I had investigated this whole area some years ago (1987) in preparation of
my return to the US after 5 years abroad.
I was told that there are no import restrictions on cars built PRIOR TO Jan
1, 1968. Therefore, if your car has a documentable build date prior to this
(regardless of the model year), you get away scott free.
If the car is built after Jan 1, 1968, then the import regulations kick in
and you may have to prove that it was certified for import into the US at
the time of its manufacture. This could be a messy process, but the
government publishes a booklet on the subject. Contact the US Dept. of
Commerce and request the appropriate info. I've long since forgotten the
name of the document, but as I remember it was quite helpful.
Expect to pay duty on any car coming in. This will be AT LEAST the FET and
sales tax on the current value of the car. (Yes, get it professionally
appraised, otherwise the customs people will do their own appraisal.) You
may try a trick that (accidently) worked for me. Register the car in the US
before it arrives, get title and license IN HAND. Then when the car arrives,
you can establish prior ownership by having proof of US taxes paid (which
you didn't, of course - except the cost of title transfer and tabs).
I don't know the current shipping costs, but you can either do it yourself
or consign it to a freight forwarder. The UK has many good such forwarders
that specialize in cars.
I was working from Denmark so had few options. Therefore I did it myself. I
could either containerize the car and ship it ocean, ship it
roll-on-roll-off via ocean, or palletized air. I chose air-freight, because
I had no prep work to do, no container to build/rent, and no fear of long
exposure to sea air or NYC thieves. The total cost Copenhagen to Minneapolis
in 1987 was $2000. A considerable net savings if anything had gone wrong at
either end.
There are any number of cars locked up at the impound lots that may never
get out (including two Porsche 959's owned by Bill Gates) because they
didn't follow the rules. Get the booklet and study it. Talk to the shippers
and understand the options, costs, insurance, etc. before you make a
decision.
Good luck,
Lew Palmer
I am thinking of importing a 1968 model year car from England,
and I am hoping that others with some knowledge or experience
about the process would be willing to share it with me. I'm
particularly interested in shipping options, cost, insurance, and
any government regulatory issues. Does a '68 have to meet any
sort of environmental standards? Any information would be
greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Steve Semeraro
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