Bj42

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Sep 27, 2004
Threads
1
Messages
5
Hey everyone! I am new to the site and just begun to check things out here. I am looking to buy a 81 BJ42 with only 58K on it. It appears to be in great shape, however not in my country. I am going to have to import it from the UK, does anyone know what problems I may run int with title/registration? The guy selling it is telling me to avoid customs charges by calling it a gift, but I sense that problems will be likely once it is in my possesion.

It seems that the 3B motor is great, and if I get it i am most likely putting the Turbo on it. I am interested it what people are running for turbo's. I see the ATX is a common one for the 3B.

:beer: Here's a beer on me everyone.....
 
have fun trying to import it....
you might want to read some of the posts in this international section on importing:
do a search on importing, you'll find lots of information...

-mike
 
Thanks stickboy- I have been reading a few topics about the import process. The seller notified me that it has a clear US title already, I am just wondering how things should be, in order for the process to move along smoothly :cheers:
 
Are you confident of the rig and the seller.. there are tons of scams going on right now.. an 81 bj42 in the UK with a clean US title and 58k?

From your 2 posts is smells like a scam to me..

Hope it works out for you,
 
Have him fax you a copy of the title. Then call the Dept. of Motor Vehicles in the state it's supposed to be registered in and ask them if it is indeed a legitimate title and if the vehicle is currently registered in that state under the name that appears on the title. Shouldn't be too hard to find the phone #s of the state agencies on the web.
 
If everything checks out, and I got some kind of approval from U.S. Customs in writing, I'd buy myself a plane ticket and fly to the U.K. to check it out. It may seem kind of extreme, but the $500 could be cheap compared to what you might lose if it turns out to be a scam or the vehicle is a piece of junk. You'll at least get a nice trip out of it.
 
i hear ya wesintl..... i wish i was a bit more knowledgable of whom the seller is. Thanks Paulj for the suggestions. I am going to email the seller with that request for my sequrity.
 
Danger Will Robinson!!

I'd be VERY cautious. An '81 BJ42 with a US title, while not an impossiblity per se, seems rather unlikely. What's it doing in the UK then? A gift? Hmmm...

I had a freind who got burned pretty bad on a Rover being imported under similar circumstances.

If the title checks out, and it proves to be a mechanically sound vehicle, it should be a sweet ride, more power to you.

Keep us posted on how it turns out.
 
Lusedekache- How did he get burned? I imagine he had to pay a fee to have it brought in?
 
My friend was shown pictures of the vehicle (a D110) and assured it would be in a container on the very next boat coming over.

There was some far-fetched scheme about swapping the VIN plates from a Ser. III onto a D110. The guy assured him this manouver would be just fine, no big deal. NOT TRUE! This, besides being totally illegal, was just sweet talk, the 110 never existed. Nor had the guy ever intended to actually ship it if it had.

The money was paid but the vehicle never came. After many months of excuses from the guy my friend was able to get some of the money back, but very little of it. There was no legal recourse for him either.

The authorities have figured for every permutation of import scams and for every tweaking of the regulations. They have seen it all. Semantics are of little interest to the US government. Whether the fellow you're purchasing from calls the vehicle a gift or not will, in my opinion, be of little concern. If I were you, I would make triple-sure that I have checked with the DMV, DOT, and the Dept. of Treasury after making sure the title is completely legit.

Once you mail the check to a different country there isn't going to be much you can do to get it back.

I'm not sure what state you will be registering the vehicle in. I know in my state, Michigan, when transferring a title in the case of a gift, only immediate family members are allowed a sales tax exemption. Documentation must be provided in support of such a relationship as well. If you're trying to avoid paying duties on the federal level this could very well come back to bite you on the state level.

My advice: just tell the truth. Don't call it a gift if it is not. Don't try to import the vehicle unless it is on completely legitimate grounds. It's not worth the trouble and hassle it can cost you. Even though the government seems like a big, lumbering beauracracy, too big to spend much time on the importation of a single vehicle, they have many agencies that are very capable in what they do and they WILL figure it out.

I think scam-artists are begining to realize the passion with which car enthusiasts operarte. People who love collectable vehicles, like us with our Cruisers, and my freind with Rovers, will often go to extreme lengths to acquire rare models. Because this often means going to other countries scammers can use borders as their protection. They know that once money crosses a border it become much harder for the scammed party to get it back.

All that being said, if you can work it all out, it would be a great Cruiser to have. Just make sure you can do it all legally and up front.

Keep us posted on how things turn out.
 
I would just bag it ---- doesnt seem worth the hassle -
If your i n the USA just look for one in Canada where they seem to be not that rare
and importing it from there is a breeze.(compared to the UK at least)
sounds real nice but often things arent what they seem!!!!!!!
cheers
:beer:
 
yes.. I do believe that was a scam. 100% fruadulant and he tried to do it with several different cruisers. Notice the auction was closed...

Too good to be true.. yes.. But that is a nice cruiser :o)
 
This (JT3FJ40CXB3342232) is NOT the serial number of a BJ42. A BJ42 would have the digits "BJ42" in place of "FJ40".

The engine bay photo's however ARE from a 3B engine.

I'd wonder if this is located in the UK that maybe it's from the European mainland NOT from Canada and never has been to this side of the Atlantic. I highly doubt that it has U.S. title.
 
Last edited:
The text in the ad was hijacked from a nice BJ42 recently sold on ebay in Canada.
Also, the pics of the cabin don't show the pyrometer, but it culd be hidden of course.
 
Most of the positive feedback (1307) is for $5 baby clothing. I wonder if the people in the scam have somehow hijacked the sellers ID!

There has been scam artists in OZ that build up a high approval rating selling $1-2 items.Then they advertise a $7000 television doh doh DOH.
 
Notice that the pic of the engine shows a snorkel on the passenger side...I guess they added this just prior to sale..." Bull Sheit" It looks like the same snorkel that was on that 81 that sold on ebay a few weeks ago.

I hope some poor bastard didn't make him a deal that he couldn't refuse off auction.
 
Jan-78FJ40 said:
The text in the ad was hijacked from a nice BJ42 recently sold on ebay in Canada.

Yep, I saw that auction too. Pissed me off that I didn't get it for $8k, but now I'm wary about such back-door, non-eBay, faux "buy it now" auctioneering. If you contact the seller by email and end the auction early, you are not protected by eBay's fraud insurance of $20k per vehicle.

Also, you can tell it is hijacked text because some of the symbols come through as odd symbols from the cut-and-paste job.

BRB
 
Would the licence plate not be a different shape if it were a UK plate.. I thought theirs were real wide or something..

Sheldon
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom