Import

Hello!

I was siiting around thinking about the different import rules around the world.

Since i live in Norway i can tell you which rules and taxes importing a wheichle affects me.

We have a rule called "30 year rule", which means you can import a car for less tax/fees than a newer car . Older cars then 1971 is easier because from 1971 it came other rules for registrating a wheichle ( originality,seatbelts,lights etc etc ) This is a rule that the gouverment isnt to happy with, since now a 1981 model car is 30 years old, and goes under the category "veteran".

Modifications is allowed on 70 models or older, without to much problems. From 1971 you can have your car registrated as original, but then you get a "limited use" notification in the title, which basicly means you cant change a thing on the car. That is possible to live with if the car is a weekend driver.

Almost everyone must change the parklights from orange to white, front turn signals can be either white or orange. Rear turn signals can be red or orange, and if you have lights on the rear fenders , you need to blend them.

Sometimes the DMV dont care, next time you come in with a car, you need to rebuild som small issues before the paperwork is ok. It all depends on if the inspector has a good day, and many dont, some even hate American muscle cars and will do anything to make a living hell for you.

This was just short about how it is, hope you understand what im writing, there are some words and terms that is difficult to translate so you understand

So lets do some math

30 year rule:

Price of car: $35.000

Shipping : $ 1500

Total: $36.500

+25% tax: $ 9.125

+registration fee: $850

Price of car on Norwegian plates: $ 46.475

On top of that shipping from seller, and shipping from Drammen to wherever you may live i Norway. If you choose to use help with import and all paperwork, it will probably cost around $1500 - $2000.

So a $35.000 car will almost cost me $50.000 before its safe in my garage registrated in my name with Norwegian plates. Im sure other countries have something similar.

Lets say i want a 2011 Mustang GT 5,0 V8, $30.000. Now things get really funny:

+25% tax=$7500

+horsepower tax:$87.288

+co2 tax: $48.420

+weight tax:$19.354

Total amount tax: $162.562 ( i got sick when i wrote this )

- used wheichle 13%= $21.133

So new total tax: $141.429

+ wreck tax: $ 220

+ the car: $30.000

So a 2011 Mustang GT V8 comes on $171.649 with my name in the title and on Norwegian plates.

So this is Norway::thumb::....anyone better?

TK

Wow! That made me sick to read! Is that US dollar numbers? I hope it is some other currency.

You have my sympathy. What you describe is absolutely terrible. It is a classic, and very real, example of what can happen when a government has the power to levy oppressive taxes on the citizens who are productive and redistribute the wealth to those who are not productive. I fear my country is moving in the same direction. "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have,"

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground." Chuck

Well... in Uruguay is something like that...

You only can import a 0 Km car with the same methods all the dealers do... I dont know what they are but it is the easiest way...

For used car, historically you couldn´t import any used car at all... Since 2006, there´s a "collectors law" that allows a collector to import a classic car with several specific rules to do that...

First of all you must be a collector, which legally means you are part of an official/state classic car club for more than a period of time, i believe it is 6 months..

The car you can apply to import must be at least 20 years old and you have to certify it is "a classic car"... easy for american cars because you can guide the import office to any website of restoration that mentions the car you´re choosing for instance... There´s also some models of trademarks that are know to be collectables... Mustangs are so, that´s not an issue... Different is if you plan to import a BMW or Alfa Romeo for example...

If you pass that age/calsicity filter then you can import the car...

What you pay for the car doesn´t matter as the custom in here value the car by their own rules... There´s not ANY car that is valued in less than 7K just because that is the floor those custom guys has established... So... if you are planning to import a car to restore, even if you buy it for 1K, your taxes will count from 7K or up in any case...

The taxes are a bunch but there´s a math that we all doto simplify it... 130% of taxes of the value of the car, plus shipping and port handling, insurense etc...

Here there´s no problem with quality control as long as the numbers on the car matches the ones declared so that´s never an issue...

Let´s say i buy a good drivable car (to avoid some shippings here and there)... let´s say a 1971 mach 1 in original condition that need to be restored, ok?... I can find a car like that for...lets say... 10K... Then you have to plus any USA port handling... lets say another 1K... Then the shipping and insurence can be as much as 3K... Another 1K for the handling in Uruguayan port...

Luckily we are in 15K as a base... The taxes if nothing goes wrong are going to be between 19 and 20K so the car, in restorable condition will cost as much as 35K... you can add 10K to a good resto if you are me that i do it all by myself to original condition.... Plus some other things here and there, you need close to 50K to import and fix a 10K car ...

That is our reality folks!!... The more i do this math, the more i love my car

Well I guess I won't complain about Canada Customs after reading that.

I bought my car in Virginia, made sure my paperwork was at the boarder 3 days prior to bringing it in. Went to US customs they stamped the paperwork drove it across the boarder....stopped at Canada Customs paid sales tax 7% at the time( i think) of what the sale price of the car was and left.

I had to pay another fee 6% I believe when I put the plates on the car.

Far as I can tell, all the rich members must live abroad. You guys are a true testiment to loving these cars at those prices. (Or you could move here and enjoy them cheaply. I got spare room)

The numbers are in US dollars:amen:

So buying a "newer" Mustang is impossible if you dont happen to be rich::shrug::, and im not...well you can buy it, but wont get it registrated with plates before all taxes are paid.

The numbers presented for the 2011 is because of the size of the engine, horsepower + +, they dont want us to drive in cars with lots of power, but still they complain about us driving old" polluting" cars::huh:::

A Toyota with 1.6 l engine will of course be affordable.....but how fun is that??!!

Cubic inches and horsepower = expensive tax if the car is newer than 30 years old.

There is a lot of good things in this country, but this is just sick!

Wow. From what T-K and Damian are saying, it sounds like you really have to be rich or lucky to afford having a classic car habit. In T-K's case, you have to be doubly rich to just have a fun car. That's just sad.

+25% tax=$7500

+horsepower tax:$87.288

+co2 tax: $48.420

+weight tax:$19.354

If the sales tax wasn't bad enough at 25%, the "green" taxes just make me shake my head! Al Gore strikes again...

+25% tax=$7500

+horsepower tax:$87.288

+co2 tax: $48.420

+weight tax:$19.354

If the sales tax wasn't bad enough at 25%, the "green" taxes just make me shake my head! Al Gore strikes again...

Click to expand...

But we can thank Al for inventing the internet, because now we have this awesome forum!

+25% tax=$7500

+horsepower tax:$87.288

+co2 tax: $48.420

+weight tax:$19.354

If the sales tax wasn't bad enough at 25%, the "green" taxes just make me shake my head! Al Gore strikes again...

Click to expand...

But we can thank Al for inventing the internet, because now we have this awesome forum!

Click to expand...

Thank him you can HAVE him

Similar in UK as Norway only the thirty year rule is forty here for classics, same rules with lights & some emmisions, again have to declare car as not for every day use and state the intention to be for hobby/show use to benefit from a lower tax.

We also get taxed on the whole deal which includes ocean freight and marine insurance, either way, new or old, a general "rule of thumb" is whatever the car, (or anything else), costs in USD by the time it gets here the total cost is around double in GBP

:dodgy:

But we can thank Al for inventing the internet, because now we have this awesome forum!

Click to expand...

Thank him you can HAVE him

Click to expand...

Yeah right, no thanks! Doesn't he live in TN?

But we can thank Al for inventing the internet, because now we have this awesome forum!

Click to expand...

Thank him you can HAVE him

Click to expand...

Yeah right, no thanks! Doesn't he live in TN?

Click to expand...

:huh: not sure, he used to

Ya....USA heading that way too..Tax everything....I pulled up at a local gas station getting gas...and a japanese man wearing black with gold chains walks up ..And strait up out of a classic asian movie he hands me a camera and says...Can you take pic of me by your car!!....And i said sure thing...I snapped a few pics for him..And he touched the fender and says..This car in japan very expencive..He bowed and ran back into his tour bus...lol...Wasnt but a month later i seen a asian car show...With 4 door darts and such..Most of the cars worth nothing here....One asian man said he paid over 50,000 for a 4 door duster!! sure nice paint job..But it was worthless here for value..lol..But there..wow!! out of site.

Total amount tax: $162.562 ( i got sick when i wrote this )Angry

Click to expand...

and I got sick seeing this numbers too!!! haha!