George Smolinski Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 VW will no longer offer the Toureg in the US market. We get the Atlas, a much bigger vehicle. If one REALLY wants a new Toureg, is it difficult to buy overseas & ship here? What about import duties? Would parts & service be difficult to obtain here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 number one issue is DOT glass and emissions standards.............. at one time, an American could bring in one "grey" car in their lifetime. dont believe that exists anymore. I always dreamt of bringing in a Porsche 911 ions ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 I wonder if VW of America still has its "European Delivery Program" that was popular for a number of decades. Perhaps one can be purchased that way. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richasco Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 If it hasn't been fedaralized and sold here new you will have to import several and pay to have them crash tested. Or you can wait 25 years and then import with the chance of still having trouble with customs. For a cautionary tale, look up the saga of the Land Rovers that were seized after they were legally imported. The simplest answer is to just buy the school bus that most drivers seem to prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin1221 Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 George: I work for a VW dealer in a non sales position and we currently have 2 NEW, untitled 2017 Touaregs in inventory. Would you like me to get you some information on either of these? If so, please send me a PM with your contact info and I can have someone contact you. The cars are in Lakeland FL, which is between Tampa and Orlando. Good luck in your search. Kevin https://www.lakelandvw.com/new-vehicles/#action=im_ajax_call&perform=get_results&custom_model[]=Touareg&page=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarNucopia Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 (edited) I bought a new 2016 Touareg TDI in 2018. First, it's an absolutely fantastic vehicle and tows like a champ. Though I have to say, I would not buy the gas version, only the diesel. There was a stop-sale on these because of the diesel-gate issue. They were not re-approved until the end of 2017, so there were a fair amount of leftovers at that time. I suspect you can still find one, as @kevin1221 states above. The rebates were huge. I think I got $14K off. I believe you could import a new one since they have already been federalized, providing they have not made any material changes to them. The problem is, you would likely have no warranty. I'll guess it would be cheaper to buy a Porsche Cayenne which is essentially the same vehicle. I think Audi also has a version. Maybe, the Q7? PS: I've imported two cars, one from England and one from Japan. My DMV did not make it an easy process. Check with your before you do anything. Edited April 20, 2019 by Buick64C (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_a Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 (edited) I used to know a Lamborghini importer who would pick up a car in Italy, drive it a few miles in Europe for 31 days, and it became a "used car". Then the formerly non-compliant vehicle was brought over and sold. I don't know if there was a no crash test problem, or glass & emissions. The Importer was from Castle Rock, Colorado, and this was 1971. I wonder if this would work today? Sounds like a fun job.........I have a passport if similar services are needed! Edited April 20, 2019 by jeff_a (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 and this was 1971 when you were allowed to import grey mkt cars........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_a Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 (edited) If I have any takers, I shall get a copy of Europe On $5 A Day and figure a way to camp out for a month on the cheap. My father lived on The Continent for much less back in 1943-1946. No doubt I will have to endure higher prices, and may not enjoy the Italian villa and Bavarian castle he related to me as being so excellent. Edited April 20, 2019 by jeff_a (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vermontboy Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 This is what US Customs and Border Patrol does to illegal grey market cars ................... food for thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 If I have any takers, I shall get a copy of Europe On $5 A Day and figure a way to camp out for a month on the cheap. My father lived on The Continent for much less back in 1943-1946. No doubt I will have to endure higher prices, and may not enjoy the Italian villa and Bavarian castle he related to me as being so excellent. I did that in 1983 for a year- took off from school and best thing I EVER did in my life. and yes, I lived on 5-10. a day and like a king at times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my how things have chged. Glad I did it when I did. remember standing in Munich, looking in at the Mercedes showroom and a new sl series was going for 27k. was at least twice that here................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlier Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 On 4/18/2019 at 6:24 AM, George Smolinski said: VW will no longer offer the Toureg in the US market. We get the Atlas, a much bigger vehicle. If one REALLY wants a new Toureg, is it difficult to buy overseas & ship here? What about import duties? Would parts & service be difficult to obtain here? Given the laws regarding importing current, modern vehicles it appears unlikely you will be able to do this as others here have mentioned. I asked a VW Tech friend of mine with 20+ years experience working on VWs and 15+ years on Touaregs. He tells me that it is a pain in the you-know-what if a non US Spec VW needs repairs. He has worked on VWs traveling from Canada that needed repairs. Before VWoA would ship parts the owner of the vehicle had to provide documents proving the vehicle was in the USA legally. Warranty work might be an issue also. Could be other unforeseen issues with VW's scan diagnostic tool, programming the vehicle, recalls, etc. Basically it is a big legal thing for VW of America and the dealer so they have to cover their rear ends. Given the hassles, etc. some VW Dealers might not even want to touch a non US Spec VW. That in itself might make getting service in the middle of no where a HUGE headache if you have a broken down, imported Touareg. FYI, I have owned various VWs for the last 39+ years. I know several VW Techs with lots of experience fixing VWs. Oh, the stories they have told about me over the years about fixing modern VWs. 😉🙄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 (edited) A nice American lady we met in Europe a few ago said that she and her family would arrange a European trip around the purchase of a new vehicle every several years. The manufacturer (in her case, Volvo, I think) would give discounts (since there's no dealer markup) and travel vouchers to American and Canadian buyers to encourage them to go to Europe to pick up their car. Volvo is one of several Scandinavian and German car makers who do this. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like VW has an equivalent program. https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a23404132/free-european-road-trip-buy-a-car/ Edited April 20, 2019 by JamesR (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vermontboy Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 Yes indeed - that is for European delivery of a US Spec car - they note that they will not start manufacture until the vehicle is paid in full. Since the Touareg is no longer being imported into the US it is beyond doubtful that they would build one and get it certified in the US. The laws regarding importation of grey market cars are specific snd leave little room for anything except wishful thinking. You can try, but if you get caught game is over - the car must be and will be destroyed - happens to many Land Rovers and Minis where the buyer thought he could beat the system. Customs people are generally not your friend - I worked for the government for almost 20 years (SBA) and Customs is on a par with the IRS in their ability to ruin your day..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlier Posted April 20, 2019 Share Posted April 20, 2019 2 hours ago, vermontboy said: Yes indeed - that is for European delivery of a US Spec car ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That is the key bit of information that some here are probably not aware of. On a somewhat related note... Have to wonder if US Customs will want to crush the VWs in the article below since they were not technically certified by US Government regulators as meeting emissions and safety standards. Have to wonder if the US Government will fine VW for this if they are proven to have broken US Laws. Lawsuit alleges VW sold pre-production cars to public Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted April 21, 2019 Share Posted April 21, 2019 Quote Have to wonder if US Customs will want to crush the VWs in the article below since they were not technically certified by US Government regulators as meeting emissions and safety standards. Or maybe wonder if there are a few customs officials driving around in nice new VW's with the model badges and VIN's removed. "Oh sure...we crushed that car." [wink wink] 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted April 21, 2019 Share Posted April 21, 2019 Different country's have different regulations how they handle it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now