A friend of mine in Ravenna Italy wants to buy an old, ugly american car and import it to Italy. It must be older than 1975 to import without paying a lot of taxes, especially for poluttion. I know very little about cars. Could you folks please give me some suggestions for him?
Thanks!
Chad
Suggestions on cars, or how to ship? If for cars, pre-'72 would be better, fewer pollution controls, and they look better without the big bumpers which started in '73. He should be able to find a 4-door sedan for not too much $$. What’s the budget?
He’s on his own doing that. Old US cars, properly restored are often used in Europe to get marrried in. In Holland, the Dutch Cabinet used to have full size Chevies. My niece was married in a rental Ford galaxy. On my last trip to Paris, a couple was married in a Vintage Mustang!
Italy has mostly Italian cars and Italian mechanics are stimied by these US monsters. The last US car I saw in Italy was Plymouth converitle being driven by Marcello Mastroianni in the movie “LaDolce Vita”. The narrow, twisty roads, and small parking spots make US Cars totally impractical in Italy. There might be some retired Mafia Dons who have taken their Caddies back to Sicily, but they have the ways and means of servicing them.
Importing spares for old US cars into Italy might be problematic as well.
The 1972-73 Chevy Impala was big & spacious with not much going for it looks wise. (IMO)
I agree with the maintenance problem. It would be easier just to import an old, ugly American.
First, he should check with the Italian equivalent of DOT, EPA and Customs to fully understand all of the rules and regulations of vehicle importation and compliance. Second, find a reliable Italian freight forwarder and customs clearance agent who has experience with importing vehicles into Italy. I did this with German cars to the US in the 1980’s – if you do it right, it’s a lot of work. If you do it wrong…well, don’t get me started.
Twotone