1970 280 SE cpe

[badali]

I just picked up my Toyota corrolla from the body shop here in Sembach Germany and the owner has 3 280 SEs there. The first one is a cabrio in more than perfect condition and the second was a cpe in the same condition from tires up to the new chrome on the glass around the windows. The third is also a cpe in #2 plus condition. The leather is original and the chrome is excellent but not perfect. The engine is freshly redone and the wood work is perfectly redone. The carpet and headliner are new. The body and paintwork are near perfect. What is this car worth? He is asking 15,000 euro ($17,000). I would like to bring it back to the states if I can buy it. Customs is no problem because the car is older than 25 years. I already have a 1961 220Sb and a 1973 280 SE4.5 in the states. Thanks for any info.

[zak]

My sense is that's the value of a good 3.5 coupe here in the states. I presume this is a straight six.The latest STAR must have a half dozen for sale. Check those for pricing. What year is it ? The later low grill models are the most desirable. What do you estimate the cost of shipping to be ? Any bonds required for customs etc ?

[badali]

The car is a 1970. I can get it back for $1000. It is a 6 cylinder. There are no bonds because it doesn't need to be converted. I'll look through the Star adds. Thanks.

[Dean Yelenik]

WIth the Euro at $1.15 cars are going the other direction now - that is from U.S. to Germany. I would agree with Zak that for that kind of money in the U.S. you should be able to get a nice 3.5 rather than 2.8. "Customs", i.e import taxes, aren't an issue but there's two distinct government agencies you have to get through - EPA and DOT. You might be able to get through EPA on the grounds that US and German emission systems were the same in 1970, but that doesn't get you through DOT, i.e. the safety stuff. I am not up to date on all this stuff but I know that there's a lot of "gotchas" that can be risky, costly, and time consuming. Both EPA and DOT have web sites that explain these things. With insurance, dock fees, possibly inland freight, $1000 to get it back seems low to me. There can be surprises on shipping too - like the union people at the docks.