435 Importer/Broker

[naterry]

Hello,

I'm aiming for a U1300 this fall for a camper build and wanted to get opinions on using an importer vs. flying over to Germany and doing it yourself. I spent most of last year working in Germany and actually still own a car over there so the buying, export plates, driving to the shipper part sounds like fun, but the added cost of the flight and missed work may make it a wash..

If anyone has experience here or can recommend a good importer I would greatly appreciate it! It seems possible that an importer may have a good relationship with Bach or whoever that results in good deals on the original purchase that then make it more beneficial to go through them.

I also remember reading something about doka's getting around the 25% import truck tax because of the added seating? -wishful thinking?

Cheers!

Nate

 

[Allroader]

Hello Nate,

Well we are in Sweden, but lived in germany for a while.
I will be back down in Germany in about 3 months, finishing some work befor we ship out to the USA.
Maybe I can help you out, since we are calling around to get our Truck shipped over.
Just send me an PM, we'll be more then happy to help you out.

Mike

 

[dzzz]

Have you looked in North America?

 

[naterry]

Hello Nate,

Well we are in Sweden, but lived in germany for a while.
I will be back down in Germany in about 3 months, finishing some work befor we ship out to the USA.
Maybe I can help you out, since we are calling around to get our Truck shipped over.
Just send me an PM, we'll be more then happy to help you out.

Mike

Cheers! I'll send a PM shortly-

Have you looked in North America?

Definitely, and still am. My searches have yielded many 406/416's but the U1300's seem harder to find stateside. That would certainly be the preferred route. It's hard to tell if the trucks advertised on the US websites are actually here, or just ones they have access to in Europe that they will import if purchased?.

 

[mhiscox]

Hello,

I'm aiming for a U1300 this fall for a camper build and wanted to get opinions on using an importer vs. flying over to Germany and doing it yourself. I spent most of last year working in Germany and actually still own a car over there so the buying, export plates, driving to the shipper part sounds like fun, but the added cost of the flight and missed work may make it a wash.

Well, it certainly sounds like you are better equipped than almost anyone to make a success of the importation. Still, the general wisdom is to exhaust all efforts to find an appropriate truck already in the country. The shipping is very expensive and arranging things with the shipper and getting through customs is non-trivial. If you have not already done so, "I Want to Buy a U1300" posts to the Mog Mailing List and the Unimog Exchange should get some responses. Also might be worth trying to set something up around Northwest MogFest (August 19-22) as I would expect a bunch of 1300s there, all of which you could ride in, some of which you could drive and one or more of which might be for sale or at least open to offers.

If anyone has experience here or can recommend a good importer I would greatly appreciate it!

I think everyone who has used Classic Unimogs swears by them; Ziggy and Lisa are great to work with and their trucks are top notch. HOWEVER, they rarely have Unimogs anymore . . and that's because they are having difficulty finding good German Mogs for restoration. Age and rust have done in many of them, and the ones left over are priced pretty dear. I think that the fact that Classic Unimogs can't find good Unimogs might suggest that it finding what you want might be difficult. On the other hand, I don't think there'd be a downside to contacting them and asking them if the have or think they could find something suitable for you.

I also remember reading something about doka's getting around the 25% import truck tax because of the added seating? -wishful thinking?

I'm pretty sure it's wishful thinking nowadays. The importation duty on a medium duty truck is 25% and it'd be hard to make a 1300 (crew cab or not) look like anything but a medium duty truck. I think the days of bolting a couple of seats into the back of a Suburu Brat to get around the tax are long gone. Somewhere, sometime, someone might have succeeded with this, but my own experience was that I had my hands full getting the lower duty on my camper (a recreational vehicle in every way). The US Customs assumption with a Mog seems to be the duty is 25% until you can prove beyond any doubt that it should be otherwise.

Finally, let me state the obvious that your 1300 will need to be 25 years old to import without huge hassles. There are newer 1300s in the country, and there are importers with special powers, but I don't believe any individual should try anything newer. (And neither do the importers, since every time an individual tries to put something over on Customs, it raises red flags making it more difficult for their next effort.)

 

[vikingswen]

Have you checked with Chris at Vermont Unimog?
I have talked to him in the past about buying a Steyr. He seems to know what he is doing and has a slick way to come through Canada to safe you lots of money on taxes.

http://www.vermont-unimog.com/

 

[vikingswen]

Hello Nate,

Well we are in Sweden, but lived in germany for a while.
I will be back down in Germany in about 3 months, finishing some work befor we ship out to the USA.
Maybe I can help you out, since we are calling around to get our Truck shipped over.
Just send me an PM, we'll be more then happy to help you out.

Mike

Octoberfest?:coffeedrink:

Hope to see you guys soon over here, Swen

 

[Maryland 110]

If you are still looking please shoot me an email through my website. If you are trying to import to the US and don't mind an East Coast entry point I'd be happy to handle it. I have quite a bit of experience importing trucks from all over Europe. I have imported in excess of 80 trucks.

 

[naterry]

Thank you for the great info. I've been digging and adding up the costs and concluded that it makes more sense to go through an importer if you are not already planning on spending time in Europe. The costs of travel & lodging while looking (plus a little contingency) are greater than the fee charged by importers. The time value of money comes into play for me as well. Missing work for the trip to purchase and ship, and then the time spent dealing with customs could be a net loss.

If you have not already done so, "I Want to Buy a U1300" posts to the Mog Mailing List and the Unimog Exchange should get some responses. Also might be worth trying to set something up around Northwest MogFest (August 19-22) as I would expect a bunch of 1300s there, all of which you could ride in, some of which you could drive and one or more of which might be for sale or at least open to offers.

I think everyone who has used Classic Unimogs swears by them; Ziggy and Lisa are great to work with and their trucks are top notch. HOWEVER, they rarely have Unimogs anymore . . and that's because they are having difficulty finding good German Mogs for restoration. Age and rust have done in many of them, and the ones left over are priced pretty dear. I think that the fact that Classic Unimogs can't find good Unimogs might suggest that it finding what you want might be difficult. On the other hand, I don't think there'd be a downside to contacting them and asking them if the have or think they could find something suitable for you.

Cheers and thanks for the tips & I wish I could go to mogfest. Hopefully next year I can attend with mog! Expedition Imports is local, sounds competent, and it looks like they will be bringing multiple vehicles in this year. I'm planning to buy one from them.

Have you checked with Chris at Vermont Unimog?
I have talked to him in the past about buying a Steyr. He seems to know what he is doing and has a slick way to come through Canada to safe you lots of money on taxes.

http://www.vermont-unimog.com/

Called and emailed with no reply.. Maybe they are on the Euro calender and this is their vacation season?

If you are still looking please shoot me an email through my website. If you are trying to import to the US and don't mind an East Coast entry point I'd be happy to handle it. I have quite a bit of experience importing trucks from all over Europe. I have imported in excess of 80 trucks.

Thank you and I'll call if my current plans fall through.

Best,

N8