Yahoo Autos Here's $25,000, import a used car from Europe
If you love cars like we do, there's almost certainly some forbidden automotive fruit that's always piqued your curiosity from across the pond. Perhaps it's from a brand not sold here. Maybe it's a specific model or body style. Could be an engine choice or manual transmission option we didn't get. Whatever the car or reason, you've always wanted one. Well, it's not completely out of the question.
Importing a car is definitely possible and not as expensive as we originally thought. After some research into shipping, tariffs, entry fees, importer paperwork, final destination in the United States, etc. we found that $5,000 was perfectly reasonable and possibly more than you'd need. That's not cheap, but when you consider you otherwise can't get the car at all and that used car prices in Europe sure seem cheaper than here, it's really not that bad. (The Autopian recently did a solid breakdown of it all.)
As such, I'm giving our editors $30,000 to import a car from Europe, with $5,000 automatically earmarked for shipping. Essentially, they can spend $25,000 fake American or, at current exchange rates, 23,596 fake Euros, 20,427 fake British pounds, 22,747 Swiss fake Francs, 274,027 fake Swedish Kroner, 577,372 fake Czech Koruny (that would've sounded more impressive) or ... you get the idea.
Why only Europe? Basically, we'll do Japan some other time. Maybe Australia? Seemed easier to keep it localized a bit.
The Rules:
Must be built more than 25 years ago, which is the minimal requirement for importing a car into the United States. So, basically 1998 or earlier.
It must actually be for sale somewhere in Europe, including Great Britain.
You don't need to spend everything
If you spend more than $25,000, your new car will be dumped overboard mid-sail
Citroen CX 2.5 GTi Turbo 2
Senior Editor James Riswick: If I were to import a car for real, it would probably be something like a Saab 9000 that you could technically buy here, but that you'd have an easier chance finding in better condition with manual transmission or more interesting color in Europe. For this exercise, though, that seems boring. And there's absolutely nothing about the Citroen CX that's boring. As Doug DeMuro so perfectly labels it in this thorough overview of the CX, it is "amazingly quirky and weird." From the design, which is so clearly a "modern" reinterpretation of the DS, to the most basic controls (the door handles are a trigger, the turn signals a little toggle button), it would provide endless opportunities to explain to friends, neighbors and strangers all the delightful indiosyncracies of my delightfully French car. There's also the hydropneumatic suspension. Besides providing a wafting ride, it was self-leveling and height-adjustable to four heights, from "slammed" to "Outback Wilderness." Admittedly, there's an awful lot I don't know about this car (including why values are so wildly different), which means it's difficult to know exactly which model year or trim level I'd want difficult. A newer version from the mid '80s onward seems like a good idea, though, and I have to imagine a trim level dubbed "GTi Turbo 2" with 166 hp is more up my alley than the "2.0 Pallas" with 106. I went with this one. Bonjour mon faux ami!
Rover P6 3500S
Senior Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: This is basically a British muscle sedan, powered by Rover's 3.5-liter aluminum V8 engine (derived from an original Buick design) and rear-wheel drive. It was quite technologically advanced when it hit the scene in the early 1960s, with unit construction and high-tech suspension designs front and rear. It was also an extremely comfortable cruiser that was surprisingly capable when the road gets twisty. The example I went with is in a lovely shade of red with a black leather interior and a manual transmission. It's the desirable 3500S edition, which sat at the top of the range for performance-minded buyers. It's kind of strange for most cars, but the trunk-mounted (sorry, boot-mounted) spare tire is both an oddity and a desirable feature for these cars. As an added bonus, its price of less than 14,000 euros means I have some money left over to make sure it's in tip-top shape.
