would be to transport it back to New England?
Jim
Jim
Australian import
- Thread starter Jim Staruk
- Start date
Depends on the current condition, but if it's drivable on and off the ship (RoRo), it may not be too bad. I shipped a 1966 Mini Cooper from New Zealand, which I bought off eBay, to Savannah, GA. The experience was scary as a new experience, but it went smoothly. The seller had shipped overseas in the past, so on his end, he knew how to get it managed which was easier than me trying to figure it out and coordinate it. On my end, I just had to wait a few weeks to let it clear customs, go to the port authority to do paperwork, and then go to the dock to pick it up.
Contact Doug Lemon to see how he handled getting his ambulance shipped there from the States. Is it a right hand drive? That would be cool.
It depends when it was manufactured. If manufactured after the introduction of the Motor Vehicle Safety Standard act went into effect, it has to meed all the US standards that were in effect at the time it was manufactured. This isn't an easy requirement, because some of the standards are next to impossible to retrofit without a huge amount of work involved. This can be from emissions to body integrity reinforcements.
Patrick J. Martin
PCS Life Member/Illini Chapter President
Actually, that's not 100% true. If you are buying and importing a new vehicle, then yes, it has to meet current US safety and emissions regulations. But in a rare case of the government using some common sense, they realize that antique vehicles are most likely being imported for collector reasons, and thus vehicles 25 years and older are exempt from meeting US manufacturing standards.
When I imported a vehicle from Germany last year, I handled the paperwork myself, and hired a vehicle importation company for door-to-door transport. Based on my experience, my biggest suggestion is try to find a company that will handle the entire move. Even though I contracted for door-to-door, what I did not know is that the European company I used only covered the vehicle from Germany to New York, and they then subcontracted with a US-based firm for the US part of the transportation to my house. By far the biggest headache I had was getting the two companies to talk to each other so things could be handled in time before fees and penalities kicked in.
The paperwork was something I could not make heads or tails out of, due to being written in an advanced form of legalese, but fortunately I have a friend who works for an import/export firm, so he was able to walk me through it. If you don't understand legalese too well, then having someone who does will be a necessity in my opinion. Or perhaps you will hire a company that will cover all the paperwork.
There are also three shipping methods to get a car from overseas, a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ship where the vehicle is driven onto the ship and chained down with a cargo hold of other vehicles, a shared container where two or more vehicles ship in a single enclosed container, and a private container. I'm sure you can guess which is the least expensive and most expensive options. I went with a shared container as a compromise between security and economy.
And speaking of economy, there isn't any with this kind of a move. You will easily pay the cost of the car a second time just in shipping fees. My move from Germany to Chicago was in the neighborhood of $3300.
Another problem that I never thought of, and will vary from state to state, is that once I got my vehicle, Illinois will not recognize the German title. I got around this in a rather backdoor, grey market sort of way that I hesitate to post on a public forum.
I think my overriding advice is to consider what the vehicle is that you want. Is it something that is unique to Australia, that you really REALLY want, and one is not available here in the US at all? Then it might be worth it to you. But is it something that is also available domestically, that the one in Australia just happened to catch your eye or appears to be a real bargain? Then it most likely isn't worth it, either for the headaches or the finances of shipping it.
When I imported a vehicle from Germany last year, I handled the paperwork myself, and hired a vehicle importation company for door-to-door transport. Based on my experience, my biggest suggestion is try to find a company that will handle the entire move. Even though I contracted for door-to-door, what I did not know is that the European company I used only covered the vehicle from Germany to New York, and they then subcontracted with a US-based firm for the US part of the transportation to my house. By far the biggest headache I had was getting the two companies to talk to each other so things could be handled in time before fees and penalities kicked in.
The paperwork was something I could not make heads or tails out of, due to being written in an advanced form of legalese, but fortunately I have a friend who works for an import/export firm, so he was able to walk me through it. If you don't understand legalese too well, then having someone who does will be a necessity in my opinion. Or perhaps you will hire a company that will cover all the paperwork.
There are also three shipping methods to get a car from overseas, a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ship where the vehicle is driven onto the ship and chained down with a cargo hold of other vehicles, a shared container where two or more vehicles ship in a single enclosed container, and a private container. I'm sure you can guess which is the least expensive and most expensive options. I went with a shared container as a compromise between security and economy.
And speaking of economy, there isn't any with this kind of a move. You will easily pay the cost of the car a second time just in shipping fees. My move from Germany to Chicago was in the neighborhood of $3300.
Another problem that I never thought of, and will vary from state to state, is that once I got my vehicle, Illinois will not recognize the German title. I got around this in a rather backdoor, grey market sort of way that I hesitate to post on a public forum.
I think my overriding advice is to consider what the vehicle is that you want. Is it something that is unique to Australia, that you really REALLY want, and one is not available here in the US at all? Then it might be worth it to you. But is it something that is also available domestically, that the one in Australia just happened to catch your eye or appears to be a real bargain? Then it most likely isn't worth it, either for the headaches or the finances of shipping it.
The car
The car is a left hand driven 1965 Cadillac 75 series limousine in prestine condition with less than 50K miles. The kicker is that this car spent it's entire life in Warwick, RI (45 minutes from my house) and it was recently exported to a classic car company in Australia.
The car is a left hand driven 1965 Cadillac 75 series limousine in prestine condition with less than 50K miles. The kicker is that this car spent it's entire life in Warwick, RI (45 minutes from my house) and it was recently exported to a classic car company in Australia.
Jim,
When my 1951 Superior sold it went to a buyer in Australia. He used an import/export company to handle the entire deal and shipping. The company contacted me, paid by wire transfer, paid for the title mailing, and scheduled and paid for all the shipping which had to have been confusing. The buyer paid $4900 U.S. for this service. A transport picked it up here, hauled it to California, crated it, loaded onto a ship, handled all the customs, and hauled it to the buyer's house for the one flat fee.
I can remember the company only dealt with Australia - America imports/exports. Very nice people who really knew the ropes and pleasant to deal with.
When my 1951 Superior sold it went to a buyer in Australia. He used an import/export company to handle the entire deal and shipping. The company contacted me, paid by wire transfer, paid for the title mailing, and scheduled and paid for all the shipping which had to have been confusing. The buyer paid $4900 U.S. for this service. A transport picked it up here, hauled it to California, crated it, loaded onto a ship, handled all the customs, and hauled it to the buyer's house for the one flat fee.
I can remember the company only dealt with Australia - America imports/exports. Very nice people who really knew the ropes and pleasant to deal with.
Thanks Dwayne,
I asked the Austrialian car dealer if they help with exports. I haven't heard back from them. I think they're still sleeping over there.....
Darren Bedford
PCS Member
Jim
Doug had a thread dealing with his experience getting his
ambulance home from North America somewhere on this site.
I'm sure a quick search will find it.
I know he waited, and waited, and waited..... then finally it arrived.
I'm sure he is having a blast driving it down under now.
Darren
Doug had a thread dealing with his experience getting his
ambulance home from North America somewhere on this site.
I'm sure a quick search will find it.
I know he waited, and waited, and waited..... then finally it arrived.
I'm sure he is having a blast driving it down under now.
Darren
Re-patrioting
I'm sure bringing an old American car back to the US is easier. My dad is in the process of bringing a Lancia Delta Intergrale to the US (after it passes the 25 year mark)as well as a bunch of Triumph/Norton motorcycles. The bikes are crated in wood for forklift duty, but the whole package should fill a 40ft container and should/will be delivered to a loading dock. The car will require some serious PA paperwork, and so there is someone in place at the representative's office. Probably the same with the bikes. Paperwork is oiled a bit with unusual things if you feel inclined.
I'd suggest a visit to your local politician if you get this vehicle.
I'm sure bringing an old American car back to the US is easier. My dad is in the process of bringing a Lancia Delta Intergrale to the US (after it passes the 25 year mark)as well as a bunch of Triumph/Norton motorcycles. The bikes are crated in wood for forklift duty, but the whole package should fill a 40ft container and should/will be delivered to a loading dock. The car will require some serious PA paperwork, and so there is someone in place at the representative's office. Probably the same with the bikes. Paperwork is oiled a bit with unusual things if you feel inclined.
I'd suggest a visit to your local politician if you get this vehicle.
1960
Having seen pictures of a tortured and maimed 1960 Superior, Don't sell anything to these ex-cons.
Having seen pictures of a tortured and maimed 1960 Superior, Don't sell anything to these ex-cons.
Harry,, I resemble that remark!!!
sorry guys I have been away for 5 weeks and totally out of touch. Jim if I can help in any way just ask. I have good friends in Victoria so if you want anything looked at or moved just tell me.Happy to help.....
sorry guys I have been away for 5 weeks and totally out of touch. Jim if I can help in any way just ask. I have good friends in Victoria so if you want anything looked at or moved just tell me.Happy to help.....