Shipping a car from the U.S.

AZMom · Post by **AZMom** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 2:34 am

Has anyone shipped a car to Finland from the U.S.? We will only be in Finland for one year and weren't sure if it makes sense to bring our car. is it very expensive? A big hassle? Can you find a shipping company that will let you pack the car? How much is gas (I hear very expensive). Does it give you alot more flexibility to have your own wheels? We will be living in Espoo.

Thanks for any information, personal experiences you can share.

**Sponsor:**

scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 1:09 pm

I moved here 3 weeks ago and we only have one car (a company car that John uses). The first thing I did was to get a bus pass...you can pick one up in Iso Omena in Espoo in the community help centre which is right next door to the library. I have found that buses here are brilliant...much better than the UK. So far I am surviving using my legs and getting the bus which is no mean feat as I am now 33 week pregnant!
I have left my car in the UK...depending on how long we stay here I'll either bring it here or when we return home at least I'll have a car.
You'll need winter tyres and a very good heater in it!

Hannah

dr_pgonzalez · Post by **dr_pgonzalez** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 1:41 pm

I did.

It cost me €1300

Like Hannah said, gas is very expensive and the busses are brilliant.

BUT, if you are bent in bringing your car here is the deal.

In order to pass inspection you are going to need

1. Rear fog lights
2. Side blinkers
3. Disable front parking lights
4. New headlights depending on your car and model.
5. Snow tires are REQUIRED between November and February

In order to avoid taxation you are need this

1. Own the car for at least 6 months
2. Have had the car insured continuosly since owned
3. Have proof of car registration since owned
4. Need proof of income earned outside the EU for the last year
5. Show proof of arrival in Finland. For this bring your plane tickets
6. Bill of sale for the car showing when you bought the car
7. The car title (kinda puts a damper on bringing a new car unless you have the money to pay for it in full)

Also

1. If your car is diesel you are going to have to pay diesel tax
2. You are going to have to pay for inspection
3. You are going to have to pay for plates and insurance if the car is going to be driven for more than 6 months

And the best one for last

Only the owners on the title may drive the car. If another person is caught driving the car and the person owning the car is not present, then you must pay the taxable value of the car to get it back

Now, do you really want to bring the car for less than a year ?

cheers,
patrick

PS Email me you wish and I can help you with some hints that can make your life easier if you still want to go ahead

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:21 pm

And if you are staying here for only a year - you need to also ship it back, as nobody will buy it - or pay anything for it - because of the taxes (and incompability) - so then you'd be shipping a non-US specification car back to the USA having to get it changed back.

So you ask if the freight+conversion+registration+winter tires+freight+conversion = momey enough for you to go to a used car lot and buy a toyota or nissan or opel (3 most registered cars in Finland) that's just been inspected and drive around with it...

Bringing a car just for a year is on the list you can put the title "dumb ideas".

If you moved here permenently/2-3 years - *then* that'd be different.

net_bh · Post by **net_bh** » Mon Jan 03, 2005 8:38 pm

Hehe...well put Patrick. Can we make this thread sticky since this is a FAQ.

I am in stage two of the process, the car is here..now the registration merry-go-round begins.

BTW, does anybody know if I am allowed to the drive the car from Helsinki to Tampere after getting it cleared by customs without making the necessary modifications? I dont really want to since the car still needs winter tires, but my other options are finding a garage to make the modifications in Helsinki in one day or have the car delivered to Tampere on a truck (more bucks).

/Amit

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Mon Jan 03, 2005 9:03 pm

AFAIK you cannot drive anywhere without winter tyres until April. Illegal.

tjawatts · Post by **tjawatts** » Mon Jan 03, 2005 9:12 pm

Yeah, at least get some winter tyres. I am sure there is a place close to the customs. Takes 20 mins max.

I suppose it depends what the other modifications are. If they are major ones then it might be illegal to drive without them.

T

superiorinferior · Post by **superiorinferior** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 9:39 am

And make sure to bring the SUV, because gasoline is so plentiful and cheap here.

dusty_bin · Post by **dusty_bin** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 10:00 am

AZMom wrote:Has anyone shipped a car to Finland from the U.S.? We will only be in Finland for one year and weren't sure if it makes sense to bring our car. is it very expensive? A big hassle? Can you find a shipping company that will let you pack the car? How much is gas (I hear very expensive). Does it give you alot more flexibility to have your own wheels? We will be living in Espoo.

Thanks for any information, personal experiences you can share.

If you can afford to bring a car from the US, then you can afford to buy one in Finland.
If you are here for just a short time, buy in Finland and sell on when you leave.
Frankly, if you live in an urban area, you do not NEED a car. Wanting one, well, that is different, but just more expensive. Between, buses, taxis and car rental your needs are well covered.

dr_pgonzalez · Post by **dr_pgonzalez** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 12:23 pm

net_bh wrote:Hehe...well put Patrick. Can we make this thread sticky since this is a FAQ.

I am in stage two of the process, the car is here..now the registration merry-go-round begins.

BTW, does anybody know if I am allowed to the drive the car from Helsinki to Tampere after getting it cleared by customs without making the necessary modifications? I dont really want to since the car still needs winter tires, but my other options are finding a garage to make the modifications in Helsinki in one day or have the car delivered to Tampere on a truck (more bucks).

/Amit

Ahh my friend form San Diego...

Well yes and no. You cannot drive anywhere with temporary plates EXCEPT to AKE to get the car inspected.

That being the case, you can get temporary insurance from customs for every day beyond 24 hrs. I think it is somethink like €4 per day.

Technically you could buy insurance for say ... a week. However, you must detail the roads you will be taking and how long you expect to be on the road. Also, it appears that the availability of this exeption is highly subjective. Unless your Finnish is good enough to explain what you want to do, the Tulli person will likely decline your request.

(Oh I forgot what penelope said... Not having winter tyres is definitely a problem. However, studded tyres are NOT required. Maybe you can get by with some cheapo studless winter tyre in the mean time. )

When you get to AKE, you will not be able to get plates unless you get insurance first. Most places will let you select the insurance company when you show up for inspection. However, you must tell them what company you want the insurance with.

You need the basic "liikene" insurance ( this is the US equvalent of liability). You can buy more protection if you wish. My cost was somewhere around €680 a year with If... (I love that name!!)

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Tue Jan 04, 2005 4:20 pm

net_bh wrote: I dont really want to since the car still needs winter tires,

No don't tell me you don't have 4 spare empty rims in the boot... saved a penny somewhere now did ya?

AZMom · Post by **AZMom** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 1:13 am

Thank you so much for all your replies to my post. The information was really helpful. Now we are thinking that we can do without a car, or if we really miss it, buy a used car and sell it when we leave. It sounds pretty daunting to ship a car, and I'm just as glad to do without it!

AZMom

ilikepeanutbutter · Post by **ilikepeanutbutter** » Thu Jan 06, 2005 1:52 am

AZMom wrote:Thank you so much for all your replies to my post. The information was really helpful. Now we are thinking that we can do without a car, or if we really miss it, buy a used car and sell it when we leave. It sounds pretty daunting to ship a car, and I'm just as glad to do without it!

AZMom

You can buy used cars here pretty cheap. We had an old 1990 Opel for 2000 euros but it worked super well!

Good luck coming over!
Kat

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