The Daily Vroom

Good morning Vroomers!

This is a one-off edition, but I think it’s worth it.

But just before I get there. Quick update on yesterday’s newsletter about PCarMarket:

More information has come to light on the platform’s new ownership. The buyer is WM AG, a company formed specifically to acquire and grow businesses in the automotive space — with PCarMarket as their first acquisition.

The full ownership structure is still a bit unclear, but WM AG appears to be backed by a private equity group based in Florida. The two individuals who own and operate the business are continuing to run it from New York, staying true to PCarMarket’s original roots.

The current import tariff situation is messy. Really messy. There’s confusion everywhere — auction comments, shipping quotes, even from the pros — and the rules seem to be shifting by the day. So I wanted to dedicate a full newsletter to what’s actually happening, what’s changing, and what it means if you're importing a collector car.

I’ve also been working hard behind the scenes on a little tool — call it a solution, a shortcut, or just a sanity-saver — to help you quickly figure out what you might owe. It’s not fancy (yet), but it gets the job done.

👉 If you just want to skip the deep dive and jump straight to the calculator, you can do that here.

Let’s untangle this together.

There’s been a lot of noise — and a lot of misunderstanding — around the current U.S. import tariffs on classic and collector cars. Unfortunately it IS having an adverse affect on European auctions, just look at this one from the other day.

If you’ve spent any time in forums or auction comments lately, you’ve probably seen conflicting information: some say 25% tariffs apply, others claim you’re totally in the clear if the car is 25 years or older. The truth? It’s more nuanced.

From my understanding, based on the April 4th update published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, here’s where things stand:

This update falls under Annex III of the Trade Act modifications and is part of a broader policy shift responding to the treatment of American exports abroad.

Wait — what about the 25-year rule?

The 25-year exemption still applies to the 25% light truck tariff — the so-called “chicken tax” — but it does not exempt your vehicle from the standard or reciprocal/universal tariffs depending on the country of origin.

So what actually applies?

Here’s a breakdown of the different tariffs and some of the main European countries they currently impact:

Note: These tariffs apply even to vehicles 25 years or older. The only thing you're avoiding with age is the 25% tax on new light trucks.

What if the car was originally sold in the U.S.?

This is where things get especially confusing — and changing almost daily. But here’s the current understanding:

If you’re re-importing a car that was originally sold new in the U.S., exported, and is now coming back, you may qualify for duty-free re-entry under the "Returned American Goods" rule.

To qualify, the car must:

• Have originated in the U.S. market

• Not be significantly modified abroad

• Be accompanied by proper documentation (original U.S. title, export and re-import records)

This applies even to German-built cars — if your 1990 Porsche 911 was originally sold in the U.S. and you're bringing it back, you might avoid any import duties.

However, if the car was originally sold new outside the U.S., and just spent time here before being exported again, it won't qualify. That would be treated like any other foreign car — and subject to the full tariff stack.

So how do you figure out what you’ll owe?

To make things easier, I’ve put together a simple calculator that lets you plug in a car’s value and select the country of manufacture. It’s still in raw format — but it gets the job done.

🚗 Launch the Tariff Calculator

I’ll keep refining it and expanding the country list as more information becomes available.

Bottom line

If you’re importing a German classic from today, you’re facing a 22.5% tariff. For France, Italy, and others, it’s closer to 12.5%. And yes, these rates may change — the whole landscape is fluid, so treat this as a snapshot, not gospel.

For now, at least you’ve got one tool to help you make sense of it.