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  #1  
Old 05-13-2009, 07:35 PM
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Question Car shipping from US to Europe?

Just wondering, has anyone ever shipped a car to Europe from the USA? Or vise versa? I know to ship a car to Puerto Rico it's about 2-3 grand but I don't know if Europe is a TOTALLY different story cost wise. An international license is needed and all the crap from the country you're shipping it to.

Any info/advice is greatly appreciated!

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  #2  
Old 05-13-2009, 08:35 PM
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For adventure's sake, I'd drive to Nova Scotia, ship it from Halifax to Rekyavyk (sp) pick it up there, drive around Iceland for a while and then catch the weekly ferry to Scotland.
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  #3  
Old 05-13-2009, 08:48 PM
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Please tell me you're not looking at a car on craigslist.......
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  #4  
Old 05-14-2009, 12:16 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kerry View Post
For adventure's sake, I'd drive to Nova Scotia, ship it from Halifax to Rekyavyk (sp) pick it up there, drive around Iceland for a while and then catch the weekly ferry to Scotland.
That would be so much fun! Would you do Scotland to England?
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  #5  
Old 05-14-2009, 12:19 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cmbdiesel View Post
Please tell me you're not looking at a car on craigslist.......
No, I'm planning on saving up and shipping mine over there, probably next year. I want to ship it to Sweden and check out Arjeplog. Join up with the w115 crew over there lol

I think it's around 2-3 grand to ship it, so that's pretty doable for me in a year. Looking at about 6 grand probably, but it'd be so worth it.
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Old 05-14-2009, 12:48 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JordaanDMC-12 View Post
That would be so much fun! Would you do Scotland to England?
Yes, I would do Scotland--England--France--Italy--Greece--Turkey--Beijing

But you could just as easily do Scotland--Sweden by ferry.
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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
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1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
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  #7  
Old 05-14-2009, 12:56 AM
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Going through Canada would be cool, I imagine it wouldn't take as long to get to Sweden then going from like Long Beach, California. How long does something like that take? Weeks?
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  #8  
Old 05-14-2009, 05:48 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JordaanDMC-12 View Post
That would be so much fun! Would you do Scotland to England?
Oh he would take the Scotland England ferry.

Just kidding, of course you can drive.
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  #9  
Old 05-14-2009, 09:03 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JordaanDMC-12 View Post
Going through Canada would be cool, I imagine it wouldn't take as long to get to Sweden then going from like Long Beach, California. How long does something like that take? Weeks?
I think the shipping from Halifax to Iceland is about 3-4 days. I think there's only one ship on that route. Don't know how long it takes to clear customs in Iceland--I imagine a day or so. I think the ferry from Iceland to Scotland is a couple of days and then another day from Scotland to Scandinavia.
It would be more expensive to do that I think than to ship from Baltimore to Hamburg which is a common route.
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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13
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  #10  
Old 05-14-2009, 10:21 PM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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IIRC the fellow who bought my old Ferrari had it picked up at my house in Lafayette, hauled to the chicago area, put in a container and dropped in England for less than 3000. The cost to ship to chicago was about 300 IIRC. It seemed pretty reasonable to me.

The halifax and ferry thing sounds very interesting!
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..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #11  
Old 05-15-2009, 06:32 AM
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Sounds like an absolutely crazy idea and I totally support it!

Now if you're going through all the hassle and expense of shipping you car overseas you'd better plan that carefully. There is a lot more to Europe than Arjeplog and I'd take the opportunity to see as much of it I could.

Things to consider..
  • Insurance. I know next to nothing about this.. but not only is your car insurance important but also personal insurance for health and theft.
  • Visa or other travel permits - what do you need? Do you need a specific permit for each country you're planning to drive through? Almost all of mainland Europe is part of the Schengen agreement which means there are no border stations anymore, I'd imagine you can travel freely within there. Includes Scandinavia but NOT the UK.
  • Time of the year. You want to go to Arjeplog in the winter but see mainland Europe in warmer weather. Sounds like a problem but really isn't. In late March it's still winter up north while the southern parts of Europe enjoy full blossoming spring (in my opinion the nicest time of the year to travel down there). Start up north and drive south.
  • Route - you want to see as much as possible since you're here. Here's a logistical problem you'd have to solve - Arjeplog is far up in the north and most places worth visiting are much farther down south (talking 2000 miles here) in mainland Europe. Plan a route ahead and don't plan on going more than 500 miles a day since you're driving and old car with whatever problems it might develop.
  • Seasonal stuff .. Going to Arjeplog in the winter, maybe taking a driving class with ice driving means only one thing: winter tires. Studs would be recommended but on the other hand studs are forbidden in most mainland Europe even in wintertime. This COULD be solved by buying stud tires when arriving and selling them when leaving Scandinavia.
  • Diesel prices. Fuel costs almost twice as much here so allocate twice as much money for the fuel. Current prices can be seen here, http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/eupetrolprices/
  • Mechanical preparations. Get your car in top shape. Change your glow plugs to the parallell style (fast glow) types, this is not a recommendation, it's a must-do. Change stuff that is old, in unknown condition or about to break. Bring fuel hose and clips, spare belts, coolant hoses, vacuum connectors, electrical wire and tape, tools including a small jack. Check your brake pads, hoses and calipers. Exhaust hangers, engine mounts. Bring engine oil, ATF if needed, few gallons of water and brake fluid. Don't forget a full spare diesel can. It sounds like a lot but it is not, fits nicely within the trunk well that is not used by the spare tire. The goal is not to be roadsided by an "oh ***** why didn't I bring that with me?"-moment. Don't underestimate these preparations, on my 3000 mile trip two years ago I blew a front caliper, brake pads, coolant hose and fuel hose that rotted out. Additionally I was saved two times by the spare can since I was driving back roads with no gas stations for hundreds of miles.
  • Social preparations. If possible try to look up some forums with members that are in the areas you plan to visit, tell them about your plans and ask if you can email/phone them if you need any help. It is priceless to get some locals to help you with ordering a part or providing space to repair your car at if you need that.

That list would be 50% shorter if you'd drive a brand new car. But that wouldn't be an adventure now would it!
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Last edited by tompaah7503; 05-15-2009 at 06:33 AM. Reason: spelling
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  #12  
Old 05-15-2009, 08:33 AM
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Would you be able to drive a US car in europe?
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  #13  
Old 05-15-2009, 09:25 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by E150GT View Post
Would you be able to drive a US car in europe?
Yes.

Insurance is trickier but it can be done.
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1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
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  #14  
Old 05-15-2009, 01:01 PM
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Ok, here was my plan:

This is the "Beta" version lol

I want to ship the car to England and drive it to london...ship it by ferry to France and drive to Paris and stuff.. then off to Deutschland, probably Munich then through Belgium and into Denmark and it is a must that I go on the Oresund Bridge!!!! Then into Sweden. Do my thang in southern Sweden and drive up to Arjeplog which is the destination. Drive back down probably to Stockholm or maybe back to Copenhagen to ship the car back to the USA and hop onto a plane for myself.

This whole adventure is only 1,500 miles and takes one day and 22 hours if you're doing it straight through, according to google maps. I'll probably be there for about 2 weeks, so I could span out the trip for the 2 weeks.

So far from what i've read, I need an international drivers license which is 15$ at AAA and need my insurance to cover me while over there. I can drive with my California plates since the car will only be in each country a few days, a week at most. But need to have the registration in the car at all times, which is a given. I'm just wondering, that, if I drive with my California plates am I going to get pulled over by every cop that sees them? Or will they be cool with it?

Also, i'm going to have to study the European rules of the road and i'm pretty good with German, but French, Danish and Swedish not so much. lol

The only real issue I see here, is the monies... But i'll hopefully have a very good income in the next few months so I can save up over the next year or two. Which is cool, gives me time to make sure the 220 is in top shape, which isn't the case atm. I'm still riding on one 30 year old tire (until monday )

Ohhh, Also I'm probably going to have to invest in a security system of some sort and damn good one too, cause if this car is stolen while I'm there i'll not only be furious/depressed but royally screwed! I'm going to get those allen wrench type screws for the License plates and a license plate cover so it'll be VERY difficult to rip them off. (read a horror story, of someone trying to pry off Cali plates in the netherlands).
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Last edited by JordaanDMC-12; 05-15-2009 at 01:10 PM.
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  #15  
Old 05-15-2009, 01:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tompaah7503 View Post
Sounds like an absolutely crazy idea and I totally support it!

Now if you're going through all the hassle and expense of shipping you car overseas you'd better plan that carefully. There is a lot more to Europe than Arjeplog and I'd take the opportunity to see as much of it I could.

Things to consider..
  • Insurance. I know next to nothing about this.. but not only is your car insurance important but also personal insurance for health and theft.
  • Visa or other travel permits - what do you need? Do you need a specific permit for each country you're planning to drive through? Almost all of mainland Europe is part of the Schengen agreement which means there are no border stations anymore, I'd imagine you can travel freely within there. Includes Scandinavia but NOT the UK.
  • Time of the year. You want to go to Arjeplog in the winter but see mainland Europe in warmer weather. Sounds like a problem but really isn't. In late March it's still winter up north while the southern parts of Europe enjoy full blossoming spring (in my opinion the nicest time of the year to travel down there). Start up north and drive south.
  • Route - you want to see as much as possible since you're here. Here's a logistical problem you'd have to solve - Arjeplog is far up in the north and most places worth visiting are much farther down south (talking 2000 miles here) in mainland Europe. Plan a route ahead and don't plan on going more than 500 miles a day since you're driving and old car with whatever problems it might develop.
  • Seasonal stuff .. Going to Arjeplog in the winter, maybe taking a driving class with ice driving means only one thing: winter tires. Studs would be recommended but on the other hand studs are forbidden in most mainland Europe even in wintertime. This COULD be solved by buying stud tires when arriving and selling them when leaving Scandinavia.
  • Diesel prices. Fuel costs almost twice as much here so allocate twice as much money for the fuel. Current prices can be seen here, http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/eupetrolprices/
  • Mechanical preparations. Get your car in top shape. Change your glow plugs to the parallell style (fast glow) types, this is not a recommendation, it's a must-do. Change stuff that is old, in unknown condition or about to break. Bring fuel hose and clips, spare belts, coolant hoses, vacuum connectors, electrical wire and tape, tools including a small jack. Check your brake pads, hoses and calipers. Exhaust hangers, engine mounts. Bring engine oil, ATF if needed, few gallons of water and brake fluid. Don't forget a full spare diesel can. It sounds like a lot but it is not, fits nicely within the trunk well that is not used by the spare tire. The goal is not to be roadsided by an "oh ***** why didn't I bring that with me?"-moment. Don't underestimate these preparations, on my 3000 mile trip two years ago I blew a front caliper, brake pads, coolant hose and fuel hose that rotted out. Additionally I was saved two times by the spare can since I was driving back roads with no gas stations for hundreds of miles.
  • Social preparations. If possible try to look up some forums with members that are in the areas you plan to visit, tell them about your plans and ask if you can email/phone them if you need any help. It is priceless to get some locals to help you with ordering a part or providing space to repair your car at if you need that.

That list would be 50% shorter if you'd drive a brand new car. But that wouldn't be an adventure now would it!
Thanks for the list!!!!! I shall stick to it! yeah it wouldn't be as fun with a new car.

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