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Shipping is definitely an option. I shipped my 2007 E90 in 2010 from Houston, TX to Lausanne, Switzerland. And later moved to The Hague, The Netherlands. I know quite a few people that shipped their car over to Europe successfully and without regrets. In countries where the tax on cars is high, it is worth the effort. In Holland, for example, we pay 21% VAT, on top of that, something like 11% "luxury article" tax, plus an additional 655 euro based on the CO2 emissions of the car. All these taxes add up to close to 40% (!) and that means that second hand cars are also relatively valuable. Hence, the value of your E90 in Norway is most likely still higher than currently in the USA. Obviously, you'd have to do the math for the Norwegian situation. Bear in mind that shipping your care saves you the hassle of searching for a new car, and that you may never be able to get what you currently have. That is also worth something - at least to me.
Cost vary: a shipment in a container is more expensive than a "roll-on, roll-off", which is basically nothing but a massive, sailing parking lot with hundreds of cars shipped globally over a fixed route. You would need to requests some quotes to compare the offers. I would have preferred a "roll-on, roll-off" shipment but I was too late to organize this and the ocean freighters were fully booked. Book a few months in advance!
A very, very rough estimate for a container would be $2500. That includes shipping, insurance, harbor fees in Europe, and cost to get European plates. Roll-on roll-off is at least $750 cheaper. Once again, check the Norwegian import tax regulations. Most likely, if you ship your car as part of your "household goods" you do not need to pay specific import duties.
On the technical side, you may need to make some minor changes in order to meet European specifications, inter alia:
- activate your rear fog lights (see Do It Yourself sections on this forum)
- deactivate your amber front parking lights (need to be white in Europe, but Angel Eyes suffice, can be easily done through reprogramming the board computer)
- install high-pressure headlight washer system (!) That was required in Switzerland for cars with Xenons... and that was a bit of an unpleasant surprise for me. The requirement is no longer in place in the rest of Europe (cars built from 2007 onwards... but double check with Norwegian "Road Regulatory Agency"
Do some research online and if you have specific questions, feel free to contact me here. Good luck!
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