exporting/importing, getting a 914 to the UK Options

[boomy]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool_shades.gif) hi...just registered...been searching for a 914 for a while in the UK and everything that comes up for sale is overpriced or in cr$p condition....

...does anyone have any experience or info on 'shipping' cars to the UK ??

I would be grateful for costs etc....

Any help appreciated...

Yours truly, 914 virgin...

[lapuwali]

There are firms in the UK that specialise in private imports, esp. from the US. Check out some of the classic magazines. You might also ask around at a show. Someone who has a bit of American Iron almost certainly knows of these places, and can render an opinion.

Mind, it will be LHD, and a conversion will be fairly expensive unless you find a UK parts car and do it yourself. Living in the US with a RHD car, I can tell you that it's not a problem unless you regularly drive through toll booths, or frequent automated car parks w/o a passenger. The other danger is that rust is hard to examine long distance, and that's the primary concern with a 914. There's no equivalent of an MOT over here, and there are a great many cars on the road that would fail the structural inspection that people sell as "little to no rust", because they don't understand that a small patch of rust under the battery is deadly. I'm sure you can find people here who will inspect a prospect for you.

Buy absolutely the cleanest bodied car you can find, as you will need to keep it pristine to avoid rot unless you only drive on nice days in the summer. Salted roads are a quick death for this car, which is why all of the examples there are either crap or very expensive.