Selling a car back to Germany

[freeride53]

After talking about it for a long time, one of my second cousins in Germany says he wants to buy my rust free Cali e30.. I live in California and he lives Murnau, Germany.

Anyone familiar with shipping cars to Europe?
Also how hard will it be to register?
He's giving me some time to research it and if it doesn't cost too much, he is ready to buy the car off of me.

I'd appreciate some help as I don't know what I'm doing.

[lambo]

:(

[Pantless Spency]

:(

[b*saint]

The car was made for export so you can't sell it back without going through the importation process like any other car.

Ive experience this with sending made in china stuff back to china for import.

[freeride53]

:(

:(

[Click]

He wants the car, let him do the legwork and research

[freeride53]

He's family, he's given me a really good offer, and I'm bored with 5 weeks left till school starts.

[Fusion]

If you can register it to his name (maybe even family is ok) in the US, he can import it as personal posession, can't sell it for 6 months thereafter (iirc, legislation may have changed) = no tax/duties.

Though I doubt all the hassle and shipping costs are more reasonable than paying "premium" for a car without rust in Germany. They can still be found.
Not sure if a US version this old can be registered on regular plates or just H-kennzeichen. May require extra TÜV.

[e30shmobberr]

after 20+ of the e30's existence, freeride is trying to return his car to bmw. tisk tisk

[ButtJuice]

Aw, your car was awesome and inspirational! Well good luck negro.

[mikeedler]

I coud probably answer all of your questions without a problem.

1. the car is a 4 door 318 M42-- was never sold in Germany, so it will be a little bit harder to get it TÜVed over here, but not impossible.

2. Shipping will run you about 3 grand( i paid 800 from chicago to nj, then 1800 from nj to Rotterdam, then you will have to pay taxes (taxes for a non classic are going to run about 25% of the sale price+ shipping price.

If everything is up to par as far as maint. and Tüv is concerned, it will probably run about 500-800 to get it plated.

When your car was in Germany back then, it was under the SOFA agreement, so it has nothing at all to do with the German registration system. the u.s. military has its own system. Basically that all means NOTHING at all.


Back in 2000 when I finished my U.S military crap, I got out on a "european out" I had 3 cars (1998 Chevy S10, a 1982 Chevy S10, and a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88) I recieved a special tax free 1 time only deal on the cars, but I had to keep them for a year or else taxes on them had to be paid. Not a single one of the car got registered under the German system, and 13 months after that date, the 1998 S10 with then 13,000 miles was traded even up for my M3

So what I am getting at is..... You will have to pay taxes on the car when it comes over.

It is def. not worth it, unless they still work for the military and have (U.S. plates). If that is the scenerio, talk to euro3. he bought and shipped his 88E30M3 from Cali 2 years ago to get a rust free car too. No taxes, and no TÜV/ german specs to worry about.

I shipped my 55 Chevy over here 3 years ago (was in the family for about 30 years now) I had to pay all of the taxes and deal with al the reg. german crap. It still isnt registered ( i took it apart to restore it agian)