Hi guys I am looking to buy and import a C3 Coupe from Long Island to the UK

Couple of things firstly does anyone have any experience of doing this and can advise on the paperwork needed
secondly I need to get the car inspected, again can anyone recommend a company that can provide an independent inspection prior to me handing over the cash??

Thanks in advance
Adriana1

 

I literally just went through this, my 71 arrived last week. Call Ron at STS Imports and he will sort everything out for you, top guy and extremely helpful with everything, has an incredible collection of Mustangs at his place too. In the end shipping cost me around £1900 + £300 duty, there was also a £150 fee for a pallet of spare parts I sent with it (got the car for about 6 grand, no doubt yours will be more expensive so more duty but there's always ways around it) he deals with all the registration and nova stuff included in the shipping price. You MUST get an independent inspection on the car before you buy it and by someone who knows c3's specifically so they can check the birdcage, body mounts and frame, I didn't/couldn't and it worked out OK as a very kind forum member checked it out after I paid and put my mind at rest, but knowing what I do now I would never take the risk again. Hopefully someone on the forum can help but try asking on facebook groups.

 

Wow that’s really helpfull
Did your car get shipped in its own container??

Your car was cheap how come it was that cheap- I am buying a very nice and well sorted 71 C3 Coupe, but is has been restored and owned by the same guy for 12 years- it has a 383 stroker engine with around 500BHP
I am also getting the original matching No 350 motor with it
I am paying around 23k for mine but I think its good value given condition and mods that has been done

What facebook groups do you know of
I am in gloucestershire, where are you

Thanks again for your reply
Adrian

 

Welcome Adrian! Look up Stuart 'Brit Vet', he also has experience importing to the UK.

 

1971, I'm quite partial to 71's myself so good choice!

I did this import thing and would never recommend the cowboys that handled mine so take Daz's advice and consider his shipper. You can do the paper work yourself but for the small fee charged on top of the handling & shipping it's not worth the cost saving in my opinion especially for a first timer.

You have options such as roll on roll off that is in the open air, dual occupancy container or single occupancy with the latter being the more expensive option.

Try to get photos by the seller at the point of pick up to prove condition and make sure you have adequate Marine insurance with the shipper you choose.

Check out Regional Discussion for someone to help with an inspection and read the top tips for buying a C3 if you haven't already.

Expect delays.

Get the name of the ship and track it on shipfinder or similar.

Good luck and PM me if you want the name of the shipper to be avoided at all costs.

And pics, we all like pics..

Stuart

 

Stuart comes in 2nd to Ed once again

Ed

 

I just did it too... my 71 arrived in Spain on the 13th. It’s still in customs, I haven’t seen it yet. I used Schumacher and they handled everything, I highly recommend them... Shop around for prices...

 

A C3 in Spain will be awesome. Due to our miserable Summer so far, mine haven't been out for 3 weeks

 

Oddly enough I am also in spain at the moment , between Barcelona and Tarragona
Trying to do the deal and cover all my options
Bit worried about dealing with the payment
The owner says he wants paying before the car leaves him, I guess thats what I would also want if the boot was on the other foot

How did you deal with the money side

 

I have found a shipper out of NYC West coast shipping- they want $900 for a shared container and $245 to collect the car from about an hour away from the port
But I want the original engine and other bit so I need some extra space, not sure whether to go for a sep container or not
Did you get yours inspected prior to purchase or did you go and view
How did you handle the money side of things, worried a little about sending $28k to a stranger!!!!

I am sure it will work out ok if I cover all angles


Thanks for the advice form all that have replied

Looking forward to concluding the deal soon

 

I was nervous too so had my shippers NYC based agent inspect the car and check that there were no outstanding loans, condition and that all that was to come with the car which was extensive original docs were all present. I paid the shipper the full amount and via their escrow service they first made a test payment of $100 to check the account details were correct then paid the balance. I bought from a longish time Forum member and he volunteered some other overseas buyers as references which I did check out. The costs seem pretty fair so I would go with a single occupancy if it were me.

 

I believe it was a shared container. It was the cheapest running and driving chrome bumper car in the world, for good reason. Or at least it was meant to run and drive, haven't been able to get it started yet! Needs a full repaint, missing the pop up lights, incorrect interior badly fitted ect, a real nice project with absolutely no rust in any of the typical places. I know full well that cheap car will end up costing me over 20 when it's done, NOTHING is cheap on a c3, you learn that real quick, even more so when you're importing parts, again you can save money by importing via STS. Your car sounds good, I made the mistake of buying from a dealer, you know what they say about used car dealers...it's never good. Buying from a long term owner is a good bet on getting a solid well looked after car. I looked for classic car groups in the area the car was located in. I'm in East London, not another Vette for miles around, I know there is a UK Corvette club which I need to join.

 

I should also add, with regards to payment, I ended up with a locked bank account and almost put on a fraud list because the international payment was so suspicious. Took over 3 hours of phone calls to Lloyds to get the account unlocked, absolutely nightmare. Make sure you call the bank in advance and explain you're planning on sending the funds to xyz for a car and expect to be quizzed on everything.

 

Damn Daz!

Good advice

 

First off I bought my 71 from. Dealership in Texas that specializes in muscle cars, bikes, new and used cars... I researched their reputation and talked to the owner. I did a Face Time walk around the car with my salesman man and after I felt very confident I layed down a deposite. Then I hired a mechanic to check the car out and test drive it. I was confident that the car and dealership were good before I wired the money. The Shipper coordinated all the paper work to get the car released from customs and put in a shared container and place on the ship.

Dont go go with the cheapest shipper, go with the best, most reputable one. If you have to pay more money it’s worth it in the long run...

 

Hi OP, and welcome to the forum and the fun world of C3s!

You're getting some good advice here. This is a very helpful forum with members who will readily share their passion and knowledge.

I'm sure you have, but in case please read the sticky section on '10 rules' for buying a C3.

It is always interesting to purchase a 50ish year old car relatively sight unseen. Especially the type of car that generally is prone to 'modifications' over the years. Advise that I have always found helpful is to purchase the best car your funds will allow. It seems that you are doing this. I give Dazaa a lot of credit: he knew he was getting a 'non-stock car on the cheap' and was willing to work our the issues. That said, there are always more issues than you can ever see from a general inspection because many of the 'bubba's' are hidden. Dazaa is finding that out now. He'll have well over $20k US in the car when he's done, but he also seems to enjoy doing the work.

If you can get a knowledgeable forum member to inspect the car first and give you a good run down on the pros/cons, and a lot of pictures, you'll be money ahead. When you receive the car, you'll find this forum most helpful in sorting out anything you need - you'll just need to be able to find parts occasionally and maybe some labor help depending on your inclination and abilities. These cars are pretty simple for the most part, but there are definitely areas that require special knowledge and that's where this forum will help.

One thing is for sure: a '71 will be an iconic ride, and give you tons of pleasure and lots of conversations! I wish you the very best in your quest! Paul

 

Why not look for a Vette in Sweden? There is a lot of cars here and always some for sale. As long as you are in the EU the export/import would be pretty easy and you could even drive your car home to UK.
//Håkan

 

That's because Ed has a Lead Foot.

 

How do you look for cars on Sweden ??
do you know of any

 

LOL, exercised it today. Had to see a vendor, business miles. Took her for a ride. I thought her eyes would pop! 😲