TVR to USA DIY
Discussion
I was told by a fellow TVR owner and car dealer years agoears ago there was a "once per lifetime" exemption that anyone could import one car and legally licence it for road use despite it not meeting crash or epa standards. I think you had to own it outside the country for some time??
I don't know if this was true or myth but if you want one, DIY.
There might also be some exemption in place for military personnel. If any of you have a contact there it may be worth checking into.
The only thing you need to rely on someone else for in either scenario is performing a reliable inspection.
I don't know if this was true or myth but if you want one, DIY.
There might also be some exemption in place for military personnel. If any of you have a contact there it may be worth checking into.
The only thing you need to rely on someone else for in either scenario is performing a reliable inspection.
I don't know about the US laws, but if it's easier to get one to the US from Canada you
might want to look into that. My TVR 390SE will be going up for sale as soon as it gets
off the boat in Halifax (maybe 2 weeks time) so I can upgrade to a 4.3 BV Griffith.
Obviously duties, shipping and such would have to be reflected in the selling price....
or import one yourself and see just how much all the other little fees/taxes really add up to.
might want to look into that. My TVR 390SE will be going up for sale as soon as it gets
off the boat in Halifax (maybe 2 weeks time) so I can upgrade to a 4.3 BV Griffith.
Obviously duties, shipping and such would have to be reflected in the selling price....
or import one yourself and see just how much all the other little fees/taxes really add up to.
dodgey_rog said:
I want a Griffith out here for the summer, probably a 4.0ltr pre-cat model, i would love to know how to do it.
You're American, or perhaps a Canadian like me? If the latter, it's simply a matter of making sure that car is 15 y/o to the month of manufacture and you can bring anything in you like. There is no retro-fitting requirements for safety equipment. As long as the factory made equipment is present, you're good to go.
There may be better deals out there for shipping and such, but just to give you an idea how much I had to spend...
Car price - 5,250 GBP or $13,200 Canadian.
$1800 for importer fee. (they inspect the car professioanlly, buy it for you, ship it to the dock, pick up at other end, put on truck/train to your house)
You don't have to use a service like that, but plane tickets and such to inspect it yourself etc. cost a lot too. (I used www.jdmcars.ca and have had a great experience with them.... highly recommended)
$2300 for Oceanic shipping. That's Ro-Ro (roll on, roll off the boat) A shipping container was more....about another $2000. (I opted for Ro-Ro)
$1,300 inland shipping. (by truck, 3000 miles.....obviously the rate depends on location)
6% Tax on base price = $792
6.1% Customs Duty = $805.20
$49 Soil Inspection
Long story short, it's going to cost me in excess of $20K for a $13K car. It'll be hard to recover the difference in price and real cost should I sell it.
Just something for your consideration.
Mike
brap_brap said:
dodgey_rog said:
I want a Griffith out here for the summer, probably a 4.0ltr pre-cat model, i would love to know how to do it.
You're American, or perhaps a Canadian like me? If the latter, it's simply a matter of making sure that car is 15 y/o to the month of manufacture and you can bring anything in you like. There is no retro-fitting requirements for safety equipment. As long as the factory made equipment is present, you're good to go.
There may be better deals out there for shipping and such, but just to give you an idea how much I had to spend...
Car price - 5,250 GBP or $13,200 Canadian.
$1800 for importer fee. (they inspect the car professioanlly, buy it for you, ship it to the dock, pick up at other end, put on truck/train to your house)
You don't have to use a service like that, but plane tickets and such to inspect it yourself etc. cost a lot too. (I used www.jdmcars.ca and have had a great experience with them.... highly recommended)
$2300 for Oceanic shipping. That's Ro-Ro (roll on, roll off the boat) A shipping container was more....about another $2000. (I opted for Ro-Ro)
$1,300 inland shipping. (by truck, 3000 miles.....obviously the rate depends on location)
6% Tax on base price = $792
6.1% Customs Duty = $805.20
$49 Soil Inspection
Long story short, it's going to cost me in excess of $20K for a $13K car. It'll be hard to recover the difference in price and real cost should I sell it.
Just something for your consideration.
Mike
No, i'm English actually. The shipping is not a problem as i have a shipping department at work as we deal in Power Equipment, so i can sneak it in with a shipment and work can cover that. We recently shipped 34 containers from Norway to Texas so we don't muck about. Its just how to actually go about it, like the regulations etc, so your points have inspired me. I want to buy my old Griff back so this may be the best way forward for me.
Thanks.
Where are you living now? I presume the USA since this is the TVR in USA forum? If you're just visiting there I think you may be able to simply bring it across and drive on your existing plate for up to a year. At least in Canada visitors (students, military, etc) can do that. Are you going back or living abroad to stay?
{edit} I might be wrong, but if you've "settled down" in the USA I think you might have to wait the 25 year
import rule just like the yanks. For your sake I hope not. And God Bless Canada for only making me wait 15 years LoL.
{edit} I might be wrong, but if you've "settled down" in the USA I think you might have to wait the 25 year
import rule just like the yanks. For your sake I hope not. And God Bless Canada for only making me wait 15 years LoL.
Edited by brap_brap on Friday 16th March 21:03
Gassing Station | TVR in USA | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff