I'm in the military. stationed in Germany. I ordered a 93 rx-7 from japan. right side drive. Straight japanese specifications. Its modified w/ upgraded turbo's, intercooler, exhaust, ecu, suspension. I'm just wondering how hard this car will be to ship into the u.s. and get licensed over there. what will i need to do to it in order to get it legalized for the u.s. if anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You
~JJ

 

Use the search feature at the top of this page, using the terms "import RHD FD". This has been discussed ad nauseum.

 

Hope you got a ton of money.

 

Being in the military, getting the car over here will be the easy part. To my knowledge, nobody has registered and licensed a non-US (or Canada) FD here.

Some people have brought them over, and bragged about their amazing hookups and stuff, and how they are gonna show it off when it's all done, but none have ever come back afterward. The ones that have gotten here IMO are done by 'bending' a few laws.

It's better to sell it and buy another in the US.

Dave

 

Like Dave said, it can't be done 100% legally, no matter what (for a '93 - '95 model), as the NHTSA Vehicle Eligibility Regulations clearly specify that no RHD car can be imported for street use if a LHD counterpart exists in the US.

As for a '96 - '02, it can be done, but as IaMtHeRuThLeSs1 stated, I hope you have deep pockets - to the tune of $200,000 to crashtest two of 'em

~Ramy

PS: I'm just gonna throw this out... You guys think it would ever be possible to get 200 3rd gen members to donate $1,000 each (which isn't a crazy amount of money), or even 400 members to donate $500 each, and pursue crashtesting an '02, to make Spirit R's, RZs, and the like street legal in the US?!?!

 

you probably wont get near 400 to donate 500

 

Why not? It's like $42 a month. And have the goal to have it by the end of the year. Very doable IF we have enough ppl committ...

 

yes but not all 400 people are looking to purchase a RHD 2001 jap rx7...only a few will want to

 

Now, yes. But think about it...even in the next 3 - 5 years, you could buy a close to brand new FD, in awesome condition. So it's not just centered around ppl here and now; if you love FD's, this makes 'em available to ya for YEARS to come...

~Ramy

 

^Damn I would LOVE that. Lemme finish my project first though, haha.

 

Just use it for a racing application!

 

The laws have changed Larz. To import a vehicle for racing purposes only, the vehicle must have been originally manufactured as a racing vehicle. Such vehicles can be permanently imported into the United States. A motor vehicle that was not originally manufactured as a racing vehicle can only be imported on a temporary basis. The vehicle must be in full racing configuration at the time of importation and lack features associated with safe and practical public road use. Determinations are based on the capability of the vehicle to be used on public roads, not its intended use. Moreover, permission to import a motor vehicle temporarily is granted in annual increments for up to three years if duty is not paid, or for up to five years if duty is paid. No later than 30 days after the expiration of the period for which permission is granted, the vehicle must be either exported from the United States or destroyed.

~Ramy

 

^Does Ramy know his **** or what? HAHA. JDM, importation laws, it doesn't matter.