Today two great guys came all the way from Austria to pickup my Model A Fordor body at my house in Holland/Netherlands, because it isn't easy to find suitable parts here in Europe. It will take them 2 long days and 1500 miles to get back home. Great job Robert and Bernd and good luck with your built. Thanks Hennie
Drove a new Ford Transit 15 p***enger high rise the other day to take some of my band kids to an event at the University of Georgia- super comfortable ride, good mileage and plenty of space (and the further OT back up camera made that thing a breeze to park)!
I hear you, all of us outside North America are a pretty committed bunch when it comes to building cars.
At least there you can build one and drive it even if parts are hard to come by. Try owning one to drive in Belgium with it's auto union rules.
Yes as a neighbour of Belgium (i live 40 miles from the Belgium border) we can't complain too much as it is hard to register a hot rodded car on Holland, but not impossible.
A fellow from Switzerland ordered some of my cowl post tops . Sent them the most economical way and forgot about it. I got a pm 8 weeks later . Nothing has shown up. I didn't want to sour my name so I said if they don't show I will send more. He said he would wait longer.....Christmas day he finally got them . Sent September 10. Talk about patience !
For what it's worth, I recently drove over 1100 miles, one way, to pick up a 1937 Dodge PU for my wife. It wasn't complete, and needs a lot of parts. Finding Mopar stuff is very hard in the Southwest USA. I wish that I wanted Ford and Chevy cars/trucks, they are much more easily found here. It can be tough here too, if you are a little bit different than the majority. But I love the road trips, I cannot lie... Sent from my Moto Z (2) using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I was lucky to find this Model A as a complete car only 80 miles from here so i'm not complaining and made some money out of it and many new and used parts as a bonus.
Advertised it on a Dutch website first without a price and got zero response in one month so interest in Holland is bad. Put it on a German site and bingo, three different men/women ? were interested and sold it to the first guy that phoned me in German language. All conversation was in German so not to easy for me (as a Dutchie) but it went well.
There have been some really great European builds on here especially 2 from the Netherlands. Look at builds from FARMER12 & CORVETTE SANDER. I have never been across the pond but would love to someday. I really respect what the guys over there are able to do and the dedication it must take. We have it easy in the US
I recently came across a hot rod club from Sweden on the net, and the work they did to their cars was amazing. Seems many flat heads are being built here in NA for people in the EU. Can't even imagine the cost. That's dedication.
...You don't want to know the cost of getting stuff sent here from the U.S! Sometimes it's cheaper to make a holiday/road trip to the U.S., and see how much stuff you can get in your luggage.
I've sold a lot of parts to Australia, New Zealand, and Dubai. No upcharge on my end, and I wasn't aware you guys were getting wacked with a Duty on your end. How does that work? Are your packages held until you pay an extra fee? It's also always boggled my mind that you guys buy cars from the US West Coast, when the East Coast is so much closer. (The old West Coast cars are better quality myth is just that!)
Hello from France I can say it's very difficult for us french people especially when we need some parts... Chevy parts are avaible in Europe, but Oldsmobile parts are very difficult to find here in Europe. All i need ; i must buy from usa, shipping cost is very expensive and custom charges are high. . So. ....yes. ..have a hot Rod or old américan car is not easy for us. . Happy new year from France.
I always try to do my best on packing things that go overseas to save the buyer the expense. Send a oil sump to Australia last year, buy found some shipper that worked through FedEx that was half the price. Bob
In NZ we do not have duty on anything automotive [or just about everything else], but what we do have is a sales tax of 15% of the overseas content. This aligns imported goods with everything else for sale in NZ Everything in NZ has sales tax included in the price [not like the USA where the shelf price get tax added at the register] Most of the time the customs will let small orders through [under NZD $400] because the cost of chasing it is more than the tax recovered. My last order, was an engine rebuilt kit that cost NZD $1100 including shipping. By using the tracking number I chased up the shipping company that holds it on bond and I paid the Tax online and got a receipt number. This took me 1 working day. The shipping companies are the ones that drag their heels, not the NZ Govt. I had a friend purchase on my behalf a 2017 C7 Corvette. [he was a licensed used car dealer in the USA] General Motors will not sell a New Car for export [to protect their overseas franchises] My friend bought it, and didn't need to pay the sales tax because he was a dealer. Then sold it to me ,and filled in the required US Border protection paperwork ,so there was no USA Sales tax. I paid our tax when it arrived [so I wasn't getting double dipped] The whole process was done in less than 30 days. It was easier than posting a parcel!! A brand new car ended up being cheaper than a 6 month old Used Car [that already had the tax paid in the USA]
The customs agent charge you a fee for collecting a 10% tax for the guvmint., with no minimum amount. A $1000 purchase from the U.S. just cost me $1,184, plus shipping. We pay 10% on that too, even though it is being sent from overseas. West coast is still a lot closer than East from Australia.
No it’s not ....,how can you even compare a car from Central Valley CA or AZ to a car from the east coast... and say they are the same?
The Jalopy Journal
