Moving a Car to Germany
Moving a car to Germany is not as expensive or complicated as some might imagine. There are a few important points that must be considered first.
One of the first things that should be considered about moving a car to Germany is the make of the car. Ford is just about the only United States made car to make serious inroads into the German market. This will mean you will have a difficult time finding service and parts will be expensive for your Chevy or Pontiac. There is much less problem with Japanese or Korean makes and all European made cars are well represented in the German market.
There are two different methods used to ship your car when you are moving to Germany. One way combines your vehicle with your other household goods. The other is to ship you car separately. Which is better depends on the amount of household goods. Since the vehicle is going to occupy the same container, a much larger container is usually needed. The larger the container, the greater the cost, so, shipping separately is generally the less expensive method.
Obviously, you are going to save money if you are able to both drop off and pick up the vehicle at a port. The freight forwarding agent will be able to help you with the paperwork. An example here is that moving a car to Germany is going to require 3 notarized copies of your title. Another thing to consider is the rather strict German inspection requirements. In most cases, some alteration is going to be needed to pass the German inspections.
Insurance is absolutely essential and will most likely cost between 1.5-2.5% of the value of the vehicle. There are also Port Taxes and fees associated with the unloading at the German port. Agents are available in Germany to help with this process for an additional fee, but people who have been through the process report that you can dispense with the agent if you wish. The paperwork takes about 2 hours to complete, but is not complicated.
To give an idea of what you might expect to pay, the following was reported by a person who recently shipped a small Japanese model vehicle from Portland, Oregon to Bremen in Germany. The truck transport from Portland to San Francisco cost $250. The shipment from San Francisco to Bremen via Panama cost $800. The taxes and handling in Bremen cost DM300 and an additional DM600 was needed to pass German inspections. The 900 Marks would equal just under $500.