FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

also known as Fast And Qurious :)

What cars can I buy with you?

If you are a US resident, we can help you with buying in Europe any car or motorcycle which is 25 years old or older (this is a legal requirement for importing to the USA).

We can also help you to buy some newer cars in Europe but it will require special approval for importing. This should be discussed before we start searching because not all cars are possible to import this way.

If you are a resident of any other country, we can help you to find and buy any car or motorcycle in the United States (from a dealer, from a private owner, or from an auction), and ship it to you virtually anywhere (with some government-imposed restrictions and limitations).

We can’t help you to buy a JDM car in Japan, but if you buy it, we can help you to organize shipping and importing if the car is older than 25 years.

Where can I buy cars with you?

Anywhere in the European Union, United Kingdom, and Norway.

And in the Unites States, if you are a foreign resident.

What country should I buy from?

Well, it depends on the particular car.
Usually, the better choice of German cars is in Germany, Italian cars in Italy, etc.

But sometimes you can find a rare car in great condition for a good price somewhere where you didn’t expect it. So, it all depends.

At the same time, you should keep in mind that shipping from Northern Germany or Netherlands will be cheaper because
RO-RO ferry lines usually go to the US from there.

So, if you buy a car, say, in Italy, it probably will have a better rust-free metal condition but you’ll need to pay to ship it to Hamburg first before it ships to the US. But once again, the costs/quality balance depends on a particular car.

How much does this cost?

Your final cost combines several elements:
- The price of the car;
- Wire transfer fees;
- Document transfer expenses (depends on the country, usually not too expensive);
- Land shipping to the port (depending on the location);
- Ocean or air freight and insurance (rates changes depending on current market conditions);
- Customs and port fees in the US;
- Maintenance and repairs in the US (optional);
- Shipping from NJ to your location;
- Your local state sales tax (if applicable, ask your DMV);
- Our commission.

At all stages, we are transparent as much as possible and we are trying to avoid any additional expenses for you. Our commission doesn’t depend on your shipping and related costs, so we are on your side to make the buying experience smooth and enjoyable for you without any unpleasant surprises.

Usually, shipping and importing will cost you about 4-6 thousand dollars, but it may vary depending on the exact situation.

What is your commission?

Usually, 10% of the purchase price of your car in the country of origin with a US$ 2,000 minimum.

So, if you buy a car, say, for 40,000 euros, our commission will be 4,000 euros, and if you buy a car for 5,000 euros, our commission will be $2,000.

For very rare and/or very expensive cars, our commission may vary both ways depending on the amount of real work that we and our partners in Europe should invest into finding, purchasing, and shipping the car.

Shipping, importing, and other related costs have no influence on our commission. We calculate our fees only on the basis of the real purchase price of the car.

In any case, the amount of commission will be discussed with you before you purchase the car and will never change.

Why should I work with you? I can buy a car online myself.

Of course, you can. And it may be a great experience!
We bring, at least, these three values into this process:

1. We save your time and force. You don’t need to deal with many companies and look for reliable car transporters in Europe, ocean shipping companies, customs brokers, etc. With us, you will have one point of contact – us. And we’ll organize everything for you with already proven reliable companies and contractors.

2. We work with local partners in Europe and in many cases can inspect the car in detail before buying. We can organize deep multi-point mechanical inspections and legal checks. And in most cases, we can negotiate the price – it’s easier to do face-to-face than online.

3. Our partners in Europe have personal connections with many local car enthusiast communities and with car collectors. So, we can find cars that are listed in local sources only, not on large popular websites. And we also can find cars that are not listed online at all, so we have access to an incomparably larger car source than you can find online.

How do I pay for the car?

Usually, with wire transfer (also known as SWIFT transfer).
We will provide you with all details that your bank requires for payment. It’s really easy in most large banks.

You will pay either directly to the owner of the car or, in rare cases, to our partner in Europe for further payment to the car’s owner.

For large amounts and rare cars, other payment methods may be discussed such as letters of credit, third party or bank guarantees, etc. In any case, the whole process will be absolutely transparent for you.

When do I become the owner of the car?

As soon as you pay, and the previous owner of the car signs
the bill of sale.

There are some local specifics in some countries, but in any case, you will be a legal owner of the car before it goes to the port.

How do you ship cars?

There are three ways to ship a car from Europe:
1. On a roll–on–roll–off ferry, also known as RO-RO shipping. A port worker will drive the car to the ship at loading, and drive off the ship in the port of Newark. In general, this is the cheapest way of shipping but it’s available from Northern European ports only (usually, Northern Germany or the Netherlands) – so, you first need to deliver a car there.

2. In a container. This will be more expensive and may be slightly longer but we can load a container in Southern Europe, and it may save some money when you buy a car in Italy or Spain. Also, the car in the container is usually better protected from sea humidity and salty air.
The choice between the RO-RO and container shipping is individual in each particular case.

3. By air. The most expensive but the quickest and safest shipping. We do recommend this shipping method for really expensive and/or very rare cars.
In any case, the choice is yours.

How much time does it take?

Depends on the location of the car, availability of shipping, and current loading time in seaports.

Usually, 2-3 months from the moment of purchasing the car. Quicker for air shipping, of course.

How soon we can find a car for you – depends on the car we are looking for, your requirements, and budget expectations. Some cars, we find literally the same day, others – may be searched for months.

We will start searching for the car for you immediately after receiving your deposit (and frankly speaking, in many cases, even before this).

When my car arrives in the US, how will I get it?

We will oversee the customs clearance process together with a customs broker. As soon as the car is cleared, we will pick it up and bring it to our location in Lakewood, NJ.

Technically, your car hauler can pick it up from us the same day. But in many cases, it’s reasonable to take a couple of days to inspect the car in detail on arrival and/or to perform some maintenance. But it’s totally up to you.

Alternatively, you can even come to the port with us and pick up the car with your trailer or a flatbed truck. It may be even more interesting and amusing process for you.

How will I register my car in the US?

You will be provided with all ownership and customs documents required for titling and registering the car in your state.

After receiving the documents (and don’t forget to get insurance), you go with them to your DMV/MVC and get the title, registration, and license plates as you do for any other car.

We recommend going to a larger DMV/MVC office because small local offices may be unfamiliar with imported cars and may have difficulties with this.

We do recommend contacting your state DMV/MVC before the car arrives at the port and getting a consultation because in some states there may be specific requirements for the customs documents, proofs of ownership, or other documents. We will do our best to provide you with the documents in a form required by your DMV/MVC.

What if I already know the exact car I want to buy

and I already have an agreement with the seller?

Well, it may save some time for us and some money for you.

We are flexible with our commission rate if we aren’t required to search the car or inspect it.
So, we can just formalize the deal and organize shipping.

Contact us to discuss the details and our fees.

Are you a car dealership?

No, we are not a car dealership, and we are not a customs broker.

From the legal point of view, we provide you with informational and organizational services to the point that does not require any special license, permit, or approval.

All services that require such license, permit, or approval will be rendered by providers who duly obtained such license, permit, or approval. And we just acting as your representative entitled to purchase such services on your behalf on the basis of a power of attorney.

Can you repair my car?

We can repair your European car older than 25 years in Lakewood, NJ, no matter if you bought it with us or not. Contact us for details.

We have mechanics experienced with old European cars and relevant tools and equipment.

We recommend (but never require – it’s totally optional)
to perform an inspection and maintenance on all cars imported with our help before shipping to the final destination. If any repair is needed – we will discuss it with you.

Can you find a very rare car for me?

It depends on how rare the car is. We usually don’t work with cars, models, or trim levels that were manufactured in a quantity of fewer than 100 units.

But this is just a general rule, and it all depends on the exact car.

Can we get the Ferrari F40? Probably, yes.
Can we get the Bugatti EB110 SS? Probably, no.

Anyway, contact us, and let’s discuss.

Are you providing a warranty for your car?

We guarantee the quality of our own services. Everything that we tell you is what we believe in, to the best of our knowledge.
If we provide a pre-purchase inspection, we will try to show you all the visible defects of the car.
However, sometimes some cars have hidden defects including those which are hidden intentionally (some sellers are lying, unfortunately).

In many situations, we can arrange a professional mechanical inspection in a dealership or a professional repair facility. But this option is not always available (location and seller dependent) and sometimes even a deep professional inspection can’t find some defects.

In any case, the car that you are buying with our help you are buying on “as is” conditions and we don’t provide you with any warranty regarding the mechanical, electrical, structural, or body condition of the car.

We will do our best to deliver the car to the port in Europe in the same condition as at the moment of purchase.

But always remember that you are buying a car which is 25 years old or older. In 99% of cases, it will have defects.
It may be something mechanical, or some electronics don’t work, or rust, or suspension issues – anything. If the car looks good at the moment of the inspection (or in pictures), it has fewer chances that the defects are crucial.
But you will find some defects anyway, most likely.

We also don’t give any guarantees regarding the mileage of the car. In some cases, some sellers are faking the mileage and decreasing it. It is strictly illegal but it happens sometimes, particularly if you buy a car online, without an inspection. If we perform an inspection of the car before purchase, we will do our best to verify the mileage and find any discrepancies. But sometimes fraud is difficult to detect. So, shit happens.

But this risk is just another part of the adventure of buying a car with a real history. And there is no adventure without risk. With due preoccupation and with our help you will probably remove most of the risks.

What is my car damaged during shipping?

We will take pictures of the car before the shipping and the first thing in the port of arrival.

If anything is damaged or stolen, we’ll submit a claim to the shipping line and the insurance company on your behalf.
But it doesn’t happen very often.

What if I change my mind?

If you decide to stop working with us before purchasing a car with our help, we’ll give you your deposit back in full.

If you decide that you don’t want the car after you already bought it but before shipping, we will try to sell it in the country of origin on your behalf for the best available price (on your approval). As soon as we sell it, we’ll give you back the actual money we got from this sale decreased by the amount of our commission and our actual costs related to selling the car (storage fees, cleaning, taxes, etc.).

If you bring the car to the US and decide that you don’t want it anymore for any reason, we can consider buying it from you (but not obliged to do this) – all details, price, and conditions are individual for each case and will be discussed on each particular case between you and us.

I have another question!

Great! We are glad to answer.

Contact us here with all your questions and we'll answer you.