Has anyone had any experience in buying a non-running car and shipping it overseas. I am looking at buying a car in Melbourne AUS and shipping it here to the USA. Any advice or sources would really help.
I have shipped to overseas buyers. They always had a shipper lined up. It can take a few months to get your car. Sent from my SM-G973U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Hi Ron, I've bought seven cars from hamb, every one a non runner. Most shipping companies will organise transport to their facility at a cost. Once it's at their facility it's loaded into a container and shipped to your nearest port. They can then organise transport to you or you can organise transport or collect yourself. I should say my experience has all been USA to UK and I've only had one problem. Hope that helps Bob in Scotland
Most of the shippers here do cars from USA to Australia not Australia to USA. Maybe the guy you are buying from can help by talking to a few local shippers to see if they will do it. I used one in Brisbane to ship the Hudson to USA and return to Australia when I did the big roadtrip across USA in 2018. The Agent they use in Long Beach/Oakland was great also. Attached picture of ad in Aussie magazine and they have a Los Angeles contact on there.
@hudson48 That is perfect info. The car is in Melbourne and was pulled out of a barn. It has not run in 40 years so it would have to be pushed around in the shipping terminal and into a cargo container. The owner of the car is willing to trailer it to the terminal for me I am just worried that the staff at the shipping company will not be willing to push the car around and into a container. I will for sure give them a call. Anyone else with info or contacts would be really appricated.
I think you pay by the container, so stuff that thing full of whatever else (legal) you want from Down Under. Just make sure it's secured inside the container so that when the ship hits a storm, it doesn't damage the car.
Ron contact John Leggit at EDI in Brisbane. He will most likely be able to get this sorted for you. I've used him for years and he is a stand up guy. https://www.edicustoms.com.au/
A friend bought his roller 47 Olds convertible and the shipper arranged transport to terminal for loading. A reliable customer broker is essential for filling out all the necessary import documentation, hopefully the shipper can assist.
It has been 30 years since I've picked up a car at the docks, my guess is they use a fork lift to move cars, not workers to push them, ask to see how things are moved. Bob
Cheater imports (Melbourne) and Cheater exports (Indianapolis) is a family run business at either end. Kevin in Indianapolis is a Hot Rodder of many years. No personal experience but friends in Atlanta have had good results. Phill
This is how it’s done. I have a customer who sells damaged and non running cars to South America and the Caribbean. He uses a forklift to move the cars around and builds a wood platform to double stack the cars in the containers everything is secured and strapped down so nothing moves or gets damaged. ya need a keen forklift operator so as not to damage anything.
I'd consider adding two 2x6's under the frame and whatever is needed to protect things from being crushed by the forks. Thinking about Model A Fords, frame and running board distances. Bob
Thank you all for all the great info and PM's sent on this. Unfortunately, the deal fell through as the seller was not willing to help in any way when it came down to getting serious. The hunt is still on for the off-topic car.
a few years ago,,, Three vehicles, 40 foot container high top, my Ute in the back and raiesed to the roof, under it a non roller 37 Willys Ute, in the front a restored 38 Chevy Ute. Thanks to a friend, that I paid, to sort and load the vehicles. Once in Long Beach, offloaded and three owners each with a trailer and we were on our way. Sydney to Long Beach.
I recently (last year) imported a non running car from AU. I shipped as roll on/roll off, not in a container. A little cheaper but also more exposure. Also being non running was a bit more charge. You definitely need a shipper on both ends to help with the paperwork. In my case shipper in AU picked up car with flatbed and hauled to shippers facility where it was prepped and ultimately loaded on the ship. I could choose what port on east coast I wanted, I chose Savannah. Then the receiving shipper here picked up the car and brought to their warehouse. This is where I picked up the car with my trailer. There's a lot of various paperwork and documents, several different fees in addition to the pure boat shipping, and patience to deal with all the bureaucracy. Ballpark cost is $4-6K for a vehicle shipping, depending on locations and shipping method. Cost can change, probably higher. Even though you said deal fell through, I posted here to provide more info for others in future. Sent from my SM-A102U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I sold a shortened 1949 Ford chassis with flathead and a 1950's fiberglass body on eBay to a fellow in Italy. At first I was a bit worried, but it turned out to be one of the easiest deals ever. The guy had bought and shipped cars before and arranged everything. The rollback arrived 10 minutes early and off it went. People buy cars internationally every day, I was very happy with the deal. Bob
the car I just import from the USA was rendered undriveable whilst in the US, in order to satisfy Australian Importation requirements, so carriers are familiar with non-op cars
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