Bringing euro 325i to the U.S.

[e30rida]

hhmmmm...there are easier ways. I wouldn't go through the hassle of federalization unless it was a $100K plus car non existent in the US.

[bloodshot-e30]

hmmmm ill have to ask my dad what he did to get his back over. his was a 90 325 and this was back in 93 so ill see if he had to do anything special or if it was easy cuz of military

[Court M3]

That's weird, but they didn't touch my euro bumpers. They did however put in a reinforcing bar behind them. They will undo everything you do and replace it, in the sake of making more money of their end. Remember it goes by the build date on the car not model year.

[mikeedler]

US Army is shipping home non op vehicles wow! I would done that but Transcar does not allow that with USAF, has to be driven on to the truck so in op is out the window.

Ask for an IPcot or say a two year tour to Avanio.

non-op as in not having passed a current inspection. the cars need to drive and not leak.

[M-technik-3]

US Army is shipping home non op vehicles wow! I would done that but Transcar does not allow that with USAF, has to be driven on to the truck so in op is out the window.

Ask for an IPcot or say a two year tour to Avanio.

[e30guy]

Good luck man. The 320is will be 1 year shy if I don't get approved for an extension or another overseas location. I can't imagine the feeling of possibly not being able to bring it with me to the US.

[freeride53]

Dude, you're the fuckin man. Your car is probably in my top five favorite cars on this board...
its just how I picture my car looking in maybe a few years, minus two doors..

[mikeedler]

I shipped my 55 Chevy over here still in my fathers name with a bill of sale.

As far as waiting 2 years, you can get the red sided tab plates (they are for export) or find someone to get you 5 day temp plates through the german system.

My buddies Mini cooper was shipped on an inop U.S. Army veh. reg.- so that shouldn't be a problem. I think the Army wants the cars reg. for insurance purposes.

As far as my Barn-- there would be no worries of the car rusting- My M3 has been in it for the last 10 years and no problem with mold or anything, but I won't hold a car for someone for 2 years, sorry. Its a lot of responsibility for someone else's property.

[M-technik-3]

It's easier as it only has to be ten years old. Send a call to WillZ they bring cars in all the time to Canada.

[Dirtboy]

I think I'm gonna weigh my options. I really don't want to leave it over here for 2 years, but I'm not going to totally reject that option. As soon as I get some more info from the guy I know I'll decide which direction to go.

Anyone know if it's easier to import through Canada?

And I know that BMW will only ship to certain ports... Roadtrip!! LOL

Govt is going to ship my 330.

And I think we're going to Vegas, not sure yet though...


Oh, BTW thanks to everyone who's PMed me and offered to help out. R3V rocks!

[M-technik-3]

Birkenfeld? what Army at Baumholder?

[Nairb]

Good luck.. that takes some dedication..

I was stationed in Germany and had an '89 320i Touring.. Schwarz/Cardinal.. loved that thing. Seriously considered bringing it back until I found out about the time limits and overall cost.. somewhere about $7-8K.. not worth it to me unfortunately.

Ended up having to junk the car because I could not sell it in time (wouldn't pass inspection because of a torn CV boot (other than that, car was mint) and only had 3-4 days left to clear before my flight.. and I had to clear the auto registration station..

Pic:

[72ratcamaro]

I'm just really bummed I couldn't make it 2 more years. And there's no one here I would trust to leave my car with. Would have loved to reach 25 years and not have to go through all this...

PM Sent

[Eric]

Yeah, that's what I'll be doing. The e46 is going on my orders and I'll have to ship the e30 out of my pocket. The wife's X3 should be able to be shipped by BMW since we bought it here, hopefully.

I have thought about storing the e30 here for 2 years but what kind of hassle would it be to ship it with out tags and all that. Plus I'd be worried the car wouldn't fair well sitting for 2 years. I still have nightmares when my dad left his fully restored 53 Chevy with his brother for 4 years and it was a rusty POS when we got it back...

Remember, BMW will ships a car for you to the nearest PORT, not your destination. We had to drive our MINI from Newark NJ to Colorado Springs when BMW shipped ours for us.

You will have to contact your shipping provider about the registration. I know the place on base needs current registration to ship, and I suspect that is because USAUR uses the registration to determine ownership. Do you have some german friends you can enquire about registereing it as non-op on the german system? This still proves your ownership since you'll get the green TOLL book, but clears you of the registration office/customs.

You see guys stateside buying cars overseas and shipping them here, and I'm assuming they aren't registered in europe in their name. My guess is that with most commercial carriers your proof of ownership is enough to put it on a boat.



If I were in your situation I would stick the thing in whatever type of storage you want. I have a few friends still that have barns full of cars, and that's where I'd leave it, or do one of the storage places up at the ring. They deal with much more expensive cars, so if the owners of GT3's are comfortable with keeping them there, then I would be too.
Next when the time comes to ship the car, I would take a hop on the rotator back to Ramstein, rent a big Sprinter van at sixt then find a friend with a car hauler. Load the Mtech on the trailer and take it up to Dunkirk yourself and see it on the boat personally. Besides in 2 years you'll be dying to go back and see the place again! I haven't been stateside a year and I'm already trying to get back!

On an unrelated note, where are you going next?

[Dirtboy]

It's not a problem Greg, my wife did NOT ship a car over when she came over, but we shipped the jeep on her orders without a hickup.

At any rate, I think he's shipping the E46 on his orders, and doing the E30 on his own... At least that's what I deciphered from this thread.

Yeah, that's what I'll be doing. The e46 is going on my orders and I'll have to ship the e30 out of my pocket. The wife's X3 should be able to be shipped by BMW since we bought it here, hopefully.

I have thought about storing the e30 here for 2 years but what kind of hassle would it be to ship it with out tags and all that. Plus I'd be worried the car wouldn't fair well sitting for 2 years. I still have nightmares when my dad left his fully restored 53 Chevy with his brother for 4 years and it was a rusty POS when we got it back...