great to meet you last week a bcr 3 . I didn't get your details as i had to veer off before the final meeting point. . can we meet up for a mini run ? send me a p.m. for your details. thanks javier
Totally depends on the car as well as where you are importing it. For me, shipping cost about $3k (cheaper from norther port cities though, such as Rotterdam, or Southampton in the UK, or Bremerhaven in Germany). Then you add customs feed ($250-500 or so), taxes (mine was 8% of the car price), and other registration fees.
Congratulations on your beautiful MINI! For shipping I hired GTA (Global Transport Amsterdam) I was very happy with them. Shipping price from Italy to Baltimore MD was less then 3K$. They handle all the shipping process.
Great job 👏🏼. Who did you use in Germany to ship the car form Europe ? I’m living in Europe going to ship a car back to the USA when I move back. Please advise thanks
Great video I'm importing a 1993 Land Rover Defender from Spain to NJ/NY but my agent is having a hard time getting a slot on a ship. Do you have any recommendations for agents or ways to find an agent here in the USA?
Their was a family who lived on my street who had 17 mini coopers. All the limited edition ones they made. Every sunday like 40 minis would pull up outside my house and then theyd go for a drive in a big train. Was beautiful and colourful❤
Yes, it's been very simple! There is a great network of enthusiasts and companies that sell parts. I have found Minispares.com to be the best - they ship from the UK but they're affordable and have everything.
Fantastic video! Very detailed. You do a great job of outlining the entire process. Helps make taking on this process much less daunting for us importing noobs!
You would need to talk to a customs broker to confirm, but I imagine it wouldn't be an issue! Generally they check that the VIN matches on the car and in all docs, and at times will check the engine number too. I haven't heard to them checking the transmission, but would talk to a broker to be sure. I imagine it would be ok though!
I have purchased and own that is over 25 years old. The car though is not registered in my name and is still fegistered in the name of the old owner. Will this be a problem? Also, if it has a license plate from one EU country like spain would i be able to just as well ship it from another EU country like germany?
Hi I also would like to import a car from my country, I wonder if you can introduce your agent to help clear the car when it reaches to the US port.(BTW, the vehicle is a 37 years old Mercedes, is it possible to import to California?)
Left them out intentionally slightly! Things changed quick with Covid. Look at other comments for more detail, or feel free to ask questions here and I can answer with exact costs from my experience!
Good for you, young man. I was a 996 "hater," but I am reconsidering that position. I recall there was a time when 1980's PCs weren't worth anything, and now they're very expensive. I personally think the 996 looks kind of like the 928 had a baby with a 994 (or other traditional 911), and, when I think of it like that, I really want one.
I have a question, it’s a Big one, and Has something to do with Buses form Europe. Do you think, that it’s possible to Import Buses from Europe into the US? Or are there Importing Rules specific to Buses that I may have to follow. I’m just Wondering.
Great video but damn is that a lot of work. I might understand it if the car was never imported to the US or it was a rare specialedition, but you can find Mini's already imported into the US. I'd just rather wait for one to go for sale over here and save some dough.
Appreciate the note, but this turned out to be more affordable at the time for a car in this condition! Plus, it was a fun process. Helped me gain confidence for future imports
@@benbomcars They have started importing more and more of them on BaT as the popularity has risen. Btw how difficult is it on those cars to convert them from RHD to LHD?
I’m currently saving up for a 996/997. At first I said I was going to wait longer and just get a 997 but I’ve watched a lot of 996 ownership videos and owners seem to love them so I think I’ll be getting a 996 hopefully next year.
Good call! I initially was going to buy a 997 but after driving a 996 I was sold! Unfortunately they are selling like hot cakes and I could not secure a deal so I bought a 05 997! I love it but still plan on getting a 996 down the road!
Since I never had it registered in Spain, I was able to purchase it and have the previous owner remove registration, and bring to the ship for me! Since a residence and other Spanish documentation is required only when registering a car in your name there, I didn't have to deal with that difficulty!
For now, a Prius! 55 mpg, and I don't have to think about maintenance at all, and feel more motivated to drive my Mini. In the next couple years I plan on getting a Cayman or something similar though (Elise, 4c, M2, etc).
I have the same car, same color, same year. Ive had it for 12 years now and love it. I see one around Sammamish all the time that is daily driven.. is it yours? Love the mercer island drive. Grew up there
I sold mine to someone in Sammamish, so it very well may be! I have seen a similar '99 in silver with amber lights around too, but with a black interior (this one was blue), so there are at least two around!
Thank you for the very useful video. I live also in Seattle. I want to import and Alpina b4 grand coupe from Uk or Germany. How can I find the Carrier and someone who can do the paper work ?
Hey there - unfortunately, due to the age of the B4, it won't be easy at all to import it. It will need to be 25+ years old to bring it into the country. Sadly there isn't really a workaround there
Hi Ben, just following you on RU-vid! Awesome contents! I am interested in the Canon R6 with glass that you are listing on the marketplace. Is it still available?
Hey, it's Mercer Island! No mistaking those white fire hydrants... how many cyclists did you have to pass on East Mercer Way? @bembomcars A more serious question - how did you handle the shopping aspect? Did you hire someone to inspect and evaluate the car for you in Spain? Once you had your car selected and agreed on price, how did you handle the exchange of funds for the vehicle? Did you fly over to do these things in person or hire agents?
Yep, definitely Mercer Island! And tons of cyclists were passed, but I like seeing them out as a cyclist myself. I bought the car through a private party, who I found selling it online during the pandemic. The seller was incredibly communicative and had a shop he worked with that had recently done work on the car, so I was able to call the shop and ask them about the condition of it. The car arrived exactly as I had expected, but it was certainly a risk. The alternate would be working with a larger dealership (something like Hofman Leek in NL, or ISSIMI for high end cars, or something similar) that can help shed light on the condition of the car and arrange shipping. I just got lucky with a great seller. As for funds, we had written up a contract and I worked with a lawyer in Spain to ensure it was written correctly. Again, it was risky, but I used my judgement with the seller and he ended up being a great person and getting the car to the port right when it needed to be there to get on the ship. Agents certainly are helpful, and with a car any more valuable than this, I would definitely recommend that. Or flying over yourself and making a little vacation out of it. Let me know if you have any other questions, or you may be able to find me at some of the upcoming E@RTC events each Saturday in Redmond!
I would have been able to bring it directly to WA! The Tacoma port often receives RoRo shipments. I just happened to be living in CA when I shipped the car, and moved while it was in transit, so it still ended up in CA.
Hey there - It probably varies by state, so you would need to check. I am not sure if inheritance laws are different from registering otherwise. I would imagine, however, that they will want a valuation (maybe a Hagerty value) at the DMV to determine the base you pay taxes on.
I love how you say it handles well, steers great with great steering feel and doesn’t roll … while doing 30 miles per hour. *NO* car rolls at that speed. Every car handles great at that speed. This would have made a great daily driver so your video? It makes no sense at all.
Completely agree there! This road was not the right spot to demonstrate what I love about this car, but felt like a good place to show the car driving while speaking about other driving experiences I have had. Appreciate the feedback!
That has to be one of the most concise and helpful videos on RU-vid ever. Impressive how much info you packed into just 11 minutes. Bravo. One question: did you import as a private buyer or did you get a dealership/business license? I’m in WA as well and curious if there are benefits to one or the other. Do you know?
Thank you for the kind words! I had imported it as a private buyer. The main benefits I can think of to importing as a business is easy access to dealer plates and insurance (so it can be picked up and driven from the port without prior registration or needing to tow), and I imagine some tax benefits as well that I am just guessing. Getting a dealers license is difficult however, in WA (and I imagine other states?) you need a physical office and lot, along with regular opening hours, so I didn’t look into that much at all. I’m no expert on the dealership side of things though so take my words above with a big grain of salt! I had no problem importing on my own though.
I bought the very same car 3 years ago as a fun car. Turned into a daily driver and have no plans to ever sell it. These early 996’s with the throttle cable hit the sweet spot of being modern and dependable but still light and analog driving experience.
I am in Washington! I used Shipoverseas.com, who helped me ship it to California. I would recommend finding a local freight forwarding agent, however. I was living in CA at the time so it made sense there, but having someone local to the destination (tacoma port) would be ideal!
