We’re thinking of moving away - way away - Norway away - and would like to bring our Scion xB with us. It’s a 2005, and it meets their road requirements without modification - but that model was never sold there, so it might be the only one in the whole country! We love the car, but our big worry is, if it broke, would anyone ever be able to fix it there? I know it’s made by Toyota, but I don’t know how many parts it shares in common with other models. Would that be crazy or, as Homer Simpson would say, “stupid like a fox!”?
Are talking from the USA to Norway? If so sell it here and buy a car there. Take the cost of shipping and put into buying a car there. You will be way ahead.
To make the best decision for you, will have to do the homework. My guess is that it will depend on how long you plan to stay. If it is going to be a long time leaving the car behind may be best. In addition to shipping costs there will be an import duty. Repairs may be very expensive and you may not find a buyer if it becomes a problem or you find you don’t really need a car.
Yeah, that’s pretty much where we’ve ended up. The shipping ain’t expensive - the duties are, but you pay them buying a car there, too. The real issue is the repairs… Sad. Oh well, I guess we get to get some kind of funky Euromobile.
I am going to partially disagree with the prevailing wisdom here.
No, I am not advocating that you pay to transport a 7 year old vehicle to another continent.
However, some people are employed by companies that will provide free or subsidized auto transport for their employees who relocate to another continent. So–it is possible that the cost might not be prohibitive, depending on your employment status.
That being said, I doubt that your vehicle would be the only one of this type in Norway, although it might be the only one bearing the Scion name. While the Scion name is apparently unique to the US, Toyota markets the same vehicle on other continents under other names.
In Europe, this same vehicle is marketed as the Daihatsu Materia (Toyota owns all or part of the Daihatsu company). So, except for the nameplate, it is very likely that the same vehicle is known in Norway.
Anyone who thinks that Toyota has designed and geared up to manufacture this vehicle for sale in only one country is not considering the worldwide marketing skill of that company and their tendency to sell the exact same model worldwide, albeit under different names, and with the occasional slight difference in trim.
