Importing a 2002 from Germany

[Stealth02]

Hello 2002 faq!

 

Warmest Greetings. I've been a member/lurker on here for a number of years.  Unfortunately I think a few of my co-workers/peers might occasionally be as well, so I've created a new SN as to not raise any red flags. 

 

I'm looking at a shift in profession/location to the US and would like to import my pre-smog 02 from here in Germany, along with a portion of my possessions here. 

 

If you have recently done so, and could offer up some advice, suggestions, etcetera- I would be very appreciative. 

 

Ideally... It would be wonderful to fill the trunk/back seat with parts and belongings and strap it into a shipping container with the rest of my stuff. But I do not have any concept of what that would cost or where to begin. 

 

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

-Stealth02

Edited March 14, 2021 by Stealth02

[zinz]

If you are moving to the PacNW, I suggest reaching out to Connor Elkington at Vintage Autobahn. He imports quite a few cars from Germany every year. He can help, no matter where you are headed. 
 

Ed

[tech71]

A Iot depends on how much stuff you plan on bringing.

I relocated back to the U.S from Ansbach in 2016 and brought back an E39 BMW.

I used a RO RO (roll on, roll off) service to transport the car on a dedicated car carrier ship.

My possessions were shipped through U Pak We Ship, had to box everything up and provide an inventory/general discription.

Boxes were picked up at my apartment, transported to a facility, palletized and shipped to my home in OR.

Cost to ship the E39 on a RO RO ship from Ansbach to Tacoma WA was around $2600. An 02 is smaller so cost would be less.

A 20 ft. container might work for you if you dont plan on bringing furniture ect in it. Your 02 would fit nicely and still have some room for stuff. Possibly cheaper as well.

One problem with a shipping container is getting it dropped close to your home in Germany for loading may not be possible ( or the grumpy pensioners living around you just wont allow it "Alles ist Nicht in Ordnung"!)

Do you know any U.S military people? They may have more direct knowledge/experience about this than the average German.

Everything goes out of Bremerhaven.

Edited March 14, 2021 by tech71

[calw]

I have not imported a car but have read of stories regarding problems in obtaining title and registration of imported cars because of smog issues.  I think that there is a process for importation at a national level and also, car title and registration is controlled by each state in the USA - The rules vary greatly from location to location.  Some state require no title (it is a document of ownership)  for older cars, some do.  Some states have inspections that include a search for the correct smog equipment as would exist for that car's year if it were sold in the US when new.  Some states have smog emission level tests.  Some states have safety inspections.  Some states have no inspection at all.  In some states these various requirements are even different indifferent cities.  The important point to understand here is that you will need to know where your residence will be to determine exactly what the requirement will be.  

Yes, it is a very confusing world- better to find in detail out before being disappointed!

[tashakes]

What state are you moving to, and what year is your 02. California does not allow anything after 68 that does not meet federal safety rules, so it's not only smog details that need to be considered.  Good luck with the move. 

[tech71]

45 minutes ago, calw said:

I have not imported a car but have read of stories regarding problems in obtaining title and registration of imported cars because of smog issues.

No smog issues for me but OR DMV did have a problem with my registration/title from U.S Army Europe. Had to do with how they transfer ownership. It went on for a while and was becoming worrisome until they handed my file off to someone who was a Vet. She took a look and said, "oh, no problem"  and signed off on my OR title.

I got lucky.

A car that lived its life in the German system will have far better documents, the cars entire history will be available including all previous owners.

well maybe not on a Jungetimer

Edited March 14, 2021 by tech71

[02Les]

Whilst it has been 20 years, I was not allowed to put spare parts in my Touring when I imported it.

So. as mentioned above, you may need to box up spares to be sent separately.

[Mike Self]

Couple of thoughts:

A lot is gonna depend on where you're gonna settle.  Other than CA, most states don't have either Federal regulation or smog inspections for cars more than 25 or 30 years old.  They may have safety inspections, but that's the normal lights, horn, suspension, brakes etc--and some states don't even require that for cars older than a certain age.  And since the newest '02 is now 45 years old, that should apply almost everywhere.

 

As for titling, here's where you need to go onto your chosen state's DMV web site to find exactly what paperwork is necessary for you to swap your German title for a US one.  The rules vary from state to state--some are much looser than others, and there are even ways to obtain a title for a car whose title has been lost, or even assembled from parts (we have the latter in OH) so there will be established procedures for obtaining a domestic title for a newly imported car. 

 

If you'll indicate your state of choice, I'll wager there are folks on the FAQ who reside there and can give you some specific insight on how their state's DMV operates.  

 

Welcome to the US version of the 02 fraternity/sorority.

 

mike

[Stealth02]

It's end destination would likely be CA, but sadly the car is not pre 68. I do have options of having it delivered to other states to be registered there before relocating if that was a possible loophole?

Edited March 14, 2021 by Stealth02

[Mark92131]

31 minutes ago, Stealth02 said:

I do have options of having it delivered to other states to be registered there before relocating if that was a possible loophole?

 

When I imported my Cabriolet from Belgium to CA, I used a service that registered and titled it in New York and then took the New York documents to the CA DMV and registered it CA.  This was done prior to the requirement to have post-68 imported cars Federalized.  I'm not sure if this method would work today.  I think I remember gray market cars entering CA would be impounded until the Federalization process was completed.

 

Mark92131

[radiocure]

I used SCL Rotterdam last summer, worked out very well; would recommend. They are however a door to door service. So other than writing a check, they handled everything. 

[1972_Targa]

When I imported my former (sniff) 1972 BMW 2000tii to CA from Amsterdam back in 2002, the process was fairly smooth with all the proper paperwork in hand. They did do a visual inspection as well, including gauges. The most surprising part was being asked by the visual inspector how fast I'd be going in MPH at 100 KPH. "62," I blurted out. Owning a 2002 Targa had prepped me well for the moment. Hah!

[Conserv]

If you said your destination was any state other than California, I’d say you had a 98% chance of success. But California, under its current rules, is a country unto itself, and I’d bet your odds of success are 50% at the very best, and probably much lower in practice!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

[Gordon]

On 3/14/2021 at 5:06 PM, Conserv said:

If you said your destination was any state other than California, I’d say you had a 98% chance of success. But California, under its current rules, is a country unto itself, and I’d bet your odds of success are 50% at the very best, and probably much lower in practice!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Totally agree with Steve, importing a vintage BMW into any state but California should not be an issue.  Here's my horror story of trying to register in 2009, a 1981 Euro spec E12 in California that had been imported into the US in the mid 80's.  I would rather have hot pokers in my eyes than deal with the CA Air Resources Board (CARB) again.  My story is 12 years old and I've heard that CARB has even gotten stricter on their requirements regarding registration of direct import vehicles.  

http://www.firstfives.org/carmonth/may2009.html

Edited March 16, 2021 by Gordon

[Henning]

9 hours ago, 1972_Targa said:

Are there portable parkometers? In the 2nd pic it seems to have disappeared.

henn

9 hours ago, 1972_Targa said: