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Sept 1, 2009 21:00:37 GMT
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Well, Streetrod Nats are over. This then is just the start for some. For me it will be starting to understand the market, supply, demand, and also what route to go to get something pretty. unique and also sensible. Having brought the Transit in from Germany with Dave's help, and registering it here in the UK , even though it had been taken off the road more than 20 years ago has shown me that everything is possible. This means that I will ultimately be prepared to take Nicola on a USA roadtrip to find the best, most appropriate truck or van for my next project after the GrizzMobile and Myrtle are completed. So, please shoot away and tell me what you know, fact or fiction, good or bad. Which parts of America does one go looking in for these, or which dealers are sensible , and offer decent service ? What are the pitfalls, taxes etc ? I like the 50's American trucks, and also vans . Some examples are in this thread I started on the weekend. www.retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=66700   Personal pic of the day.  Stuff like this, with patina/rat look will be fine.        |
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Last Edit: Sept 1, 2009 21:11:12 GMT by grizz
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93fxdl
Posted a lot
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Posts: 2,013
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Sept 1, 2009 23:05:23 GMT
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,922
Club RR Member Number: 174
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Sept 1, 2009 23:23:28 GMT
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Believe it or not that was once a fetching shade of bright pink. Plenty of people register yank imports with no trouble. Just make sure you get all the paperwork for the car. Matt |
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Mark
Club Retro Rides Member
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Sept 1, 2009 23:35:30 GMT
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Grizz my old chap - you have saved me from having to post up a similar thread. I am in New York at the moment and the american bug has hit me. I have seen so many cars here, which they don't consider special, that I would happily roll. If you want any mags/classifieds etc, let me know  I will be posting a thread post-trip with all of my finds! |
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if you want a 50s truck at the moment I bet you could get a better deal buying in the UK, as the market is absolutely swamped with them. look on eBay, craigslist, collector car trader, forums for you chosen marque (some bargains to be had on forums, I weep at what I could blag off some of the US forums) and there are dealers all over. Of course dealers are more expensive than private sales. Beware as well we have a reputation. I was reading in an American magazine recently that the Pomona swap meet is rubbish to buy cars at now because "all of the sellers are geared up to sell to British export vistors at twice the market price" I also saw a car described on a dealers website only the other week as "incomplete, vandalised, for parts or export to Europe" The rust free import is a bit of a myth. my Plymouth was a "rust free" California import and what that means is you don't pay for the rust. Fred Flintstone would be quite at home with my floor pans. I know plenty of people who have bought sucessfully from the USA. My Plymouth is still full of WIN for me despite its rotten floors. Look for a dry states and they should ideally be close to the docks to save you paying for shipping across the USA as well. The logistics of buying and driving your own car as a visitor are tricky. You could use a dealer who is a British ex-pat, who already sells to UK importers www.raysclassics.com in California is an example. |
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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oh and, do a search, I did a long detailed post about importing from the US a while ago.
Bottom line is....
everyone will quote shipping about $800 (£500). However thats "FOB" meaning the cost of the shippingonce your car is on the boat. By the time you add loading and unloading fees, port authority fees, dock side storage fees, paperwork presentation fees, etc. expect to be paying around a grand or more. These fees can vary from port to port in the UK as well as in the USA.
Assume a dollar a mile to move a car in the USA. It can be done cheaper but budget on the heavy side. If you buy that nice bargain truck and then have to move it 2000 miles to get it to your port it may no longer be such a bargain.
You must get all paperwork checked carefully. I have heard of a few cases where stolen cars have been sold for export and the customs people have picked up on this and the foreign buyer just loses everything then. There is no HPI in the USA and even worse some states don't require titles (registration docs) on cars more than 25 years old...
Import duty is 10% of the value of the car, and VAT is 15% of the value of the car + the duty + the shipping.
However for vans and pickups its 10% import duty and 22.5% VAT
You used to be able to get BTI classic vehicle exemption from VAT but not any more. People telling you can are working on out dated info.
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Sammm, Alistair, thanks for that info.
It will be a while before I have the space, Nicola and I are at the start of negotiations to buy a house with a 6 car garage, which will mean a back burner project is possible.
The Grizzmobile should not take too long once the mechanical conversion is complete. Body work in my view is just Time time and more time.
Alistair, I am aware of the UK being full of US metal, but the prices are currently still a bit high for those I have noted.....
Time will tell.
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Grizz my old chap - you have saved me from having to post up a similar thread. I am in New York at the moment and the american bug has hit me. I have seen so many cars here, which they don't consider special, that I would happily roll. If you want any mags/classifieds etc, let me know I will be posting a thread post-trip with all of my finds! Hi Mark, Thanks for the offer. However, trust me, by the time you come back your baggage will be loaded.  |
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You think prices in the UK are high? Add shipping and taxes to the prices you see in the US and they'll look reasonable.  ^^^ for example, this is up for $18,500. Thats £11,500 GBP By the time you add shipping and duty that will be £14,000 and the VAT makes £17,150 You'd get something similar in the UK for less. I love this Chevy Suburban:  $6,800 is £4,250 which is more than I'd give for it in the UK, but you need to add the shipping and taxes and that takes it to £6700 by the time you have it in the UK Why pay $5000 +shipping +taxes for a busted up Ford F1 pickup when the same thing in the UK can be had for like £3500 or £5000 for something half decent. Importing is FTW if its something rare or you can't find it here or the UK market is much higher. Also the very high value stuff (over £15,000) you tend to find a good margin on, but for common stuff over here its often better to buy something you can see and haggle over and trailer or drive away |
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Last Edit: Sept 2, 2009 7:12:20 GMT by akku
1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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I think I need to update, and also see a lot more.
Like I said, this is the begining of an action, which will ultimately result in my driving something commercial and American.
You are absolutley right, and I guess there will always be people who sell at a sensible price.
Research, research, research is what lies ahead, methinks.
Thanks for you replies and info so far Alistair.
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Thats a Cameo, they are very rare. Kind of a deluxe civillian truck. Bed is fibreglass, cab had nicer interior and so on. They are always 2 or 3 times the price of a regular truck. I'm in American car sales, fifties pickups are like hot cakes this year. They are selling quickly and for good money PM me your budget and spec, i have my ear to the ground regagrding 50's and 60's yanks and maybe able to help. |
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Last Edit: Sept 2, 2009 7:44:16 GMT by Motorama
Fake patina sucks!
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Aye, I'm aware its not "just another shabby pickup", didn't think they'd be as much as 3x the regular price though?
regardless, the lesson is to learn the market both sides of the Atlantic rather than to assume its always cheaper / better to import one yourself.
And as often said "its not so much what you know as who you know!"
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Sept 2, 2009 10:41:30 GMT
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1985 Bedford CF2 camper 1991 Volvo 240 Turbo |
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Sept 2, 2009 11:02:13 GMT
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Something else to bear in mind, that I'm not 100% on, but I am fairly sure that I read somewhere in the depths of the big IVA thread, that importing anything LHD now needs full IVA test before getting uk registration.
I hope I picked that up wrong, as this will add serious hassles to a hell of a lot of imports now.
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1986 Panda 4x4.
1990 Metro Sport.
1999 Ford Escort estate.
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bryn
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,913
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Sept 2, 2009 12:15:30 GMT
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Many wise words there from the guys and the ever knowledgable Mr k, and only a few more I can constructively add.
I would agree at the moment buying in the UK is a wise move, I realise you're talking about the future... So on that assumption.
I would only buy what I could see with my own eyes, or have somebody that I trust to do it for me. I have never been anywhere else where vehicle descriptions vary so wildly from the truth. Some good, some bad, some dangerous, pictures and descriptions wouldn't have shown what I saw in the tin.
So factor in a holiday, I'd also avoid California if you can. The whole place is geared up to sell to foreigners, plus everyman and his dog are looking there, including the Americans who ship interstate from there.
Go futher inland to Nevada or Utah and reap the rewards of a 300/400 mile drive. If you're on the ground over there you'll be amazed what you turn up for great prices. I've bought vehicles in NY State, Ohio and California. I couldn't register a vehicle in NY state the other year, but I did in 1996, you can still could buy there though. So it's really only Ohio I have recent registration experience in... And that was really easy and cheap.
Those trucks you're looking at are highly desirable to those that know over there, but if you look outside of those areas... Bargains.
Oh yeah, and Rays Classics is where I bought my 57 Suburban, I got 2K$ off the price straight off... Ray is a really nice guy, but he's a car dealer ;D
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Volvo, Buggy, Discovery and an old tractor.
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bryn
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,913
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Sept 2, 2009 12:16:59 GMT
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OOh, the other reason for buying and delivering to the docks yourself is because you can load up on all the bits you need and ship 'em back at the same time. Maybe make a few bucks to cover costs at the same time.
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Volvo, Buggy, Discovery and an old tractor.
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Sept 2, 2009 12:46:32 GMT
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the problem with loading the car, and one I have no experiance of myself but others I know have done, is that as the car is stored on an open compound prior to loading, and is stored unlocked, items from within the car can go walkies. Dock workers are apparently notoriouos thieves. One guy I knew used to even take hubcaps and other easily removable items off the car and ship them separately/take home in luggage due to the number of them he'd lost. Some of these things are down to luck.
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Last Edit: Sept 2, 2009 12:47:02 GMT by akku
1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Sept 2, 2009 12:50:14 GMT
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Something else to bear in mind, that I'm not 100% on, but I am fairly sure that I read somewhere in the depths of the big IVA thread, that importing anything LHD now needs full IVA test before getting uk registration. I hope I picked that up wrong, as this will add serious hassles to a hell of a lot of imports now. Grizz´s Taunus Transit is LHD and only recently been registered in the UK, so there must be a way around that??? |
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bryn
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,913
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Sept 2, 2009 13:18:52 GMT
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the problem with loading the car, and one I have no experiance of myself but others I know have done, is that as the car is stored on an open compound prior to loading, and is stored unlocked, items from within the car can go walkies. Dock workers are apparently notoriouos thieves. One guy I knew used to even take hubcaps and other easily removable items off the car and ship them separately/take home in luggage due to the number of them he'd lost. Some of these things are down to luck. Very good point, I'd heard similar stories too. Out of the four cars I've shipped I've never had anything lifted, having stuck in everything from crash helmets to push bikes and complete sets of brand new wheels. The only advice I'd give on that is to secure everything in the vehicle as best you can. I went out and bought four high tensile bike style cables with good padlocks, then routed them through anything valuable and locked it to a really incovenient point on the inside of the vehicle. I removed the wheels from their boxes and wrapped them in old thrift store blankets, then locked them under the seats. It can help who you ship with too, if a particular dealer uses a company a lot they're not going to like stuff going missing, so they'll be looked after. At the shipping agents I've used in New Jersey I've seen stuff like a Porsche 356 speedster race car with alloys cable tied to the roll cage and the weirdest was an E Type Jag packed to the roof with bags of crisps...  Just take precaution and choose your shipper carefully, I've used Kingston in Hull for all mine after being reliably recommended them. Only one problem occured with two vehicles into Southampton that were left unlocked, keys in the ignition in a haulage firms car park for three days... Kev Elliot, ex-editor of CC offers a service where if he can he'll go and check out a vehicle for you. He's probably the only person in SoCal I'd trust to look at something because he knows so much about the subject, and the UK requirements. |
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Last Edit: Sept 2, 2009 13:20:09 GMT by bryn
Volvo, Buggy, Discovery and an old tractor.
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I will be posting a thread post-trip with all of my finds!
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