I am in Russia now, and am interested in UAZ 452

[rongaudier]

Hello guys, I have not posted here in awhile. I have gotten rid of my M35 and M105 and am now in Russia searching for a UAZ 452 to bring back. Well there are plenty of them here and the price is reasonable. Any recommendations? I understand that in general as long as it is 25 years old or older it is relatively simple. Does the 25% duty apply? I am in Saint Petersburg and we are at this moment calling shipping companies. Apparently it is fairly common to import American used cars to Russia, but not so much the other way. However, these companies are capable of shipping both ways. We are going to head over to the office and talk to them today.

 

[rongaudier]

Okay guys, changed my mind. I'm now interested in an UAZ 469 and have found a pretty good one in St Pete. It's a 1981 and the price is about $2000. I got a quote from a shipping company here who has done this sort of thing before and he says $2100 shipped to Houston. Only question I have is that this car does not have an ID plate or VIN. The dealer says this is normal for a car of this vintage, but that he has all the documentation for it. Is this "documentation" all that is needed to satisfy the 21 year EPA rule and the 25 year DOT rule? The guy at the shipping company says, "no problem" but I'd hate to get it stateside and find out that it is. Anyone here have any actual experience with this sort of thing?

 

[rongaudier]

Changed mind again. I ended up buying a 1992 "Buhanka" that has a complete VIN and is in overall very good condition. I am having it painted over there and giving it a thorough mechanical inspection with parts replaced as needed BEFORE it ships. Probably another 2 weeks it will be ready to go.

 

[Flyingvan911]

Very nice!

 

[m38inmaine]

Always wanted one of those 4x4 vans, please keep us updated.

 

[marchplumber]

The "bread box"......enjoy!!

 

[Karl kostman]

Hey Ron congrats on your purchase its an interesting looking vehicle! I am sure that you did all the research on bringing a foreign vehicle into the US and all the different US entities that need to be involved for inspection and paperwork clearances at the docks prior to cracking the shipping container! These folks take this VERY SERIOUSLY to say the least! The last Unimog I purchased came in a regular shipping container and it was offloaded from the ship and the US dept of Agriculture during their inspection found the carcass of a bug behind the radiator on a lower radiator mount, No big deal right? WRONG! they seized the entire container and all contents until the bug could be identified, that container sat there sealed by the Ag folks for 3 days until they cam back and ruled the bug was a common FLY then they released the container. If it had been found to be something else and it was considered "BAD" I would have been given 2 options, 1. I pay to completely reseal the container and ship it back to where it came from or 2. I turn the container and its contents over to the US Govt. and they destroy it in a manner that is approved by them! SCARY I wish you the best of luck but know ALL the rules because they ALL DO COUNT Ron!!
Karl

 

[dmetalmiki]

You have done the correct things up to now. (and did not purchase a vehicle without identity or chassis numbers).
So, before the repaint, have it STEAM CLEANED, then under sealed and painted. And Show that documentation to the importation people. BOTH sides of the water. good Luck.

 

[rongaudier]

Hmm, sounds scary. I put the car in the shop and while I was gone they basically replaced every part in the car! Here are the invoices they sent BEFORE they installed a brand new factory engine. The only saving grace is the shop rate is incredibly low at $14 per hour. Still have a total of $5000 invested in repairs and I have not started the paint job yet.
I will be going back in a few days to check on it.

 

[marchplumber]

Hmm, sounds scary. I put the car in the shop and while I was gone they basically replaced every part in the car! Here are the invoices they sent BEFORE they installed a brand new factory engine. The only saving grace is the shop rate is incredibly low at $14 per hour. Still have a total of $5000 invested in repairs and I have not started the paint job yet.
I will be going back in a few days to check on it. View attachment 735926View attachment 735927

Ouch!

Without proof, "shiny" doesn't mean new...best of luck!!!

 

[rongaudier]

Well I don't doubt that everything they say was replaced, was in fact replaced. I just think they may have gone a little overboard when I said "fix everything that needs fixed".
My buddy Sergey who was supposed to be supervising is not much of a car guy. So... The paint project should not cost nearly as much. I'll be over there in a few days to have a look at it.

 

[Robin33ba07]

hello I have a UAZ 452 and 569 I am in Ireland ,while I think the replacement of all the new parts might be a bit OTT ,it will stand to you in the long term ,see if you can get the old bits or better still buy some strategic spares like brakes cylinders ,brake shoes/pad ,filters ,carb rebuild kit ,a gasket kit for the engine a complete wheel ,brake pipes can be made up anywhere ,clutch ,think yourself what you might need it will say you no end of bother in the years to come ,regards Robin .

 

[rongaudier]

You have done the correct things up to now. (and did not purchase a vehicle without identity or chassis numbers).
So, before the repaint, have it STEAM CLEANED, then under sealed and painted. And Show that documentation to the importation people. BOTH sides of the water. good Luck.

What exactly do you mean by "undersealed"?

 

[rongaudier]

The concept was that parts and labor are way cheaper in Russia (they are). Unfortunately, I think the shop took advantage and did a "carte blanch" approach regarding repairs.
My Russian buddy didn't supervise well enough. Next time I'll take more control of shop activities. I'm planning on residing roughly half my time there so this is going to be an ongoing thing. I will be able to provide new and used parts to people stateside from Russia as well.
Long-term I plan to become a Russian resident and retire there, probably alternating between Sudak Crimea and St Petersburg. So any of you guys looking for Russian car parts, I may be your guy.

 

[rongaudier]

New problem.. I was talking with the customs broker and was informed that if there was an engine change, it would then have to comply with 2018 emissions standards. Now it seems to me that if the engine was say a new old stock of the same vintage, this rule should not apply. However, I don't know any way to tell when the engine was produced.
I am considering to match what is on the title. I don't think there is any way the gov guys would know the difference. I'll be going back to SPB in September and see what I can do.

 

[SETOYOTA]

New problem..
I am considering restamping the serial number to match what is on the title. I don't think there is any way the gov guys would know the difference. I'll be going back to SPB in September and see what I can do.

Not until you posted this statement in a public forum.