Move my 911 to France???

Mr Beau · 07-19-2003, 08:48 PM

I'm likely taking a job in France for what should be 3 years, and was wondering what might be involved in shipping it over. The company will basically cover the cost of a 20' container, and I can stuff it with items of my choosing.

It's a '73 911E that was a US car orginally. There's definitely some work I would do on it before bringing it over, or I will mothball it for the duration (or gasp, sell it!?!).

I'm curious as to the logistics of actually having it in the container, and ensuring no damage happens during transport. Also Europe can be known for a lot of red tape. Any idea on what might be encountered with the French government?

I'm not sure where I'll be living exactly, but will likely be somewhere between Lyon and Geneva (aka Geneve).

Maybe I should bring a different car that I could sell for a profit once arriving???

Thanks in advance,
Matt

Neilk · 07-19-2003, 10:19 PM

Matt, one thing you should consider is the price of gas which is about US $5 per gallon. So if you do bring it, make sure it is not your primary mode of transportation. That said, it would be a great car to drive in the Alps from late spring thru early fall.

My parents wanted to import a car to France and found lot's of info on the French Embassy site. For car information go here .

Where are will you working? Are you hiring?

mr.bch · 07-19-2003, 10:46 PM

Lucky you, moving to France. I just finished a week vaca over there with my wife. Perfect vacation. Got to polish up some of my forgotten conversational french.

I just bought my first 911. However, the 911 I ALMOST bought was off someone who IMPORTS 20 year or older cars and sells them for profit. It was an '83 Euro and I wanted it bad but the price on ebay got too high.
Perhaps you could mothball the 73 and work on finding, buying, driving and then shipping Euro cars back over here. ?? My personal opinion is any decent Euro spec 911 will always sell well in the states.

Yes, what line of work? Accepting resumes?

Zeke · 07-20-2003, 07:53 AM

My wife work at a shipping company (West coast, so not helpful here) and they put many cars in containers. It's the way to go if you have the money. And since your company is covering the cost, I would do it just to have the car neraby. Even if you only drive it twice a month, it is better for the car with you than letting it sit back here in the states. Just make sure you lash everything down well in the container. Do it yourself or supervise the loading of the container. You need to know how to tie a car down properly because the shipper might not know that particular car.

Neilk · 07-20-2003, 07:58 AM

If you do bring the car with you, sneak a couple of cases of oil in your shipping container. It runs about $5-6 a liter for dino.

Mr Beau · 07-21-2003, 08:57 AM

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I checked out the French website, and it gives some info, but not a lot. It appears if I'm moving there and have owned the car for 6 months, I can bring it tax free. However, they don't really state what type of cars are allowed and what aren't (though this shouldn't really be an issue for the 911). However, a lot of times safety things can get you (head lights, tail lights, etc). About the reference to this is:

2. Your vehicle is subject to registration at the local "préfecture" under a French domestic license plate and to conformity checks by the local "DRIRE" in the same conditions as those described under I above.

I'm not really sure the implications though...

It wouldn't be my primary mode of transport as I plan on buying something like that there. Suggestions??? :-) An Audi S3 might be interesting, but a diesel would be much more practical...

I was there a month ago in Annecy, and when it came time to drive back to Genevea, I picked the road with the most wiggles for the route. I wasn't disappointed. There was actually a classic car rally of some sort using the same road, but in the opposite direction. This was on June 20th.

I'll be working for an automotive supplier that is looking to make in-roads into the US market, which is why I would be back after 3 years.

Thanks again for the help.

Matt
'73 911E