I am currently in the UK and moving back to the USA soon. I am looking to get quotes for moving a car from our relocation company, but i wanted to see if I should even bother. Can i get parts in the USA? Here are the details:

 

parts are a piece of cake so no worries there most everything is carried by MOSS.COM, MINIMANIA.COM, 7ENT.COM and others in the US, or you can order from UK via US based web portals. In 10 years, I've only once been unable to find what I needed from a US vendor and that was an obscure trim part - nothing that stopped the car from running.

finding a mechanic who 'knows Minis' can be an issue but so long as it is a carburetor engine and not injected you don't really have an issue because things are simple and not electronic.

There may be concerns depending on what state you plan to register/title the car. Cali is at one end of the scale: more strict - FL the other: you can get lic' plates for a refrigerator so long as 3 of the 4 wheels are present ... no safety inspections. Check emissions and safety inspections for your particular location.

Mine came across the pond once it turned 25 and the only delay when it arrived was from agriculture checking for bugs! Customs was a rubber stamp approval.

 

Probably not worth importing unless expense is no object. To be driven on the road it will have to be certified to DOT emissions standards in effect in 1980. If there were no cars for sale in the US, you can have it certified with aftermarket emissions equipment, but it will cost you (around $6000 last time I looked into it a few years ago). It was frustrating and disappointing when I really dug into the import laws for vehicles, unfortunately we are stuck.
There is a grandfather clause but I believe it is 40 years - you'd have to double check on that.

 

simply put - wrong - the federal exemption kicks in at 25 years old. You do want to double check your state rules but most also follow 25 years. I'm only aware of Cali' being different and that's 30 so a 1980 is even OK there.

this is the form you use


http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/...hs799short.pdf

you check block 1 after filling in required info

done

mine came by ship from UK to Jacksonville in 2004. The shipping charge was less then when I trucked a Miata from Miami to San Fran'. in 2000. You pay duty of course but the overall cost was thousands less than buying a comparable car already here in the states.

 

So here is the NJ page

http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Vehicle/ForeignVehicles.htm

 

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One thought...
There is a business down in Florida that imports mini's....(near Orlando if I recall right)..always has a few posted...can try to post their website later....
Might be worth giving them a call...they might have some insight...maybe even import/title/register in fla....leaving an easy transfer to nj .......

 

i did a search and didn't find the business, if you could find it would give me a good point of reference arounds costs.

Thanks
Will

 

The link I had was dead (they did imports from Both England AND Japan)....guess they disappeared...Capt BJ Might know of another...My classic MINI experience is limited to "looking and dreaming", but haven't yet been able to justify it..LOL

But the 25 year rule seems to be right...that is why so many "newer" MINI's are re-ViN'ed...to avoid the issues with bringing the car up to US standards..something I kinda doubt is possible....or very $$ at the very least!

 

Just FYI CA is 1974 and older...not just 30 years. Until they bump up the smog requirement to '75 or up the import rules follow the cutoff for smog testing.

 

Thanks for the data point. I'll be importing to New Jersey. There website doens't give much info besides "Call Us" for the requirments.

 

Ok all I put together a quick spreadsheet of some viable options.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...VE&usp=sharing

I think the 1980 Austin Mini for £1800 is the best bang for the buck. Both of the 1987's look good too, but one doesn't have MOT/Tax paid so i wouldn't be able to drive it home (would have to make appointments to get it inspected before i drive home).

 

Link I had for the orlando guy bringing in from Japan is also dead

 

Nope not worth transporting to US.
Too much red tape and money. US is difficult to get through customs, smog, doc fees, transport fees, upgrades for emissions, Vinnie’s cousin at the doc needs a cut, his brother does all the needed emissions mods for a large fee too. Then there is insurance, and you gotta buy from Vinnie’s dad, all the drug lords get their freight first and it costs more to bypass them. Lots of costs here...........

You really should consider a private email to me and I will offer you barely enough to make you happy so you can just leave it where it sits in a locked garage with papers and I will do all the worrying form there!

 

Again, as Capt bj said, cars that meet the 25 year age requirement can be imported and are exempt from emissions testing in almost every state. My '75 has no smog equipment and because it is registered as a classic in PA does not need annual safety inspections either. Of course, it is checked out each year, but not in response to state laws. Lots of Minis come in with no problems at all at customs. I'd say go ahead if it's a solid car.

 

Okay, some of the info given above are true and others false. If it's older than 25 years then you could get DOT and EPA waivers and it could be brought into the US. In that case these exemptions WON'T require that you bring the car up to emissions or safety standards for the year of the car. As stated in another post, CA is the one state that you'll have trouble in because you won't be able to register anything post-74, and even 1968-74 models are iffy. NJ shouldn't be a problem. As far as fees, expect to pay about $1,500 for shipping by ro-ro; a broker's fee of about $200; US Customs duty of 2.5% the price of the vehicle, and some misc fees. In a nutshell, you may end up paying about $2,000 to get the car here.