Buying a used Saab in Europe and import into the USA

[nordwulf]

Has anyone done this before or at least considered it? I often look on European marketplace sites and, especially in Sweden, used Saabs seem very affordable and there is a very large selection. Especially wagons with manual transmissions and configurations like cloth seats they never offered in the US.

I bought a new Saab in Sweden once through the EDP and transport/insurance/import was all arranged by Saab USA. It would be very cool to buy a used Saab in Europe, drive around the continent for a few weeks and ship to the US afterwards. Shipping is probably about $1000 - $1500 port-to-port.

Would you need temporary export license plates? Is insurance going to be expensive? Any import duties and/or taxes (besides sales tax) to be paid in the US? Any modifications that need to be made to get it imported in the US?

It may not be a lot of cost savings but it would be an awesome experience and you can save on money spent on a rental car.

Doable or not worth the hassle?

Examples:
2005 Saab 9-5 Aero - 120K miles - $7000
2005 Saab 9-5 Aero - 68K miles - $13,500
2007 Saab 9-5 BioPower - 50K miles - $12,500

[rpiereck]

The car will have to be 25 years old or older.

Jalopnik had a good article on legally importing a foreign car into the US a few months back: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...btlZLWNS1zijyw

Shipping shouldn't be that expensive, no more than $2500 delivered inland. In Germany you can get shipping plates that start with QQ- and are legal just for a few days, basically so you can get your car to the port. Here in Germany classic SAABs aren't that cheap. I am sure in Sweden they're more affordable.

I think the hardest part would be dealing with local DMV's misunderstanding of federal importation laws, but as Jalonik showed there are ways around it.

No modifications needed to bring a car over 25 years old, but supposedly the car will need to pass the emissions test of its manufacture year depending on the locality where you register it. From what I hear the Army here in Germany they will not ship any car to the US if it does NOT have US DOT approved tires, so no Euro-only tires. That is all part of the pre-shipment inspection. Also, no leaks, no major damage, car must be in running condition and be able to move under its own power.