Shipping a car to Europe?

Hi I'm an American setting up some long-term plans to take the year
2008 off to tour Europe by car. I plan is to ship over my Porsche
Boxster and drive it everywhere. So I have some questions, which some
preliminary research on my own hasn't answered. Therefore I consult
The Wise in this group:

o Who do I hire to ship my car to Europe?

o Would they pick it up, or should I drive it myself to the Atlantic
coast somewhere (I live in Texas)?

o I hear Bremerhaven in northern Germany is a common shipping point.
Anywhere else?

o Will my car require any kind of modification to be
legal/certified/whatever in Europe?

o I of course have Texas license plates in front and back. Will I need
to get some kind of European plates? Over there, or get them here
first? And, both front and back of the car?

o Is there a method to ship my car in the mode of car-ferries, i.e.,
can I drive my car into the hold on an Atlantic coast port, and then go
to a cabin for the 5-odd day trip tp Europe? (thus, I can be with my
baby the whole way.)

o Is there some kind of fine/fees/taxes for bringing a car to Europe?

o How many and which laws/rules/regulations are for a particular
country, or, are all they rules harmonized across the whole EU?

Thanks for any help any of you can lend. While I'm on the subject of
driving in Europe, please also take a shot with these questions:

o Which cities in Europe should I avoid due to 'crazy drivers'? I know
Naples is one, and probably Rome and Palermo. But I haven't visited
every city in Europe (yet!). How about Madrid or Lisbon or Prague?
Paris seems "OK" because all the streets appear broad and open.

o I also know to avoid driving in Istanbul if I can help it. Neither
man nor woman, young nor old, infirm or infant has the right-of-way as
compare to automobiles in that city. But my query in this regard isn't
Istanbul so much as it is Turkey. I want to drive in Turkey, but, it
isn't in the EU so whatever 'easiness' I had in the EU might not apply
there... so, whatever rules or whatever might I encounter there? Does
my car need a visa too? I suppose there are ferries across to Asia?

o Lastly, anywhere in Europe, including the Anatolian hinterlands, do I
need to worry for the 'safety' of my Boxster in some beyond-normal way?
Not only from theft, but vandalism.


THANKS

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

Dan Stephenson wrote:

Hi I'm an American setting up some long-term plans to take the year 2008
off to tour Europe by car.

The whole year? Have you looked into visa requirements?

Dan Stephenson wrote:
Hi I'm an American setting up some long-term plans to take the year
2008 off to tour Europe by car. I plan is to ship over my Porsche
Boxster and drive it everywhere. So I have some questions, which some
preliminary research on my own hasn't answered. Therefore I consult
The Wise in this group:

o Who do I hire to ship my car to Europe?

o Would they pick it up, or should I drive it myself to the Atlantic
coast somewhere (I live in Texas)?

o I hear Bremerhaven in northern Germany is a common shipping point.
Anywhere else?

o Will my car require any kind of modification to be
legal/certified/whatever in Europe?

o I of course have Texas license plates in front and back. Will I need
to get some kind of European plates? Over there, or get them here
first? And, both front and back of the car?

o Is there a method to ship my car in the mode of car-ferries, i.e.,
can I drive my car into the hold on an Atlantic coast port, and then go
to a cabin for the 5-odd day trip tp Europe? (thus, I can be with my
baby the whole way.)

o Is there some kind of fine/fees/taxes for bringing a car to Europe?

o How many and which laws/rules/regulations are for a particular
country, or, are all they rules harmonized across the whole EU?

Thanks for any help any of you can lend. While I'm on the subject of
driving in Europe, please also take a shot with these questions:

o Which cities in Europe should I avoid due to 'crazy drivers'? I know
Naples is one, and probably Rome and Palermo. But I haven't visited
every city in Europe (yet!). How about Madrid or Lisbon or Prague?
Paris seems "OK" because all the streets appear broad and open.

o I also know to avoid driving in Istanbul if I can help it. Neither
man nor woman, young nor old, infirm or infant has the right-of-way as
compare to automobiles in that city. But my query in this regard isn't
Istanbul so much as it is Turkey. I want to drive in Turkey, but, it
isn't in the EU so whatever 'easiness' I had in the EU might not apply
there... so, whatever rules or whatever might I encounter there? Does
my car need a visa too? I suppose there are ferries across to Asia?

o Lastly, anywhere in Europe, including the Anatolian hinterlands, do I
need to worry for the 'safety' of my Boxster in some beyond-normal way?
Not only from theft, but vandalism.


THANKS

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

leave your gas guzzler at home, you can buy my Skoda off me Euro 1000.
Its reliable, parts are cheap, no one will steal it !
will save you lots of money.

Dan,

I'm an American who shipped my Porsche 911S from California to The
Netherlands, way back in 1975. You have a batch of questions, most of
which (and others which you haven't thought of) can be answered by
reading two of my pages at
www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap22/living.htm and
www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap18/auto.htm.

I'll give short answers to some of your specific questions below.

Dan Stephenson wrote:
Hi I'm an American setting up some long-term plans to take the year
2008 off to tour Europe by car. I plan is to ship over my Porsche
Boxster and drive it everywhere. So I have some questions, which some
preliminary research on my own hasn't answered. Therefore I consult
The Wise in this group:

o Who do I hire to ship my car to Europe?
An international freight forwarder.


o Would they pick it up, or should I drive it myself to the Atlantic
coast somewhere (I live in Texas)?
Drive it to the dock where they have booked your cargo. Probably
Houston in your case.


o I hear Bremerhaven in northern Germany is a common shipping point.
Anywhere else?
I used Rotterdam. They speak English in Holland.


o Will my car require any kind of modification to be
legal/certified/whatever in Europe?
Why do you want to get l/c/w in Europe? It appears that you are on the
run so stay off the radar screens of unbelievable bureaucracy
everywhere in Europe.


o I of course have Texas license plates in front and back. Will I need
to get some kind of European plates? Over there, or get them here
first? And, both front and back of the car?
Drive with Texas tags. See my pages.


o Is there a method to ship my car in the mode of car-ferries, i.e.,
can I drive my car into the hold on an Atlantic coast port, and then go
to a cabin for the 5-odd day trip tp Europe? (thus, I can be with my
baby the whole way.)
If there are still trans-Atlantic ships like the Queen Elizabeth I
believe you can put your baby in the hold. Call them or check their web
sites.


o Is there some kind of fine/fees/taxes for bringing a car to Europe?
Only if you get caught, and then you give your spiel. See my pages.


o How many and which laws/rules/regulations are for a particular
country, or, are all they rules harmonized across the whole EU?
Keep driving.


Thanks for any help any of you can lend. While I'm on the subject of
driving in Europe, please also take a shot with these questions:

o Which cities in Europe should I avoid due to 'crazy drivers'? I know
Naples is one, and probably Rome and Palermo. But I haven't visited
every city in Europe (yet!). How about Madrid or Lisbon or Prague?
Paris seems "OK" because all the streets appear broad and open.
Yes, avoid all cities if you can. But if you can't then you drive as if
it is YOUR road. However Paris is not so bad.


o I also know to avoid driving in Istanbul if I can help it. Neither
man nor woman, young nor old, infirm or infant has the right-of-way as
compare to automobiles in that city. But my query in this regard isn't
Istanbul so much as it is Turkey. I want to drive in Turkey, but, it
isn't in the EU so whatever 'easiness' I had in the EU might not apply
there... so, whatever rules or whatever might I encounter there? Does
my car need a visa too? I suppose there are ferries across to Asia?
Turkey is not bad, at least on the European side. I drove from Athens
to Istanbul and then returned to Germany up through Bulgaria and
Romania. In Istanbul I parked the car almost on the steps of our hotel
at Topkapi Gate and used local transport for the week. Don't miss
riding in a domus if you want to mix with the locals. I loved it.


o Lastly, anywhere in Europe, including the Anatolian hinterlands, do I
need to worry for the 'safety' of my Boxster in some beyond-normal way?
Not only from theft, but vandalism.
Yes, vandalism is everywhere and very common. This is a real blight on
Europe. Theft is also a problem. Car stealing rings operate throughout
Europe and ship the cars to the east and middle east. Make sure that
your insurance covers you in the countries you plan to visit. You are
not only an American in the eyes of the midnight acquisition squad, you
are a rich American from the home state of a president who is in the
cross-hairs of too many people over there.



THANKS

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

You're welcome,

John Bermont
----------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * *
http://www.enjoy-europe.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------

On 2006-07-15 12:41:57 -0500, S Viemeister said:

Dan Stephenson wrote:

Hi I'm an American setting up some long-term plans to take the year
2008 off to tour Europe by car.

The whole year? Have you looked into visa requirements?

Well, typically the visas are good for, what, three months? And I
figured I wouldn't stay in any one country as long as that. I figured
that since I would be moving on all the time I would get a series of
short-term touristic visa. Wouldn't that work?
--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

(remove nospam from email address to reply via email)

On 2006-07-15 14:15:39 -0500, "yeosmyth" said:


S Viemeister wrote:
Dan Stephenson wrote:

Hi I'm an American setting up some long-term plans to take the year 2008
off to tour Europe by car.

Might be cheaper to lease a new car for the year- several manufacturers
have lease programs on new cars- Renault, VW do for sure- Porsche may
have as well

Hmm, I'll have to look into that, too. I have an '02 -- the new models
are better in most respects. Thanks,

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

(remove nospam from email address to reply via email)

"Dan Stephenson" wrote in message
news:2006071517210916807-stephedanospam@maccom...
On 2006-07-15 12:41:57 -0500, S Viemeister
said:

Dan Stephenson wrote:

Hi I'm an American setting up some long-term plans to take the year 2008
off to tour Europe by car.

The whole year? Have you looked into visa requirements?

Well, typically the visas are good for, what, three months? And I figured
I wouldn't stay in any one country as long as that. I figured that since
I would be moving on all the time I would get a series of short-term
touristic visa. Wouldn't that work?

No

You get one visa for the whole Schengen area which covers
most of mainland Europe

Keith

I shipped a car from Bremerhaven to Jacksonville twenty years ago and it was
no big deal, drive-on/drive-off. Cost $800 at that time. You may be able
to do the same from Galveston. Talk to your local Porsche dealer and see
which port they use. Also contact the PCA and put an inquiry on their web
site for what you want to do. Next contact the German, Dutch,... consulate
and see if they can help you through the red tape of titles, insurance,
temporary tag. I own a Boxster too and would love to drive it anywhere in
Europe. I always rent cars there and pay anywhere from $30 to 80 per day
for a good deal. When one looks into Porsches, however, the price jumps
astronomically, and they always have a mileage limitation. If you run into
a dead end I have friends in Germany who might make some calls for you.
"Dan Stephenson" wrote in message
news:2006071512032616807-stephedanospam@maccom...
Hi I'm an American setting up some long-term plans to take the year 2008
off to tour Europe by car. I plan is to ship over my Porsche Boxster and
drive it everywhere. So I have some questions, which some preliminary
research on my own hasn't answered. Therefore I consult The Wise in this
group:

o Who do I hire to ship my car to Europe?

o Would they pick it up, or should I drive it myself to the Atlantic coast
somewhere (I live in Texas)?

o I hear Bremerhaven in northern Germany is a common shipping point.
Anywhere else?

o Will my car require any kind of modification to be
legal/certified/whatever in Europe?

o I of course have Texas license plates in front and back. Will I need to
get some kind of European plates? Over there, or get them here first?
And, both front and back of the car?

o Is there a method to ship my car in the mode of car-ferries, i.e., can I
drive my car into the hold on an Atlantic coast port, and then go to a
cabin for the 5-odd day trip tp Europe? (thus, I can be with my baby the
whole way.)

o Is there some kind of fine/fees/taxes for bringing a car to Europe?

o How many and which laws/rules/regulations are for a particular country,
or, are all they rules harmonized across the whole EU?

Thanks for any help any of you can lend. While I'm on the subject of
driving in Europe, please also take a shot with these questions:

o Which cities in Europe should I avoid due to 'crazy drivers'? I know
Naples is one, and probably Rome and Palermo. But I haven't visited every
city in Europe (yet!). How about Madrid or Lisbon or Prague? Paris seems
"OK" because all the streets appear broad and open.

o I also know to avoid driving in Istanbul if I can help it. Neither man
nor woman, young nor old, infirm or infant has the right-of-way as compare
to automobiles in that city. But my query in this regard isn't Istanbul
so much as it is Turkey. I want to drive in Turkey, but, it isn't in the
EU so whatever 'easiness' I had in the EU might not apply there... so,
whatever rules or whatever might I encounter there? Does my car need a
visa too? I suppose there are ferries across to Asia?

o Lastly, anywhere in Europe, including the Anatolian hinterlands, do I
need to worry for the 'safety' of my Boxster in some beyond-normal way?
Not only from theft, but vandalism.


THANKS

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

On 2006-07-15 17:54:33 -0500, "Keith W"
said:

I said:
Well, typically the visas are good for, what, three months? And I
figured I wouldn't stay in any one country as long as that. I figured
that since I would be moving on all the time I would get a series of
short-term touristic visa. Wouldn't that work?

No

You get one visa for the whole Schengen area which covers
most of mainland Europe

Keith

Ahhh. Hmm. I guess that would mean every three months I'd need to
visit the UK? to break continuity?

Also: is it three months per touristic visa in Schengen?

TIA,

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos, movies, panos from the Europe, USA, plus N.Z.:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

(remove nospam from email address to reply via email)

Hooverphonic wrote:

leave your gas guzzler at home, you can buy my Skoda off me Euro 1000.
Its reliable, parts are cheap, no one will steal it !
will save you lots of money.


Is it a "communist era" Skoda or one of the newer "VW Skodas"...???

[Now if you had a Tatra 603 I might take you up on your offer!]

--
Best
Greg