The search is over - VIN 4494 is now MINE!

[Guinney1971]

stunned_monkey Wrote:It's actually very easy. i think pretty much everyone uses the services of TransGlobal http://www.tgal.us . Although based in Dallas, it's run by an Englishman called Tony Lester. Personally I get them to arrange everything up to and including UK port fee and customs clearance. Then you just turn up at the docks with ID, a wodge of cash (tax bill and port fees) and a trailer.

^^^^

what Martin said.

TGAL were great with my car (back in 2002), and sorted out picking it up as a non runner from San Diego and
transporting it to Long Beach CA for shipping to the UK (via the Panama Canal).

All I had to do was then, as Martin says, pay the dues, and turn up at port (Tilbury in my case), with a trailer,
show ID to various security bods, load up and take the car home.

Simples!

[Thrust Washer]

Hi,

this is my shillings worth....all aside no matter what way you look at it its a risk buying from the states.
The worrying time is when the money is sent and you have no car to show for it.
The shipping companys will take care of the collection normally. Personally if I was to purchase again I would 'definately' jump on a plane
buy the car if suitable and drive to the nearest transport company. Stress over with you know the car is on its way home.
Keep in mind you'll also save yourself a few hundred dollars collecting the car....instead put it towards the air fare.

Its really all down to the seller ....some Ive dealt with whilst buying in the states have been strange to say the least....for example ''sorry I cant do wire transfer , cashiers check please' . sent the cashiers check and sold the car from under me when he had the check lodged & waiting to clear. Some sleepless nights had with worry I have to say. A friend did a 3 hour round trip for me & collected the bank draft.

The shipping companys will give you a time scale of 4-6 weeks west coast, 2 weeks east coast. you should add at least another 2 weeks to this to include pick up. They normally arrange collection with the seller no need for you to get involved.Yes all this time waiting is a worying / anxious time.

best advice lots of pictures then jump on that plane :wink:

Be careful...hope it all works out for you.

Dave

[marwood82]

yeah, i think flux3ds blog summed it up with the bit about handing over a large sum of money to someone you've never met for a car you've never seen.

im still hopeful of a uk/eu one but keeping my options open.

[Chris Williams]

True, there is a risk, and if you can do it then yes jump on a plane and go and do the purchase yourself. I have had 'issues' as well dealing with sellers from the US when trying to buy a car. Even when a deal's done so to speak if some one comes along and waves cash under the nose then sellers are very tempted to sell rather than wait from someone the other side of the pond to sort out getting cash to them.
BUT lots and lots of cars have been purchased very sucesssfully sight un-seen and some very good cars (and not so good) have been shipped over. At the end of the day it's a 30 yr old car so you take your chances and all that.

Chris

[SteveyP]

Hi,

Look if you've spent $20K plus on one, then flying over to take a gander (and ultimately pay) for what you have won is the right thing to do of course. However if, like me, you won one that is worth a lot less than this. Then suddenly the financials of flights, hotels, transfers etc don't really stack up.
From my experiences, there are things you can do to mitigate the risk (advisory here though is I honestly don't believe you will ever be able to fully 100% eliminate all risks though).
The most important thing to do is open up a dialogue with the seller. Get him to call you (or vice versa) and have a long chat with him about the car (if he is honest he won't mind at all). If you are lucky (as I was) then the chap will have Skype and he'll be able to talk you through the motor whilst you're viewing it on your own PC. Basically be a pain in harris, ask loads of questions, anything that springs to mind really. By the time I had finished with the chap selling mine, I was 90% happy that A, there was a car in the first place, and B it was exactly as described.
If you have any qualms about the money transfer, then open up an escrow account. It does cost about $120.00 to do, but it has to be worth the peace of mind if you are unsure about the transaction. (I believe with an escrow account that the money will not clear until the shippers have arrived to collect the vehicle. When the shippers are 100% happy they instruct the holder to release the funds into the seller's account)
I gotta be honest though. There were several faults with my car that through a lack of knowledge of the marque by the seller (and ultimately from myself too) that have caught me out a little - translates into a minimum of £1K extra expense that I knew nothing of. But hey ho, I think you have to live with this if you are buying blind (a prime example of the potential dangers of buying like this I think).

Steve

[Rich Hanlon]

I bought mine pretty well blind - photos, emails, one or two conversations, and some minor confuision over the Title (details of which I forget). It all went well in the end, but I took risks which I shouldn't have basically because I was excited! As I say, it all came good, but I wouldn't be so brave if I were to ever import another car.

To bring this back to the original topic, it looks a very nice car, no doubt you'll be very pleased with it.

[Guinney1971]

I bought mine on the strength of Ebay description and photos, but then my car was only
£2,860 GBP, so it's not as if I had a *fortune* to lose in the first place.

If I was buying a more expensive car, I'd deffo want to go into it deeper, but tbh, the guy
who I got my car off (who I'm still friends with and chat to now, 11yrs on), gave a lengthy
description of the car, 'warts and all', and put up loads of pics, so I was under no illusions
that I was buying a non running shed with a wrecked interior 8)

[flux3d]

just to give my two cents worth here having just taken the risk and imported a car. Would I do it again, sure. Would I do it better? Yeah, I'd certainly know quite a few more questions I'd ask. In saying that most of the stuff I've had to fix all came as a surprise. As soon as the car got into the UK the master brake cylinder failed, an expense I'd not even thought of. Then there are the things I'd have probably found out if I'd actually driven the car, such as how bad the gears were. I thought it was just me but Chris N at PJ Grady couldn't get it into his lock-up when I took it down for some work. he was amazed I'd driven it all the way from the Midlands.

At the end of the day IF I was doing everything just with my head I should have stuck to my original plan of researching for a few months and purchasing in the summer. Maybe even flown over to the states to view a car or two. As it was I saw a car online which looked in great condition. I contacted the seller, got a good feeling and went for it. Yes, I maybe over paid by a bit, but at the end of the day I got a great car which I already love. The seller was a genuine person, and after contacting him about some of the problems that have turned up he's even refunded $500, which he didn't have to do. Sometimes you just have to listen to your gut.

I've probably spent a good £1500 extra on the car, but most of that went on stuff which wasn't crucial. Stuff like new Spax shocks, lower springs, new carpets and a far better sound system all round. As i'm finding out having a DeLorean is like having a coke habit, but probably more expensive! fitting really, lol

[jwrayth]

Gotta say I'm glad flux3d made the plunge when he did...as I've been bothering him throughout my import process to ask how he handled things! Certainly owe you a pint in the future!

[flux3d]

Cheers James, might just take you up on that offer soon, that is when the cars finished and the suns out at long last. Typical of me (especially if you know what I'm like) I tend to be inpatient and jump into things feet first. That's why in three months I've ended up:

Fixed the handbrake.
Fitting new headlights and fog lights
Fitted new MC
Cleaned the whole frame of the car to remove the "black gunk" coating.
Coated most of the frame in POR-15.
Had the springs and shocks changed.
Changed the door struts (although that may not have been needed)
Changed the tie rod ends
Had the gears sorted (now goes into reverse, first and second without a problem)
Taken out (carefully) all the interior trim.
Pulled out the carpets.

I'm now in the process of:

Re-dying all interior trim
repairing the binnacle
changing all binnacle, AC panel and door bulbs to LED's
Replacing ALL speakers with new ones
Replacing the head-unit with a modern unit
fitting a sub and amp to rear cubby box
Re-dying the seats
replacing all hoses.
cleaning out the valley of death.
AND putting it all back together again.....oh and maybe even driving it!

[Guinney1971]

when you're changing the dash bulbs to LED's remember that the battery
light has to be a normal bulb, you cant change those to LED's.