riviera 93

has anyone here taken their car to europe with them for vacation? who did you use? going to France this year and i would love to take her with me, oh the wife too!

nota_troll

No but I'd like to buy me a Clio V6 or TVR and ship it home.

Monique

Hello mate,

I live in EU. Luckily, I know a bit about the process.

1.First make sure your insurance company will cover you.
2.If any maintenance needs be done, do it in the US. Costs much more here! Also US specific parts will be a hassle to find.
3.Call Martinair Air Freight; they may be able to ship the car on a space available basis. Don't forget that cars are labeled "dangerous cargo" as IATA (International Air Transport Association). So it will need an empty fuel tank, battery removal and a certificate of inerting of the fuel system. Again, Martinair can do this for you. Your car would be available in Amsterdam. Two hours to the northern French border.
4.France is lovely but in Paris, put your car in the garage and use the Metro. Much faster and time effective. BTW, in Paris, they park by sound: when they hear a crunch, they stop!

993Maineiac

Luis de Prat on the 924-944 etc list did a good write-up on shipping his car to Spain. Look in the archives. Would it be more economical to rent if it's only for vacation?

Al

graham_mitchell

probably not if you rent a 993!

How long will you need a car for? How much does the return trip cost on Martinair?

And can I do the opposite and drive my swedish-registered car in the US? That's the way to travel!

SLVR

It would more economical to rent but I doubt that renting a 993 would be cheaper than bringing your own. (Don't know what the insurance cover to drive your US car in EU would cost.)

Mine came across from Jersey to Rotterdam for a reasonable amount (appr. the price of renting an BMW 530 or E-class for three wks). Call Bob Linville at 518 794 5218, Intercity recommended him and my car came across in good shape.

Monique

You guys are too fast for me... I've been trying to post some piccies of my car but keep getting interruptions. Posts take priority!

Price with Martinair?? Depends if you can get on a space available basis. This is the cheap way to go!

You can send your car either way too. Would be nice if you got it back too.

graham_mitchell

Just a ballpark figure then.... how much is the 'space available basis' return transport?

Oh, and I assume that if you fit a dry cell battery then it will not have to be removed?

Monique

Last year, when I was looking at a Ferrari in LA, I was quoted $500, space avail, no guaranteed delivery date. LAX-AMS one way of course.


But, they are good, reputable and transport lots of luxurious cars and high priced horses.

graham_mitchell

$1,000 will only buy you a few days in a luxury car. I got a quote for fun - nearly $5,000 for an M-class Mercedes for 1 month in Holland with sixt.de

Monique

Absolutely right.

I drove a rental TT at Euros 1000/day.

emilios

It cost me just over £3K to fly my turbo 3,6 from the UK to Cyprus about two and half years ago - in the cargo hold of a Cyprus Airways Á310 - it worked out at at £2 per kg plus terminal/security/handling fees and yes, just like Monique said, a car is considered a dangerous item. They want to have the car at least 48hrs prior to flying and with the absolute minimum of fuel BUT they do not disconnect the battery -they simply need to know where it is.

Best regards

Emilios

riviera 93

actually i was thinking via shipline? roro (roll on roll off) has any body done this, it appears to take a couple of weeks? thanks for the response so far!

SLVR

Riviera, I would not Ro-Ro unless you really are not concerned about the condition of your car. Bob Linville will arrange for the car to be placed in 20' a container and sea-freight it. That is what I did with my TT and my Benz was done the same way by the moving company.

Also, if there is a lien recorded on the title you may not be able to get customs to clear the car for exit (unless the lien-holder agrees in writing I guess). They insist on seeing the clear title 48 hrs before the car leaves port.

PS. There is a ship from Jersey to R'dam pretty much every week and from delivery to warehouse in Jersey to unpacking it in the devanning station is about two weeks.

James Shunt

Not sure if this helps but I've read that you can import a car from the East Coast US to Wales but it's classed as a dangerous load so you need to drain the fuel completely and remove the battery. When it arrives, if you want to register it here, the UK authorities have a special test (SVA?) that ensures it adheres to UK regulations.

It could be a fun drive from Wales to the autoroutes...

James