Hi Frank:
Any progress on this?

thanks,
Carl B.

Yes Carl, one whole page, but I keep getting overcome by other events and haven't had time to finish it yet. Sorry ~ i haven't forgotten it.

Frank

Just happened to know a 6' blonde who's good at this kinda thing and good looking...

Car deals from the US
How I found the antique car of my dreams
Purchase


Shipping
Arrival
The first series of the Datsun 240 – that's exactly what TV anchor Thorsten Link was looking for in Germany – without luck. He found one in the States and saved a lot of money, thanks to the weak Dollar. And everything went smoothly. Datsun 240Z, 1969 to 1971, original condition. Look in the car classifieds on the internet. There's nothing there. There aren't any Nippon racers. At least not here. TV anchor Thorsten Link (ARD Ratgeber Auto and Verkehr) [Thorsten's television show] knows that. And now he knows something else: it's the kind of thing you can find in the USA – along with other exotic cars, too. Thanks to the weak dollar it's hardly expensive. No question, it is a risky purchase. Unless...... wait, first things first.
The story of TV man Link (45 years old) begins at his desk. He wants to keep the cost as low as possible. Instead of traveling, he uses internet, email, telephone, he doesn't need more than that. First Link tries to get information on eBay.
His verdict: “many dealers sell cars here that they otherwise wouldn't be able to get rid of.” Then he found the Z-Car Club. He sends an email to Carl Beck, one of the moderators of the club's homepage: “Do you have any ideas?” Yes, he does. In Gainesville, Florida there is a 240Z, orange, manufactured in 1971, 170,000 miles, condition 3+. Concurrently, Link hires a German agency that specializes in purchasing cars in the USA. The Agonic company from Stuttgart handles the entire process, including technical inspection, payment, shipping, and German safety inspection. Datsun fan Link has a double dose of luck: Carl Beck from the Z-Club inspects the car on the lift and gives the green light. The rest is taken care of by the agency: a representative meets the seller at the bank and waits until the bank clerk confirms that the transaction has gone through, a trailer brings the Datsun from Gainesville to Miami, the journey continues on a container ship. Six weeks after buying it, Link sees his Datsun for the first time, drives to Rotterdam, loads the 240Z onto a trailer – and brings it to a workshop in Allgaeu [Bavaria], where it is prepared for certification/registration. The TV man invested 10900 Euro and plans to spend another 500 Euro before he receives the antique car license plate. So everything went smoothly with the US import. Why is that? Professional work and a modicum of luck, without which nothing works in good old Europe either.

The costs for the Datsun:
Purchase price 7800 Euro
Shipping 1500 Euro
Tax* 661 Euro
Port fees 439 Euro
Agency fee 500 Euro
Total cost 10900 Euro
* valuable antique cars can be
imported and taxed at 6% [/i]

Ach! Wunderbar! Sehr Danke, Fraulein!

I was having trouble with the bank transaction and the final sentence, which made no sense to me in German.

The remainder sounds almost exactly how I had it translated.

Except somehow I got something about Carl demanding to escort the car to Germany for free.....

*(Hey Al, tell your friend I'm also 6ft tall and good looking..... )

Hi Al:
Speaking of which - I just got done watching CNBC's coverage of the S.I. Swin Suit edition.. Yieks

Al / Frank:
Thanks guys... Very interesting to know what all the additional costs involved were.

Al be sure to thank your friend for me Al...

Looks like Thor acted at the right time - the Dollar is gaining strength against the Euro now, and there is talk that Germany may have to loan Greece a ton of money...

Well - we did our part to help increase Exports..

kind regards,
Carl B.

Und haben wir einen neuen Freund jetzt!

Frank

(and we've got a new buddy now!)

Yes folks, the thing with greece is really a problem....


What a fantastic translation, Al. As you see the article is not a sensation, more or less a short advice for people who are interested in imports of classic cars. Not more not less. A good thing is that Sven (the guy from "Agonik") was "eternalized". He has a lot of orders in the meantime. Thats fine!
Another classic car magazine and also the Nissan Germany customer magazine are interested in a hopefully better and more detailed reports which consider the classic Z and its importance for car history. I'm sure they will be also interested in my hymns about the CTZCC.

Thor

_________________
T. Link
Germany
1971 240z (HLS30-16506)

Was kostet heutzutage ein Euro?
(How much is a Euro going for nowadays?)
So that we can do our $$$ conversions.

Now about Sven, the Agonik guy: what is keeping him from becoming
a member of CTZCC now that he has become enlightened? Surely it
cannot be the outrageous cost!

Alles Gute!..............................Kathy und Rick

_________________
All Z Best,.......Kathy & Rick

1969 Z.CAR (#00013 10/69) 8/30/76
1969 ITSA.Z (#00171 11/69) 8/24/73
1970 OLD.Z (#06289 6/70) original owner
1971 510 2dr since 12/31/75
1969 1600 rdstr (our 160-Z)
1971 (#19851 1/71) sold
1975 75.Z (#01343 1/75)

The Euro is running about $1.40 last time I checked. The British Pound is roughly $1.50. The Deutsch Mark is $1.44.