Help/ideas for retrieving a vehicle from the Port of NY
 

So, I'm in Japan...I bought a car at auction here (Mitsubishi Kei Truck) and shipped it to the port of NY in Newark, NJ. My brother-in-law in Westchester, NY agreed to help with the import process.
We've managed to get it ready to be picked up from the port (released), but since the car isn't registered yet, we cannot drive it on public roads, so we need a tow truck/trailer.
He was hoping to have it towed to his home. However, he has made a lot of calls to towing services and none want to take the job (for less than $1000).

The truck is still inside the port area, but has been cleared from customs etc.
Any leads on towing services in the area, does anyone have a towing rig and want to help out?

He IS considering just renting a tow truck from U-Haul...


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1642804486.jpg

Is the huge cost for the tow related to it being in the port? If so, couldn't you pretty safely drive it out of the port to public access area and pay a regular tow?

Here as a buyer I can just throw my old cars plates on it for up to 14 days prior to registration, all you need is insurance. Nothing similar in NY?

I think the release process takes several hours (we will find out) according to the truck drivers they can waste most of their day waiting for the cars to come out of the port.
As for driving on public roads and insurance, registration on old plates...I'm not sure. I left that part of the process to my BIL to sort out, he's a clever guy, but this is new territory for both of us. We're still hoping that the DMV will register the truck without too many snags.

Why not just register it?

Unless you are flipping it and want to keep the no owner status?

It's not that you can't drive it on public roads, it's that you shouldn't get caught driving it on public roads.

I would slap some old plates on it and drive it home.

Make sure they are commercial plates.

If you get pulled over tell the cop the situation, worst case you get a couple of tickets that will be cheaper to pay than the tow.

Texas is the wild west huh! I think it's a bit stricter in NY...Sounds like it needs to be registered AND insured first.

Rent a truck with a hitch from somewhere. Then rent a tow dolly from u-haul.

If you have all the documents, you should have no problem insuring and registering in NY before picking it up. Military personnel do it pretty often.
https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/how-register-imported-vehicle

The problem we're faced with is the NY DMV is no longer registering Kei class vehicles...Bull****e new rule.

So, NY is your state of residence? The Uhaul might be a good idea. Time to move to FL.

Hell, rent a big enough u-haul and you could probably just drive that thing into the back. hahahah

I've imported vehicles before and used a ferry permit to drive it home, think this is a state by state thing but worth checking out!

Out of curiosity did they charge you the 25% import for a truck or did they classify it as something else?

Came to post this.

I recall a message on the old 356talk listserv about a guy who had a non-running project 356 to move, did some measurements, found it would fit in a u-haul of whatever size, used a flat bed tow truck to pick it up and then put it down inside the truck. Couple of quick spot welds for eye hooks on the u-haul, strapped it down and drove it off. Repeat of process when unloading.


But if that is one of those mini-trucks then just get a mid sized u-haul and drive it up the ramps. Well, you may need stronger ramps in which case a flat bed tow would do ($100 on each end to get a driver to meet you and do a quick pick-up-n-put-down?)

$1000 seems cheap.

It would cost $500 easy to tow a Corolla from Newark, NJ to Westchester, NY.

I'll be the contrarian, because someone has to.
Just pay the $1000 and be done with it.

Clearly, you can afford it, if you can ship a huge truck half way across the globe.
Hiring an unqualified brother to trailer a large rig seems reckless

This rig is the opposite of a huge truck. Kei class trucks are tiny.

I think it's actually a tiny truck, unless you're comparing it to a matchbox car.

UPDATE: We're going to rent a haul trailer combo...Just $175 per day.
Tuesday is the scheduled date....

Shipping the kei truck from Japan cost less than $1500 so paying a tow truck to deliver it a few hundred miles $1000 is not in our budget. Also Kei trucks weigh about 1500lbs.

I guess that it's already been said but this truck will fit in the bed of a full size PU truck. They are tiny. And not expensive to ship across the ocean.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_truck

You get bagged driving a vehicle without reg and insurance in NJ or NY , it's immediately getting impounded. Then it will be a nightmare and big $$ to retrieve it..

.

VINMAN is correct….however, I would wait until 3am, have someone follow me very close and do it anyway. Or, find someone with a dealer plate. Option 3: SUV, hitch, u-haul trailer.

I moved from NY to TX.

The popo back east are way more forgiving of this stuff than the popo in Texass.

If you are keeping it in your name then getting it registered and insured is a couple hours of DMV and a call to an insurance broker.

It's something you'll have to eventually deal with anyway so why make it more complicated and expensive by hauling the thing out?

Doesn't make sense to me unless there is some circumstance preventing getting the paperwork done.

What about AAA? Pull a fuse or remove the ground from the starter. Tell 'em it won't run, and have them flatbed it home (or a local garage/gas station, from where you drive it home at 0300 as suggested above).

^^^
Newark to WestChester - about 1hr +/-
AAA is a good idea too.

Intentionally sabotaging one's own vehicle for a free tow seems a lot like fraud. One would be best to do this on the up and up. I imagine that even risking driving it illegally would be a better choice.

afaik:
AAA will cover the first 25 or 50 miles. The tow company might stick ya hard for the extra miles.
They will only tow to a business repair shop.
They might not even tow it, or they be required-by-law to call the cops on a vehicle with no plates or paperwork.
ymmv.

Until registered for use on public street, the truck might be considered an object or property.
Using a car dolly seems like the best bet. It doesn't even have to be uHaul.

Basically none of this is true or correct. I've had AAA for many years and have 200 mile towing, (you pay for different levels of coverage), they will absolutely tow to other than a "business repair shop," etc...

They are not "required by law" to call cops on unregistered vehicles but they do have rules wrt to what they will tow or not. One thing they will not do is tow a vehicle you just purchased home, if they know what is happening. If you buy a project car somewhere, you need to rent a car trailer or pay a private tow to move it.

They also will never ask for or demand "paperwork", I can have anyone's car towed with my AAA that I want. It's designed to be used for road emergencies for any car you are riding in, not just your own. It is correct that they will not tow unregistered vehicles with expired tags and definitely not any vehicle that has obviously been sitting for a long time, with exceptions.

There would never be a reason for such a prank. When I call AAA for a tow, I do not have to prove to the tow driver that the car will not run. I tell them what's up and how and where I want it towed, end of story. I have told tow drivers several times specifically not to turn ignition on, for instance. Just hook up the cable and winch it on. Other times, I've driven it on or let them drive it on. It's ultimately none of their business what the mechanical diagnoses is. Of course they are trained to assist motorists in distress but it's not mandatory to let them fk around with your car.

I towed a much heavier vehicle across the country several times with a tow bar that only cost about $150. You see lots of RVs pulling cars with them.

I guess they do tow to a residence now. That has changed.

https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-AAA-charge-for-towing-after-7-miles
I have been a member of AAA Roadside Assistance for around 42 years. For the basic coverage is and always has been the first 5 miles are free 4X per year for $56.00 per year.

The over mileage rate is charged by the tow company and not by AAA. The rate can vary greatly company to company. Always get a price from the tow company before the tow. I've seen rates as high as $10 per mile.

Thank you

Thank you

For getting a vehicle in person, why add an extra element who may or may not show up?

Actually, in Florida, to register a out of state vehicle, they have to physically verify the Vin number.

I'd just put that lil' ol' truck in my big purse and go.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1696010593.jpg

By helicopter…
Traffic sucks 24x7

I haven’t done it, but I was under the impression there was a ****-load of stuff to get it released to you - as in you can’t just rock up with a trailer, drive in and pick up your [item] whenever you feel like it.

I *thought* there was an intermediate step where you were forced to hire a third party to get it through customs and into [somewhere] outside of the port.

Is it really as easy as turn up when you feel like it and they have a red carpet for you? Now, OP I’m really curious - there are a couple of obscure cars in Europe that make me twitchy every time I see them. If it’s really cheap and easy to drag them over and in it’ll be harder to look away…

Another thread resurrected by a spammer and people jump in w/o looking at the date.

AAA Premier RV. Up to 200 mile tow maximum, once per year. 7 day waiting period for use, I believe, once the membership is purchased. The only way to travel with a vintage car.

Do you know anybody with a dealer plate or RT plate ? . If I were closer Id drive that straight home for you

Thread is 20 months old but the truck is cool.

I see a small handful in North Canton.