R.A.F.A.L.E.

Hi there everyone. It's been a while since I last posted on here but I got some time right now so I thought I'd drop a line. I spent a few years (happy ones) in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = " /><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place> and for my 27th b-day I completed my dream of owning a true American Muscle car. I bought a new '07 GT/CS. With the help of this forum and my car buddies in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:State>, I did the whole addictive "tuning" thing while preserving the heritage of the Mustang. Last April, it was time to say goodbye and I moved back home to the French <st1:State w:st="on">Riviera</st1:State>... with the Stang closely following in a container across the <st1:place w:st="on">Atlantic</st1:place>.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
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Those of you who travel often may already know it, but Mustangs and Corvettes are big time oddities over here. In fact, they're all-out exotics with the corresponding price tag. I promise you driving the CS between <st1:City w:st="on">Cannes</st1:City> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Monaco</st1:place></st1:country-region> felt like being a freakin rockstar. People even stared at me with kind of a WTF look as if I was too young to drive such a car. You know, the "He must be a drug dealer to drive that at his age" kind of look. All summer long it was insane. People pulling out their cell phones to take a picture, everybody and his brother tailgating or wanting to race, hand prints on the driver's window whenever I had left the car for more than 10 minutes, guys at a bachelor's party even stopped me in the middle of traffic to take a picture with the car. Even a guy with a black Gallardo pulled beside me in a lot and nobody even looked at his car. The whole Euro experience with a Mustang is simply unreal.<o:p></o:p>
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On August 31st, I had a <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> car show in my home town. About 120+ cars, mostly vintage with a few new school like ours. The whole day has been a riot. I came in at 9:30 and left at 20:00, didn't even have the time to just go take a ****. People kept asking tech questions, asking me to rev the car, if they could have their kid pictured in it, if the car was for sale etc... The Mustang has a HUGE charisma over here, probably just as much as Ferraris. In fact, it's seen as an icon for what a genuine auto, a man's car should be. Early in the morning, I had an old guy (apparently very knowledgeable) who came without saying a word. He walked several times around the car before coming to me. He asked me for the complete list of mods. I'm not gonna tell exactly how much he offered me but it was well over two times what I had paid for the car in the US, brand new.<o:p></o:p>
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A good thing too is that for 4 months I was allowed to drive with my <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> tags. That messed the cops up pretty badly... and especially the speeding cameras ;) Now I must get my French plates on so I guess the party's over but it was fun. Just know that container shipping came up to about 2500 USD, unloading to about 1000 EUR, Euro regulations to 2000 Euros and Euro Certificate of Title to 1500 EUR. Euro regulations are usually more expensive but since the car had been mine for an extended period of time in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> I did not have to modify it or pay import taxes. Not having to modify it means that I not only do not have to castrate my car by insulating the mufflers and intake and so on and so on (as are all regularly imported Mustangs) and I can keep ALL customizations. Bottomline my Stang remains 100% pure <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> e.g. huge exclusivity and resale value. If anyone is interested in exporting his car abroad, please don't hesitate to contact me. The export route is the wild wild west and I have reliable contacts that may help you out. <o:p></o:p>
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Ok, I'll leave you with a few pictures. I wanted to share that experience because probably few even realize how rare and charismatic American V8's are in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>. These are cars with a soul and a level of emotional involvement that basically none of the overengineered euro cars can provide, no matter how well built they are. As a matter of fact, I am NOT selling my Mustang. Ever. And my next ride will be a Z06 just for the heck of blasting by Ferraris while sipping on my Coke. <o:p></o:p>
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My gratitude goes to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>. To all my buddies that I left over there. And to everyone who helped me in this forum achieve a great dream around my CS. Thanks for producing the baddest cars on Earth at a price that makes the whole thing within reach with a little effort and dedication. This might be it, after all, the American Dream.
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CalStang'07

Finally a very smart (Americanized) Frenchman, that even I could like!! Viva RAFALA!! Enjoy your wonderful piece of the American Pie!! CalStang

69CaliStang

Rafale,

That was a great read... I have family in France and Spain and have been there a few times... Love the food and the country side. I have always wondered if the Mustang would have sold well in Europe. I like a lot of European cars but the Mustang is truly unique... My hats off to you! I am glad you are enjoying your ride. Have a great time and if I ever moved to Europe you can be sure I would take both Stangs with me... Getting my '09 this month...

Keep in touch!

GrnT

Your car is hot. Keep it clean and represent muscle cars and stangs. Bet they do like that sound of the stingers.

R.A.F.A.L.E.

Thanks. As I said, I'm from the French Riviera. Not Paris.

Congrats on your '09. You'll feel like a kid at the toy section once you see it all prepped and ready to be delivered at the dealership. You're gonna love it! Next project here is to shoot an in-car run on the crazy Route des Cretes which is one of the most edgy scenic roads in Europe, on top of a cliff right over the Mediterranean. I'll let you guys know.

You bet I represent! It's funny you're talking about the Stingers. Revving the car in the old villages' narrow streets is guaranteed to freak the hell out of everyone with the noise echoing off the walls. Most parents grab their kids and pull them away on the sidewalk as if a wild beast was gonna jump out of the hood. It's cracking me up. Thanks for your comment.

StangRalle

Hot ride my friend.

Come and join the Ford Mustang 2005 Club Europe: www.fmce2005.com

David Mustang

RAFALE, the timing of your post couldn't be better for me.
In a few words, I'm in Los Angeles for 3 more weeks and then back to France (Lyon) btw I'm french. I've been in the US for more than a year and bought my Mustang 08 GT Convertible in November last year.
I will ship the mustang at the end of the month.
This is were your experience is very valuable for me.
You are saying that you didn't have to do any modification to pass euro regulations (UTAC - sorry for non initiated this is the french organization which makes importing a US car a real pain in the a..). What were the modifications you had to do (lights,...)? Nothing to the exhaust?
Do you have any good contact to help me for the registration process?
Thanks a lot for your help.

R.A.F.A.L.E.

Hi David. By respect for the TMS' US members I will keep the answer in english.

Ok, here's the deal. First off, the good news. You've (1) lived in the US for more than a year AND (2) you've owned your car for over 6 months. Since you pass (1) and (2), you may import your GT in France VAT free (19.6%) and import tax free (10.0%). In any case, you can't sell your car for 12 months following its import on French soil. I have to let you know though, three weeks to go is gonna be tight to organize everything. So here's a checklist to make sure you don't waste any time.

1) Certificate of Title: make sure it's "clean", meaning free of any lien. If you bought it cash like I did, then forget this step, you're all set. No matter what, one good thing to do is go to your closest DMV and ask for a Duplicate Title, pay for the extra "immediate issuance" fee ($7 in FL) so you walk out of their office with that document right away. Otherwise you'll have to hope the Post Office does its job on time.
2) Certificate of Change of Residency: contact and go to the closest French Consulate and ask them to deliver that piece of paper. This is a key document to justify the fact that you're not going back to France just for leisure. This way, you can justify bringing your stuff back (including your car) and make your French import tax free.
3) Moving company: contact one that will organize moving your stuff + car. I don't know how much stuff you got but please know that you may pack as much stuff in your car as you wish during shipment, as long as your car travels in an enclosed container. And do choose a container, not the Roll-In Roll-Out option that is cheaper but guaranteed to mess your car up during shipment. Anyways, the Mustang was enough to pack it all and that did it for me. Otherwise, you'll have to put more separate cases in the 20-ft container. I have dealt with EuroUSA (www.eurousa.us). They were a class-act. These guys are based in Charleston, SC so I don't know how well equipped they are to deal with a West Coast shipment but that shouldn't be a problem since they have contacts everywhere. Contact John Krisch he's the man you wanna talk to @ John@EuroUSA.us.
4) Shipping company: the shipping company is basically the company that will take delivery of your car at the inbound docks, reserve the container, lock and strap your car inside and rent your space on the supertanker for the duration of the sea travel. They also pick the sea line. This company will be chosen by EuroUSA. Mine was Omega Shipping in Miami and they went above and beyond to minimize the wait of my car on the docks which I wasn't too excited about. Most likely they will give you a tracking number. Just make sure that they book your car's journey on the following lines: Maersk, MSC or CMA-CGM. Also, the destination port in France may either be Le Havre or Fos s/mer. I chose the latter for obvious reasons. Living in Lyon, I think Fos would still be closer but you be the judge.
5) Marine Insurance: this is a MUST have. Don't mess around with that one. However, know this. Moving companies including EuroUSA make tons of dough by overpricing them. They come out to like 3.0% of the value of your vehicle with $500 to $1000 deductible. That's insane. It's like those 3-year extended warranties they sell you at Best Buy in the US or Darty in France if you see what I mean. So I insured my car privately "all-risk" in Marseille for only 1.1% and a small 230 EUR deductible. Plus it's safer to be insured by a French company in case your car gets damaged (faster to hire an expert on site and to get a refund + repair etc...). However, relax, damages are rare. Contact Yvon Bourgville at TAFFE SA @ production@taffe.fr.
6) Car Equipment: I don't know whether you've customized your car. But if you have, you should at the very least bring back the stock air intake and stock exhaust system in your trunk. That's what I did. It makes the whole regulation process a lot smoother. Just put them back on to pass the technical control, then swap 'em out again.
7) Unloading: once your car hits the French docks, you're in for a 1000 EUR fee to unload your container. You will have to pick a middle-man for that. My company was Transcausse (www.transcausse.com) in Fos s/mer. If you choose to have it delivered in Le Havre, give them a ring still I'm sure they will find you someone to do the job there. They're very professional and will maintain your Mustang in a warehouse after it's been unloaded. It's not gonna be left like that hanging on the docks by itself.
8) Euro Regs: I guess we'll talk about that one later cause the real hurry right now is to get your car on a ship. Yes, the euro regs are absolutely awful if you don't know what to do. In fact, they should be sponsored by Advil. Simply know that I have VERY good contacts in Paris so I'll put you in good hands in due time. Many companies will do it for a fee but almost all of them will rip you off. There is one company though that I know is a total home run for the outstanding service + unbeatable price. I used them and they did it all for me up until the custom French plates to fit the Mustang. I just put them on this afternoon actually! All they will ask you to do is gather a few papers, then drive your car up to Paris, take the TGV back home, wait for 3 weeks, ride it back up and get the car back with the euro papers.

Ok now I have some bad news though but you need to know it. With the falling dollar (now sharply rising back up by the way, you're lucky), US cars imports have increased dramatically. Because of that, the DRIRE regulatory body is changing the law that has made cars imported in the context of a change of residency (like ours) exempt of the UTAC tests and modifications. In other words, I was on the brink of this change back in June and this is why my car was saved from going though these stupid tests. That's also why I can keep it all 100% US with all the custom job on. To be totally exact, the DRIRE itself does not know when the legislation change will happen. It might even be too late actually. I have no idea. Worst case scenario, you will have to pay 2000 EUR extra for these UTAC tests on top of the regular 1900 EUR administrative paperwork. And your car will have to be tamed to pass the tests with no legal papers to drive with US specs in France. There's no way around it.

Listen, don't worry about it right now. Your priority should be to get the right papers and organize your shipment. Don't hesitate if you have any further questions.

RAFALE

StangRalle

Well this is all 'funny'. If the list of costs incurred continues to increase, he can buy a new Mustang in France.

I am glad I live in Switzerland. Much easier here to get things regulated.

Anyhow, good luck with it and let us know if it worked out and how much you paid in the end.

David Mustang

Thanks a lot for your reply. It's really helpful.
Let me take you through what I have done so far
1)title - Free of lien (I didn't take any loan when I bought the car)
2)Certificat of change of residency: going to the consulate next week and we have a letter from employer that they are transfering me to France permanently
3)Moving company: I have to ship the car separatly from my furnitures (long story short, my company pays for the moving but not to ship the mustang and the moving company they are using made me a quotation for the car at USD5,300 so you can understand that I had to find another one). I'm planning on using Schumacher Cargo Logistics (quotation on a shared container: usd 1,650 los angeles to le havre, Marseilles is usd800 more expensive)
4)Shipping company: this is Schumacker Cargo Log
5)Insurrance: I just received a quotation from your contact (thanks a lot), it's 2 times cheaper that the insurance given by the shipping company
6)Car is bone stock
7)Agent in France for unloading: I will use the one who is taking care of my furniture container so that they have only one inventory list for french customs
8)Eur regulations: I'm still hoping that I won't have to go thru UTAC, but I'll have to wait to get the car in france

I will leave the car to the shipping company the 24th of this month, so I have one week left to enjoy sunny california in my Mustang Conv

I will keep you posted on the progress of the shipment

David Mustang

Time to give you some news.
The Mustang is somewhere between California and France and the ETA at the port of Le Havre is 12/26/08. That's what I call a nice christmas present ;-)

The cost of shipping was $1,650 for a shared container shipment. To that I will have to add the cost for the Unloading agent in France.
Once I get the car the next step will be make it euro legal.

2k7gtcs

It's getting closer.

I can't wait to see pics of a Mustang in picturesque France.

the procrastinator

Cool thread!

Antigini-GT/CS

I'm happy to hear it didn't have to change to Europe specs! I'm also very happy to hear Mustangs aren't seen as a dime a dozen in other well-populated areas of the world other than America.

bztz4m

Did you register your GT/CS on my site: http://gtcsregistry.com if not please do so I can keep track of your car and have it in my database.

Ron Davis (Site Owner gtcsregistry.com)

69CaliStang

Yes please update with more pics and stories... I sent pics of my car to the family in Euriope and they are gaga over it...

R.A.F.A.L.E.

Hi David, sorry I have been away for a while. I probably won't be too late to give you this tip though. To get the Euro regs job done right at a decent price, I strongly suggest that you use these guys: www.partsplus.fr. The other one shops out there are a rip off and you're not even sure that they will get the job right. Partsplus are the most knowledgeable guys I know in this fishy business and they will only change what is needed on your Mustang. No funny extra job to inflate the final bill. You can contact Alan Thoreau and let him know that the guy with the black GT/CS from last summer recommended them to you. At least you get a way to introduce yourself and possibly a preferred treatment. I hope this works out for you as well as it did for me.

I hope you got your car in one piece and that you managed to dodge the strikes at the docks. Hopefully everything is fine. Enjoy the euro experience with it, it's definitely something!


Yep. Thanks! Hopefully David's car enjoyed a safe trip over the pond as well!

I will do so ASAP no problem.

Here's a few extra pictures of my latest run along what is without a doubt one of the most stunning scenic roads overlooking the Mediterranean. This road is on the outskirts of the French Riviera, called the Route des Cretes. I've been told many times it looks like some roads in northern Cali and Oregon. I wouldn't know. Anyways here it is.

69CaliStang

Hey Rafale... Anything new? Also can you upload your pics again?

69CaliStang

looks like the pics were restored...