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Taking your Mini overseas...
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Author:  jprior2912 [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Taking your Mini overseas...
Hi all

I'm just wondering if anyone's ever taken their mini overseas on a holiday?

At the end of the year I may be going to U.S.A and would love to do route 66 in the deluxe.

Anyone had any similar experiences? Is it even possible? Time consuming? Expensive? Worth it?

Cheers
James
Author:  timmy201 [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
Just my opinion:

As much as I'd like to do Route 66 and I love driving my mini, I don't think I'd combine them.

My idea of Route 66 has always been the typical American muscle car - Mustang/Camaro etc. They'd probably deal with the long distances and high speeds better than a mini, and they are available to hire when you get there.

I could also see it taking many weeks to ship a car, and they tend to get delayed along the way, which could make your holiday a bit of a bummer?

I have no idea of the fees/conditions with driving a RHD drive car there only for a holiday and bringing it back. Then you'd have customs, etc

I've been eyeing off something like this:
http://route66tours.com.au/cars/
http://ridefree.com/classic_car_tours_rentals
http://www.ridingroute66.us/route-66-cl ... d-tour-usa
Author:  MrFail [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
I have a friend that bought his car from europe to aus with him.
So possible. Yes, i cant see why not .
Expensive. YES im pretty sure his bill was thousands. Time consuming. Yes i would think itd take a while to get there by boat. Cars take a few weeks to get here from japan . So Aus to Usa would take a decent time i reckon.
You also need to factor in possible damage during shipping. My mates car was a heavily modded 2 door sti. It got heaps of stuff stolen off it during transit. Sure he was very unlucky, but it does happen .
Thats part of the risk you need to consider as well.

Hope this helps :-)
Author:  jprior2912 [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
timmy201 wrote:
Just my opinion:

As much as I'd like to do Route 66 and I love driving my mini, I don't think I'd combine them.

My idea of Route 66 has always been the typical American muscle car - Mustang/Camaro etc. They'd probably deal with the long distances and high speeds better than a mini, and they are available to hire when you get there.

I could also see it taking many weeks to ship a car, and they tend to get delayed along the way, which could make your holiday a bit of a bummer?

I have no idea of the fees/conditions with driving a RHD drive car there only for a holiday and bringing it back. Then you'd have customs, etc

I've been eyeing off something like this:
http://route66tours.com.au/cars/
http://ridefree.com/classic_car_tours_rentals
http://www.ridingroute66.us/route-66-cl ... d-tour-usa


Yeah I must admit I started to think down that path. Thought I'd ask the question but I'm thinking maybe a stanger would be better. If I work my butt off this year might be able to afford to buy one over there, never never know. :D

MrFail wrote:
I have a friend that bought his car from europe to aus with him.
So possible. Yes, i cant see why not .
Expensive. YES im pretty sure his bill was thousands. Time consuming. Yes i would think itd take a while to get there by boat. Cars take a few weeks to get here from japan . So Aus to Usa would take a decent time i reckon.
You also need to factor in possible damage during shipping. My mates car was a heavily modded 2 door sti. It got heaps of stuff stolen off it during transit. Sure he was very unlucky, but it does happen .
Thats part of the risk you need to consider as well.

Hope this helps :-)


Thanks, it kind of confirms what I thought may be the case. Think I'll protect her in an aussie garage while I'm gone :)
Author:  Irish Yobbo [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
Depending on how long you're there, it might be worth investigating the possibility of just buying a car while you're there, and selling it off before you leave.
Author:  womble99 [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
Why not ask Rick/Hunter2? He took Roo over, admittedly it was one way.
Author:  bnicho [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
I have several friends who have done it (not with a Mini).

Talk to an importer. I'd recommend Iron Chef Imports. But as a very rough ballpark you are looking at around $3K in shipping and fees each way if you choose to put it in a container. Maybe a little less if you go Roll-on-roll-off (RORO) where they drive your car on the ship, chain it down and drive it off again at the other end.

The interesting bit is a small (20 foot) container is 19 and a bit feet long inside. Your Mini is ten feet long. With some creative packing you should be able to get two in the container if someone is nutty enough to go with you. That will reduce the cost for each car by around 40%.

I will be taking my Moke to Europe for a few months sometime in the future. I've been modifying/rebuilding it towards that goal. Two Mokes with bumpers and spare wheels removed WILL fit in a 20 foot container. Hang the expense, I can save money by camping instead of using hotels. :D
Author:  womble99 [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
Not a winter trip I am guessing? :shock:
Author:  Irish Yobbo [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
bnicho wrote:
a small (20 foot) container is 19 and a bit feet long inside. Your Mini is ten feet long. With some creative packing you should be able to get two in the container if someone is nutty enough to go with you.


They'd need to be pretty nutty - in involves cutting 8 inches off their mini :D
Author:  bnicho [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
Irish Yobbo wrote:
They'd need to be pretty nutty - in involves cutting 8 inches off their mini :D


Suspend the front of one above the front of the other. Or do something like this:

Image

http://www.netbug.net/blogmichael/?p=552

8)
Author:  deluxe67 [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
Hi JPrior,

Guess I'm qualified to answer this one. My car is currently in Bali Indonesia. I drove it Melb-Perth-Darwin then shipped it to Dili in East Timor. From there island hopped through eastern Indonesian using roll on roll of ferries. (Absolute blast of a trip)
What you need is a "Carnet de passage" which you organize through the RACV. Essentially its an internationally recognized touring permit. I call it a car passport, its easier to explain it to people that way. The car gets stamped in and out of each country you visit. The whole idea of the carnet is that you can tour freely through countries without being subject to taxes, duties etc. The vehicle must return to its country of origin and you must get a VIA (vehicle import approval) from Oz customs before you leave (very important). I found the application process very straight forward.
Of course you are travelling with your Australian plates. I've had absolutely no problems, the only time I've been stopped by the police was because he wanted to buy the car!
Be warned, if you bring a Mini to Indonesia you are immediately a celebrity. In fact people are taking photo's now as I eat lunch and of course I'm Mr Bean... If you want more info happy to help.
Author:  bnicho [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
Deluxe67, it's great to hear of others mad enough to do huge trips in a Mini.

I can recommend "Don't Kiss Me It's Very Terrible" and "Eurasian Moke". You will find a lot of interest there. :)

Fortunately you don't need a Carnet de Passage for USA and the EU countries. But it is always best to check.

Cheers,
Author:  BKozan [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
Just my $.02. I recently shipped some personal items from the US to Melbourne by boat. It was a custom made wooden crate measuring 1.5m x 1m x 1m, and weighed 130kg. The process was a nightmare, and the cost was near $3.2k US. I did a bit of research into a container and/or a partial container (PCL), and was getting quotes for one way travel nearly $6k for a 20ft 'half' container. This does not include customs - inspections, approvals, port duties, and the list goes on. You may want to speak with a Customs Broker to see what this may consist of. I did half-heartedly ask about moving a motorbike, out of curiosity, and the list of things that he said along the lines of "hazardous materials, petrol tanks, undercarriage sanitising, and international tyre restrictions" got my head spinning.

Like Irish Yobbo said, if money is a concern, buying one and selling it would certainly be cheaper. Hell, buying one and driving it off a cliff might be cheaper!
Author:  drjbeam [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
My cousin brought a 30 foot enclosed trailer over from france back in 97 when he come with his ultralight plane group and flew across aus

All they had to do was get it regoed here
Author:  jprior2912 [ Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taking your Mini overseas...
deluxe67 wrote:
Hi JPrior,

Guess I'm qualified to answer this one. My car is currently in Bali Indonesia. I drove it Melb-Perth-Darwin then shipped it to Dili in East Timor. From there island hopped through eastern Indonesian using roll on roll of ferries. (Absolute blast of a trip)
What you need is a "Carnet de passage" which you organize through the RACV. Essentially its an internationally recognized touring permit. I call it a car passport, its easier to explain it to people that way. The car gets stamped in and out of each country you visit. The whole idea of the carnet is that you can tour freely through countries without being subject to taxes, duties etc. The vehicle must return to its country of origin and you must get a VIA (vehicle import approval) from Oz customs before you leave (very important). I found the application process very straight forward.
Of course you are travelling with your Australian plates. I've had absolutely no problems, the only time I've been stopped by the police was because he wanted to buy the car!
Be warned, if you bring a Mini to Indonesia you are immediately a celebrity. In fact people are taking photo's now as I eat lunch and of course I'm Mr Bean... If you want more info happy to help.


That trip sounds like a blast!!! Definitely one for the to-do list!

It seems people have mixed experiences in terms of shipping stuff around and seems to depend on the country a lot. To be honest I'd LOVE to take the mini to the US, it would be amazing. But the US is probably that little too far where it starts to become ridiculously priced. Bit of a shame
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