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Importing a Land Rover Defender
Full-Service Transportation, Shipping, and Customs Services for Importing a Defender
We’ve all had those projects around the house where we thought, “how hard could it be?” From home restoration to projects we didn’t remotely have the skills to accomplish successfully to tasks that clearly required a professional. In an attempt to save money and learn a skill, we typically spend more and end up aggravated and stressed.
The same is true of Importing a Defender. Many things can go wrong during this process, from accidentally getting scammed to buying a non-import eligible Defender and having it seized by customs. That’s why we started offering it as a service to our customers. Use our network, experience, and process to bring your dream Defender home.
How We Got Started Importing Defenders
We started Bishop+Rook many years ago because we had always dreamed of owning a Defender but found it very difficult to find a solid, reliable, and legal Land Rover Defender that fit our budget. We saw a lot of dressed-up Defenders on the market that turned out to be mechanical nightmares. This still happens today. It’s fair to say: we have learned a lot since those early days.
During the first couple of years of the company, we were focused on importing pretty basic entry-level Defenders, doing some mechanical work, and selling them on to new owners. Most Defenders were in the $30,000 range (equivalent to what you see in the market for $40,000 to $45,000 today). We felt comfortable with this price point, and we found many that shared our passion.
Offering Assistance Importing a Defender
As our business matured, and we came to the realization that the company was better suited for more custom Defender builds – as the majority of our customers wanted our expertise to restore a Defender to become a more reliable daily driver specification.
We continued to offer an occasional pre-restoration Defender for sale when we found good candidates that didn’t require a full strip and rebuild, but struggled with deciding how far we would go with mechanical and cosmetic restorations. Truth is that we didn’t know where to stop and that cost us quite a bit of money.
For years, we continued to publish a Land Rover Defender Importing Guide but also realized that self-importing isn’t for everyone. To be honest, it’s not a fun process for us, either. Would not recommend anyone casually approach this subject.
As such, we didn’t want to abandon the entry-level Defender market we loved so much, which is why we launched our Defender Importing Service for folks like us who wanted to enjoy the hunt for a Defender, but didn’t want to stress about the paperwork, transportation, customs declarations, and the risks of importing a Defender themselves as a one-time activity.
Costs to Import a Defender
The purchase price of your Defender is only one part of the process. The other expenses will be transportation, customs, and any possible repairs needed before (or after) it ships. We offer a flat-rate fee to manage the process and invoice you the hard costs associated with your particular Defender import. This will save you a lot of money in the long-run – and dramatically reduce your stress levels.
The Defender Importing Calculator below will show you the costs associated with the import process. Taxes, customs, and insurance are all based on the purchase’s value, while some shipping and transportation costs depend upon the model you’re purchasing and the accessories that might be attached.