Bring car or sell before move to Italy?

Is this a permanent move?

Are you moving from the US? If so, you should check the cost of transporting a car to Europe and registering it there vs what it might cost you to sell your car and buy one in Italy. Then decide which makes more sense.

Assuming you’re not military where the government would pay for shipping it, it might be easier to sell it and buy an inexpensive one over there. If you are military, by all means take it over there but be aware that if it breaks down, it may be difficult getting it fixed. Ensure you know what it would take and is needed, to get a car registered where you’re going.

I suggest asking on expat forums or facebook groups.

Italy has different environmental laws and unless you have diplomatic status, your car has to meet those in order to allow it into the country. I learned this working at the US a embassy a few years ago and doubt it has changed. Perhaps one of our Italian residents will weigh in if there has been a change.

Is there a reason why you would want to bring your own car?
These are the issues to consider.
The cost of shipping, which should range from $1200 to $1600 depending on the port of origin (West coast or East coast?)
Duty tax 11%+VAT: 22% (returning citizens like me may be waived these taxes if the car is used over one year, not sure about non citizens).
There are restrictions concerning importation of cars with engine displacement over 2.0 liters (2000cc)
The car must abide to EU standards. Newer models sold in California generally comply with EU emission standards but there are small issues to consider. For example direction flashing lights must be orange. If you have a model that has red direction lights (as there are many in the US) you will be required to change the car lighting to comply with the orange direction light requirements before you can register the car locally, which costs more than one would expect once you add the parts for the lighting group and labor.
Also consider whether the model you intend to ship is sold in Italy. If not, any time you need to repair it you may encounter problems finding the parts and/or the mechanic that knows how to work on it. In the early 1980s I worked as an accountant in a Fiat dealership. We were the only shop at the time that was qualified to work on automatic transmission in Tuscany. All American cars owned by US military personnel at the Camp Darby NATO base in Pisa had to come to our shop. Many models were US models not sold in Italy and getting parts from the US took weeks if not months.
Once you have everything in order you can register the car with the local PRA (Pubblico Registro Automobilistico), located in every provincial capital at the local ACI (Automobile Club Italia) headquarters. ACI is the Italian equivalent of AAA in the US.
The time necessary for this registration (immatricolazione) process is under a month, but given the bureaucratic requirements you are better off hiring a local agency that specializes in these things (any driving school agency should do). The cost of the service is not exorbitant in my experience.

Bringing a car across the Atlantic sounds like more trouble than it's worth. Also, depending on where you are moving, consider not buying a car. It is not essential to be able to get around in Europe.

Dump the car.
Buy a Vespa.

One other consideration is that you cannot register a car in Italy until you are a legal resident. This takes longer than you would think (8 months in my case).

I don’t know about Italy but in other countries in the EU, as long as you keep the car for six months after acquiring it in the EU country, you can then sell it free and clear without VAT. Since cars cost significantly more in Europe than in the US due to VAT, you can actually make some money (and maybe a lot of money) on the transaction, even after transport fees. If you have a nice (expensive) car it could be worth it.

You have to own your car outright (no bank loans) to transport your car.

Other things to think about are making sure the car can adapt to EU roads (eg digital maps for navigation, kph / mph readout, and laws for things like fog lights that the country might impose). If your car is European or American, you may have fewer surprises than if it’s Japanese and the brand doesn’t have a strong European presence. If you pick a company to do the car import, they should be able to advise you on everything that’s legally required as well as take car of car registration. It’s not really that complicated as long as you pick a reliable provider.

Sell it and buy a Ferrari in Italy 😁

I took my car to Germany, when I worked for the US Army some years ago, the government paid for shipping it.

I had a friend that got a job with the Navy in Naples, and he was advised not to bring his expensive car (due to auto thefts). Also, he was advised not to bring expensive items with his household goods.

Having a car in Europe is wonderful, and necessary, depending on where you work and live. Still, you can travel quite well, using trains in Europe.

Fuel is almost $8 a gallon in Italy, last time I heard.

Is unleaded gas as widely available there as is here? I rented a Mercedes in IT once and had to fill it with diesel.

To reduce pollution, fewer cars are diesel now. In fact, electric will be imposed in a couple of years.

Hello,
Sell the car. Public transportation is fantastic all over Italy- but if you are set on having a car its wiser to buy there. Cars and streets in Italy and Europe are much smaller/narrower . Or a Vespa scooter is a option. People walk everywhere as well.

Just to comment on an earlier post, cars transported for the military, and used by a military member while deployed do enjoy an exemption to the time limits imposed on civilians without having to fully comply with vehicle safety and emission requirements. So unless you are in the military, or do lots of research to assure you can meet requirements and eventually be able to register the vehicle, sell it.

I ave never tried to ship a car myself but I recall reading in several forums / threads over the years that transporting a vehicle overseas was far more trouble than anticipated.

Claire, what did you decide to do?

This is one of 3 posts by Claire, all were on July 6th. She hasn't been heard from since the 6th of July so my guess is we won't hear back from her. This thread was just woken up this week.

Is unleaded gas as widely available there as is here? I rented a Mercedes in IT once and had to fill it with diesel.

If you fill a gasoline/petrol car with diesel you will be looking at an expensive pump out and you won't get very far. Can be an expensive engine repair.

Can you elaborate on what happened?

I have never visited a filling station in Italy which did not have both unleaded and diesel. I've driven a lot in Italy.

Is unleaded gas as widely available there as is here? I rented a Mercedes in IT once and had to fill it with diesel.

My notes say "diesel fuel Mercedes" and no, I cannot elaborate further.

I just wonder what car Claire has/had. Newer or older? Luxury or utilitarian? Bigger or smaller - that’s maybe the biggest factor? Is she looking at navigating narrow roads and finding parking spots for a massive sedan? Except for upper-crust citizens, bahn-stormers, or those requiring lots of capacity, smaller is definitely better in Europe.

And did Italy wind up being 4her? Has she relocated?

I want to thank everyone Who responded to my post I really appreciate it I think I have made a decision to sell my car. The thought of not having to pay for insurance and gas will be all the more money for me to spend on the good food and travel 😊