Importing a car

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="06000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>  </B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" "><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> back to  <A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lancia Fulvia coupe page 2"><U><B>Lancia Fulvia coupe' page 2</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>By the way, see that list of cars on the left ? They are just there to look at , but not available for sale. I just leave them there as art.   Some cool stuff there !</B></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="1064" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 269 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2735e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="346"><div> Everyone with car fever should try to go fishing at the source. For me it's Italian cars, and I live in San Francisco. The chance to have a memory of finding a car in it's native land and bringing it back home is well worth taking. </div> <bR> <div> Here are some of the things I have learned:</div> <bR> <div> With the Euro at around 1.50 it's not good. Many people have told me that $1200 will get a car shipped.  To get to San Francisco, Genoa is the port of choice. To find a car, get it towed (They never run, who has insurance, the owner kept the plates, you found it in Florence, the brake pedal is </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2755e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 286 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2775e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="346"><div> spongy.......) have it stuffed in a container, (no container? look forward to lots of dents or having it stolen off the dock) paper fees to leave the country, shipping fee, Panama Canal fee (we gave it away & now pay for every through passage) Port of SF fees, hopefully no demurrage, Customs fees brokerage & bonds, Union drayage & unloading as you can't unload the container at the port, and usually another tow bill as the car never ran right when you shipped it 3 or 4 months ago....    This runs around $4000 a car, If you got a 40 foot container with 2 cars. A 20 ft for one car runs around $6000. </div> <bR> <div> Hmmmm.....</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="2795e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 286 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="27b5e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="346"><div> I've tried several different ways around this, (Bremmerhavn to NJ, trucking to west coast, Ship to Texas, train to west coast, ship from Livorno to San Diego, trailer it to SF..) and the bottom line is $3600 to $4200 a car if you are your own broker and cut as many corners as you can. (Then you have to fix it. I find the Italians are great at paint and interior work, but all the old cars have leaks or klunks or frozen or dead or broken components. Get the checkbook out again.) That's why I do not know if I will be getting any more cars from Italy.  If I have one in stock you like, you might consider it now....</div> <bR> <div> Cheers! (& take the trip anyway...)</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="27d5e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>