1995 Here in Philly, Should I Buy?
 

I can't post ebay links, but I have been playing around on ebay as the financial situation is so bad that there are deals to be had.

I found a 1995 here in Philly:

1995 MAZDA RX-7....VIN # FD3S305393 BLACK WITH 51,000 MILES THE STEERING WHEEL IS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE...THE CAR IS IMPORTED PLEASE DONT ASK ME HOW I GOT THE TITLE!!!

Here are some pictures:

Thoughts? Opinions?

No - the car is illegally imported and illegally registered. Search for RHD if you want to find many threads on the topic.

What he said.

The car is not DOT approved and therefore cannot be tittled legally. There is a small chance you can get a title for it but you'll always have to worry about them catching the mistake every time you re-register the car. I've researched everything there is about importing skylines so believe me it's not something you want to attempt without understanding there is a chance you'll own a car that can never be legally put on a road.

BTW how much is he asking for this car?

Good question. It is on ebay currently at $1100 but reserve is not met. He said that he has it registered and inspected in PA which is where I live so all I should have to do is renew every year.

What else would he say?

If you meet a curious DMV official on any one of these years, say goodbye to the car.

And selling this car will always be a problem.

Car is worth it for parts only (if that). I would not pay more than $4-5k or so.

He has the PA title in hand and it is registered here in PA.

Based on what you said though, I will not be buying it--as clean as it looks. Thanks!

It is possible to get PA title and registration. The issue is how he got it.

According to PA law the vehicle must be in compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (it is not, because JDM FDs have never been crash tested) and emission requirements (technically it is not, because JDM cars do not have a precat which USDM cars do). http://www.dot3.state.pa.us/pdotform...ts/fs-ieve.pdf The PA title/reg was probably obtained by bringing it in from another state where the paperwork procedures are more lazy, usually Florida. That's how these cars usually get registered in the states - it's not a legal loophole but actually an easy way to fraudulently bring in the cars.

While the chances are probably low, the lack of federal paperwork means the car may be seized and destroyed. This is mostly likely to happen at customs at the border, but in theory it could happen at any time. It's also very likely IMHO that an intelligent insurance adjuster would recognize that the car is not up to FMVSS and drop you in the event there is an accident. That reason alone is why I personally would never buy one to drive it on the street.

Dave

Actually, I think that this is the greatest risk with one of these cars. In an accident you may effectively be uninsured because the car does not meet the US crash standards for its year - with potentially nasty consequences.

You could lose a lot more than the value of the car if you are sued by an injured party, e.g., your house.