Here are some very basic ways to keep your costs to a minimum which are worth keeping in mind when looking for the right car to import. Often these make the difference between being feasible or not.
Shipping Method
There are only two methods of shipping as explained in other blogs, but the cheapest will almost always be RORO. This is the first rule to keep costs down.
Operational
To ship as RORO the vehicle must be fully operational. This is so the loaders can literally drive the vehicle on board, secure down, and drive it off again at the destination. If the vehicle doesn’t start and just needs a jump start, then this will be done. But if steering and/or brakes don’t work either then you run the risk of the vehicle not being loaded. This obviously comes with additional fees as well so we need to know in advance if the vehicle is not fully operational.
Sourcing locations
When you are looking for your car you first need to know where the main ports are located in the country you are purchasing from. There are two ways to do this: Either by contacting us, or by checking our website. We have a list of the ports we use on the quote application. By sourcing a car nearby to a main port reduces the cost of any inland trucking which can also add a significant cost to your bottom line. Especially in a country the size of the USA.
Compliance
Different countries have different rules and regulations around vehicle compliance. You will also need to contact an Entry Certifier local to you to check that the Make/model of vehicle you want to bring in will meet Compliance Regulations upon arrival. You don’t want to bring in a vehicle which won't be able to be registered and used on the road.
Entry Certifier
As mentioned above talk to a local Entry Certification and check what the costs are going to be to get the vehicle Complied upon arrival, ask them what likely problems this make/model of vehicle is likely to incur. Things like European vehicles have the speedo in MPH but it will need a speedo in KMH for compliance. These are little bits they will have done many times and avoid any surprises for you.
Buy from a Dealer
I always recommend buying from a dealer as opposed to buying privately such as ebay. Unless you are travelling overseas and will be purchasing the vehicle in person. The reason I say this is from experience with private sellers, they will promise you the world and once they have the money they lose interest and are no longer willing to help. Dealers usually respond to emails and phone calls faster and regularly, and they do this every day so they have the answers you will want to know. Also in most cases the dealers will clean the vehicle for you and deliver to port for you as part of the sale
Summary
These are from my experience, and are intended to help you to keep your costs down. While some of these examples may not be possible in every scenario they are all worth considering. As always feel free to contact us with any questions