It is not that expensive to ship over... several companies are geared to do just that and can be found especially near military installations. I took my Mustang to Portugal. No changes required. Of course that was pre-catalytic... so it might need to have that changed. Most aspects, except for glass were no problem. Glass was only a problem for importing into the US. Smog rules are extreme in some countries and very lax in others. Same applied to mechanics (brakes, etc) and cosmetics (cars in bad condition - rusted out- being immediately de-registered during inspection for re-registering).
If nothing else, there were a lot of people overseas who wanted cars like Mustangs , Firebirds, Camaros, etc. My neighbor sold his 6 cyl Firebird, 10 years old and "well used", for $16,000 cash in Japan. How that compares with Europe is in question. If you have any contacts where you are headed I'd check with them for the latest information since I was in Portugal before the EU formed.
Driving is an experience! Hopefully Belgium changed their laws... It used to be that if you bought a new car you had to have a license and insurance, but not if you bought a used car. In Portugal, it was not required to use headlights at night if you were in a well lit area (which was having the light from a store window reach the street). Even something as simple as hitting a farm animal can get weird. In Portugal, if the owner is with the animal, you're at fault; if the owner is not present, the owner is at fault. In some places, run over a chicken and you have to pay for the chicken and all the eggs/chicks it would have produced for a specified period. Japan, if you hire a taxi and there is an accident, you are responsible. The taxi would not have been there to have an accident if you had not hired it. Advice to Americans was, have the money in hand and if there is an accident, toss the money to the driver and disappear. The gist of this is to learn the laws as best you can. And they use cameras everywhere to monitor traffic.
Roads were actually quite good, though the cobblestone patches were a bit rough on the suspension. Traffic in cities can be a horror show. Very congested. But not bad in the countryside.
You will likely need to get an international driver's license before leaving the states. I think AAA used to help with that.
Insurance ran in the neighborhood of $1000 a year in Belgium in 1981.
Public transportation is pretty darn good. My advise would be to consider taking the car with the idea of selling it, not driving it. If you do any traveling, the trains are excellent, and in the cities, the buses and taxis are great. If you want to drive, either rent; there are rental places all over; or look for something there to buy.
You may be able to pick up a desirable (in the US) European car to bring back to sell. They can be ordered to meet US requirements if on the approved list for import (smog and glass are the biggest problems with import). Import fees generally work out to far less than if you bought the same car in the US. Simple example; and realizing the rates are different for different categories of imported goods; a bottle of wine can be bought in Portugal for $1.00. The import fee was 6 cents. The same bottle could be bought in the states for $6.95. Not to mention you were allowed to bring in one wine gallon exempt. We brought back cases.
I was able to pick up a brand new MG Midget for $2K in 1971. Shipped it back to the states in 74 for $116.00. Sold it in 77 for $2.5K to a neighbor who was going to Germany. You get the idea.
Again... I would check with any possible contact you might have already there since the laws vary from place to place, and are apt to have changed both since I was there and since the founding of the EU. Possibly Google for embassies which might have more information or a phone number you can call.
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