Do I Have a chance???

[six-tee-nine]

I'll explain my question....

Somewhere next summer i'm hoping to be ready to buy a Charger.

But it's quicker said than done over here in Europe, so other Mopar collectors over here advised me to buy one in the US.
I was planning a trip to the states so I have my holiday also... .

But here my actual fear.....

People here told me I should just buy a plain ticket and fly over then when you arrive rent a car an stop at the first gas station you find, and buy the local car advertising mag's.
Then start looking and calling......
Ok I think, but when I fly home 3 weeks later, I hope to have bought me a Charger and prepaired it for shipping to Europe....

And afterall, who could know better than you guys here on the board.
So, could it be done without a mass of luck needed or do I have a fair chance or are there any other ways....


BTW i'm thinking of visiting the Californian area and i'm looking for a car wich needs still some work to be done in the range of 12K.


Thanks in Advance

[bull]

Is part of that $12k to be used for covering the cost of shipping because shipping is going to be pretty expensive. The problem with the theory of renting a car and buying a for sale catalogue is that you're not all that likely to find a Charger for sale in the first neighborhood you walk into. Perhaps if you fly into LA you'll find some but many of those catalogues are divided into regions so in LA alone there could be several different regional catalogues to search. If you have good, steady internet access I would try looking into some of the online newspaper ads in the larger California cities right now so when you get closer to coming over here you'll know exactly how and where to look. You're on the right track. California is probably the best place to look for a Charger in the entire country. Lots of people and a good, car-friendly climate.

[six-tee-nine]

Nope The 12K is for the car only...

[68mopar383ci]

Is that 12k pounds sterling or US dollars???

[six-tee-nine]

Us dollars of course BTW i'm from Belgium....

[CB]

12K is a fair amount to buy a project Charger. You wanted a '68 right?
Shipping from the west coast is not difficult. I shiped a few cars from California. I can forward you to a company in Gardena,CA, very nice people and good rates. I paid $875 + S/H for my last car, it came in a container.
I shipped 8 cars so I start to know my way around...
TIP:
* best to start posting 'wanted' ads on the different Mopar boards
*try to find people in the area to go look for you or keep you posted

Problem is when you have 'only' 3 weeks to search you gotta do A LOT of homework (finding the right pre-shipper to the docks, getting cash overthere, arrange your stay, etc.) and travel A LOT of miles to check the Chargers out/ purchase one.

Good luck and if needed anything, just ask

[six-tee-nine]

Hey Christian,



I think You and I should get together and do some talking.....perhaps i'll get wiser than....

[Blown70]

I would try to see or get some appointment in advance to look at them.  3 weeks is a short time to find a good car. 

I would start now looking.  And emailing. 

BTW, 12,000 will get you a really nice car IMO. To start with.

Tom

[skip68]

I'm in N. california (Sacramento area), If you find one here I would be glad to check it out for you and take some pictures.

[CB]

see? you get the bal rollin' buddy.

PM me when you are free,'kay?

[Brock Samson]

 Hey There! 

12K and 3 weeks is a small window of Op.
REASEARCH, REASEARCH, REASEARCH!!!
use the internet and im sure many of us California members would be happy to help...
what would you ideally like a show car?.. a hot rod?... a stock cherry 318?..
year and colors?..     I'll  help look for ya wanta.. ok?.
  Strato...

[2fast4u]

  12k should get you a decent driver....My cousin recently sold a 69 rolling chassis (no eng. or trans.) for 3k here in Kansas.  It had some rust but was something to work with.  It was originally a 318/Auto charger.

   Good luck.   BTW....if there is anything I can do here in Kansas (in the middle of the states)....just let me know....I'll do what I can.


2fast

[GTX]

I can get you a very nice white '69 R/T clone with a 383 in it right now for about 12-13k in Utah. Everything is pretty much new and fresh in it.


If you are REALLY serious I can send you more pics and info.

[Silver R/T]

good luck finding one, but I doubt youll find one in local wheel deals magazine. I would look at buying one from here or ebay, after carefully inspecting it of course

[six-tee-nine]

Hey evereyone,

Thanks for the many replys.

@ GTX, thanks for the effort, i think it's a real nice offer, especially because ik like the white with black top combo so much.

But at this point i'm only trying to find some answers to the many questions i have as a foreignour about finding an buying a car as good as possible for the money i'm willing to spend.

Most questions i still have are about transport from previous owner to the nearest harbour and then the shipping part across the ocean to Europe.

Most of us Europeans aren't that familiar with shipping cars because i live in a country just as big as the New York area.....
On the otherhand you Americans live in large country and are used of shipping/transporting things trough the country, but i've never even sat in an airplaine in my life!

See what i mean.......flying over, looking at a car and buying it is one, but getting it across the atlantic in a container and manage things so you 'll ever see it again is another.


olny good part is, i want one too much to stop dreaming so one day i'll just gather my currage and get on a plane and fly over to you guys....


Greetz

[rich4406bbl]

If you are not too set on going to California or the dates aren't that important then you might want to think about going to the  Chryslers @ Carlisle show in Pennsylvania in July or the Mopar Nationals in Ohio in August. Those are recognized as 2 of the best Mopar shows in the country. Seems to me it would make more sense to go to where the Chargers will be instead of going to one state in hopes of finding one.  Might be easier to pay for it also since MBNA bank has on site financing. Plus it may be easier to get a car brought over to New York/ New Jersey for shipping to Belgium than going from California. Good luck and happy hunting!!!

[Doc74]

Hey evereyone,

Thanks for the many replys.

@ GTX, thanks for the effort, i think it's a real nice offer, especially because ik like the white with black top combo so much.

But at this point i'm only trying to find some answers to the many questions i have as a foreignour about finding an buying a car as good as possible for the money i'm willing to spend.

Most questions i still have are about transport from previous owner to the nearest harbour and then the shipping part across the ocean to Europe.

Most of us Europeans aren't that familiar with shipping cars because i live in a country just as big as the New York area.....
On the otherhand you Americans live in large country and are used of shipping/transporting things trough the country, but i've never even sat in an airplaine in my life!

See what i mean.......flying over, looking at a car and buying it is one, but getting it across the atlantic in a container and manage things so you 'll ever see it again is another.


olny good part is, i want one too much to stop dreaming so one day i'll just gather my currage and get on a plane and fly over to you guys....


Greetz

Flying to the states to buy a car is fine, you'll have a holiday while you're at it but do remember you might go home without one OR even worse, with the wrong one, just because you wanted to get one while being there.
3 weeks is slim but I won't tell you to go look for them now, chances that the car is actually still there when you arrive are next to nothing.
If you're going to CA, talk to CB, use the company he used.
Wherever you go, the closer you are to a port the better, inland shipping actually costs more per mile than ocean freight so you don't want to buy one in Montana ! 
Another very good place to check imo is southern Texas, there's Houston members here on the board and they got a nice big port where you can choose to ship the car in a container or roll on roll off, that's cheaper but the cars are parked next to eachother below deck.A good enough storm and well....
An for roro it needs to run, in fact for both methods it better start, run and brake, no matter how badly because if not then again you'll be paying more for it.
Let's see if I still remember this.Ocean freight itself is around $900.
Inland shipping is way over a grand coast to coast so let's say you find one in CA or TX, drive it to port or have it shipped in a few hours, that's a few hundred to add.Yes even when you drive it yourself, gas is expensive everywhere these days 
Taxes, being Belgian you know that's where you're gonna get screwed 
You will have to pay taxes on ocean freight, loading and unloading and paperwork and on the amount on the bill of sale.
So lets say you buy one for $12k and you have to pay around $1000 shipping it here, (no seperate taxes on inland shipping) so that's $13k.
Now the good news, if the car's older than 30 years, which it is, you don't have to pay the 21%, only 6% to get it registered here.
so that's 13 + 780 is 13780 bucks.
For loading and unloading and clearing it I'd keep another 500 aside for it. CB knows the prices better than me but if it was me, I'd count on $2k to get it here.
If you have a lower amount on the bill of sale fine, customs have to accept it but keep it reasonable, they will not let you enter a shiny car for 5 grand, they ain't that stupid.If they even suspect you're trying to get something into the country without being taxed for it, all hell will break loose and you can forget seeing that car again for a while.Same with parts, you can have brand new parts in the trunbk but better take the purdy wrapping and price sticker off or again you'll be addressed for tax evasion .
In my opinion,finding a car online and with the help of the many goodhearted people here, you'll have your charger, a good one.
You can always take a holiday later and go thank the man and buy him a beer without the stress of having to find a car within a short period of time.
Some guys have been looking for the right one for a very long time, sure there's chargers out there but half of them you just don't want.

[six-tee-nine]

About the taxes and shipping costs I actually am counting on 2K (my goal is buying one and getting it over here for â,¬ 12.000).


But i dont get your point on buying one.....

If i find one on the interent for example, or from a member here should i fly over or not?
If i make an appointement with a guy and i rush my ass on a plase, i can get there little over 20 hours later..... so it isn't that it will take several weeks to get there....

[Doc74]

About the taxes and shipping costs I actually am counting on 2K (my goal is buying one and getting it over here for â,¬ 12.000).


But i dont get your point on buying one.....

If i find one on the interent for example, or from a member here should i fly over or not?
If i make an appointement with a guy and i rush my ass on a plase, i can get there little over 20 hours later..... so it isn't that it will take several weeks to get there....

No need, i bought the 320th car I've found, give or take, they are sometimes sold before they make the ads i the paper.20 hours is a lifetime in moparland, no joke, if it's a good buy it won't last long.
Should you fly over if you find one and he's keeping it for you? I'd say sure, best of both worlds but you don't have to.No regular member here will sell you a lie.There's some pretty weird folk around here but no backstabbers like that 
What I meant to say was that instead of flying over and hoping to find one, I'd look for one from your lazy chair, people here will help you, go check out the car for you and let you know, I don't think anyone could ask for more !
If you have money to throw away then there's no risk but I'm counting that's not the case.
If you got 12$ for a car and 2 fpr shipping I'd say you have every reason to smile, you will find a very nice charger for it.
Personally I'd consider GTX's offer, if it's healthy and strong it's a very good buy.You could fly over or just wire the cash, call the shipping company, set a date and wait a few weeks for a very big package 
Last car I had shippe was a tricked out van for my brother, he got it on ebay.
He gave the seller a bit more and he drove the van to the docks himself and practically drove it on the boat for us.
Do you know the value of different chargers with different options ?In the states I mean, not in Europe, we all know how nuts it can go there.

[six-tee-nine]

I dont even look at The Chargers for sale over here anymore....

[Doc74]

I dont even look at The Chargers for sale over here anymore....

Hehe yeah I gave that up pretty fast too but on the other hand, you know that once you have one it's something to financially fall back on in case of an emergency.You can flip it real fast and get double your money back sometimes.

[six-tee-nine]

only in case of an emergency


i'll guess when i get my hands on one it 'll be a keeper....

[Doc74]

only in case of an emergency


i'll guess when i get my hands on one it 'll be a keeper....

Oh absolutely, I feel the same way, I guess we all do.
But if something would to happen to my gf and I needed cash fast I wouldn't think twice about kicking the charger out, there's more where those came from, I only have one gf and that's my keeper.

[six-tee-nine]

BTW how's CB' charger doing???
Already saw the pics of "day one" in Cudaken's AMX thread...

Maybe after new year i'll contact him and pay em a visit to check out his '69 so maybe he can give me more info about buying in the US....

[Doc74]

BTW how's CB' charger doing???
Already saw the pics of "day one" in Cudaken's AMX thread...

Maybe after new year i'll contact him and pay em a visit to check out his '69 so maybe he can give me more info about buying in the US....

Well day one is all we did so far, next will be somewhere next week.
Maybe you can set a date with CB so you can both can come check it out.
Next week saturday maybe ?
I'll know when I'll be working on it in the course of the week, it's a go with the flow situation right now but saturday is a fair certainty.
You'll be able to see the typical 2nd gen charger problemspots aka half the friggin' car ! 

[six-tee-nine]

Perhaps, who knows...

But i 'm doing a lot of work on my house lately....so i just have to see how that works out......

[CB]

1) buying a Charger sight unseen is a risk you take. Even when a guy sends you 100 pics you will never know how the real condition is.

2) I will never buy a car this way again. Why? Because I'd love to visit the States, buy a Mopar and drive it back to the docks to ship it home.

3) don't forget the taxes overhere. Choosing the wrong shipper will cost you many 100's more. Some agents will charge you 21%.  Went back to my old agent and it saved me 5-600â,¬ in taxes.

4) don't see someone in Belgium jumping on a killer deal. I missed out some super deals (e.g. a nice driving 1970 SE Charger for 7K  ) because of the distance. Or you buy it sight unseen or just pray to find a killer deal once you are over there on holidays.

5) keep at least $2-3K in the bank if you buy a 8-10K Charger.
($900 ocean freight, $4-800 pre-shipping, $160 S/H, â,¬6-700 BelgiumTaxes).

Take care
CB

[Afflyer]

If I were in your shoes, I'd DEFINITELY wait until the MoPar Nats and peruse all the available Chargers to your heart's content in either Ohio or Pennsylvania.  Then ship the car out of NY or NJ.  Everything you'd need would be available in a small area and you could enjoy your first time in America, seeing the sights in your new Charger!

Yeah, I'd wait till the Nats to come over.  You can continue to save until that time comes as well.

Best of luck and have a Duvel on me!

Bradley

[six-tee-nine]

have a Duvel on me!

I always have at least a sixpack of them in the fridge....


BTW are there so much sellers at those events?

Because i will also be more or less looking for a (still running) project car but u guess not everyone who wants to sell his Charger is goint to the Mopar Nats or am I wrong???

[Telvis]

I would think your best bet would be to have a few cars lined up to look at before you even think about coming here. Chargers are not that easy to find. Do your research first then come and look at them and pick the one you like best.

[six-tee-nine]

Yeah but reffering to Doc74's explanation the good cars are sold within 24 hrs

I can't possibly contct a guy, tell by boss i wont be at work next day, buy a plainticket and fly over, and buy the car in 24 hrs time......

i guess if the owner wants to wait for me ok, but else.....in 90% of the cases i'll bet to late i'm affraid.....

[rich4406bbl]

At the Chryslers @Carlisle they have a good sized swap meet and car corral area where the cars for sale are kept. No cars in the show field are allowed to have for sale signs on them. Make a few connections in the show field and you may get a call in the future about someone deciding to sell. IMO the swap meet area usually has a fiar amount of cars for sale.