vehicle shipping
 

Has anyone recently gone through the process of shipping or transferring a vehicle, (suv), from the east coast of the US to France ?
My thinking is, if its too pricy and too much bureaucracy involved, that I may just sell it and buy a vehicle there.
Any thoughts or advice either way ?

Oh, and by the way, Thanks to Kerouac for the thoughtful advice on my previous post !! Very helpful !!

Thanks, Blackie

No help at all from me, I'm afraid. Just wanted to say I'm glad to see you're moving right along, Blackie.

Apart from the expense of shipping and importing the vehicle you should also consider the availability of parts and servicing for it. Most US models are different from European ones and it may be hard, and very expensive, to get any parts it may need in the future. Plus it's re-sale value in Europe will probably also be considerably less than in the US.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do!

I just found these links which may help :

http://www.howtobooks.co.uk/abroad/f...cle-import.asp

http://www.frenchentree.com/fe-lavie...cle.asp?ID=135

http://ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article782

Thanks Coquelicot; I'm still very determined and excited about the move.

hetismij: i probably should have mentioned that the vehicle is a new BMW manufactured in Germany, so parts and service availability should be adequate. Thanks for you advice
Blackie

Blackiev
there are still differences between the models in Europe and in your case The US.
Just check with BMW what is what before you go to all of that expense.
Personally, unless it was very very special I would not do it as they are very common here. Besides you may or may have to reimport it back to the US.

Thanks ribeirasacra on your advice. I'm fairly sure that I would be better off buying a new vehicle when I arrive in southern France, rather than having my BMW shipped. I just wanted some valuable feedback and any experiences in this matter.

Before deciding to sell and buy in europe have a look at car prices there. Much higher than in the US for the same vehicle - where available. You would probably want one much smaller anyway to save on gas - but prices can be a real sticker shock.

Thanks nytraveler, good food for thought. I may have to look for a "flintstone mobile" to get by with if prices are that high!
Thanks again, much appreciated.
Blackie

Well, if expense is a consideration, don't forget that fuel runs at least US$6-7 per gallon in most European countries.

There are also additional yearly eco-taxes on SUV's already in place in a number of countries such as France based on the CO² emissions of each vehicle.

And if you are still thinking about retiring to a "village" in the south of France, you shouldn't want an SUV at all, because they don't fit on a lot of the roads. You can read quite a few horror stories on these sites about people who rented one and got stuck trying to squeeze through a village or get around a bus.

Thanks Kerouac, You bring up some very insightful points. I had forgotten how tight some of the streets are. I am trying to keep my operating costs down to provide for more exclusive travelling, so I may have to look at other more common sense methods of getting around. Although, since my goal is to live in a small semi-remote village, I will more than likely need some type of transportation.
Thanks again, Kerouoac

That's why they sell Renault Twingos and Fiat 500's. :)

By a 2CV, you will blend in then!!
By seriously a small car will do you find for pottering around the country lanes. Purchase a car round about 1600cc(petrol) if you use a the highways a lot. But do not forget a lot of European use diesel powered cars plus France has a good network of GLP (Butane) stations.
http://stations.gpl.online.fr/

More than 70% of the cars in France are diesel (which is cheaper than gasoline).

Don't underestimate the difference between EU and US spec. Virtually every part (even light bulbs) has an EU code number and the vehicle is certified to meet different crash and emission tests. Some of the BMW 4:4's are built in US not Germany and parts could be a problem.

Diesel is up to 15% cheaper than petrol (gas). The real benefit is that the diesel engine delivers around 25% more mpg.

I have a 2006 Renault Megane diesel estate. It has a range of 1000+ kms on a long run at 80mph using cruise control. Fuel consumption is 4.9 litres / 100km - about 55 mpgIMP or 47 mpgUS.

Being a French make, it is cheaper to service and insure than an import whilst also holding a higher 2nd hand value.

70% of new car sales are diesel, but in the 2+ litre class it is probably 90% and cars with large petrol engines are difficult to sell.

The bible for car specs with new and used car prices is L'Argus : http://www.argusauto.com

If you want to save money by importing look at EU markets such as Spain and Germany who have cheaper 2nd hand prices than France.


Peter

mpprh knows his stuff, he posts on car forums too.

I would hate to think that French second-hand market is dearer than Spain. The expats here always say it is so expensive. That is just an observation.
I too would suggest Germany as there are a lot of Spanish cars which were imported from Germany.
But if you do not know the rules it can be complicated. For ease maybe stick with a French reg. car.

Had you thought of a long-term lease with the buy-back guarantee? We have leased through Renault and love their program because the paperwork is super easy, insurance is included in the price and and you order the car with the features that you want/need. (my husband would do almost anything to get his hands on a Kangoo!!!)

I think the Kangoo is a great little utilitarian car, a very honorable replacement for the stalwart and legendary R4.

(In my own neighborhood, a very large number of the used cars still have a <b>D</b> decal on the back, indicating where they were bought.)

Blackiev: Something else you would need to consider if this is your only vehicle/means of tranportation is the transit time required. We delivered our car to the port of Dallas and it took over 6 weeks for it to arrive. You will also need to check for any recalls, since even newer cars can have defects, and have proof of manufacturer repair before the port authority will accept your vehicle. We were surprised to find 2 recalls on our vehicle we didn't even know about and luckily were able to get them fixed in time.

kerouac: 1) It is amazing how much luggage will fit into the Kangoo and how well thought-out (love the overhead storage bins, side door pockets etc) and comfortable they are!

2) Yes, I have to admit to being the owner of a Deutsch "hooptie" myself. German people, on a whole, take very good care of their autos I believe. It may not be the newest/prettiest BMW but she just keeps on purrrring down the autouroute.

ribeirasacra on Dec 18, 09 at 11:32am

"I would hate to think that French second-hand market is dearer than Spain. The expats here always say it is so expensive. That is just an observation."

My Megane started life in Madrid ! I saved about 30% over the French price.

I think it is used cars in general as I see many transporters moving Spanish registered cars into France (I live near the Spanish border).

Peter

A Reggie? and I have read you posting on the Rover forum!

Many years ago I worked for Rover, then called BLMH.

I seem to have an effect on car companies - I worked for Saab, too !

Peter

Saab was unloved by GM. I feel they never looked at the core values of the brand.
But I hope you have better luck now you work for yourself.

Hi

The only comment I have to make about the BMW is that even though the US market is spec'ed differently, they still assemble many of the cars there and I would expect that they could obtain parts for it pretty easily if not cheaply.

I might be more concerned about driving a US-spec'd car in Europe - what needs to be modified?

A couple of things:
A great column on what it took to get a car licensed in France (origin UK) at
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/...in-France.html
The author moved from the UK to France and has shared his tales of French life with Telegraph readers for some time.
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In the very south of France, there's a great little website/publication:
www.audeflyer.com
They cover Aude (Languedoc) and Ariege (Midi-Pyrenees) which are my favorite two departments in France (visited there 10 times so far, home to go again this spring). So of course I would recommend that area above others--but you'd need to check it out.
If NOLA is your home then for a good carnival, you need to check out Limoux.
http://www.frenchentree.com/languedo...e.asp?ID=25691
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There's much more to see/do/appreciate in the area, one of my favorite small towns.
Back to car shipping:
There are companies that specialize in shipping cars (and household goods) but there are good ones, and not-so-good.(I worked for one quite a while ago).
You'll need to have clear title to the car as someone is going to have to have it 'cleared' by US Customs before it can be exported:
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/bas...or_vehicle.xml
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What you decide to take to France with you will have to be itemized--detailed, as if you were selling them. The forwarder (person who will handle the export) will need this and you will need it to import the goods into France too.
Don't plan on packing stuff into the vehicle without declaring it.
Do plan on buying insurance, the coverage offered by the bill of lading (document of shipment) is limited to $300 and that's IF it can be shown that the carrier (forwarder/nvocc/ocean carrier) was responsible.

There is direct ocean service from Savannah or Norfolk to Fos sur Mer (Marseille) (22 to 24 days)
and from Savannah or Charleston to Le Havre about 18 days.
This is with a number of carriers who share vessels, the schedule I used was for CMA-CGM.
If you decide to have a full container load (20' or 40') you can also arrange to have the container delivered to your location ('door move') which the steamship line will handle.
They won't unload the container, so you'll need to arrange labor for that.
There is a limited amount of 'free' time provided before the ship sails, and once the cargo is discharged from the vessel. You need to be aware of this so you don't run into lots and lots of costs for the on-dock storage. You will need to clear customs before the container can leave the dock. Try to avoid having the container devanned and your goods stored at a warehouse--again, costs, costs & more costs.
If you do need to store your goods I would suggest having the container taken to a self-store facility and unload the goods there. The storage costs will be that much less and you can access the unit and take out what you need when you need it.
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I worked for a steamship agency and have helped people both import & export personal effects and offer what I've learned from their feedback.
I envy you (a little) your move to France. Remember to take lots of good NOLA herbs and spices so you can treat your new neighbors to some home cookin'.