Anyone bought a car from the USA?

Leighthal

I finally have the finances to realise my dream of owning an American muscle car(60's/70's).I'd like to know if anyone has bought a car from the US Ebay site.I could of course wait for something to appear for sale in the UK and avoid all the import duties and shipping etc.But there is obviously more choice stateside.Also,if anyone did put in a successful bid,who did they arrange the shipping details with?(ie: recommend UK companies).

StaffsSW

My neighbour has imported a few Japanese cars, and I imagine the principles are pretty much the same - but generally it is the buyer that arranges all of the shipping, paperwork and taxes etc, although there are brokerage companies that can do this for you - at a cost!

From memory he has used a company called rybecshipping.co.uk, have a google for USA Car imports and you will be kept busy for a few hours!

Something I do know is that USA spec cars do not tend to have the same rust-proofing that is taken for standard in the UK - be wary of any vehicles that have been cruised around the coast, and invest in some Waxoyl - I worked in the trade when i left school and heard many people talking about this - UK cars are some of the best rust-proofed in the business, but we need it!

nullogik

Look for cars that have been in the dry states - Texas etc. These should have no rust (or very little) and like the other poster said, avoid cars that have come from the coast.

Also beware of flood cars like those from the wash-out in New Orleans. People have been trying to palm off these cars from Ebay without telling buyers. In the US they have similar car check services (like HPI) which can tell if you a car has been registered as salvage or flood damaged - these typically cost around £15 and are well worth doing before settling on a particular car.

When you get it here you'll most likely have to take it through an SVA test, more info here:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/vssafety/importsapproval/thesinglevehicleapprovalscheme

What kind of car are you after, by the way? It may be worth seeking out specific car web forums (both here and in the US) and joining those. People on there will be able to point out problem spots on that specific car and may be able to advise you on where to buy one.

Leighthal

Thanks stevew8975.I've heard of Rybec and also Golden Chariots who sometimes advertise in the american car section of the UK Ebay site.The best condition cars seem to be from the sunshine states like California and Arizona etc.

I dithered earlier this year and missed out on a V8 1965 Ford Falcon convertible located in Long Beach.The Buy It Now price was $7500.I got a quote from Golden Chariots of approx. 8000GBP.So the general rule of thumb seems to be that the doller price equals the GBP price after all duties/shipping and taxes are paid.I even contacted the seller who for an extra $50 was willing to drive the car the the port in LA.Anyway,I missed out :mad:

My first concern would be to get the car protected once its over here as I live by the seaside which is probably the worst possible area and it would be garage kept.

Leighthal

Thanks nullogik.I'm specifically looking for something from the muscle car era of about 1964-1971/2.Common sense would point to a Mustang as they made millions of them and the aftermarket parts arena is exstensive.64/65 Falcons are slightly rarer but the Mustangs were based on these and so mechanical parts are interchangable.

steveo3002

youve prob already done this...but if not, get "classic american " magazine it has all the shipping companys advertised in there

Dave_Brooker

Leighthal wrote: »

I finally have the finances to realise my dream of owning an American muscle car(60's/70's).I'd like to know if anyone has bought a car from the US Ebay site.I could of course wait for something to appear for sale in the UK and avoid all the import duties and shipping etc.But there is obviously more choice stateside.Also,if anyone did put in a successful bid,who did they arrange the shipping details with?(ie: recommend UK companies).

I brought a car off US ebay and had it shipped back, shipping costs are far less than you might think due to US trade inbalance.

There are however a lot of extra costs to budget for.

I used a shipping agent in Long Beach and had the car sent over in a container.

Leighthal

steveo3002 wrote: »

youve prob already done this...but if not, get "classic american " magazine it has all the shipping companys advertised in there

Yeah thats one of the best magazines available.Lots of useful.

Leighthal

Dave_Brooker wrote: »

I brought a car off US ebay and had it shipped back, shipping costs are far less than you might think due to US trade inbalance.

There are however a lot of extra costs to budget for.

I used a shipping agent in Long Beach and had the car sent over in a container.

Were you in the States when you bought it or did you arrange everything from the UK?

Dave_Brooker

Leighthal wrote: »

Were you in the States when you bought it or did you arrange everything from the UK?

I arranged it all from the UK, it was worse for me because the car didn't drive.

If your car drives you can use roro which is even cheaper.

Just make sure you buy your car somewhere near an ocean port.

Try getting a quote from these guys:

http://www.2wglobal.com/www/officesAgents/northAmerica.jsp

mrtg0525

nullogik wrote: »

Look for cars that have been in the dry states - Texas etc. These should have no rust (or very little) and like the other poster said, avoid cars that have come from the coast.

With Texas you have to be very careful where the car came from - West Texas is very dry, but the East is humid, plus you're close to the Gulf.

But yes, you're looking for a car from the Southwest if you want something relatively rust-free. Keep in mind though that the sun does a lot of damage so you'll probably have to budget for some paintwork and and some interior work. Arizona and New Mexico seem to be the best source for cars like this.

nullogik wrote: »

When you get it here you'll most likely have to take it through an SVA test, more info here:

From what I remember, being a little bit involved in the Japanese car scene, you don't need an SVA for cars older than 10 years - AFAIK an MOT would be sufficient but of course the car will have to conform to C&U regs.