ve9aa.. duh.. thanks.. PHD..

Bill, 

duh....it's spelled "stupic" , you know that ! ! ! ! 

:-)

Sabshil   yep got it.. .. I am old man.. and do NOT use my email every day.. . later PHD..

Hi PHD

Just checking to see if you received my email. Sent to your werewolf address yesterday.

patz66b .. in todays world with CBP ( US CUSTOMS) you mini would have been Seized and CRUSHED your mini for vin tampering..  check out the video on utube on the land rovers defenders  few years back.. being CRUSHED.. never ever replace the vin plate.. for any reason..  just plain stupid..  later PHD.. 

I imported my classic 1972 Clubman saloon from the UK in 2012. As stated elsewhere it is WAY more difficult now than it was 11  years ago. I am in California and my Mini was not a problem to get registered with only one tiny hiccup. Since all Clubbys were manufactured between 1969 & 1980, the manufacturer was British Leyland.  The documentation from the UK is called the V5C. It shows the make, model, ID number ( no VINS in those days), engine number & size, color, etc. Mine said the Clubby was a Morris (which in itself was a tad odd since BL stopped calling them Austin or Morris by that time and only called them a Mini).

The guy who did the refurbishment for me in Long Eaton, UK put an newly stamped Austin ID plate on it (rather than the appropiate Austin Morris Group plate which would cause some problems later)and a new Commission plate as well. In my paperwork he included the old reverse stamped comm plate. I was sent a Bill of Sale from the seller and had to fill out Homeland Security documentation. Those papers asked for the manufacturer and their address. Well obviously it was British Leyland but that company no longer existed.

The seller transported it to the Southampton docks where it was put on a WW RORO car hauling ship for transport to Port Hueneme, CA (north of L.A.). The freight for mine in February 2012 was $2000. The seller used an Export Agent who contacted me and told me who to hire as my agent on this end. The ship took about a month to get to California. Once it arrived, my Agent, through a Power of Attorney acted on my behalf. The Mini was taken by the Customs first to inspect it for undeclared things like drugs, extra parts, etc. (note: I was told the car had to be complete and not full of unassembled parts...I don't know if that is still the case)

Next it was taken by the USDA  to search it for bugs, pests, etc. All of the checking took about a week when I was told it was clear to pick up as soon as I paid the Agent, shipping, storage and port fees. When I got it back home to northern California, I took it to the local DMV along with the V5C, Homeland Security Docs, etc. The Calif DMV  staff member looked at it, and started comparing the documents. She got a bit perplexed because the ID showed it was an Austin, the V5C showed it was a Morris and the Manufacturer was British Leyland.

Being confused by all of it, she issued me a red tag (that in California vehicles not quite cleared post in the back window until Sacramento makes their determinations). I was never asked for proof that it met with the CARB smog rules for 1972 (which was difficult if it came up since Minis were not imported after 1968). A month late I got my plates and registration from Sacramento and they told me as far as they were concerned it was an Austin. Fair enough!  I've owned it ever since and had no problems licensing it each year.

Good luck with your importation and it sounds like this other gentleman has much more experience at all of this than me, but I wanted to tell you how mine went!

The email should be fine. It is correct as you typed it. Don't know why it is doing that. Give me your email and I will send you a mail from my side.

Sabshii   as long as it has a proper mini engine you should be OK..  just take the engine tag off.. and you need export certificate from the  Cape town Police.. and this is a real PIA.. took me almost 6 months last time I bought a VW autovilla from Cape Town to ship to   port of baltimore.. I used Sam Governor at Lakestone Logistics in Durban South Africa.. the last time.. fyi. you can do RORO to the USA.. via port of southamton England.. container is Stupid money. now.. $7500 for 20 footer.  now..  later PHD 

I just read that the manufacturer usually stamped the week and year of manufacture inside the boot lid. According to mine it was manufactured in week 29 of 1977.

Although paperwork in South Africa can sometimes be sketchy at best. So the official state records might designate it as being manufactured at a later date.

Thank you PHD

I will be exporting from Cape Town, South Africa and will be based, at least to start with, in Ohio. 

Not sure how long it will still be before the car is ready to leave SA. Currently I have the motor out and it is with the mechanic/engineers for a rebuild before it gets put back. Should be hearing back from them today or tomorrow and hopefully they will have an estimate of how long they will still be busy.

It still has a mini engine, although it is not the one that it was originally fitted with. To the best of my knowledge the car was manufactured ~1982, but I would have to search for the papers to be sure. Obviously before I start the export process I would get all my documents together.

I will still be in South Africa until the end of February before going back to the US. Hopefully I will be able to get most of the car sorted out before I leave. And hopefully it will be at a point where I can start looking at how to get it to Ohio.

My contact email is "b . sabishii @ gmail . com"

Sabishii.  glad to help. will do for FREE.. only been doing importing for FIDDY years..  yes.. car/truck must be over 25 years and older and have OEM engine..  what country are your exporting from ?? later  PHD. ps. post your phone or email and will contact you this week..  I use emma at www.mapcargo.co.uk and Western Overseas for my CBP Customs import broker..  what state  are you moving to in the USA. ?/ hope is NOT California.. due to CARB rules..

Let's hope you're not moving to California. (whole different set of rules compared to the other 49 states.)

I imported mine myself (to Canada) in 2005 and likely will never import another one.  Hassle.  Probably worse today, but I did parts
of it myself.

Contact "PhatHeadDonnie". He will have more answers than you have questions about import to the US, shipping, brokerage costs, port fees and regulations, registering in your destination state.... He's the one you need to talk to.

Good day

I am in the process of moving to the US permanently and would like to bring my classic mini with me. 

I have read that vehicles over 25 years of age would be exempt from some of the dot and epa requirements. 

Is there anyone here that has gone through this process before and can give insight as to how to make this process go easier?

As well as any information regarding companies that take care of the actual importing of the car?