s2k7 Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 ...a kit from England. Anyone here imported a Caterham - Westfield - Tiger or other kit in UK? I like to know the ruling at the U.S. custom & at the D.O.T when the kit arrives at the port. Do i need to buy a kit with no engine? just a chassis and body parts? Any idea how much the U.S. custom charge you for the kit? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemk1 Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I ordered a Westfield kit through the US distributor and paid a flat rate for shipping and it landed ay my door. They handle all the paperwork and fees. dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 If you want a Caterham CSR, the former importer has one here in Denver as of a few weeks ago. I don't know if he has assembled it or not but you might check. Jon at 303-765-0247. Be patient, he travels a lot so it may take some time for him to get back to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2k7 Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 Did the customs gave you a hard time bringing the Westfield? Is the car has engine installed when you imported it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I bought a Westfield kit last year. When registering in Texas, it was a big deal that I bought it from a US dealer rather than import it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Not possible to bring in a new kit car, even partially assembled, w/engine installed. That's why engines are typically sourced here and added here. Not sure how Tom (YellowSS7) got his Rover engine. Maybe sourced separately in UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemk1 Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I bought mine as a kit and sourced the engine and trans here in the states myself. dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blokko Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 I've posted about TTIP before -http://usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9939 Will be interested to see whether this makes the process of importing any simpler and/or cheaper. Reminds me, must get in touch with Simon to finally get that Westfield test drive when I'm back in the UK later this month.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2k7 Posted November 16, 2014 Author Share Posted November 16, 2014 Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership proposal is not breathing. Started during 1990's revived by Merkel 2006 and United States 2014, I never heard the proposal since. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) is an ambitious, comprehensive, and high-standard trade and investment agreement being negotiated between the United States and the European Union T-TIP will help unlock opportunity for American families, workers, businesses, farmers and ranchers through increased access to European markets for Made-in-America goods and services. This will help to promote U.S. international competitiveness, jobs and growth. Advantage: China ---- we want junk "made in china" Four days ago, Obama visited Asia, made agreement with the Chinese on carbon emission deal (greenhouse emission)but never push The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) an ambitious, 21st century trade agreement that the United States is negotiating with 11 other countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region (Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam). A copycat proposal similar to the European & US transatlantic partnership. This too, I predicted will be nailed in the coffin. Advantage: China...garbage in garbage out product made in china. Sorry, I'm not ready to buy a Seven MADE IN CHINA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Getting a straight answer on importation matters is really difficult. You talk to import agents/customs brokers and they all say "not a problem" and then you discover that the US Government bureaucracy is ALWAYS a problem and you end up paying for the import delays/exams/etc that dog a problematic import. So whoever you are using for shipping, make sure that you have carefully selected them based on references, track record, etc. Each time I have imported parts on pallets/crates (wheels, tires, brakes, shocks, etc) it has been incredibly painful. For example, when importing 4 shock absorbers this year, US Customs wanted an inventory of parts. It took 4 weeks for me to explain by phone, in writing, through an attorney, through the seller, that a shock absorber is a complete unit and not a collection of parts for import duty calculations. The other time US Customs decided to examine my wheel/tire/cabron import - chalk up hundreds of dollars in exam fees plus more for storage fees and delays. Make sure you have the right import agent/broker up front. Mine were like a souffle - they never rose to the occasion more than once. I won't even go into the pain I am having importing 2 over 25 year old cars which supposedly according to all the experts and my specialist attorney should be straightforward imports. Each time the Government has changed the rules by applying their own bizarre interpretation of what is right. And you are helpless at the mercy of some fat chick from the US government earning $30k a year who plays God depending on whether her friend has texted her in the last 5 minutes, she got screwed last night, she has a period, she has her chocolate latte at 11am or whether she is resentful of her lot in life to be ranked just above the shit that lies in the base of a toilet bowl. Despite her being supremely qualified to flip burgers she thinks she has the skills to give me an import colonoscopy with both hands and no vaseline and so she will - guaranteed every time.:cuss: For importing a kit car I think you would do well to start looking at what others do. Superformance with their South African Cobras/GT 40s, CAV with their GT40s, Birkin with their sevens, Caterham now with their cars, etc all employ a "roller" strategy. No drive train (engine/gearbox) is installed. You source that yourself separately and install it yourself. If I was doing this I would make sure I have an inventory of everything in that crate. However, I am not sure you can just buy yourself a kit overseas and ship it here. Each of the kit manufacturers has exclusive licenses with USA distributors. How are you going to get a US kit that has the correct US VIN sequence for a new car and a Manufacturers Statement of Origin? The MSO is vitally important to get a new built kit car registered - even Florida legally needs them and that well known as the easiest state to do anything dodgy with registering vehicles in. To get that MSO I doubt an overseas kit manufacturer would just overlook their exclusive distribution agreement to supply you a kit? If I was you I would consider buying the kit through a USA distributor. It may be more expensive but it is far less stressful and you know what you are going to get at the end of the day. Now if you want to buy a Caterham then I would be going down the road you are exploring as the prices are now so outrageously high that the big savings make sense for the effort you put in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Sorry - I just re-read my post above and I can see I have had a bit of a rant. My apologies. At least you can see the emotional scars inflicted by US Government bureaucracy on me! :banghead: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hill Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Don't be so hard on yourself Croc, not your fault some see a lesson in the facts of life of dealing with government...big or small...as a rant. I actually thought you were quite reserved in your comments. You may have poked a sharp stick in a few eyes but only the guys who hate being called the gougers they are! I am somewhat surprised that someone so worldly, and seemingly well connected, can still get stung in overseas transactions. What chance do us little guys have? Or is that how the nameless importers you mentioned are able to rationalize their gouging to theIr customers? For the record we have similar or worse problems shipping into Canada....sometimes. I am not sure if I am more shocked when it works or when the simplest deals go awry. Have personally seen the papertrail almost never-ending on one transaction, and 6 months later see it fly through with the border guys accusing me of trying to bury them in paper and watch them dump it into the shredder beside them, stamp mine and point me to door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hill Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Sleeping next to the elephant that the US market is, as different as the regulatIons are between our countries, not to mention the varying agendas of the regulators on both sides, sometimes we are left on the outside looking in when trying to import some products. It is not uncommon for an overseas manufacturer to have a North American exclusive with a US agent. However, now we have conflicting import regs, often the double duties making the cost more than reasonable. The manufacturer won't sell direct into Canada as he has his exclusive North American agent. The product can come into Canada duty-free if imported directly but coming through the US agent he has his markup and import costs to put it in his hands, plus naturally wants to add more to ship into Canada, plus the added complications of different import regs. I can tell you from personal experience that you throw up your hands in disgust. Will continue MY rant later.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wemtd Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Croc: no need to apologize. If I was you I would consider buying the kit through a USA distributor. It may be more expensive but it is far less stressful and you know what you are going to get at the end of the day. Another consideration not yet mentioned is time: From personal experience I recommend starting with a kit that's already on the ground here. Otherwise you may end up waiting (an eternity) or with the wrong color car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blokko Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 TTIP is still big news in the UK in a couple of areas. First, there are a lot of people in the NHS (health service) who are campaigning against it on the basis that US health service providers will muscle in and kill off the NHS. The second area is the civil libertarians who do not like the way this is being conducted in secrecy and without oversight. That said, maybe it is all too ambitious and nowt will come off it! Assuming it does go ahead at some point, it should at least remove the import duty. The agreement was also trying to get cross border recognition of standards. The example I saw was inferring that a car that met European standards (crash test and emissions for example) would not have to meet US equivalent standards. Whether this vision comes to fruition we will have to wait and see - but it would be fantastic if Westfield could build me a car in Kingswinford and then ship it out to me (I shan't hold my breath).... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 There is a Mazda-Westfield near you. I don't know the status, but the kit arrived about 10 months ago. Look up member MPG. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPG Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I'm here. Still plugging away at it. I just finished installing the rear wiring harness this weekend. Not looking forward to the bigger harness up front. Engine's back together and I've test fit all of the body panels, so it's starting to look like something. So I didn't import it myself. Manik took care of most of that. All I had to do was pick it up at the dock. That was actually enough of a project. The box was more than 12 feet long and most places I called wouldn't touch it. To top things off, I was in England when it arrived here. My father and my sons found a guy with one of those ramp trucks and fetched the box home. But I didn't have to worry about things like customs. I think that it would be a bit of an adventure to do that yourself, unless you're talking about something more than 25 years old. I know some people who've done that, and it isn't too bad at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hill Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Have any build pics posted anywhere? It's always nice to see someone else suffer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPG Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I haven't been too good about posting pictures, but you can see what I have posted here: http://blog.garritys.org/category/cars/westfield -MPG- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manik Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 J, what happened to your other Westfield? In the market for a new one? tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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