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I have a home in Portugal and as a citizen living abroad they allow me to bring one car into the country without paying import duties as long as I own it in the U.S. for a period of six months. Cars are a lot cheaper in the U.S. and I wanted to get a relatively inexpensive used car that would last for a while so that I can use there. Service and repairs tend to be much cheaper there, so I am not worried about cars that are expensive to repair here (European marques).
What I wanted to find is a car that uses the same or almost the same platform in the U.S. as in Western Europe so that parts would not be a problem. I know some people who have brought cars over there that are not sold in Europe and then have to special order parts when repairs are needed. Additionally, I would like something with decent gas mileage, but not a mini like a Ford Fiesta, maybe a subcontact or midsize that I can get for under $20k.
It's funny you should say that, when looking for used cars there I found 2015/2016 Mustangs and Camaros going for around €50,000.
I worked with a German supplier years ago, and they had engineers that would do a 2 year rotation here in the states. Part of their compensation was shipping a vehicle back when they returned home. So they would buy muscle cars and a few bought Dodge /Cummins pickups. I guess those were an item there as well. When I owned a Ford Excursion , I was on some forums and there were a lot of people trying to get those over seas.
I had a weird dream one night about 2 years ago where I put my Grabber Blue/ White Tu-Tone 71 4dr Maverick in a container, rode the ship over myself and went to Dusseldorf. No reason why.
I suggest the Honda Civiv LX - It's under $19K MSRP and it is sold in Europe.
One thing to keep in mind is that the warranty will not be valid in Europe and you may have a hard time getting some lighting, body, or emission components as the standards are different there. Also, they may not be able to perform any safety recalls as well as they may not apply to Euro models.
But standard maintenance parts should not be an issue.
They will tax the heck out of anything that has emissions or gulps fuel.
As a citizen, I am allowed to bring 1 car in tax free every 10 years, but I cannot resell it within the first year of having it over there. Last month I went with my mother for her car inspection there, the odd thing is they don't seem to care too much about emissions as most of the cars are diesel, but the price of gas is definitely a factor as gas costs over $6 per gallon.
I'd add the C-Max hybrid as well. Small footprint, but very roomy. Super cheap here, and 40+mpg
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