Should I Ship My FJ Cruiser From the US to Spain?

There's so much to see beyond Madrid and other big cities!

My first test trip to Spain in 2023 was a success! I enjoyed my time in Málaga and felt inspired to move sooner rather than later. I loved the food, the people, the beaches, and the overall laid-back culture. It reminded me so much of life in Jamaica.

There was just one problem:

I missed my FJ Cruiser terribly.

During my month in Málaga, I also noticed how narrow the roads were and how unlikely it was that my bulky Toyota could fit into these tiny spaces. I considered my options carefully but ultimately decided Spain wasn’t an ideal place to have an FJ Cruiser. My beloved Samson would have to stay in the US.

But when I moved to Madrid last year, I noticed that the city had much larger vehicles than I had seen in other places. I’ve seen three Ford Rangers, a few Jeeps, and the occasional overlanding rig. Then finally, it happened: I saw a bright orange FJ Cruiser in my neighborhood.

I’ve seen it several times since, and now I can’t stop wondering:

Should I ship my FJ Cruiser to Spain?

After all, if this dude has his FJ here, so can I!

The Roadblocks

Spain has agreements with certain countries to exchange licenses upon arrival. Unfortunately, the United States isn’t one of them. I’ll need to get a Spanish driver’s license “from scratch”.

Locals have warned me that it’s not easy to pass the test, and most foreigners they know never do. Failing the test is such a rite of passage that Spain has recently started to revamp its driver’s license process to reduce failure rates.

Additionally, while I can take the written test in English, the practical driving test will be in Spanish.

I understand simple instructions like: turn left, park here, or stop there. But if the instructor said something like, “Oh my God! Stop, you crazy woman! You’re going to get us killed!” … in Spanish?

I wouldn’t understand any of that.

He would just have to say his prayers and hang on for dear life.

Some people point out that shipping is expensive.

Yes, but it’s still a lot less than the cost of buying a vehicle here. If I’m spending the same amount to get another car, why not keep my old one that has no car note and is guaranteed to last a lifetime?

If I specifically wanted another FJ, the benefits of shipping mine climb even higher. FJs sell for anywhere from €35,000 to €65,000 here. Keep in mind that there are no new FJs under the sun. These are all used vehicles. Even a brand-new Audi would cost me less.

I’m better off shipping my FJ for roughly $3,000.

Even after shipping, there’s, of course, the process of clearing the vehicle at customs, paying taxes, and modifying it to meet the traffic laws in Spain. My friends here, who support this wild idea, say there are also certain parts in the center of the city where it wouldn't be allowed. They have similar issues even with regular vehicles because they are older.

I’m not looking for a car to explore the city, so that’s fine by me. I want to travel down dirt roads, go camping under the stars, and see remote towns that tourists and locals alike have long forgotten.

Why Ship the FJ?

You might wonder, though, why on earth would I go through the hassle of shipping the FJ? There are so many! First, I spent four long years with that FJ, and it feels like I left a part of home in the United States. Considering that my FJ was quite literally part of my house on wheels, this isn’t as wild as it might have first sounded to you.

Being without a car in Spain also feels incredibly limiting. People praise European cities for being walkable, and they are. But what happens when you want to leave your community or city? That’s not a short walk. And, contrary to what you might hear, not all locations are conveniently connected.

For example, I am 10 minutes from the airport by car, but it would take me almost an hour to get there by train. Why? Because my barrio is new, and they’re still working on connecting it.

No one knows when it will actually happen. So until then, I have to go back into the city and then take a train to the airport. I’m not doing all that, so inevitably, I take an Uber (i.e., a car) everywhere I go outside my community.

Once you venture outside the city, it also becomes challenging to explore rural areas. When recently discussing how to get to a countryside Airbnb I liked with a neighbor, he told me it was impossible without a car and suggested I rent one.

But I can’t. Why? I will have passed the six-month limit for driving on my foreign license by the time I need to rent one for that Airbnb.

There’s Still Some Hesitation

Funny enough, none of my reasons for caution have anything to do with Spain.

I acknowledge that shipping will be a complicated process, but other overlanders have shipped their vehicles overseas before, and so can I. I’ve spoken to an IG friend who shipped her Hilux from France to Africa and then back to France. I have friends who shipped their US overlander from the US to Colombia and back. None of these are wealthy people. What they are is determined.

So, why the hesitation?

What bugs me is the possibility of losing the opportunity to travel within the United States once I take the FJ. If there’s anywhere that’s totally inaccessible without a vehicle, that’s America.

That would mean no random beach trips to Mexico or running off to Colorado to check out my favorite campground. Europe beats America in a lot of things, but wide open spaces to camp and explore aren’t one of them.

And therein lies the problem.

The good news is that I have plenty of time to decide whether to ship the FJ. I certainly wouldn’t attempt it without feeling some reasonable guarantee of permanent residency from Spain, and we’re a few years away from that.

Still, if you know me, I’m an early planner and generally do a heck of a lot more than dream in quiet contemplation. If I’m thinking about it, there’s a pretty good chance it will happen.

But what do you think?

Is it time to give the orange FJ in my neighborhood a playmate?

Personally, I think the only thing better than one FJ is two of them!