Only if going to use as a farm or woods vehicle, VIN wont be in their system to register for on road use.
Wouldn't have been manufactured to European rules.

 

This comes from decades ago, but I remember a friend's anecdote about attempting to export a 1980s US model Honda CRX to Norway. I forget if he followed through successfully, but I remember there was a long list of strange and picky detail such as having to black-out the US side marker reflectors. As for Subarus in Germany, you wouldn't be starting absolutely from zero...

 

You should do a thorough investigation of the rules and regs for Germany/EU. Having tried in the past to import my 1992 Honda Civic into the US from Canada, it's not something I would attempt to bring a US vehicle into Germany, why? Because the US and Canada have far more similar/agreeable vehicle regulations compared to Germany/US. So you really need to check out all relevant German government websites, I would highly recommend that you get in touch with German vehicle importers/brokers they know the ropes far better than anyone here could tell you.

 

How much does it cost to ship a car from USA to Germany?
The average price to ship a car from USA to Germany ranges from $1150 to $2850, and the duties to import a car to Germany from the United States are 11% duty + 19% VAT of the value of the vehicle + $1500 for local charges in Germany.Ship a car to Germany [2023] | BR LOGISTICS.

 

In addition to all of the above, I understand there are new issues with the US computer systems not working in Europe.

I suspect the cost of pulling it off would be somewhere between selling your current Subaru and buying a new one and driving your current Subaru off a cliff and buying a new one. I suspect it will be closer to the latter.

 

^^ +1
Especially since the car is a lease, you could probably save more by buying a car in Deutschland..
Here's a site that lists used Subies in Germany..

 

^^ +1
Especially since the car is a lease, you could probably save more by buying a car in Deutschland..
Here's a site that lists used Subies in Germany..

I completely missed the lease comment.

That opens a new line of problems. It is probably a violation of the lease agreement to ship it out of the country. You should add another $2,000 to the budget for a lawyer and contract negotiation.

 

Send a 2.5 Lire Forester non turbo from the US to Germany, the home of Bureaucracy and paperwork?

Good luck with that.

Are you aware of petrol/gasoline costs in Germany?
Are you aware that engine was never put in a 2023 Forester in Europe? It is way too thirsty that is isn't even remotely comparable to domestically sold vehicles sold there. Your parents would never be able to sell it on, if you were even able to import it in the country in the first place.

Yes, it would need modifications. To start with, it will need rear foglights and emissions testing

 

When faced with a can of worms, the best decision may be to read the label and leave it unopened...

 

It would in all likelyhood be a lot cheaper and less time consuming to just buy one in Germany. It's not like we're talking about some exotic hard to find vehicle. As somebody who has shipped a container overseas for personal use I can attest to the headache and heartache of trying to navigate port/import bureaucracy. You want to avoid it if you can.

 

On the plus side they probably have cooler available options on the European Forester.

 

It wouldn't be hard tbh, just got to sort out the paper work.

Make necessary changes to the car such as lights,
You'd need a coc form - google this
Tuv approval (inspection centre)
Go to registering office with documents and get the stamp and pick a plate

I don't believe car modifications are allowed