overseas deployment...car question

[EVO-lution]

so I got my assignment and it's overseas. I'm in the Airforce and currently in tech school in texas :-|. But I just had a question about trying to bring my car overseas. or ;possibly bringing one home. does anyone know anything about either topic?:beer:

 

[DocButters]

Just shipped my termi to Italy, if you have official orders the gov't should either move your goods for you or at the very least reimburse you for the costs after the move. TMO packed all my things and out the cobra on a boat and it'll be there a week after I get there. As far as buying/selling overseas, I think it's depends where you're going. I've heard only rumors, but people say buying/selling cars in Italy is illegal for american's

 

[myersusaf]

Where is your assignmnent to? Depending on where it is, the government will ship one POV over free of charge.

 

[cuban]

where are you going? If to europe i have no idea, but japan do yourself a favor and sell it if you still owe money on it. The AF will pay to ship it here but it is expensive to have the JCI done and any modifications, esp with the yen rate so crappy. also for bringing cars from japan to the states, if it is here my guess is you have skylines dancing in your brain. It can be done but in the end you will pay 20k plus for the skyline and another 30-50k in the cost of shipping it back and having a shop modify it. the AF will not send a japanese car to the states that will not clear customs unless you have a contract with a shop that has been paid in advance for the modifications. in the end it is a PITA and overall not worth it. sell your big loan items, buy a cheap local car and bank the cola.

 

[RDJ]

For a young single guy in the military and going overseas .. this right here is some damn fine advice.

OP: I can tell you a little bit about Germany if that is where you are going. You can take your car there and not have to worry much and I dont think you will need to make any modifications to it.

When I was there the military guys were buying the only mercedes you could buy and ship home unmodified (300D IIRC), driving them for 6 months and selling them for more than they paid by several thousand dollars. With the weak ass exchange rate however I am betting those days are over.

where are you going? If to europe i have no idea, but japan do yourself a favor and sell it if you still owe money on it. The AF will pay to ship it here but it is expensive to have the JCI done and any modifications, esp with the yen rate so crappy. also for bringing cars from japan to the states, if it is here my guess is you have skylines dancing in your brain. It can be done but in the end you will pay 20k plus for the skyline and another 30-50k in the cost of shipping it back and having a shop modify it. the AF will not send a japanese car to the states that will not clear customs unless you have a contract with a shop that has been paid in advance for the modifications. in the end it is a PITA and overall not worth it. sell your big loan items, buy a cheap local car and bank the cola.

 

[1Kona_Venom]

For a young single guy in the military and going overseas .. this right here is some damn fine advice.

OP: I can tell you a little bit about Germany if that is where you are going. You can take your car there and not have to worry much and I dont think you will need to make any modifications to it.

When I was there the military guys were buying the only mercedes you could buy and ship home unmodified (300D IIRC), driving them for 6 months and selling them for more than they paid by several thousand dollars. With the weak ass exchange rate however I am betting those days are over.

As RDJ stated those days are over. When in Europe do what the Europeans do, and that is buy a BMW or BENZ hooptie. When it needs fixed, its cheaper and your insurance will be like 55 bucks a month

R u married? If not you more than likely will NOT get a garage, so your mustang will sit outside. Your going to deploy..its not even a question, so it sits outside some more.

I never took my car over there and dont regret it at ALL. Yes I missed it, but when I came back 3 years later it was paid off. LOW LOW LOW mileage and I was able to sell it later on.

My buddy did ship his GT and it was never the same. Ocean Salt etc etc

Hope that helps, sell it or store it imo. And BTW, good luck getting go fast parts, IF THEY SHIP to an APO it will be more hassle than what its worth for shipping.

I was in Germany from '04 to '07 2 deployments

Army ships ONE vehicle for free

 

[EVO-lution]

yeah i'm going to yokota,japan. i'm single and my car is something thast i enjoy. I'm not the "Buy just a beater car to get me around" type of person. i love Japanese cars too. evo's, silvia's, supra's etc. etc. i know a few people in NY that had JDM cars(Integra's, a couple skylines). never took the time to ask about them though. One of my friends used to live in japan when he was younger because his dad was in the military and he said the same thing about bringing a car back. idk...maybe I'm just wishful thinking.

 

[AznStanger3v]

i guess the AF is different than the Navy, because if you are single, especially if you are brand new, they won't ship your car out there for you. And +1 on not bringing a car back. You can kinda circumvent the system by breaking the car down and shipping each part seperately, even getting the military to ship it as your household goods, but i wouldn't put too much stock in that working out in your favor. put your car in storage, pay it off asap, then bank the money. the public transportation system of japan is second to none!

 

[03cobraracer]

yeah i know for army and europe they ship one car for you and you shouldnt have to modify anything really. i just bought a 95 bmw 523i for 600 bucks and its nice as hell, german spec car. but im shipping my cobra over as well in a few weeks. but like others said shipping cars back that are not US spec is very difficult.

 

[cuban]

yeah i'm going to yokota,japan. i'm single and my car is something thast i enjoy. I'm not the "Buy just a beater car to get me around" type of person. i love Japanese cars too. evo's, silvia's, supra's etc. etc. i know a few people in NY that had JDM cars(Integra's, a couple skylines). never took the time to ask about them though. One of my friends used to live in japan when he was younger because his dad was in the military and he said the same thing about bringing a car back. idk...maybe I'm just wishful thinking.

well take my advise as i am at yokota. check out yokotaads.com that will give you a good idea of the car scene on base. don't get me wrong i have had two rx7's while here and loved both of them. supras are not cheap by any means. for road tax on a sports car is 200 a year on top of 500 every two years (minimum if its broke or needs maint add too that) insurance is cheap if you are e-5 and up married over 26 if not you will pay triple what i pay. rx7 was 1300 a year more if you break it into monthly payments. all the 180sx's are pretty f'ing beat up the high school kids buy em cheap and beat the tar out of them. my top two favorite cars have been Subaru legacy B4 wagon, and my Toyota mark II tourer V both tt. you will not bring a good Japanese car back with you sorry its not happening unless your rich but i doubt that is the case.

 

[DaleM]

Your orders will show your authorizations. Usually a "with dependents" move will authorize POV shipments. I would say you can find some great deals on cars from those re-deploying to CONUS. The NAHSTA has a book on the requirements for shipping a car back. Must meet US specs/safety and emissions standards and that is check by the sticker in the engine bay and the VIN.

Your transportation office can assist in more detail.