Hi there all the way from blighty!

Anyway, i hope to import a C3 'Vette, preferably pre 73 (UK Tax laws mean i
dont need to pay Road Tax). Hopefully i'll have finances and space availble
in 12-18 months.

Ive got some shipping quotes which are bordering on expensive, but not
unreasonable.

I've broken down my import costs below:

1. SHIPPING, WHARF CHARGES - £1100 ($1900USD)
2. IMPORT DUTY - Import Duty on US Deal Price price only (10%)
3. VAT - 17.5%
4. MOT - £35 ($31)
5. REGISTRATION - £25 registration, £50 + VAT to compliers for their fee,
£18 + VAT for number plates ($175
6. ROAD TAX - £160 ($280)

I also hope to have around $7000(USD) available for the actual purchase of
the car.

Will i be able to find a reasonable car for the money? originality is not a
problem, but completeness is. Im not new at restoring cars but this will be
my first American. I ant it to be a daily driver, again, good idea / bad
idea?

more questions to follow, but i need to eb sure ive got ym budget sorted.
Looking on ebay would suggest that there are cars avilable for the money,
but i wouldnt know a basket case from a good buy.

Thanks in advance

as an afterthought.. the car im currently looking at is:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=24477496 23

replying to my own post twice is a little sad.. but having spoken to the
seller, i am no longer willing to buy that car.

Unless you're ready to add a few more thousand to the repair and updating a
C3 I doubt that you will find a serviceable Shark for $7,000 or even
$10,000. It might detract from what you want but for the price of fuel in
the UK you might want to get one with an updated engine, fuel injected.

Good luck,
--
Dad
98 C5 Black/Black/Auto
72 Shark Black/Black/4spd

Thanks for your reply; i understand your concern with regards to fuel, yes
$1.30 per liter is a little overwhelming! although it is intended to be a
daily driver, my mileage is not that great (~150-200 miles per month).
Aftermarket fuel injection would be more my style anyway.

Having read several horror stories from eBay buyers, ive decided against it.
Looking at dealer cars it would appear that around $14k is more reasonable
for a workable 'Vette.

Looks like i may have underestimated my expenditure a little here.

I would expect this type of car to produce around 10mpg? is that correct?

Anyway, more reading required i think.

Thanks

The mileage can vary greatly. I was with a group once on the return from
Bloomington. The cars ran back at 55 mph consistently due to one having a
problem and not being able to run faster. A few of them checked mileage and
they got this:

1968 - 427 - 4sp - 3.55 rear - 15 mpg
1972 - 350 - auto - 3.08 rear - 14 mpg
1977 - 350 - auto - 3.08 rear - 12 mpg
1969 - 427 - 4 sp - 3.08 rear - 19 mpg

A friend has an '82 with the cross fire fuel injection and 4 sp overdrive
automatic and says he gets around 20 mpg.

While it is hard to shop around from overseas, I think you could find a '75
to '82 in good condition in the $10,000 range. The '68 to '72 have climbed
again recently and good condition will run you into the $18,000 average
range. Most are actually priced in the low $20s, but some nice ones appear
(NOM) around $15,000 occasionally.

Another factor is gasoline octane ratings. From 1968 to 1970, you needed
premium gas with about 93 octane (R+M) or about 95 Research Octane. In '71,
the compression dropped from 10:1 and 11:1 to 8.5:1 and 9:1 so you can run
on 87 octane (R+M) supposedly, but most end up using 89 octane.

The availability of Chevrolet parts will be much less and the price much
more expensive there than here. As such, I'd suggest you line up cars you
are considering, take a holiday to the states and see several, and then send
it back. You might also check on tax allowances for use over here as that
happens for Americans who buy a European car, use it there as
transportation, and then ship it home.

eBay is a good venue but you have a few things to watch for:

1. foggy, fuzzy, and distance pictures - if they won't send close up clear
pictures to show details of areas you want, consider that area to have
problems.

2. eBay auction writers are like kids in school - they know how to use
"snow". The descriptions often have a lot of volume and little content.

3. it is always best to have real eyes see it. If you find something
interesting, ask someone to look at it for you.

4. unreal bargains are often not. If you see a $20,000 car with a $14,999
"Buy It Now", it is a scam. eBay requires credit card verification on bids
over $15,000 and so the scam artists know they can get someone to send
$14,999 without the safety nets of credit cards.

5. finally, always bid on eBay like it is the worse case scenario, as it
often is. People frequently use "excellent" when it is really "good" or
"average". Buy assuming what repairs you really have. Paint is a biggie,
often ads say "paint fair" or "could use paint to be a show car" or "paint
is good enough for a driver". This usually means paint has faded, lots of
chips, bad overall, and needs a new paint job, which can run $4000 average
here.

I'm not recommending them but go to Proteam.com and take a look around and
the prices that they have. In general they have good cars, some great cars
with great prices (for them that is). I'm close enough to go take a look if
you find something that you're interested in. Also I have a friend that has
a very nice 75 that he is contemplating selling, an exceptional car that
I've toured with. Deep metallic blue and ready to run for a long time. If
your interested I think I can dig out a picture and send it to you.

--
Dad
98 C5 Black/Black/Auto
72 Shark Black/Black/4spd

Thanks, but im not ready to buy right this minute and don't want to waste
anyones time.

'71,


Pump gas here runs at 94-98 Octane so i wouldnt envisage that to be a
problem. My current car requires 101 (98 octane plus booster) so something
that needs 94 would be a godsend!

I will be on the West Coast in June-July for 3 weeks so should be able to
have a good look around.

Thanks.

Any particular reason why you want to import rather than looking
at someone like Claremont Corvette?

And won't you have to spend money on converting the
lights, ie making the indicators amber, adding reversing lights
and rear foglights etc etc.