2014 Chevrolet Camaro
American web site Autocar.com has posted spy shots of the yet to be released, 2014 Chevrolet Camaro RS.
The photos reveal very subtle modifications including a sportier grille and headlights featuring chrome bezels. To see the photos and check out the full story head over to autocar.com.
New 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe
Chevrolet have announced pricing for the 2014 edition of their iconic Corvette Stingray. The classy looking Coupe will come in $5 under $52,000 (£33,600). Those who like soaking up the sun with the roof down will need to stump an extra $5,000 (£36,800) for the convertible.
These prices are for the basic model and don’t include tax. A fully specced out Coupe will set you back $73,360 (£47,400) which includes $8000 for a full leather wrapped interior.
That sounds like a lot of car for the money.
If you’re on a limited budget and can’t afford the shipping and import costs associated with buying a car from the USA but you also can’t find the car you’re looking for in the UK, all may not be lost.
Sweden may not sound like an obvious place to look for an American car but this sparsely populated Scandinavian country is a veritable smörgåsbord for the American car enthusiast. It’s also a member of the EU so it’s more than likely that any import tax has been paid.
Buying an American car in Sweden isn’t going to be easy for a number of reasons. Firstly, eBay hasn’t arrived in Scandinavia so the obvious place to start looking doesn’t exist but the Swedes do have their own very popular classifieds site called Blocket ( click here ).
Blocket is a great place to find some real gems but it’s a Swedish language site so you’re going to need to know what to look for.
In Sweden the word for a car is Bil (pronounced beel, plural is Bilar) and while that information may help you find the right section on the web site, your best friend for reading descriptions etc.. is Google Translate ( click here ).
I’ve bought many cars in Sweden and I’ve tried to buy many more but by far the biggest obstacle I’ve come across is that many Swedes like an easy life and if their English isn’t great or if they’re unsure about export laws, you’ll often find they’ll say the car has been sold or not even reply.
In the past when I’ve encountered this problem, I’ve contacted Swedes that I’ve done business with before and asked them to buy a car on my behalf and that’s worked well.
Finding a car is the easy part, the hard part is travelling to collect it. The shortest way to get to Sweden is the freight ferry run by DFDS that sails from Cleethorpes to Gothenburg. The ferry takes around 24 hours and you should check prices because they can be quite expensive
There are many alternatives, Harwich to Esbjorg in Denmark, Hull to Zebrugge etc.. but I’ve always travelled the long way, which is Eurotunnel to Calais and then up through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and into Sweden.
If you choose the same route that I take, consider these costs. There’s a ferry or Eurotunnel ( click here ) to get you out of the UK, you then have two options for getting from Germany to Denmark, one is the Scandlines ferry from Puttgarden to Rodby ( click here ) which can get quite expensive with a trailer or the alternative is to drive via Odense which adds around 100 miles and a toll at the Storebaelt Bridge ( click here ). Finally there’s the impressive Oresund bridge ( click here ) that gets you from Denmark into Sweden.
The best way to make savings is to book in advance but you don’t usually have that luxury when you’re doing something so spontaneous as buying a car.
One thing to keep in mind is that Sweden is a big country. From its southern border with Denmark to the far north is around 1500 miles and travel can take a long time. The roads are very quiet in comparison to the UK but they’re often only single or two lane. The Swedes as with rest of Europe drive on the right.
It is a long journey to the top of Sweden but it can be a very rewarding one. Why? well they don’t grit the roads in the far North and it’s not uncommon to find cars from the 60’s and 70’s with little or no rust, there really are many hidden gems up there
Sweden is a country with a varied climate and in winter it’s not uncommon to see temperatures below −40 degrees in the far North. Unlike the UK, Sweden doesn’t strive for clear roads when it snows, they simply plough the snow and fit winter tyres. Driving in these conditions on summer tyres is not only very dangerous, it’s also illegal between 1st December and 31st March.
I hope this gives some of you an insight into buying a car in Sweden. It’s not the easiest place to get to but as I’ve already said, there’s some real gems in Sweden and you could always make a holiday out of your trip.
If anyone has any questions or needs any advice, feel free to drop me reply.
Tired of the usual bland cars on offer at Britain’s dealerships? Dream of driving something with character and/or performance but can’t afford that Italian supercar? Well, you’re not alone and while the USA isn’t without its fair share of bland, it’s also home to some of the most outrageous and iconic automobiles on this planet.
So you’ve decided that your next car purchase is going to be from the other side of the Atlantic, what next, what are your options?
Many US car manufacturers now have showrooms in the UK and import directly, there’s also a growing number of specialists who import used American cars into the UK. This has made it much easier for the buyer seeking a brand new or pre-owned American car without the hassles of self-import but while it’s the simplest route, it’s also the most costly.
For those on a budget or feeling adventurous, there’s self-import. Importing a “Yank Tank” yourself isn’t that uncommon and can be a rewarding experience but it’s not without its pitfalls, so it pays to do your homework and understand the do’s and don’ts of buying and importing from our American cousins.
American Car Imports is designed as a guide to help those looking for answers to common questions. It will grow into a great source of information.