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| Caterham Member Since: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Birmingham Posts: 6264   
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Possibly a bit of a pipe dream - but you know what they say about dreams....gotta have a dream .........
so my 50th is on the horizon in a few years and I'm thinking about doing a 'overhaul' on the motor and then a bit of an epic road trip - a 'coast to coast', taking in the likes of 'Death Valley' 
so one of the first questions which I believe I know the answer to - can I do a USA 'coast to coast' in my own defender? I believe you can but have virtually no knowledge of what's involved. can anyone confirm this is possible and what sort of costs might be involved in terms of shipping and any general pointers in terms of shipping but also with planning the journey - many thanks. ps - we have relatives in the US if this helps any? thanks  |
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21st Jan 2018 3:48pm |
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| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8578 
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Yes it is doable. Kevin at Mud did it recently C2C
Brendan |
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21st Jan 2018 4:45pm |
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| ericvv Member Since: 02 Jun 2011 Location: Near the Jet d'Eau Posts: 5816  
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Caterham, you can temporarily import your own car there for upto a year, but after max one year you have to re-export it. I once did this back in the 80’s. Shipped my car by roro (cheapest) from Antwerp to Houston which was not expensive. But the cost later for the reverse voyage was going to be much more expensive, those shipping companies take avail of the position you are in. I found a different solution back then, cannot put the details here, and those were the 80’s.... Wouldn’t work today anymore with their border control. My suggestion if you want to do this is to fix the pricing for both legs upfront. Insurance is also tricky, better check that too now already. Start with calling some forwarding companies in one of the bigger UK ports for shipping and formalities cost. More details are in below link. Good luck.
Eric https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_...rsonal-use You never actually own a Defender. You merely look after it for the next generation. http://youtu.be/yVRlSsJwD0o https://youtu.be/vmPr3oTHndg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtzTT9Pdl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABqKPz28e6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ49Jce_n0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsz_ilQYU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tMHiX9lSw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwjPuHIV7I https://vimeo.com/201482507 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSixqL0iyHw |
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21st Jan 2018 4:56pm |
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| Caterham Member Since: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Birmingham Posts: 6264
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thanks both.
it's a starting point. |
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21st Jan 2018 5:15pm |
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) quick google came up with several companies that would do it however never got a price as they all wanted specific dates. Think you need to be spending a few months mind to make it worth while| grafty99 Member Since: 15 Aug 2012 Location: North Devon Posts: 4784 
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I believe it's cheaper to import to Canada and then drive to the US. My dad is taking his motorbike next year and is going via Canada to make it cheaper. Not sure if the same applies to a 4 wheeled vehicle
2002 90 Td5 Station Wagon
1990 Vogue SE Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200 Td5 90 Thread http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic50767.html Tdi 110 Thread https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic69562.html RRC Thread http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic54492.html Instagram http://www.instagram.com/george_grafton |
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21st Jan 2018 8:14pm |
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| Caterham Member Since: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Birmingham Posts: 6264
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thank you both. very interesting re Canada.
what's the 'crack' re; compliance or is that not so much of an issue if 'just visiting'? |
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21st Jan 2018 8:26pm |
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| Sticky Member Since: 07 Dec 2008 Location: Derbyshire Posts: 245 
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I drove Route 66 a few years ago and couldn't make the costs work with shipping.
I just purchased a Jeep Wrangler Sahara (soft top) and headed out. After about three days I was regretting the soft top as the canvas flapped incessantly, but it was good fun driving the Jeep. I bought camping gear from Campmor in NJ and intended to wild camp and stay on campsites when close to the route, in the end I mostly stayed in motels as they were generally reasonably priced and it allowed me to be flexible on mileage each day. I also discovered the best coffee shops in every town by using a radar speed detector, it went off whenever there was a police car stopped at a coffee shop and they always knew the good ones. i floated back via a number of national parks and sold the Jeep to a dealer for about $5k less than I paid (which wasn't as bad then with the exchange rate). Great trip. |
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24th Jan 2018 4:17pm |
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| meeerrrk Member Since: 12 Feb 2017 Location: Surrey Posts: 548 
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I think I'd do what Sticky said, buy right and sell it on, you'll take less of a hit. My 90 Project : http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic52774.html
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24th Jan 2018 5:20pm |
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| Caterham Member Since: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Birmingham Posts: 6264
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in terms of actually shipping costs I may have a trick up my sleeve (yet to be confirmed). Assuming that's the case I guess I'm more concerned about the legalities. ie I guess sending a box of spanners from UK to USA would be relatively straight forward but sending a vehicle for use on the roads out there would be a completely different scenario?
If costs were circa 5k USD then I'd prefer to spend that on shipping not buying or hiring. what do we think would be a reasonable / minimum time to allow for such a trip - 1 month? |
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24th Jan 2018 6:26pm |
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| Caterham Member Since: 06 Nov 2008 Location: Birmingham Posts: 6264
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do you mind if I ask what sort of costs he's looking at .... if say £10k then I'm going to 'lets forget this topic'  |
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24th Jan 2018 6:28pm |
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| R1200GS Member Since: 12 Jul 2015 Location: Hampshire Posts: 265 
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You can get your 110 on a Ro/Ro ferry from Southampton to Halifax Nova Scotia for under £1500. There is a weekly sailing.
You get a year in Canada without issues. The catch is insurance..... |
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25th Jan 2018 5:38pm |
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| Sticky Member Since: 07 Dec 2008 Location: Derbyshire Posts: 245
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If you are planning to stay less than a year it is relatively straightforward. but will take some planning.
I seem to remember you are advised to get an EPA letter of exemption. Without this you may have to pay for a vehicle inspection that includes an emissions test before you can leave port or at the border. You will need to contact US border protection & customs for the current importer filing letter, that states that you intend to take the vehicle back out of the US. You may be advised to have your return shipping paperwork with you. Your vehicle will need to be immaculate, no foreign soil to enter the US!! Don't forget local driving laws including carrying your driving licence and registration documents. Insurance is relatively easy, I already had a US driving license but I had half a dozen quotes before i gave up a bought a Jeep. |
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25th Jan 2018 11:48pm |
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| Sticky Member Since: 07 Dec 2008 Location: Derbyshire Posts: 245
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In terms of how long the trip should take, my advice is to plan to take longer than you expect.
I had an 800 mile day crossing Texas as it was an endless repeat of the last hour but many days you find things to go and see in the little towns along the way. That's if you are planning Route 66. If you do interstate highways you will see nothing and can do it in a week. I took loads of photo's and found myself constantly scouting different locations. I'm interested in why you want to go and see Death Valley, it's a fascinating place with weird trailer parks of retirees avoiding wet weather. You can camp at several sites, wild camping is frowned on. |
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25th Jan 2018 11:59pm |
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| 66north Member Since: 08 Oct 2010 Location: The North Posts: 95
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I shipped my own UK 2014 registered Defender to the US in 2016.
Shipping from Southampton to Charleston SC was £900 US agent handling fees (JF Moran) You'll need this to handle importation and act as your Power of Attorney. $1,000. Insurance (Thum) $1,600 for 3-months! EPA Temporary import approval was a simple matter of writing a covering letter to EPA with completed application doc explaining why you want to ship vehicle into the US, vehicle details and your own personal details. I received approval back within 48 hrs. The real killer is getting hold of insurance. Unless your car is a 'camper' (mine is a pop-top) or over 25yrs old, then AFAIK there are no insurers right now (based on chat within expedition/overland groups) willing to provide cover for non US registered vehicles. Ahead of my own trip, I exhausted every single insurer recommended on the overland/expedition forums FB before finding just the one company (Thum), who would only provide my cover because my pop-top fell into their RV/Camper classification. I spoke to two Brits in Toyota LCs who gave up trying to get their trucks insured and simply didn't bother. Interestingly, at no stage of the import process was I asked to provide evidence that I had insurance whilst in the US, but I also didn't ever get stopped by the cops who I suspect would definitely want to see it! There's no point going to the hassle and expense of taking a LR to the US if all you're going to do is go on a road trip when there's so much dirt road mileage waiting to be explored. I did a coast-to-coast off-road route called the Trans America Trail. It starts in North Carolina and ends in Oregon. The route will take you through real backwoods America far away from the Route 66 tourist trail through the Smokey Mountains, over the Rockies, the deserts of Utah, Bonneville Salt Flats and the Oklahoma prairies. The route is 5,500 mile coast to coast without side trips and diversions and took me 5-weeks. I spent 8 weeks in total and aside from the TAT route also explored the dirt roads around Monument Valley, The North Rim of the Grand Canyon, New Mexico, Nevada etc etc. I saw just one other Defender in all the time I was there. There are two TAT route resources. The guy who created it called Sam who will sell you the maps and route download and another guy called Kevin whose website lets you download the route for free. Kevin’s route also has alternative start and ending points. Sam’s website http://www.transamtrail.com/ Kevin’s website http://www.gpskevinadventurerides.com/trans-america-trail You can read the blog of my trip here. http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/blog/2016/08 There are lots of pics of the trip on the MUD-UK Facebook page. Kev Bonneville, Utah  Click image to enlarge Arkansas Click image to enlarge Moab, Utah Click image to enlarge Idaho Click image to enlarge Mississippi Click image to enlarge Black Bear Pass, Colorado Click image to enlarge |
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31st Jan 2018 3:30pm |
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