Re: Gray Market (archive)

Thank you for the response. I'm sorry. Perhaps it was the Mercedes. There were several models of BMW and Mercedes to choose from. It's really that costly to pass it through customs? What would be involved? Would that include alterations? And how is the market value determined on a gray market car? I was told by a dealer that it's only worth half the list price. What do you think?

OK, I have imported several cars. Cars before 1975 are reletively easy to import to the US. Just pay the import duty and have all the necessary paperwork filled out for customs.

If the car is newer than 1975 you will need to use an RI (register importer) to get the car through customs "legally" and perform the necessary "conversion" of the vehicle to meet US DOT/EPA standards (you legally cannot do this work yourself unless you file for a RI license). This can be expensive depending upon the car imported. Figure $5-$10K especially if the car is 88 or newer and doesn't have passive restraints.....

Once you get the car through US customs/RI importer, then the "fun" starts. Having the car inspected at the local DMV, processing the title and emmissions testing! ("now what kind of car is this?" --and "this is a strange lookeen' title") are simple questions often asked you to explain...

My 81' BMW cost $6.5K to have this work done 2 years ago. And was eaiser to get through customs and the RI mods than the local authorities who'd never seen a car like that before....

Gone are the days of importing your 1 only euro car and getting a EPA waiver. Although with the new laws now issued you can import a "collector or show" car by applying to the govt and getting special permission. This is why many Z1's etc are now becoming legal in the US.

Market value of "any" car is what someone will pay ---doesn't matter if it US or euro origin. In the US if the car you're planning on imporing is "rare" it might be worth it (like the Z1 mentioned earlier ). If there is a US version of this car and the main differeces are mainly cosmetic (bumpers,trim, engine specs) you may find that it isn't worth more than it's US counterpart, unless you find someone "hot" to buy a euro car......

Remember many states make owning a "grey" market car very difficult since they don't want to deal with you.....

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Re: Gray Market Ed 10:26 10/23/2000 (0)

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