2 Years Ago Today

[Tripper]

After a stress filled day on the phone, the driver that I had to pay twice arrived with my 1975 BMW 1502 sat crooked on his janky Dodge Ram Pickup.

Please enjoy the original Kinja post about the day and some pics you have probably seen before. I tried to find some new ones. One day ago and after many shipping troubles, I joined the Oppo camera crew with some help from @spacekraken and @S65. So hopefully I learn to be not awful at taking pics so I can have some new ones to share.

Post Titled 1502 - Whatthefuckingfuck

"This will probably come as no surprise to The Actual RootWyrm, but it has been just a fucking shit mess since the car arrived at port in Baltimore on 12/26.

Communication hasn’t been great throughout the process but the worst has come from the US importer (broker). Here is a “quick” summary:

-Car arrives in Baltimore on 12/26 and the ship heads to Jacksonville, I know this because I have watched the ships every little move since it left port in Amsterdam.

-12/27 I post this on Oppo, then decide to email the broker to see when I might be able to expect delivery and if there will be any delays due to the government shutdown.

Minutes later I get a response saying “Car is all set and on the way to you already. Driver will be in contact”

A few more minutes later I get another email “Sorry, just called the trucker and he cancelled on me. will get another one going for you ASAP> Can be delivered today or tomorrow.”

12/28 I send another email asking if he was able to secure transport, no response. I wait a few hours and call him. He’s out of the office dealing with a family emergency and wont be able to get to it until the following Wednesday. Rough, but ok family is family.

1/2 Still no word from the import guy. So I send another email, no response. Again I call. He answers and says something to the effect of “yea I dispatched it on Friday, the driver said something about having trouble picking it up. I will have him call you directly”. Then he sends me an email with the driver’s number.

I immediately call the driver, and he said yea I’m at the lot and they only have a record of 3 BMW 1502's two are in California, and one is in Oregon. I PANIC internally. The driver says “this was an auction right”. I’m like “yea...well kinda it was an online auction, but I didn’t “win” I had to make a side deal with the seller.”

Him: “oh ok well I need the sellers info then...?”

Me: “ok but I don’t know if that will help you he lives in Amsterdam”

Him “oh damn...yea uhh well I’m at this auction yard and they said the car would be here.”

Me: “hold up, auction yard? This car came overseas on a boat, I’m pretty sure it’s at the port.

Him: “OOOOOOOh its at the port? That’s all I need thanks bye”

This morning I get out of a meeting around 10am and have not heard anything, so I gave the driver a call just to see if he has everything he needs:

Him “Yo man I’ve been here for two hours, what’s going on?! I need a delivery order/dock receipt they’re charging me $50/hour to be here!”

Me: Whoa, the broker has that. I will send you everything I have and contact the broker.

Both myself and the driver are trying to get in touch with the broker (it’s 7:30am ish on the west cost at this point)

He finally responds to the driver with an email with the wrong document!

I send him another text and tell him that the document he sent is wrong and the driver is going to leave if we don’t get it in the next few minutes.

A half dozen more calls and a few texts later the driver gets the document that he needs but then finds out that hes in the wrong location again!

At this point he’s ready to bail because he’s had to pay $200 in fees to the port and wasted most of his day. He asked the broker about covering the fees and said that the broker acted like he didn’t even ask the question, he just stayed silent on the phone.

So I told him that I would pay for whatever fees he had to pay as long as he can provide receipts, then I will go back to the broker to try and get some money back. I’m offering this knowing for certain that I definitely wont get money back from the broker. I don’t care at this point, I just need the car and need this whole thing to be over with. It has been on my mind for too long.

The driver agrees, apologizes, and thanks me. I thank him for sticking it out all day. It’s lunch time at the port and for the driver, so we end the call hoping that the car actually exists, is where we think it is, and that the driver has everything he needs to get it. Both of us are equally uncertain of all of that.

A few hours go by and I think “FUCK, what if this thing does not start, or he doesn’t know how to start it.” So I send him a quick message saying “if you do actually find the car...here’s how to start it in case you have trouble.”

He says “I’ve already got it started. I was born and raised in Portugal and have been around 2002's my whole life. I’ve seen a lot of their ignitions converted over like this. Then he sends me two quick videos of him driving it around the lot saying that its stalling a little at idle, but it’s beautiful and is running well otherwise. The second video he said that it was low on gas which is why it was stalling, he added a few gallons and had it idling with no problem!

He said that he might have to pick up another car, but he was trying to get this all done tonight, at the latest tomorrow morning!

So I’m still not counting any chickens (except the 3 in my back yard) until it’s actually in my driveway. At the very least it’s in the possession of someone I trust a lot more than the broker I hired and then did 60% of their job.

Obviously I will update Oppo very soon!

Happy New Year!"

[ItalianJobR53]

@tripper Has it been 2 years already! Man, Im getting old...

[MM54]

I remember reading this and being stressed for you. Glad it all worked out and it seems to have been a very good two years.

[Tripper]

@mm54 Haha, a few people said similar things at the time...it was really crazy. I can laugh about it now but I hit a breaking point with the broker and said "look man I know you're probably used to dealing with people that can buy a thousand cars and don't have to worry about where they all are....but I've been after this car for more than a decade, I have a 5 month old, I had to ask my WIFE'S PERMISSION TO GET THIS CAR, MAN!!! I NEED TO KNOW WHERETHEFUCKITIS!!!"

[Chariotoflove]

@tripper I remember the whole saga like yesterday. I also can’t believe it’s been two years.

[interstate366]

Yours is not the first horror story I’ve heard about the port of Baltimore, nor is it the last.

[Tripper]

@interstate366 Yeah, we'll be going somewhere else next time.

[orneryduck]

I missed it the first go, but glad I got the story now. It is a wonderful looking car that I hope to see more of in the future.

What was the purchase like? Was it cheaper than finding a US 2002?

[interstate366]

@tripper Japanese Classics use Norfolk and Newport News. My Aristo’s import paperwork has Newport News listed as the port of entry, which is smaller and less busy than Norfolk.

[Huzer]

@tripper Man, two years went by fast!

[Tripper]

@orneryduck I've the whole thing well documented from kinja. I will read through and synopsize if I have time tomorrow. However the shortest version that gives you a good picture is:

I've wanted a 2002 since my dad told me about the one his college roommate had. Over the years my tastes changed but finally I decided that my dream 2002 would be green, turbo flares, no bumpers, and setup to drive.... about 12 years into my search the above car pops up for sale bring a trailer with the caveat of, it's in Holland I'm in the USA. I'm highest bidder, but the auction does not meet the reserve and the buyer is then free to make a deal with me (both of us now don't have to pay BaT fees!)

We make a deal and the next two months are me flying by the seat of my pants. How do I pay for this car *(I didn't want to part with that much cash and banks that finance classic cars will only do so with a US title in hand which I wouldn't have until long after I took delivery)*How do I get this car, to the US, how do I get the title converted etc... all in the middle of a US government shut down...

The purchase itself was pretty simple. I paid the man a $1000 deposit via paypal. I created a generic bill of sale and had the seller ink it via docusign then I just up and wired him the lump sum...

Yes I freaked out for a couple days about it, but there is really no way around it. I agreed to the sale, seller needs to get paid before he's gonna let go of my car... There are escrow services available, but most sellers don't want to mess around with that. I wouldn't as a seller either.

The car it self was cheaper than you could get a similar car stateside and values have gone up. You won't see many 1502's in the united states which I doubt adds value but is pretty cool. The rest of the car is anything but original.

[Tripper]

@huzer yeah it really has, will be 14 years for the M3 at the end of the month

[phenotyp]

@tripper Oh shit, I remember that saga!

[Shop-Teacher]

@tripper I remember reading this, and having a good laugh.

[Powershiftmatt]

Yikes! I never got to see this story on Kinja but that’s insane.
I’m a trucker for my full time money and have been for a hot minute (alongside other vices) and I’ve been in and out of the Dundalk port/Baltimore as well as Savanna GA, Brunswick GA, Miami and Jacksonville.
They’re all a hot mess. Baltimore/Dundalk is by far the worst. That unfortunate $200 in fees was him having to hire an escort with a TWIC card which is a mess and why I got mine LOL.
This was a good read and glad you got the car though. Yikes.

[Tripper]

@powershiftmatt Haha well the tail end of the story is that I paid him an extra $300 (I think, maybe it was more). I had all these plans to do this and that about it but when the car arrived and I saw it, I was just like "I don't care about anything anymore, lemme drive that thing off the truck and lets be done with it".

As bad as the ports can be, the broker was 100% at fault in this situation. He was such a bad communicator after I paid him. I could have had this truck driver ready to go the second the ports opened had he given me access to the two documents I paid him to produce. Anyway, no broker next time and I'd probably go and get it myself also. As I said it was on a Dodge ram flatbed, this guy loaded it in reverse so the exhaust was banging off the top of the back of the trailer the whole ride (exhaust bent, bumper slightly bent) and made it impossible to drive off cleanly so a little more damage there.... I was sure this was going to be an enclosed trailer as I told the broker that I had access to one and would go and get it myself if the shipper didn't...

I digress, you know the deal. Anyway the purchase overall was a huge success and that bit added a little pepper to the story.

[Ed]

@Tripper I've dealt only once with a broker when shipping a car, and won't be doing it again. Stateside, I just look up well-rated local towing companies, both local to origin and destination. Pay a little more to the tower, and skip the broker altogether. Of course, overseas is a different ballgame, and you've gotta do what you've gotta do when it comes to finding rare vehicles.

And that's an awesome 1502, well worth the trouble.

[Tripper]

@ed Yeah, I mainly used the broker for the customs bond. He just decided to "build in" delivery and since this was before I knew he sucked, I was like "ok yeah cool, one less thing to worry about"

[benjrblant]

damn, can't believe that was two years ago! i remember all the posts about you tracking it too.

[Powershiftmatt]

@tripper said in 2 Years Ago Today:

@powershiftmatt Haha well the tail end of the story is that I paid him an extra $300 (I think, maybe it was more). I had all these plans to do this and that about it but when the car arrived and I saw it, I was just like "I don't care about anything anymore, lemme drive that thing off the truck and lets be done with it".

As bad as the ports can be, the broker was 100% at fault in this situation. He was such a bad communicator after I paid him. I could have had this truck driver ready to go the second the ports opened had he given me access to the two documents I paid him to produce. Anyway, no broker next time and I'd probably go and get it myself also. As I said it was on a Dodge ram flatbed, this guy loaded it in reverse so the exhaust was banging off the top of the back of the trailer the whole ride (exhaust bent, bumper slightly bent) and made it impossible to drive off cleanly so a little more damage there.... I was sure this was going to be an enclosed trailer as I told the broker that I had access to one and would go and get it myself if the shipper didn't...

I digress, you know the deal. Anyway the purchase overall was a huge success and that bit added a little pepper to the story.

WOW! I would be salty about the exhaust and bumper on a car if that caliber. In the end atleast you got the car. Brokers... they’re something else.

[Tripper]

@powershiftmatt not all bad my new exhaust is louder and prettier:)