Theory brushed up with reality in January, when, without fanfare, Tom notified Chris and me that he’d bought two Pandas in Italy and they were being prepared for shipping. They were basically identical 1993 Fiat Panda 4x4s in Country Club trim, both dark blue with teal graphics. One came from a well-known classics dealer known as Luzzago in Brescia. The other hailed from a roadside car lot in Fossano. We couldn’t wait to meet them.
4×4 Squared
Even if you’ve been through the importation process from Italy a few times, as Tom has, I get the sense it’s always a bit chaotic. The communication is cryptic, the timetable is spotty, and the odds of a mixup or a grave mistake seem high. When April came around and we received word that both Pandas made it to the correct country, it seemed like cause for celebration.
Tom paid €6,000 per Panda in January 2021, or about $14,000 USD total for the pair. The smallest container size is 40 feet, which fits two cars, so it always makes sense to bring over two, or find someone to split the container with you. Shipping it from Genoa, Italy, to the Port of Houston costs about $3,500 in sea freight, and that number increases based on the value of the contents. Then there’s roughly another $1,000 in customs and import duties at the receiving U.S. port.