Shipping Fulvia to U.S.

[Bill Rempe]

I've given up trying to find a Fulvia here and have been shopping on ebay Italia where there are a lot more to choose from. I have contacted a couple auto shipping companies that I found on the internet, and from what I can tell, they will ship from an Italian port, but I am responsible for getting the car there first. Also, they offer containers (more expensive) or roll on roll off options. Does anyone have any experience or recommendations? Thanks, Bill in Atlanta

[neil]

Try this link
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=44334
and maybe you can contact Fanalone, who has alot of experience of this type of exercise.
Regards
Neil

[Ed Levin]

'Fanalone', whose name is Adan, does have a good source for shipping. He typically uses roll on - roll off rather than container, and he just scheduled a shipment of a 1,2 coupe this week. I speak with him a couple times a week, and I'll see if I can get him in contact with you.

[Jay]

Hi Bill,

I shipped a Fulvia Berlina GTE from Belgium back in 1999. I had a shipping broker from
New York named Bill Murphy, who had the GTE trucked from Charleroi to Antwerp,
driven onto the boat, driven off the boat in Baltimore and run through customs. For this, Bill
charged me 1200 US, accepting payment via Amex. There was no money up front. All I had to
do was arrive in Baltimore and drive the car off the port. Pretty easy. He had a advertisement in Hemmings in the shipping section.

But, I was quoted some 3500 dollars if the car was to come from Italy. I imagine prices have gone up
since 1999.

Another good friend, Joe Fillip, was searching for a 1.6 HF Coupe. He located a nice one and met
with the seller, had international insurance, and drove with his wife North through Italy, Switz, France
and Belgium, driving the car to Antwerp and flying home. They remarked greatly on what a wonderful reception they had all along the route from local people.

So, why not consider a fly/drive vacation. BTW, you might consider looking for a Series One Fulvia on eBay.it, not only because they are so nice, but also, there are more parts on the ground here in the U.S. than for the later series.

Ciao, Jay

[Stephan]

The fly/drive vacation sounds like a great idea if you have the time, I thought about buying a fulvia berlina for my next european vacation. They seem quite reasonable on ebay Italia. I bought my fulvia from this web site and was fortunate that the seller arranged all the shipping. I had the option of Houston or L.A. Houston was a little cheaper and about the same distance from my house. I did alot of research about importing a car, most will tell you you dont need a customs broker. However things have changed since 9/11. You cant drive on most ports anymore with your own truck. The broker I used charged $130.00, for picking up the car, delivering to his wharehouse and doing all the paper work. He even offered to store the fulvia for a short time free of charge. All this for the price of a hotel room and I did'nt have to deal with customs, what a great deal! I recommend a customs broker. Again I was fortunate in the help I had from the seller and also that the car was exactly as advertised. My total cost including the car, shipping and pickup was about $6000. fulvias are going up in price and Im sure shipping has gone up also in the last 5 years. Overall it was quite easy and reasonable, I will import again in the future. Good luck

[jogo]

bill - I been in the car buyin & sellin game in europe, buying & selling both in europe & selling to the usa for a long time. This is, however, not my real job nor my current / future profession.
My professional tips: are:
never buy blind !
fly before you buy - anything - be it a horse, car, painting - whatever.
bring an expert who speaks the language (Greek, Italian, Dutch whatever) & pay them well.
best is a local expert who isn't buddies with the seller !!
the money you save in advance will pay dividends later
+ you get a few days away from your normal life.
never "buy on the spot"; take your time & look at a # of alternatives if time & geography allow
,trust no one with nothin
pay only when all has been accomplished to your satisfaction.
drive the car to the port of choice (Bremerhaven or Emden Germany ; Rotterdam Holland)
drive the car away yourself & only park (regardless of where in Europe) in secure parking.
You think of a worst case scenario nightmare & I'll assure you that I've witnessed it again & again.
pre-pre-pre educate & prepare yourself prior to doing anything.
the further north you go in Europe, the rustier cars seem to be
excellent restaurations are expensive - if done well - in good shops (yes, there is such a thing) in the north.
I can't remember where I read about it, but I did read that a business in Poland was doing Fulvia/Flavia restauration. I only read about this 1x & that was about 18 months ago.
perhaps someone else in Europe knows abaout the Polish connection.

PPPP - if you are guilty of this - you can only blame on yourself.
contact me if there is anything I can do for you

[Huib]

I could not agree more.

The coupes from ebay.it that I or friends went to see were all bad (sills mostly). Mind you it does not mean the car is bad and you should not buy it. That it still looks like a car after 40 years of mostly neglect is proof of good quality. Rustproofing did not exist in Italy in the sixties and early seventies and some cavities don't have ventilation holes. It guarantees bad sills. Unless of course these have been restored recently by someone who knows the Fulvia. Restoring the sills take one week of hard labour per side. Then comes a spray job.

A total bare metal restoration with engine, gearbox, brakes, steering box overhaul etc, all new bearings, ball joints, suspension rubbers and other rubbers, new windscreen, rustproofing, new lights, tires etc etc. In short bringing the car up to the spec it had when it left the factory and a lot better on the rustproofing costs about 50.000 euro. By saying that I don't mean you should put 50.000 euro on the table right now and have the car completely restored but it means that if someone offers a totally restored car at say 8000 euro, he is kidding. Or at least his definition of restoration is not the same as mine and probably not the same as yours. I do a couple of complete restorations per year plus some partial restorations. Basically one builds a new car in the most inefficient way there is. A good job costs a lot.

[Bill Rempe]

Thanks everyone for all the good information and shipping contacts...
I feel like I have plenty to work with now, and I'll resist the urge to buy the next "rust free" Fulvia I see without going to see it first. Will probably have to wait until fall before I'll have time to go on a shopping trip, but please keep me in mind if you come across a nice looking car! Thanks again, Bill