Advice

[RWayne]

We've been staunch Princess cruisers for some time now, but have decided to fly to Europe and buy a car, and then ship it home. I'd prefer to cruise back, get in the car and drive across the states. Any advice on whether the QM2 (or QE2) can acccommodate us (eg. can we drive on and drive off at destination) - or if this is practical? The only other consideration is that we are non-smokers. From previous boards, it sounds as if the QM2 would be the better ship in that regard.

[Glaciers]

The QE2 does have a vehicle storage/transportation area but it doesn't sound as though it's used much, if at all. Part of the problem is that Southampton is one of the few ports the ship frequents that has the necessary loading/unloading dock. You may want to contact Cunard for details. As for smoking, we are nonsmokers as well but were able to avoid the smoke most of the time on the NY to LA portion of the World Cruise this year. Wonderful experience.

[mufi]

You must have gone into this but buying a car in Europe is going to be a lot more expensive that it would be in US.

 

David.

[noblepa]

Several of the major European carmakers, including Mercedes and VW, have deals, in which you can buy an American-spec car in Europe, drive it while you're there and then return it to them before you come home. They will then add all the necessary US smog equipment and ship it to the US. Most importantly, it will have all the necessary paperwork to import it into the US.

 

I doubt if this can be done on a "while you wait" basis. And don't even think about trying to bring a non-compliant car into the US. You have to have a garage that is licensed by the EPA do the modifications to bring it up to US standards, post a bond equal to the value of the car and have it retested every couple of years. In short, any car (with a very, very short list of exceptions) brought into the US must be certified by its maker to meet US EPA and safety standards, or it must be specifically modified to do so. Period. And it can't leave the Customs impound lot until it does. To give you an idea of how expensive this is, Bill Gates tried a few years ago to bring a non-compliant Ferrari into the US. He finally gave up and shipped it back to Italy.

 

So, while you could certainly avail yourself of the European purchase programs, I doubt if the timing would allow you to drive the car off the dock and across the US.

 

Check with a US dealer about a possible European delivery. Now that unleaded gasoline is readily available in Europe, you may be able to take delivery of a car that is already US-ready. As long as you have the necesssary paperwork, a car like that might be able to drive-on/drive-off.

 

I don't believe (I could be wrong) that the QM2 has a cargo hold. I've heard that the QE2 does.

 

Paul Noble

[dougnewmanatsea]

Any advice on whether the QM2 (or QE2) can acccommodate us (eg. can we drive on and drive off at destination)

Unfortunately, you're probably out of luck here.

 

QE2 does have a garage but I don't believe it's been used since 2003 when she stopped doing regular crossings. At any rate, the timing might be difficult as QE2 now does only a few crossings a year (sadly).

 

There is no garage at all on QM2.

 

Your only hope might be a ro-ro cargo ship that also carries passengers. A good freighter travel agency would be able to advise if this would be possible.

 

You must have gone into this but buying a car in Europe is going to be a lot more expensive that it would be in US.

Aside from being expensive, it would be very difficult to actually buy a car in Europe and then bring it back to the US, due to import regulations. In order to be imported to the US, a car has to be certified to meet all of the US safety and emissions standards - not to mention the various individual standards for each state. (There are even some new cars that can be bought in one state, which are illegal to register in some other states, generally because of emissions standards.)

 

Even if the car brought in from another country were absolutely identical to one sold in the US, it still would have to go through a lengthy and complex importation process if the car was not originally intended by its manufacturer for the US market.

 

But all this is a non-issue because it is quite possible, with some brands of car, to go to one's local dealer in the US and order a US-spec car, at US prices, to be delivered to Europe and then be shipped back home. I know quite a few people who have done this and it apparently works quite well. I'd certainly like to do it myself sometime - it sounds like a lot of fun, and seems quite cost-effective too.

 

don't even think about trying to bring a non-compliant car into the US. You have to have a garage that is licensed by the EPA do the modifications to bring it up to US standards

And then you have to have a garage that is licensed by NHTSA to do the safety modifications. Which usually will not be the same garage.

 

I once researched this for someone who was considering doing it. Needless to say, he declined after realizing all the red tape that would have to be cut through and all the "green" that would have to be spent!

 

Now that unleaded gasoline is readily available in Europe, you may be able to take delivery of a car that is already US-ready. As long as you have the necesssary paperwork, a car like that might be able to drive-on/drive-off.

This is an interesting thought - though finding a ship to drive on to and off of would be a challenge anyway (see above). But now I do wonder if US-spec "European Delivery" cars still need work done on them - of course in the "old days" they used to, but perhaps that's not necessary any longer?

 

All very interesting stuff, anyway!

[RWayne]

Thank you for the replies. I'll have to get in touch with Cunard re the QE2.

 

You can order a Mercedes, BMW, Porsche from a stateside dealer and arrange to pick it up from the factory. The car will have US specs. They'll either ship it home for you or you can make your own arrangements. Gas is almost prohibitively expensive, but as long as you go into it knowing you'll pay $4-5/gallon, budget accordingly.

 

If the QE2 still uses the hold, it's relatively simple to drive to Southampton and load it. The paperwork will have been provided by your stateside dealer and the factory in Germany for all necessary documentation to bring it home, as well as to drive it off the dock in NY.