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

dan79brooklyn · 01-21-2022, 01:46 PM

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...

gordner · gordner's Garage

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?

dan79brooklyn · 01-21-2022, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gordner

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.

stomachmonkey · 01-21-2022, 02:06 PM

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.

dan79brooklyn · 01-21-2022, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

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.

masraum · 01-21-2022, 02:35 PM

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

fintstone · fintstone's Garage

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

dan79brooklyn · 01-21-2022, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fintstone

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.

fintstone · fintstone's Garage

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

masraum · 01-21-2022, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fintstone

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

Tishabet · 01-21-2022, 02:56 PM

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?

id10t · 01-21-2022, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by masraum

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

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?)

sugarwood · sugarwood's Garage

$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

herr_oberst · 01-21-2022, 03:19 PM

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

masraum · 01-21-2022, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sugarwood

$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

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

dan79brooklyn · 01-21-2022, 04:02 PM

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

dan79brooklyn · 01-21-2022, 04:09 PM

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.

speeder · 01-21-2022, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sugarwood

$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

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.

masraum · 01-21-2022, 04:13 PM

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

Quote:

The 1998 law admits a maximum length of 3.4 m (134 in), a maximum width of 1.48 m (58 in) and a maximum height of 2.0 m (79 in) with a maximum displacement of 660 cc (cm3). They weigh about 700 kg (1,500 lb), and when ungoverned, can reach up to 120 km/h (75 mph).

VINMAN · 01-21-2022, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dan79brooklyn

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.

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..

.