I found this website through a google search and figured it might be worth a shot to post here. I'm located in the US and I'm an avid enthusiast in the BMW Car Club. I am trying to locate a specific car that I'm told exists in Switzerland, but from where I am and due to the language barrier, I don't even know where to start. My eventual goal is to find the owner of the car in question and offer to purchase it or at least get in line for whenever he or she decides to sell it.
I'm hoping to find someone who is an English-speaking car enthusiast (older BMW enthusiast is even better) that would be willing to help me track down this car. If someone could help me with this, I would be indebted to you.
If anyone is interested in tackling this, my email address is adw256 at gmail dot com.
Thanks for letting me post this, hopefully it wasn't too out of line for this forum.
A great place to start would have been with a specific make and model of said car you're looking for. That said, from what I've read importing cars into the USA not originally built for export to the States is next to if not impossible.
Non-U.S. version vehicles generally are those that are sold in foreign countries. They will not have the U.S. EPA compliance label. Non-U.S. version vehicles may also include U.S. version vehicles that have been modified or altered.
Besides EPA, several other Federal agencies regulate the importation of nonconforming vehicles, including the Department of Transportation, Customs and Internal Revenue Service.
EPA does not recommend the importation of nonconforming vehicles. Conversion of nonconforming vehicles is usually very expensive, and sometimes impossible or impractical.
EPA will permit the importation of a nonconforming vehicle only if it qualifies for an exclusion or an exemption, or is imported by an independent commercial importer (ICI), who is a current holder of a valid EPA certificate of conformity.
It sounds like it's a very specific car, ie. vintage as he writes he knows of a specific person who owns the car. If that's the case, it might just fit under the exemption listing in the last line.
Thank you for the responses so far. Here are answers to a few of the queestions.
1) I thought it was obvious that I was looking for a BMW due to my club affiliation so I'm sorry I didn't make it clearer. I'm looking for a specific, classic BMW that would have been registered in 1981 or 1982. It is a sedan, very fast, and very rare. Info beyond that isn't really necessary at this point.
2) I am well aware of US Federal laws and EPA requirements for importing a car from Europe. I currently own a greymarket BMW that was imported to the United States by a private owner in 1985. I also have owned a 1994 BMW M5 3.8 liter that was imported and fully federalized (for over $10,000 in fees) for use in the United States. So, when it comes to importing BMW's from Europe to the United States, I'm well aware of the process involved.
For cars 25 years or older, they are exempt from emissions and federal standards requirements so importing them to the United States will cost me only the shipping and the duty percent. So buying this car and importing it will cost me very little (compared to the purchase price of the car itself) and the car will not have to be modified in any way to conform to US standards. My other car that was brought in back in 1985 was modifed extensively (and in some areas very poorly) to conform so I'm glad that this 25 year rule exists for classic cars.
I've done google searches for Swiss BMW and classic car clubs and I have already contacted people affiliated with those clubs, with limited success. That's why I figured I would try this forum.
Not sure if I put in the correct search info but a 745i turbo and an M535i came up.
I will see what else I can find through my contacts, though might take a few days. If you can be a bit more specific about year of manufacture it will also help.
Yeah, those are the only two I could think of. I think the OP should be made aware that people in Switzerland are very fond of keeping their private sphere private, and unless they have something up for sale, they might not welcome enquiries.
That said, perhaps the OP is being cagey to avoid attracting the attention of other collectors, however it is a catch 22 if he doesn't just come out with exactly what is he is looking for. Those two models were not offered in the US, so while they may be very rare there, that might not be so in Europe.
He is looking for a specific car that was bought in Switzerland with a sister car. The sister was sold not too long ago probably at an auction. If he can find who sold the sister, he might find the one he is looking for. The model is not listed on the site you posted. I have suggested he get in touch with some action houses.
Was it last year or two years ago (?), there was a huge car auction in Davos or Crans Montana or something. It was all over the news. Anyone remember this auction? I think it was a big house like Christies or Sothebys.
[quote=miniMia;160085]He is looking for a specific car that was bought in Switzerland with a sister car. The sister was sold not too long ago probably at an auction. If he can find who sold the sister, he might find the one he is looking for. The model is not listed on the site you posted. I have suggested he get in touch with some action houses.
Minimia, it's sounds like you know more than we do!