dadaozzie

Sorry for any confusion. The red herring photo of the 1932 Benz posted by PreWarNut is not of interest to me. I only identified it in order to engage his generous offer of wiring me funds for my project.

1932 Mercedes Benz Model 370 Cabriolet D type W10 for sale by Viklit Graae Jørgensen in Denmark. Better talk to your divorce lawyer and line up that wire $$$, I'll send you my BWT SWIFT code.

Not necessarily according the website linked below which states the following criterion for RoRo as a Non-Runner: "Unit must have 4 operational tires that roll but cannot run and drive as normal for one reason or another" https://alltransportdepot.com/can-i-ship-a-non-running-car/ As for CarsEurope which was suggested in an earlier post; I've contacted both of their UK and US offices regarding the RoRo Non-Runner scenario and disappointingly they did not reply. If that is how responsive CarsEurope is to a simple inquiry, then I cannot imagine how reliable or responsive they would be with shipping.

And the learning curve continues for me... I looked at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection: (document) "What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Vehicles, Parts and Accessories Under the HTSUS" which shows Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes 8701 to 8708 with code 8706 being of specific interest to me "chassis fitted with engine for motor vehicles". As such, it appears that the U.S. CBP will consider it a "vehicle" if it is only a chassis fitted with an engine. So much for the importing the car as parts idea. There is a further drawback which I've found regarding importing the vehicle as parts in that it may be considered "salvage" (depending on the state) and be difficult to title without permanently including the "salvage" heading. States also assign their own thresholds to determine salvage titling, but those criteria may not apply to antique autos. Will share more info as I discover the bigger picture. Am also looking forward to hearing from anyone who has done a similar importation from Europe.

I see JRA has an enviable collection of collector cars so his expertise appears to be unequivocal. Now I just need the American version of JRA with similar experience to add some context. I have been a bit stuck on the issue of how to add some officialness to a "Bill of Sale" and perhaps JRA can weigh in with more thoughts on that. What I have discovered is that the U.S. Consulate offers Notarial and Authentication services to U.S. citizens; my thought being that the seller and I could appear at an Embassy and sign the sale paper in front of the Consul General. Would the seller want to travel 3 hours one-way to do that? I doubt it. At any rate, if I understand this notarial service it's kind of like putting the cart before the horse because they require the document to receive an Apostille per the Hague Convention prior to notarization - which basically means it would need to be signed by seller and buyer before being Apostilled and then presented at the Consulate for notarization. If that's the case, then how do you sign the Bill of Sale in front of the Consul General if it's already been signed???

That would be ideal but unfortunately no. Schengen based European selling a vehicle that is in Europe.

Hi Andrew_Latvia, Pile of parts may or may not be a joke. The real question is at what point does US Customs classify a "vehicle" as a "vehicle" and when does it become classified as a "pile of parts"? My thought is that there is still a wheel and maybe 50% of the vehicle still affixed to the chassis. If it is considered a "vehicle" then that makes everything fairly straightforward. But now you've got me thinking! If the smaller parts are removed and put in boxes (maybe shipped separately), then what's left on the chassis may be considered "parts". On the other hand, dismantling the vehicle to any extent may just complicate things and increase the possibility of losing parts that are already unobtanium. - Oz

Hi Jack M, Thank you for the suggestions. I'm thinking outside the box here but maybe if the seller were to list the vehicle as a private sale on eBay that would put 90% of the burden on eBay to ensure they have a bona fide seller. If I paid with PayPal I might also get some sort of buyer protections. I looked and see that eBay can arrange shipment of a vehicle using a company called Uship, but that may be domestic US only. Not sure about that. Will dig a bit more. - Oz

A very generous offer. I wish it was the UK because I have a cousins there who could put some eyes on the vehicle for me and suss out whether the seller is legit without me have having to hop across the pond. Unfortunately the rust bucket is thousands of miles away in mainland (Schengen) Europe. - Oz

Hi prewarnut, Good point. One of the replies above (James Long) suggested CarsEurope as a reliable shipping firm. On their Sea Freight page it shows that photo documentation and steam cleaning are standard services so I imagine the burden is on them to prep the vehicle for export/import. One less thing for me to worry about. Will look at the CBP docs as you've suggested. Thx - Oz

Hi, Thank you for the suggestion. I will contact them to inquire about shipping an INOP vehicle and also ask if RoRo shipping is possible with temporary wheels (see my reply to Staver1912). The CarsEurope sea freight webpage says they basically take care of everything which is great. Thx again. - Oz

Hi 1912Staver, I've done a little digging today and discovered something called a "Guniwheel" which is a lightweight temporary wheel that has preformed universal bolt holes. I believe Guniwheels would be acceptable to a freight forwarder/shipper but haven't confirmed yet. A set of four of these 22.5 inch wheels should fit in checked luggage and not exceed the weight limit. However, these things aren't cheap. A set of four is around $1200 which makes my plywood disc idea sound more budget friendly at least from my perspective. I'd also be really worried that the airline might lose my luggage and then what? Lots of great info coming in from everyone. Much appreciated 👍 - Oz

I've never imported a car - much less a project car that is only 50-60% there - from another country; so this is as much a Shipping question as it is an Import question and a Buying question. Okay, let's say I've found what's left of an antique car in Europe and I want to purchase it and have it shipped stateside. Here are the particulars and my questions: > Private owner selling vehicle of known year and make, however most identifying marks are apparently missing or obliterated by rust. Questions: How do I ensure that the private seller is legit and I'm not getting ripped off? Do I ask for copies of their passport and driver's license? If yes, then do I ask for these before I meet them or when I meet them? What if they say they don't have either? What is written on the Bill of Sale if the identifying marks on the vehicle are absent? The vehicle is untitled. Would I get the Bill of Sale notarized or witnessed by some gov't person to make it official? Someone at nowheresville City Hall? What about paying for the vehicle... Do I put down a deposit on the car and then fly to Europe to see it in person? What if they say they sold it while I was flying over? Worse yet, what if the address that I'm given to see the car doesn't exist? Okay... all of the above is enough for me to beg off but wait, there's more: > The vehicle is only 50-60% intact, but is more an assemblage of rusted parts clinging to a rusty chassis. Also, it only has one of the four original wheels remaining which can be used as a template to make reproductions. Questions: Would I use an automobile shipper because it's a vehicle? Or is it considered "parts" because 40-50% of it is missing? In which case I would just have it put in a crate and shipped as freight. If I have to use an auto shipper with Roll-On/Roll-Off service and the vehicle is missing 3 wheels, is it acceptable to bolt some plywood discs on as makeshift wheels? Do shippers allow that? Or would I remove the one wheel, tie it to the chassis and let the shipper figure out how to transport it? What happens once the vehicle (or assemblage of parts) arrives in port? Will it get hung up in customs forever because the import description is either "vehicle with no identifying marks" or "rusted metal that looks like what's left of an old car"? All of the above issues are probably less trouble than trying to locate or fabricate parts that haven't been made in 110 years which is probably how long it will take to find said parts. Nevertheless... If anyone has experience with any or all of the above I would appreciate receiving some of your wisdom and please don't say get a tetanus shot before you buy it. - Oz

I'm looking for a YANKEE "TURN MASTER" Signal with Arrows. The only example I can find is shown in a 2017 classified ad on Jalopy Journal If anyone's seen something like this for sale please drop me a note. Thank you UPDATE 5 hours after original post: Someone just put one for sale on eBay a few minutes ago. Timing! But the signal is in really rough shape with cracked arrows. Might not buy it because of the condition, but at least I know there are still a few floating around for sale.