How to Buy a Car from the USA – Complete Import Guide

Buying a car from the USA is an excellent way to get your dream vehicle at an attractive price. In this guide, we'll walk you through the entire process – from choosing a vehicle at auction, through bidding, to importing and registration.

1. Choosing an Auction House – Copart or IAAI?

Two major vehicle auction houses operate in the United States:

Copart – the world's largest auction house, offering thousands of vehicles daily. With over 200 locations across the USA, auctions take place online in real time.
IAAI (Insurance Auto Auctions) – the second largest auction house in the USA, with over 170 locations. Known for accurate vehicle condition descriptions and detailed damage photos.

On USDiscovery, you can browse listings from both auction houses in one place, without switching between websites.

2. What to Look For When Choosing a Vehicle?

Before placing a bid, carefully check:

Title Type – Clean Title means the car hasn't been declared a total loss. Salvage Title indicates a vehicle with significant damage where repair costs exceeded a certain percentage of its value.
Engine Condition – does the car run and drive? This is critical information affecting price and repair costs.
Odometer – check if the mileage is Actual, Not Actual (rolled back), or Exceeds Mechanical Limits.
Damage Type – what are the Primary and Secondary damages? Front damage is usually cheaper to repair than side or rear damage.
Vehicle History (VIN Report) – always check the VIN report for full vehicle history, including accidents, number of owners, and service records.

3. Step-by-Step Bidding Process

Register on USDiscovery and choose the right subscription plan
Search for a vehicle – filter by make, model, year, damage type, and many other parameters
Analyze the listing – check photos, description, vehicle history, and use the cost calculator
Place a bid – enter the maximum amount you're willing to pay. The system automatically increments your bid up to your maximum
Wait for the auction result – if you win, you'll receive a notification

4. Shipping and Importing to Europe

After winning the auction, the process looks like this:

Domestic US transport – the car is transported from the auction location to a loading port (e.g., New Jersey, Houston, Savannah)
Ocean freight – container or RoRo shipping to a European port (e.g., Bremerhaven, Rotterdam). Duration: approximately 4-6 weeks
Customs clearance – at the European port, customs clearance and fee assessment takes place
Transport to destination – from the European port to your chosen location
Vehicle registration – technical inspection, document translations, registration at the local office

5. Full Breakdown of Car Import Costs from the USA

When planning your budget for importing a car from the USA, consider:

Purchase price – the amount won at auction
Buyer Fee – auction house commission, dependent on purchase price
US transport – from the car's location to port ($200-$800 depending on distance)
Ocean freight – shipping to Europe ($800-$2000 depending on port and method)
Customs duty – 10% of the customs value of the vehicle
VAT – 23% (calculated on customs value + duty)
Excise tax – 3.1% for engines up to 2000cc or 18.6% for engines over 2000cc
European transport – from port to your destination
Registration costs – technical inspection, translations, administrative fees

Use the cost calculator on the vehicle page at USDiscovery to accurately estimate the total import cost.

Summary

Buying a car from the USA can be very profitable – auction prices are often significantly lower than on the European market. The key is proper preparation, thorough cost analysis, and using a trusted platform. USDiscovery gives you access to thousands of vehicles from Copart and IAAI, and the built-in calculator helps you estimate full import costs before you even bid.