importing

[davemacinnh]

im always thinking of new and stupid ways to make money. im curious how much it costs to import a vehicle from germany or england to the east coast(nh). total cost begining to end. any help would be great thanks!:thumb-up:

[ThePhotographer]

Probably best to contact Maryland 110 or derekchace.

[davemacinnh]

thanks zack. my buddy and i are talking about starting something up buying and selling older rovers. he has the money i have the know how. he has a 109 ex. anyway then i watched wheeler dealer last nite and the did an mid 80's defender(bought for 3000 pounds) nice frame just needed cosmetics. fixed it up mint and sold it for 6000 pounds.(thing looked brand new) so it got me thinking........

[ThePhotographer]

Oh absolutely... it happens all the time. Unfortunately what's happening a lot of the time is that people are bringing in shotty trucks and just making them pretty, inflating the market with poorly maintained 90s & 110s. Right now up to '87 is legal, and if you can buy in bulk then shipping will be a lot cheaper!

[gchinsr]

Shipping is the easy part, about $3000 to east coast. Finding a truck that is not falling apart is the hard part. Look at trucks that are maintained regardless of cost, MOD, ambulances, and municipal vehicles are a good place to start. Ask for lots of pics, and if seller does not want to send, any or seems guarded in his answers, walk away fast.

[Partsman]

Or if you can swing it, make a reliable contact in the UK or where ever you are planning on importing from, who can make a physical inspection of the vehicle for you. The person you choose for this should be someone who actually knows what to look for.

[davemacinnh]

Thanks guys, my intent is to bring in good trucks and make them better. basically something that doesnt need frame floor or bulkhead work. maybe just needs some tlc some defender rims that kind of stuff. if im going to do it im going to do it right. thats my name on the truck when i sell it and i dont want to be some average douche who hides problems to sell vehicles. i have been emailg back and forth with maryland110 a lot and i think i have an idea of how its going to work. now th hunt is on.
gchinsr how do you find municipal vehicles? is there a website?
and partsman i actually know a guy who does antiques over there and ships them back to nh and has auctions. maybe i could get him to take a look for me. he is very mechanically inclined. or maybe i just go over for a week and find one. who knows

[davemacinnh]

also how much to convert to LHD? just an option i want to look into. also german cars are LHD anyone had an experience importing from them?

[derekchace]

Good luck finding a LHD.

[derekchace]

Unless you can have some one you trust to inspect and test drive the Defender in the UK your asking for major trouble. Good luck but it's a lot harder to do then sounds.

[ThePhotographer]

Converting to LHD is not only expensive, but it's hard to do and expensive. Not all the parts necessary are readily available either. I was talked out of it early on as a possibility. Also, don't forget that there are many more people like you, trying to find 87 and earlier trucks. Others will bid as well. Good luck! Expect to spend about $10k getting an alright one over here.

[davemacinnh]

Converting to LHD is not only expensive, but it's hard to do and expensive. Not all the parts necessary are readily available either. I was talked out of it early on as a possibility. Also, don't forget that there are many more people like you, trying to find 87 and earlier trucks. Others will bid as well. Good luck! Expect to spend about $10k getting an alright one over here.

I'm not gonna bid on any trucks whenever I do eBay it's straight to "buy it now". I'm not in a rush to do it and I'm not gonna bring over hunks of crap. Take my time do some research and find something good. If I need to be the one to go over and do it turn do be it.
Zach why was your car in the paper?

[davemacinnh]

Supposed to say "then so be it"

[derekchace]

10k I hope you mean £ cause any thing for 10k$ is going to be ****. Prices have really been drivin up the last 6 months.

[1971Series88]

Used to be the UK market was flooded - inexpensive Rovers good and bad....but now because of the demand from the USA they "figured" it out.

Good luck on a lil ol 2 man show! There are more than a half a dozen shops (businesses) I know of that do this (so many more I don't know if too) - they do it for a living every day - so competition is extremely high because of the US demand!!

[yorker]

also how much to convert to LHD? just an option i want to look into. also german cars are LHD anyone had an experience importing from them?

England isn't the only place to get Land Rovers, places like Italy have them and LHD too plus they are usually in nicer shape. Italy for example was always a big importer of Defenders- one of LR's biggest markets. http://raycee1234.blogspot.com/2011/02/l-r-defender-sales-by-country-2009.html

[davemacinnh]

England isn't the only place to get Land Rovers, places like Italy have them and LHD too plus they are usually in nicer shape. Italy for example was always a big importer of Defenders- one of LR's biggest markets. http://raycee1234.blogspot.com/2011/02/l-r-defender-sales-by-country-2009.html

Very interesting. I would assume shipping costs would go up from a place like Italy. But def worth a look thanks

[ThePhotographer]

I'm not gonna bid on any trucks whenever I do eBay it's straight to "buy it now". I'm not in a rush to do it and I'm not gonna bring over hunks of crap. Take my time do some research and find something good. If I need to be the one to go over and do it turn do be it.
Zach why was your car in the paper?

Haha...well it's a Volvo so you know, they HAD to write about it. Other than that..I don't know. This guy at a Volvo meet wanted to have his uncle at the Free Press do an article on it.

[ThePhotographer]

10k I hope you mean £ cause any thing for 10k$ is going to be ****. Prices have really been drivin up the last 6 months.

Depends on who you know I suppose... I'm sure you and I both have privileged connections.

[davemacinnh]

Haha...well it's a Volvo so you know, they HAD to write about it. Other than that..I don't know. This guy at a Volvo meet wanted to have his uncle at the Free Press do an article on it.

That's pretty sweet dude

[derekchace]

Depends on who you know I suppose... I'm sure you and I both have privileged connections.


I do but right now 5 door prices are just nuts. Even with my connections every one at the £10,000 mark or more for a Tdi.

[giftshopduane]

Very interesting. I would assume shipping costs would go up from a place like Italy. But def worth a look thanks


It's not the shipping costs I would worry about, its the Italian bureaucracy, lots of hoops, red tape and shrugs! i witnessed one of my customers (who was Italian by the way..) try to ship a Porsche 356 back home to Rome. What a joke!

[ThePhotographer]

I do but right now 5 door prices are just nuts. Even with my connections every one at the £10,000 mark or more for a Tdi.


5 door is a completely different story! I'm referring to cleaner ex-MoD for the most part.

[yorker]

Very interesting. I would assume shipping costs would go up from a place like Italy. But def worth a look thanks

I had a friend who imported from Italy I don't think it was any more $. In England you have the convenience of them speaking the same language but IMHO that is about it. Continental European countries are all LHD and they all have LRs, the southern countries often have trucks that have weathered the 25 years better than those in the north. You don't have to just look at Italy but it was a major market for years, often #2 behind England. Cast your net over more water and you catch more fish.

[greenmeanie]

There are tons of LHD trucks and many of them were municipal. As Yorker states, you just have to look in the right places.

[nate6472]

I have imported 5 over past 2 years and the cost each time is $2000 +\- That is from Southampton to Brunswick Ga

[ThePhotographer]

I have imported 5 over past 2 years and the cost each time is $2000 +\- That is from Southampton to Brunswick Ga

Is that just the shipping charges?

[Broadstone]

I do but right now 5 door prices are just nuts. Even with my connections every one at the £10,000 mark or more for a Tdi.

Even a blind squirrel gets a nut. You just cannot find them from a dealer for under £10,000 because they have all caught on to us wanting these 25 year old trucks.