Importing Advice

[RoamIt]

Hello! I'm ready to take the first step in building an overland rig. The plan is a common one, do the build, travel the US working out the kinks in the rig (and myself!) then South America, overseas to Europe, etc.
My rationale is based on Mercedes being widely distributed/parts availability, etc., worldwide. While MB truck support in the states is not good, we do have a very well developed distribution system, and I'd rather be in the US while building/rebuilding it.
Building out a domestic truck (looked at LMTV's as well, very tempting, but parts overseas?) would be much easier in the US, but parts/service in the rest of the world would be difficult, and I would have the language/infrastructure challenge as well.
So, with that in mind, I'm looking to get MB Aetgo 4x4 as a base truck. Any recommendations based on actual experience importing a truck would be greatly appreciated.

 

[VerMonsterRV]

Well, the most important thing is the truck has to be at least 25 years old in order to import into the USA. So, from a quick search the Ategos are all too new. We imported a 1988 Mercedes 1120AF for exactly the same reasons you mentioned, and the fact that it is more than 25 years old. We found a used firetruck (which is a common starting point) as it was low mileage with the faster axles. We are visiting Spain right now and I see all these great Mercedes, MAN and Iveco trucks pass us by and wish they were readily available in the USA.

 

[RoamIt]

You caught my mistake/typo. I started out thinking I would build this after I retired, by that time the Ategos would hit 25yrs. They started building the Aetgo's in '98, so I'm still 16 months out at least.
But since looking at build threads, especially yours!, I decided I wanted to get started now. As I recall you were happy with your importer? Would mind sharing your import details/costs? Can send in PM if you prefer.

I have been thinking I would go with the self contained approach on the habitat, that way I could move it to a different chassis if needed. I've even thought about going domestic now then, shipping just the habitat overseas in a container, then mounting on a cab/chassis in Europe. Of course, I'm concerned I would put a ton of money into the truck that would be a waste in a couple years when I was ready for the 'rest of the world' travel and switched trucks.

I'll be doing a lot of the work myself as you did. Any insights would be appreciated.

 

[VerMonsterRV]

Importing the truck was simple with the broker I used, Allways International. They arranged both the shipping and importing. I arranged with the seller of the truck to deliver it to the shipping port as a condition of the sale. I bought the truck unseen, a bit of a risk but we got lucky and it worked out. It was a while back but the shipping was around $5k. Overlanding has been rising in popularity and suitable trucks are getting harder to find. Would I have preferred a more modern truck with a few more comforts, yup. But we really do like the truck we have ended up with and continue to modify it to make it our "perfect" truck (no truck is perfect for everyone). I'll say, one good thing about the LN2's trucks is that there are now a few of them in the USA and the engines share some parts with the Mogs (the 1017 does also), so some parts are even available in the USA. If you find a truck, feel free to PM me or send me an email at VerMonsterRV@outlook.com and I can take a look at the listing (though I am no expert).

You also have more options for box manufacturers than I did when we started, which should be a good thing.

 

[RoamIt]

Thanks so much for the info, I did find a company in Florida, Tera Exp, that brings them in. I have an inquiry in with them now. But it appears they won't just sell you the truck, but wants to do the build for you. But building it myself will save a ton of money and I'll be very familiar with all the systems if I build it. They may have some 'level' of build available, we'll see.
Till I get more info from them, I'll keep looking for the right truck.

Thanks again for your time.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Kinda leaching on this thread. Additional question, what about flying over to Germany and finding a truck in person. Then relying on the shipping agent? Will they let an American with a non-commercial license test drive a truck?

-Chris

 

[RoamIt]

Kinda leaching on this thread. Additional question, what about flying over to Germany and finding a truck in person. Then relying on the shipping agent? Will they let an American with a non-commercial license test drive a truck?

-Chris

I thought about flying over to look myself as well. What held me back was my experiences in shopping for cars here in the U.S. When I am looking for something in particular, it may take a while and lots of driving/flying from one place to another. I would be booking flights and hotels, renting cars, driving around not being familiar with the location or language. I didn't think that was practical (for me).

I did find that you can hire someone to go and take a look and inspect a vehicle for you. They provide an assessment of the truck for you, they would drive it. I started to go that way, but for all I know, they may or may not be an expert in the particular firetrucks I was interested in, maybe a little collusion going on with the seller?, who knows!

So I decided to just get as much info, pic's, vids, as I could. I figure I'm going to have to go through it anyway. Wouldn't be the first time I bought a vehicle without in-person inspection.

As it turns out, I'm probably going to get a truck through Terra-Exp. I'll be paying a premium price for it, but they ARE the experts in MB trucks, and they shop for and curate the best trucks for conversion to expedition trucks. Obviously they will pick the trucks in the very best of condition as they would not create more work for themselves by acquiring trucks that have any serious issues they will have to fix before they start doing any conversion work.

Just sharing my thought process, for what its worth....