gpvd

Anybody,

I have a 1999 RX300, I am currentlyresiding in the US and will be moving to France in a few months. I am trying to decide if I should bring my car with me. I am looking for advice on the procedure for exporting a car to France. What are the French regulations as far as the specifications a vehicle must meet to be allowed to be driven in Europe. If this turns out to be too complex I will probably sell my vehicle in the US.

HarrierAWD

Your best bet is to contact the French Embassy (or a consulate near you) for correct information.

http://www.info-france-usa.org/

TunedRX300

Got to take off that "support our troops" sticker

HarrierAWD

That's funny. Also remove the "John Kerry for French President" or the "W '04" stickers if you got those. Unless you want new windshield / windows every month. The Honor Student sticker below should be fine.

Richie

I think it wil be much easier and less time consuming to sell the car in the US and buy a Euro spec RX over here in Europe.

gpvd

Thanks guys for the wise remarks.
Seriously, I am looking for somebody who couldn't let go of his/her Lexus and has exported it to France. I am especially interested in how to start the export/import procedure.

Woogie

i would venture to say that it would be very expensive. depending on the car, i'd say it'll be between 6-10 grand for the export and for the paperwork. I think it would be easier just to sell your car here and buy a new one over there. when your car dies over there, it'll be harder to sell it over there i would think. even though it is a left hand drive car, i dont think anybody would fork over the cash to buy an RX when they can just buy a euro spec right hand drive RX

Gojirra99

France is left hand drive like in the US.
I also agree that it's a better idea to sell your RX here & buy another one in France.

Richie

One other thing to think of, if your car has the 3.3 liter engine you could have a hard time finding parts since we only get the 3.0.

HarrierAWD

Again, the French Embassy is the best source of information.

Not sure about the shipping cost to France, but shipping an RX from Japan to Long Beach, CA is about $3,000 according to my friend in import/export. I once thought about getting a Toyota Harrier Hybrid directly and save $6,000 after the shipping cost, but they don't make LHD Harrier.

The same RX300 may cost twice as much in France compared to the States due to custom duties / tariff. In some Asian countries, the RX300 also cost about twice as much. So I'd say shipping is a better deal. Gpvd can claim self-use and avoid paying custom duties.

Lexmex

Not cheap in France,

http://fr.search.cars.yahoo.com/sear...trim&temp=trim

From 45,550 to 58,900 Euros, even if 1 to 1 with the dollar....that ain't cheap

gpvd

I think I can make a good case for the financial advantages of bringing the car to France. What I am interested in is to find somebody who has already gone through this process and who could advise me based on his or her experience.

Richie

I'm thinking CL isn't your best source of info on this subject deu to the very limited amount of European members.
Maybe an exporter with some experience in exporting to france would be a good source of info.