Import a Car from Europe: Private Sellers, Auctions & Diesel Rules

By Alex Naumov on April 16, 2026 at 10:29 AM

classic red car

Importing a car from Europe to the USA covers three genuinely different situations that most guides treat as one. Buying from a private seller in Germany is not the same as bidding at a UK classic car auction, and neither resembles the regulatory wall a European diesel faces at US cus …

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The UK 12-Car Rule: What Private Sellers Need to Know Before Exporting

By Alex Naumov on April 14, 2026 at 3:42 PM

Lotus Esprit V8

If you have been selling cars privately and exporting them to buyers in the USA, you may be operating closer to the legal line between private seller and trader than you realise. The 12-car rule is not a formal piece of legislation -- it is a threshold that has developed through HMRC …

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Poor Man's Ferrari from the 1990s: Best Affordable Classics to Import

By Alex Naumov on April 14, 2026 at 3:40 PM

ALFA ROMEO 916 GTV V6

Some of the most rewarding sports cars ever built cost a fraction of what their contemporaries at Maranello charged. They offered the exhaust theatre, the driver engagement, the visual provocation -- without the parts bills or the depreciation curves that make Ferrari ownership a full …

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Cost to Ship a Car from the UK to the USA in 2026: Full Breakdown

By Alex Naumov on April 14, 2026 at 3:18 PM

blue classic car

The total cost of shipping a car from the UK to the USA is rarely what buyers expect when they first start looking at UK auctions. Freight, duty, destination charges, and delivery all stack on top of the purchase price in ways that are easy to underestimate if you are working from a s …

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UK Car Imports to the USA in 2026: Costs, Classics, and the 12-Car Rule

By Alex Naumov on April 14, 2026 at 3:12 PM

classic cars

The UK remains one of the richest sources of classic and performance cars for US buyers -- right-hand drive is the only consistent disadvantage, and for most collectors that is a manageable trade-off against access to European-spec vehicles, lower mileage examples, and a well-document …

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JDM SUV vs Sports Car Import: How the Process and Costs Differ

By Alex Naumov on April 10, 2026 at 12:49 PM

Close Up Photo of Blue Car

The 25-year rule applies equally to a 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R and a 1999 Nissan Patrol. On paper, the legal framework is the same. In practice, the financial exposure, shipping logistics, compliance pathway, and registration experience can be dramatically different depending on which …

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Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear Import Guide: Japan's Adventure Van

By Alex Naumov on April 10, 2026 at 12:39 PM

Delica Space Gear

The Delica Space Gear fills a gap in the American vehicle market that no new vehicle currently addresses: a full-height passenger van with genuine four-wheel drive, a front-mounted engine, and enough interior space to sleep two adults without a tent. If you are already in love with th …

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Importing Japanese 4x4s and Off-Road Vehicles: Complete Guide

By Alex Naumov on April 10, 2026 at 12:27 PM

Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series

Japan's domestic 4x4 market produced vehicles that the US never officially received, not because they were inferior, but because American buyer preferences and Japanese domestic engineering priorities diverged sharply during the years these trucks were built. The result is a category …

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Importing JDM SUVs and Trucks to the USA: Models and Use Cases

By Alex Naumov on April 10, 2026 at 12:20 PM

A White Car Parked Near Gray Wall

The JDM import market spent decades dominated by sports cars, Skylines, Supras, NSXs and that era is not over. But something has shifted. A growing share of buyers looking at JDM cars are moving past the coupes and toward the trucks, vans, and 4x4s that Japan built for its own domesti …

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2001 Suzuki Carry Kei Truck: 25‑Year Import & Shipping Guide

By Alex Naumov on April 6, 2026 at 1:35 PM

2001 Suzuki Carry

The Suzuki Carry is one of the most recognisable kei trucks in Japan. Compact dimensions, simple engineering and low running costs made it a staple on farms, construction sites and in small businesses for decades.

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Topics: US car import
 

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