importing a series II from bolivia

[phoenix]

GUYS, normally i hang in the rangie pages but his time a very hairy reason bring me over.
some one in bolivia owes me a bit of money, the person is stuck there so his way of paying me back is by giving me his 69 series II (santana) 6cyl I believe it is a 109 or bigger.
what would be the basic general value of this truck in the states?
what would be the general glitches in bringing this thing into the states?
what would be the general cost related to importing this thing including shipping?
any other particulars you may want to think of and add to this saga, I have never imported or exported more than a pack of cigars so i dont know where to start.
thanks Carlos z.

[Jeff Aronson]

Carlos,

I know next to nothing about importing, but many people have done it legally and successfully. You may want to talk to Mark Letorney at our host; he's quite knowledgeable and experienced with importation.

As a 1969 vehicle, it may have to meet vehicle requirements of that year for importation and/or registration in your home state. Land Rovers were considered trucks in terms of safety legislation, and the requirements in 1969 were pretty minor. Land Rovers imported here did have side marker lights and reflectors and minor emissions requirements [PCV valve].

The Santana is a great version of the Land Rover, built under license from Land Rover. You may find that it has parabolic springs, which are more comfortable than standard leaf springs. If it has an overdrive, then it's the Toro overdrive rather than the Fairey overdrive. I've only seen and ridden in one in 17 years of Land Rover ownership.

If it's the 2.6 liter 6 cylinder, it's a pleasant curiosity rather than a great engine. It's smooth like you would expect, but when worked hard [like at long highway trips] it tended to run hotter and have some increased valve wear. Replacing valves in this engine is more complicated than removing the head on the 2.25 engine. This is actually an older design Rover engine. Land Rover used it in the US market for only 2 years before they realized it was not the answer to increasing power in the mid 1960's.

The value of any Land Rover is based far more on condition than model or features. 109's are rarer than the 88's and it this is a station wagon, rarer yet. But condition is all.

You should really try and get a professional Land Rover mechanic to look at the vehicle. Importing a Rover that has a marginal frame or bulkhead, or a drivetrain on its last legs, will create challenges for you in the future.

If you do import it, post some photos for us!

Jeff

[Jim-ME]

As usual Jeff has covered most of the stuff you need to consider. You may find that you can sell it if you decide you don't want to become one of us. I'll bet there is more than one person out there that is or would be interested just from your post. Not that I'm recommending it but it's something you could consider.
Jim

[phoenix]

thanks guys, I am a rover tech at a LR dealership, before that I worked at an independent rover shop where we did work on any type of rovers. I saw and worked on many 4 cyl. as well as diesels but never even imagined that rover had made a 6cyl. I have seen about 3 santanas in the us so I pretty much had or have an idea of what my friend is talking about.
I had a conversation with him this evening and he says that the truck looks and runs exceptionally well, he almost rather see it in the us than on some back yard in south america rotting.
I may drive it for alittle bit to see what i have gotten into and then decide to sell or repair and then sell or keep (ps I am spoiled with my 87,90 and 95 rangies) so creature comfort may force me to do something drastic.
he has a couple toys more (46 willys, 49 buick, 74 series 88 and a symca?) god knows what a symca may be.
in any ways I think I will be better off traveling there and seeing what he has, he owes me about 12 grand and has said he will give me anything I want for the money. the his reason for offering the 109 is because he saw my 95lwb and thought I may be nice to have the new and the old.
first things first either see it personally or wait until it gets to the us.
I will find out more and post. thanks alot to all
carlos.......
ps. if you have more to contribute please feel free, this is a work in progress.

[Tim Smith]

Was interested in the Santana 6 and did a quick google. First link:

http://www.allisons.org/ll/4/Santana/LandRover/

Sounds like this 6 is a little more rugged (and bigger) than the standard 6. Thats the good news. Parts availability? I dunno.

[Jeff Aronson]

A Simca is a French car, once independent, then in an "alliance" with Chrysler who made it a captive import, and then sucked up to become "Chrysler France" in the 1970's. I think Chrysler sold their interests to Peugeot.

Simcas came as front engine/rear drive sedans for the middle class (the Aronde), then as rear engine/rear wheel drive models for the emerging drivers in France (Simca 1000) and then as the rear precursor of the Golf/Rabbit as the Simca 1200. It was a great hatchback, 2 or 4 door, with front wheel drive. Like most French cars it offered a great ride in a small size.

Neat car - I owned one when I lived and worked in Vermont.


Jeff

[greenmeanie]

IIRC the Santanna 6 is basically the LR 2.25 with another couple of cylinders grafted onto the front. Who was asking about ways to get more performance recently? It should be quite a smooth and rugged engine and nothing to do with the infamous LR 6.

For importing the truck meets the 25 year rule. That means you basically don't need to meet the safety requirements like belts etc. You do, however, usually have to met the EPA emissions regs for that year and class of vehicle. You only require to have the OEM emissions equipment for the vehicle present - you will not have to add anything else. I would expect the paperwork from the EPA to show emissions class E.

Make sure you find out the laws for your state as these can add some complications to the process. I know California is a bit different.

You will need a good paper trail to make the import go smoothly. A bare minimum is proof of ownership (A bill of sale will suffice) and proof of age (Contact the manufacturer who should be able to provide a confirmation letter.) Customs are quite wise to the old trick of sneaking Defenders in as Series trucks but have all your ducks in a row and you should be fine.

Finally it is a lot easier if you hire a shipping company. They will be able to offer you a container or ro-ro, deal with pick up, transport to the docks, export paperwork, insurance and then meet it at the US port and deal with customs there and final delivery to you. IIRC there is a fee that amount s to about 2-3% of value for import. You will then pay tax when you register it in your home state.

For my 101 I used a company called Sea Expo. They provided a door to door service from the UK to Phoenix AZ. They even delivered the truck to the loading dock at work. Of course, you will pay a fee for this convenience but it is well worth it. Transatlantic in a conatainer with all fees was about $4.5K about 7 years ago.


I hope this helps you get a better idea.

Cheers
Gregor

[Les Parker]

http://www.elchoque.com/spa/item/extractimg.cgi?action=large&code=ART00008


When I worked at the Dealership in UK, we had a Santana 2000 3.5 6 cyl Diesel as the company run-about, engine looked like a standard 2.25 Deisel, but really went well and 20-22 mile per gallon !!!
Here's a pic of one in Madrid,

:thumb-up:

[Tim Smith]

Looks like a modified Llama. Interesting.

[phoenix]

thanks boys, the shipper has hired a shipping co. it will be delivered to baltimore md about 1.5hrs travel from my current where abouts, i hope all will be in tip top shape for customs, the guy is shipping two more cars for him so from what I understand it's some what of a package ship deal.