Importing your car to Europe.

[kserg]

So i might be going back to school to finish up. I was thinking for my major, it would be nice to go study in Europe for my last year or two. This is not even an option yet, but i want to look into it. First step is actually going back to school. Then saving money and finding out about different programs and what not.

Note that i am not moving to Europe. I love my Cal too much, but here is a question that came up. I definitely would need/want a car there.

2 options i have, leasing a car there for a year, that's easy. My second option is one i kind of want to do, is importing my rig from states there and then shipping it back to states when i move back.

Has anyone shipping their car to Europe from states for a year or 2?

Europeans, how uptight are you guys on your regulations on cars? Is having red turning signals a big problem? Is having yellow front running lights a problem?

I am pretty sure our emissions are stricter then yours (California). So that shouldn't be a problem.

Can you guys think of anything regarding regulations on cars that will make this impossible?

Make: Nissan
Model: Xterra
Year: 2009
Engine: 4.0 v6 6speed standard.
MPG: 18-21mpg

Like i said, if i even do this, it's not a must, but it's what i would prefer to do.

Have you guys even seen xterras in EU?


Country considering going to: Germany but will travel other places (including Russia, which i am not too much worried regarding regulations)

[fmoore200]

I shipped my car to PR. I know not the same thing but here is one thing to look into CAREFULLY:

When getting a quote to ship the car, they only tell you how much *they* charge, not what the taxes are for the importing country. Be sure to ask, because those taxes can be nearly double the cost of shipping.

[XtreO]

Expect timing the US price with between 2 and 2.5 if it's a fuel efficient small-engine car and more if it's a car with a bigger, less efficient engine (ford focus for 17k USD->39.9k USD in Norway). That's in taxes and a range of surcharges. That's if you want to bring your car to Norway. Which you probably won't do anyway

[kserg]

Originally Posted by XtreO

Expect timing the US price with between 2 and 2.5

You mean if you are buying a car? right? Not if it's already paid for?

[jay loren]

If you ship your car to Germany (to drive it there), you're actually not importing it. You keep your tags, you don't have to register it there, no import tax, no paper work, etc. Think of vacationing there. There may be time limits but I'm not sure.
A more cost effective solution might be to buy a car there, drive it and sell it before you return. Since gas is very expensive in Europe you may want to get a fuel efficient vehicle there. Those savings and the shipping costs may offset the money you loose when you sell the car.

[kserg]

Originally Posted by jay loren

If you ship your car to Germany (to drive it there), you're actually not importing it. You keep your tags, you don't have to register it there, no import tax, no paper work, etc. Think of vacationing there. There may be time limits but I'm not sure.

From what i understand, that's ok to do for several months, but for a whole year+ I am not sure.

Problem with getting car there is, I am from Russia, so i would be traveling there on several occasions. Gas is one thing, destroying a regular fuel efficient car that's not meant for Russian roads or lack there of is more then very possible. Selling a car after it's been to that hell-hole Called Russia will be hard and and amount i lose on it is unpredictable. Rig i have now is meant for this.

It's an option, and option I've researched, but i want to research of moving my car there for a year and compare the two.

[icks]

with the price of gasoline in europe, you will work for tanking your car only. 1,65€ / liter

Consider buying one and sell it after ?

[kserg]

Originally Posted by icks

with the price of gasoline in europe, you will work for tanking your car only. 1,65€ / liter

Consider buying one and sell it after ?

around $5 a gallon. I paid that much here in states before. It's not too bad. I think the most i paid for gas was $6 up in sierras few summers ago.

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally Posted by kserg

around $5 a gallon.

Your math is off, Tovarich Sergei!

[hrodbert696]

I lived in Germany for a year and I can see no reason to import a car - and I had a wife and kids to get around. Public transportation is cheap and plentiful and can get you pretty much anywhere you would want to go. We traveled all over Germany, Austria, up to Sweden and down to Italy, plus I made a trip to Ireland, and it was all on public transit. We rented a van twice - once to pick up a couch some friends were lending us and once to return it. So I see you've apparently already made up your mind that you want to bring your car, but all I can say is that it will be a lot of headache and expense for no benefit.

[MatticusMania]

On a wave of mutilation?

cease to resist, giving my goodbye
drive my car into the ocean
you'll think i'm dead, but i sail away
on a wave of mutilation

i've kissed mermaids, rode the el nino
walked the sand with the crustaceans
could find my way to mariana
on a wave of mutilation

[XtreO]

Originally Posted by kserg

You mean if you are buying a car? right? Not if it's already paid for?

No, if you buy a car in the US you'd end up with a lot of taxes and surcharges here if you want to import it. You're in effect importing it like a retailer would. Few people if any at all import new cars themselves here, and that's the reason why. It's only marginally cheaper, while not giving you benefits of free reparis the first few years etc. The gap between the US price and the Norwegian price would have to be pretty big before it'd be any money to save. If you've bought a car second hand and want to import it here, that's pretty expensive as well, as it would be subject to taxes and surcharges as well, not to mention shipping.

And yeah, as hrod says, as long as you live in proximity to a city of 50,000 population or more, the public transport is excellent compared to in the states. If you're going to study you'll probably be in a city a lot bigger than that. A car isn't really needed, unless it's for the freedom of it and perhaps moving big stuff or you like roadtrips.

Read a few more posts. If I were you, I'd buy a used car. Perhaps a three year old, reasonably new, but has lost considerable value over those three years (the biggest price drop as a percentage of the whole happens in the three first years here anyway) then sell it when you leave. That way you'd make things much more convenient and get as small a loss as possible. Just buy used, really, no matter the age.

[kserg]

Originally Posted by Bob Lee (QSC)

Your math is off, Tovarich Sergei!

You go talk to google about that... señor

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally Posted by kserg

You go talk to google about that... señor

OK, I did, and it said this:

1.65 euros = 2.2343 US dollars

[kserg]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

I lived in Germany for a year and I can see no reason to import a car - and I had a wife and kids to get around. Public transportation is cheap and plentiful and can get you pretty much anywhere you would want to go. We traveled all over Germany, Austria, up to Sweden and down to Italy, plus I made a trip to Ireland, and it was all on public transit. We rented a van twice - once to pick up a couch some friends were lending us and once to return it. So I see you've apparently already made up your mind that you want to bring your car, but all I can say is that it will be a lot of headache and expense for no benefit.

Reason behind it, is, i will be traveling to remote locations where public transportation is non-existent. That's exactly what i am trying to find out, how much of headache and expense will it be. Then i can decide if its worth it or not.

[kserg]

Originally Posted by Bob Lee (QSC)

OK, I did, and it said this:

1.65 euros = 2.2343 US dollars

it also said "Price of gas in Germany is $5.34 per gallon" - might be old article. Those prices change every 3 days or so.

Like i said, gas i know about. I don't need to be told that its going to be expensive. I am aware. What i am not aware is prices besides shipping prices to get car into another country for a year. So that's what i am asking to figure out if its worth it.

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally Posted by kserg

No, it said "Price of gas in Germany is $5.34 per gallon"

I was converting what icks said.

How old is your information? IME, the price of gas in Germany is usually about double what I pay in the US.

[kserg]

Originally Posted by Bob Lee (QSC)

I was converting what icks said.

How old is your information? IME, the price of gas in Germany is usually about double what I pay in the US.

Not sure, it was first article i pushed. Like i said, gas is gas, i'll end up paying it anyway. 20mpg is not too bad. I know exactly what i am getting into there. Other stuff i couldn't find any info on.

[XtreO]

Ok I've put an unreasonable amount of time into this calculation, but if you were to import your car to Norway, you pay the following:

One time fee. Calculated from curb weight (I used 4200 lbs), kw/hp (I used 198kw), CO2 generation (I think it's around 270 for your car, couldn't find any accurate numbers so I ended up with that number based on 20 mpg), and an added fee for some stuff I don't know how to translate.

So far, 639k NOK = 110k USD (if your CO2 km/litre is on 230 and not 270, reduce that number with 15k USD)

Then add a 25 % flat taxation on the price you get when you add what you payed for the car and what you paid for shipping and insurance. I don't know what you paid, but say 45kUSD and 5k USD for shipping insurance to make it easy, you'd pay 12.5k USD.

Then the annual fee, this year 496 USD and a climate-car-cooler-thingy fee on some 40 USD.

Which all adds up to 110k+5k+12.5k+496+40= about 117k USD to import your car to Norway.

Then you need an insurance to cover the other car's losses should you crash and it's your fault in a Norwegian company, and get EU-standard validation (some workshop checks your car and sees that everything is in fine working order and in line with EU regulations), and after than you can actually register the car here (some fee linked to that as well no doubt). Oh, and 10.08 USD a gallon right now (just tanked my car, wasn't pleasant).

I don't know why I've put so much time into this as you will never move here, but it was a bit fun to see how ludicrously expensive it got.

Anyway, xtreo out.

Oh and btw, Norway is a place where cars are expensive, it's nowhere near that bad in other European countries (unless you're going to Sweden or perhaps Denmark).

[kserg]

Holy crap. Ok, well, that's not worth it.