has anyone looked into the legality of importing these bad boys. i really want a 2001...well, i guess that's the newest i can afford.

 

i thought about it... costs about $5 K just to ship maybe more. then u gotta convert the car's EU price and convert to USD (currently 1 USD = about 1.24 EU). then u gotta go through all the legalities of euro car inspections and U.S. smog codes and what-not. personally, i'd think it'd be awesome to drive around on the right side of the car and check people out looking at you strange as u pass em up. just the looks on their faces = priceless. if one had that kind of cash to just get one over, totally worth it. they got the a3 hatchback 3dr on buyacar.co.uk awesome!!!!

anyone else know about this topic feel free to add ur knowledge, i'm not 100% but am close to it.

 

they have the 2005s out

 

have you thought about getting one in mexico??? shipping would be faaar less, u could even drive it back urself, u can get a 180hp 1.8t loaded for under 12k

 

Getting the thing DOT certified is VERY expensive. Only worth it on collectors cars like the B5 RS4.

 

I agree with that TH12NV and Jestnomen said, I've thought long and hard about importing a small european auto into the states, but it's awesomely impractical[:@]. If you really really wanna bring an A3 over here, search the forum, there were a couple good discussions about this sort of thing. If you're still want to do it after reading all that, contact an importer.

You might find this interesting, here's a late 90s Audi A3 in Washington DC on Diplomat plates (German embassy). Took this pic last year, zee Germans had a bunch of stuff running around northwest DC: Mercedes A210, Mercedes Vaneo, VW Touran, VW Caravelle, etc. The diplomatic corps is exempt from any importation restrictions, embassy workers just put it on a ferry and the state dept issues them plates. I've even seen ancient stuff like a 1993 Volvo 850GLE brought into the states, apparently for them bringing a supremely tired auto to Washington is cheaper than buying one here. So if you make this A3 guy an offer he can't refuse, you can save the $4K on shipping

[IMG]local://upfiles/10942/2CA9D696E34B4EA597CEA0C1D0D35A5E.jpg[/IMG]

 

Guys shipping from US to Frankfurt is about 900$ for a car decent size (Ford Probe/ VW Golf). I don't see why the other way it is 4-5 times more. I have no ideea about the rest of the expenses (taxes and papers)

 

I know of a few people who have imported cars to the UK from Japan, and the total cost of that being around £1,200 (roughly $2,000), and that is including all the import paperwork etc...