Does anyone have any experience or advice on exporting a car to America.
The car in question is a friends MGF. (she cant leave it behind in the move)
Unfortunately MG did not sell the MGF in America so from the information i have so far it will be a bureaucratic nightmare.
Seems the car will have to be tested to American safety/emissions standards when it arrives. A bond of 150 % of the value of the car will be paid to customs which will be returned on sucessful completions of the tests by a registered importer.
I managed to find a list of UK cars which have been sucessfully exported to America : Escort cosworth and Several Audi/Mercedes so it can be done.
Any advice apprieciated.
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Any reason why the car can't be sold rather than exported? It seems a lot of hassle just for an MGF. What about servicing and spares?
Andy
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Dump the MG and buy a Miata[MX5],but seriously i think that could be a big problem,especially for a one off,its bad enough getting some cars through the SVA here so unless theres a backdoor way of doing it for the USA id forget it.Do returning US service people have any special dispensation?
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Nutty idea, to be blunt. Cars are dirt cheap here in US. Your MG would have little value, especially with right hand drive. To get an idea - take the price of a used car in the UK - cut that figure in half and then put a dollar sign in front instead of a pound. And if you think I'm kidding, use the internet to check out used car prices here! And finally, why bother - it's only going to fall apart like 99% of its brethen did in the final years of manufacture.
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We imported my RHD 1968 Mini Cooper without any cost except shipping, if a vehicle is 30 years old it's seems to be exempt from any form of testing except it must be weighed for insurance purposes. We had no problem and have the Cooper registered on a "Collector" plate which exempts it from the annual tab fee. Cars in the US are usually the $ equivelant of UK cars so there would have to be a compelling reason to import an MG F.
Eleanor
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Agree with all the above - ditch the hairdressers car and get a gas guzzling V8 when she gets there. Cruise control and auto are also vital for the States.
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Having advised Steve on what he should or should not due, we should probably try to answer his question on how to do it and assume that he and/or his friend will make the decision which suits his/her circumstances.
Sadly, I have taken cars from the US to the UK, but never the other way. I will try and speak to some colleagues for you.
Mark.
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different states have different emission (and other regs), so there is no one answer for the whole of the states...
you need to look at rules for that state
cars exported by manufacturers to the states have different engines/cats for different states to meet different emission and other regs
lot more hassle than its worth!
buy an mx5 when u get there
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Sorry, nobody I know has done it. However, I did get sent this.
Mark.
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Buycarsdirect.co.uk import cars into the US from Europe. Typically this is new cars, which is much simpler, however, they may have some ideas or recommendations.
The following are used based importers of cars. I suggest if one of them is in the right area, that you call them direct.
No recommendations as to whom, simply a list of addresses.
Black Shrine
1760 Monrovia Avenue, Unit C-12
Costa Mesa, CA 92627 USA
Tel: 949 515 8056 Fax: 949 515 8036
G & K Automotive Conversion
3231 South Standard Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92705 USA
Tel: 714 545 9503 Fax: 714 545 7667
Western Cascade
6440 South 143rd Street
Tukwila, WA 98168 USA
Tel: 206 243 2667 Fax: 206 439 7833
Amerispec Corporation
190 George Washington Parkway
Ridgefield, CT 06877 USA
Tel: 203 744 0844 Fax: 203 744 9771
Atlantic ICI
2605 Clark Street, Unit C
Apopka, FL 32703 USA
Tel: 407 298 3500 Fax: 407 298 9911
DC Imports
12079 NW 50th Drive
Coral Springs, FL 33076 USA
Tel: 954 755 8868 Fax: 954 755 7768
Bayway Auto
558-562 Frelinghuysen Avenue
Newark, NJ 07114 USA
Tel: 973 824 8687 Fax: 973 824 8782
Autosport Design
332 Sagamore Avenue
Mineola, NY 11501 USA
Tel: 516 248 0066 Fax: 516 248 4422
Champagne Imports
132 Penn Avenue
Teleford, PA 18969 USA
Tel: 215 799 1445 Fax: 215 799 1421
Wallace Environmental Test Lab
2140 Wirtcrest
Houston, TX 77055 USA
Tel: 713 956 7705 Fax: 713 956 0104
Rampe Corporation
55 High Street
North Billerica, MA 01862 USA
Tel: 978 667 6300 Fax: 978 667 7577
JK Technologies
3500 Sweet Air Street
Baltimore, MD 21211 USA
Tel: 410 366 6332 Fax: 410 366 7655
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As Mark (Brazil) says we should try to answer the question. This is one which has come up frequently for US GWagen enthusiasts and I can only site their experience and direct anyone interested to a search on the JT Outfitters: GWagen Bulletin Board at 216.26.163.38/jto/gwagen/list.asp
The suggestion there is that for the GWagen at least, they anticipate costs of $10,000-20,000 to get one in that fully meets Federal and Californian requirements. That is not to say that there aren't a number of illegal G imports that probably can't be sold on by the personal importer.
The following is a sample Q & A from the site that refers to one of the importers mentionaed by Mark (Brazil). Other specialist car sites may have similar info.
Hope this is some help.
David
"Q: I will be transfered back to the State from Germany in Mid-June. What is the easiest way to bring the G-wagen back with me. Any help is appreciated.
A:Unfortunately I don't think an easy way exists. If you plan to be back here permenently you must import it. This will likely cost you $10-20,000 and take as long as six months. The best place to contact would be Wallace Envbiromental Labs in Texas. They are G experienced and capable of handling the whole process. I know the next question already, How much can I do myself? Very little other than hire a good Registered Importer like Wallace. The laws make it impossible to do yourself. So if you are more attached to your wallet than your truck maybe the best option is to sell it there and find an already certified one here. With M-B doing the importing soon in the US you may see prices fall some making this route more economical. Good Luck."
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Thanks for the info Mark.
I will contact some of these importers to get a clearer picture on what is involved.
My initial thoughts are its not worth it , but seeing that other people have sucessfully exported to America i will remain open minded.
According to a MG website the MGF was designed to pass American regulations so things are looking promising.
Interestingly i found another article on this MG website which had a story about a Armed forces guy who took a MGF to America for one year (concession for armed forces). The response they had from the American public was in thier words " overwhelming". Maybe MG should return to America ?
As for servicing/parts e.t.c Anybody heard of Fedex ?
The MGF is not everyones cup of tea but for my friend its her first sportscar which has involved many years of saving / overtime so she is relunctant to just sell it before finding out more about the possibility of exporting.
The company she works for are paying costs towards her move so some of the expense will be recovered.
The car in question is LHD.
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Thanks for information David .
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