PROCESS & PRICING
Every step. Every dollar. On the table.
Opaque pricing is how this industry hides its margin. Ours works the other way: a non-refundable engagement retainer from $500 USD, a $3,500 USD success fee only when a vehicle is purchased, zero hidden markup on the vehicle or third-party invoices, and a published real-world cost example — so you can understand the payment flow before we ever speak.
THE ENGAGEMENT
Five controlled steps from brief to delivery
A typical successful engagement may run six to twelve months. Timing depends on supply, specification, condition, destination, and the client’s decisions; no purchase or delivery date is guaranteed.
Start
Define the brief
Complete the Buyer Survey. If the project appears suitable, CIR schedules an introductory call and prepares a written agreement covering the target vehicle, budget, destination, scope, term, and fees.
Search term
Search and screen
CIR works the public and private island market, questions sellers, reviews initial evidence, and rejects weak prospects before travel or inspection costs are incurred.
Per candidate
Inspect and decide
Serious candidates are inspected and test-driven in person. The client receives photographs, video, available records, observed concerns, cost implications, and a plain-language recommendation.
After approval
Purchase and prepare
The client purchases directly from the seller. Approved servicing, restoration coordination, deregistration, cleaning, documentation, and export preparation proceed within the agreed scope.
Final stage
Ship, clear and deliver
CIR coordinates freight, export formalities, destination customs support, and optional inland delivery. Registration and final compliance remain subject to the destination authorities.
FEES
Two CIR fees, paid at two different stages
A commissioned search starts with a non-refundable engagement retainer from $500 USD. The $3,500 USD success fee is due only when you approve and complete a vehicle purchase. Off-island travel and additional services are separate, disclosed in advance, and performed only with written approval.
1. Engagement retainer — from $500
Paid when the written engagement agreement is signed. It starts the agreed search term and is non-refundable because it funds the sourcing work whether or not a suitable vehicle is ultimately purchased.
- Search scope, target vehicle, budget, destination, and term fixed in writing
- Sourcing across the seven Canary Islands and private seller network
- Initial candidate screening and direct client updates
- Exact retainer and extension terms confirmed before engagement
2. Success fee — $3,500
Due only when you approve a vehicle and complete the purchase. If no vehicle is purchased, the success fee is not charged.
- Vehicle purchase is paid directly to the seller
- Workshop, freight, customs, brokerage, and delivery costs are paid directly to the relevant provider
- Off-island travel and additional CIR services may apply and are quoted separately
- CIR does not add a hidden markup to the vehicle or third-party invoices
DESTINATION ASSUMPTIONS
What the destination estimates include
The estimator uses fixed planning assumptions, not customs rulings. Open the relevant destination before relying on the result.
United States — East Coast planning
The vehicle’s age, configuration, classification, origin, and admissibility must be confirmed before purchase. The estimator includes a baseline East Coast ocean-freight figure but excludes U.S. customs duty, port charges, customs brokerage, registration, state taxes, and licensing because no single percentage applies to every vehicle.
Canada — East Coast planning
The estimator uses a fixed 6.1% customs-duty planning rate and 5% federal GST. A $100 federal air-conditioning excise estimate can be added for a vehicle with factory A/C. Provincial taxes, inspection, registration, licensing, brokerage, and final classification are excluded and must be confirmed.
Belgium — qualifying collector vehicle
The estimator uses a 6% import-VAT planning assumption only when the specific vehicle is confirmed as eligible for reduced Belgian collector-vehicle treatment. A vehicle that does not qualify may face the standard VAT treatment. Classification, taxable value, brokerage, inspection, and registration remain outside the estimate.
Other destinations
CIR can coordinate the Canary Islands export side and work with a customs professional appointed by the client. Freight, admissibility, tax, registration, and delivery assumptions are prepared individually rather than forced into the standard estimator.
PLAN YOUR BUDGET
Indicative import cost estimator
Set the vehicle budget, destination, and shipping method. The summary shows the current planning total first; the detailed line items remain directly below it.
Indicative planning tool only. It is not a quotation, customs ruling, tax opinion, admissibility decision, or guarantee. Review the destination assumptions above and obtain written provider and customs-professional confirmation for the actual vehicle.
FULL TRANSPARENCY
What CIR charges and what remains separate
CIR professional fees remain separate from the vehicle and third-party invoices. The planning ranges below are not quotations; the written engagement agreement and provider invoices control.
| Item | How it is charged |
|---|---|
| CIR engagement retainer | From $500 USD, paid at signing and non-refundable. It starts the agreed search term and funds the sourcing work. |
| CIR success fee | $3,500 USD, due only when the client approves and completes a vehicle purchase. No completed purchase, no success fee. |
| Off-island travel | May apply when a candidate or approved work is outside Tenerife. Service time starts from $250 per day; scope and direct travel costs are approved before travel. |
| Additional CIR services | Optional work outside the written scope is quoted separately and begins only after written approval. |
| Pre-purchase inspection | Paid to the inspecting service center or specialist. A baseline planning figure is approximately $75 per hour for two hours; complex vehicles may require more. |
| Storage | The first month is included in the standard coordination scope. Extended storage is currently estimated at $250 per month. |
| Export preparation | Steam cleaning and detailing begin at approximately $100, depending on the vehicle and destination requirements. |
| Deregistration, towing, documents and courier | Approximately $400 combined in the worked example. Actual provider charges depend on the vehicle, port, and documentation. |
| Ocean freight — RoRo | European routes begin at approximately €1,500; U.S. or Canadian East Coast routes begin at approximately $4,000. Size, route, port, and schedule affect the quotation. |
| Container shipping | Often planned at approximately 25% above comparable RoRo freight, but the forwarder’s written quotation controls. |
| Registration, inspection and licensing | Varies by state, province, or country and is excluded unless specifically included in the written proposal. |
Important: Customs authorities and destination professionals make the final classification, admissibility, tax, customs-value, and registration decisions. CIR planning figures are not customs rulings or guarantees.
A REAL DELIVERY
Worked example: HDJ100, Tenerife to Chicago
This anonymized completed engagement documents the actual payment flow. The historic U.S. import amount is what that shipment incurred and is not a current customs-rate estimate.
| Item | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| CIR engagement retainer | Non-refundable retainer that started the HDJ100 search | $500 |
| CIR success fee | Due when the client approved and completed the vehicle purchase | $3,500 |
| Vehicle purchase | Paid directly to the seller | $20,000 |
| Pre-purchase inspection | Toyota service center — two hours at $75 per hour | $150 |
| Removal for export | Spanish permanent deregistration — baja definitiva | $100 |
| Towing | Storage location to the export port | $100 |
| Export customs documentation | Export-clearance paperwork | $100 |
| Courier | Shipment of Spanish vehicle documents and keys | $100 |
| Ocean freight | Tenerife to Baltimore | $3,500 |
| Historic U.S. import charges | Duty and import-related fees actually paid on this shipment; not a current-rate estimate | $3,000 |
| Final delivery | Baltimore to Chicago | $800 |
| Historic all-in total | CIR fees, vehicle, and all listed third-party costs | $31,850 |
This example documents one shipment. It does not promise the same purchase price, freight cost, customs treatment, or landed total for another vehicle.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS
Questions buyers actually ask
Are there many of these classic 4x4s left on the islands?
Fewer every year. This is a finite pool of vehicles that shrinks with every export, and interest keeps rising. Across the marques we cover, roughly one genuinely good candidate surfaces per month — and the best cars trade by word of mouth before they are ever publicly listed. That scarcity is exactly why commissioned searches exist.
How long does a search take?
First serious candidates typically surface within about three months, depending on the model and market conditions. A successful engagement usually runs six to twelve months door to door. Search terms can be extended by election, and we never guarantee timelines — the market decides, and we tell you the truth about it as we go.
Aren't island cars rusty?
No vehicle is presumed rust-free. The Canary Islands do not use winter road salt, but coastal air, storage conditions, repairs, leaks, and prior use vary from vehicle to vehicle. Every serious candidate is inspected underneath and in person, with visible corrosion, repairs, and uncertainty disclosed before you decide.
Why not just import from Japan? It looks cheaper.
Japan offers huge selection and right-hand drive. The Canaries offer left-hand-drive, European-spec vehicles built for the roads of the US, Canada, and mainland Europe from day one — which matters for daily usability, insurance, and resale. Both routes are legitimate; we’re honest about the trade-offs, and a full side-by-side guide is published in the Journal.
Your fee plus shipping can approach half the price of the car. Why?
Because the vehicle itself carries no hidden CIR markup. CIR charges a non-refundable engagement retainer from $500 and a $3,500 success fee when a purchase is completed. The seller and third-party providers are paid separately. Freight, inspection, travel, customs, registration, and optional services remain visible rather than being buried inside the vehicle price. The worked example shows that complete payment flow.
How do payments work? Do you hold my money?
No. Canary Island Rover is not a financial pass-through. You pay the seller and third-party providers directly against invoices or pre-sale contracts whenever practical. CIR fees are paid in two parts: a non-refundable engagement retainer from $500 when the agreement is signed, and a $3,500 success fee when you approve and complete a vehicle purchase.
What happens if no car is found, or I decide not to buy?
There is never an obligation to buy. If the agreed search term ends without a completed purchase, the $3,500 success fee is not charged. The engagement retainer is non-refundable because it covers the sourcing work already performed. Any extension, off-island travel, or additional service is agreed and priced in writing before it begins.
Which countries do you deliver to?
Full door-to-door service for the USA, Canada, and most EU member states. For destinations outside our network, we support the export side and work alongside a customs broker you appoint at home.
What happens after I submit the Buyer Survey?
CIR reviews the target vehicle, budget, destination, timing, and requested scope. If the project appears to be a fit, you receive available times for a complimentary 15–30 minute introductory call. A written proposal and exact engagement terms follow before any fee is due.
CANARY ISLAND ROVER
Ready for real numbers on your car?
Complete the buyer survey first. If the search appears to fit your budget, timing, destination, and target vehicle, you will be invited to a free 15–30 minute introductory call and receive a written proposal before any fee is due.