importing a mini to the US

[paul]

hello all,
I am looking to buy a mini (hopefully a pickup if I can find one) and import it from the UK to the US.
Looking at the documentation, it seems a pickup has a 25% import duty.

Does the mini pickup count as a true "pickup" or is there a weight/size limit?

thanks

Paul

[850RS]

Back in 2014 I brought a Mini Pup into the states from Canada and it was fairly cheap. I think I paid about $500 for import duties. Not sure if bringing one from the UK would be different.

[paul]

that's the sort of figure I was expecting, but 24% is nuts!

[Mudhen]

25% of the sale price? Which could be ahem...written up as whatever you want - or do they go by some sort of book value?

I should know this since I brought one in just last year - but having won it, we didn't have a real sale price to go by so used $5k. I hired Open Air Imports and they took care of absolutely everything - I just wrote the big fat check, signed the documents where they told me to, and the car showed up in my door yard.

They were crazy nice guys, maybe give them a call to get the info even if you're going to arrange it yourself.

Pat

[360gts]

that's the sort of figure I was expecting, but 24% is nuts!

Paul, I would advise against any low balling pricing for customs evaluation.
These guys are not stupid.....it is easy to google sales of cars....there have been seizures and cars crushed for improper declarations.
If they think a price is low....they can request a paper trail of the money transfer along with original bill of sale and all of the paperwork. They can make life very difficult for you.

It is just not worth it......pays your dues and get the vehicle.
I have imported cars from the UK and the US.....you need to upfront and declare what you paid.....it is worth it for the peace of mind.
Just my opinion.

[Mudhen]

If you google 'import duty cars from the uk', sites are saying '2.5%'...not '25%'.



Oh...now I see what you mean...it says autos, 2.5...trucks, 25.

[850RS]

They may not have realized my mini pup as a truck. I hauled it in an enclosed trailer and when it came time to inspect the VIN the larger border patrol agent asked me to climb in the trailer and read the vin to him. They never really looked in the trailer to see what I was hauling.

[Mudhen]

WOW!!! The 1964 chicken tax!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax

[timmy201]

WOW!!! The 1964 chicken tax!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax

That’s why some brands came up with some “creative solutions”