5. Importing a Canadian-certified vehicle; need for automatic restraints. Before it can be lawfully imported into the U.S., a vehicle that was not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable FMVSS, and/or was not so certified by its original manufacturer, must first be determined eligible for importation by NHTSA. The agency has determined that Canadian-certified passenger cars manufactured on or after September 1, 1989, are eligible for importation, provided those vehicles are equipped with automatic restraints that meet the requirements of FMVSS No. 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.” If a vehicle manufactured on or after that date is not equipped with automatic restraints, it has not been determined eligible for importation. Without this determination, the vehicle cannot lawfully be imported into the U.S.







All you have to do is verify it has American style seatbelts according to the article.




Source:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/impo...ges/page2.html

 

My FD is from Canada :P. Hard to get used to everything being in KM. I'm not sure about the grunt work as the PO had it imported not I. I know he said it wasn't difficult though.

 

The real question is , the RHD models and cars like the GTRs Where they are imported to canada and legalized there , according to that law as long as it has the seat belts.. which they all do..

according to that law using canada as a relay point you can import all kinds of cars not currently legal .

 

This topic is a pain in my ***!

 

ive heard its difficult still? lots of cheap jdm cars in canada that are pricey in the usa. for example a turbo supra seems much cheaper just across the northern border. youd think if it were easy importers would be doing it already?

 

I realize this horse has long been dead. Perhaps that why importers aren't trying or considering it? There used to be more differences between us and Canadian standards but it seems that is no longer the case. Perhaps it's a recent change?

 

who knows ! , LOL I thought you posted it up BECAUSE it was a recent change . Oh well..

I'm sure someone would of exploited this loophole if It was such a thing

 

My FD is also from Canada. From my research the car was imported into Ontario in 1993. Then registered in BC before moving south to Washington state around 1999. Eventually it got to Florida and the Carolina's and now back in Florida. In one of my old neighborhoods back in 2010, I spoke with a truck driver who was waiting on someone to pickup their R33 Skyline which was brought over from Canada.

 

I'd love the parts off a 2002 RZ type FD but would not want a RHD car in the US

So I'd be better off just getting one to cut one in 1/2 and ship each 1/2 separately LOL

Any volunteers in japan for this type of transaction

 

I think RHD might be worth the prospect of owning a 2002 RX7 ha!

 

A lot of the stuff in Florida is not federally legal if it's newer than 25yrs old. . It's somewhat of a loophole in the system. Back when I was going to import a skyline there was a guy that was going to drive it across the border, I would make the buy in the states, I would send all the paperwork down to Florida (as apparently they don't care for looking into registration?), and a guy would use some papers form Japan and get me a Florida title with Florida plates. This would allow me to then "legally" register the car in my home state.

I say "legally" because, it's similar to the marijuana debate, it would technically be only state legal and not federally legal.

This means that really it's illegal :p (thanks to the supremacy clause) and the government can technically come and take the car and we'd have no argument to keep it here (unless someone can think of one?).

So I agree with a point made above...if it was that easy to import a car that we don't have here in the us I believe it would already be done....

 

Right but this isn't about getting a car from Japan. "Canadian certified" vehicles with appropriate automatic restraints are legal for importation in to the United States according to the NHTSA website.

 

I think you're also missing a part in the NHTSA where they explain that vehicles not originally meant for the US market cannot be federally registered in the US. That's why many grey imported cars are registered in states like Florida regardless of origin. But once you leave Florida to say California?? Good luck trying to register it there with Florida papers without getting hassled. I know grey market cars are also available in Arizona but again, they're not all 50 state "federal" legal.

When I get home, and off my mobile, I'll find the NHTSA article on the US market vs grey market compliance article.

 

Any vehicle can be imported to the USA so long as it is brought in to compliance once it gets here. The reason people don't import vehicles from Japan is due to the cost of making them compliant. Apparently you would end up spending 89-90k. So, people tend not to do it.
However, the article I posted (from the NHTSA website) outlines that the only thing you need to do to a vehicle from Canada is verify that it has the proper restraint system. Crash protection, emissions, and all that other crap do not need to be altered in order for it to be in compliance. It essentially says "Canadian safety and emissions standards are comparable to ours and do not require modification for legal importation, with the exception of some seat belts."
Had I the money right now I'd put where my mouth is and buy one.

 

It is saying cars that were certified for Canadian markets and sold originally in the Canadian market is fine for import into the US. That does not mean you can import a JDM car into Canada then into the US. That's two different things.


This article don't mean **** as it does not change anything as far as bringing a JDM car into the US

 

X2

Unless the car is 25 yrs old or older, the likelihood of getting a car imported to the U.S. Is very costly.

Example: if you go to skylineowners forum you'll read the horror stories of what that lovely Florida state title can do to people.

If the possibility of losing a substantial amount of money doesn't deter a person from buying a car that is only state legal then by all means get one from those scrubs that like to sucker people into thinking a state title allows immunity from the government taking your car, crushing your car, and sending you $0 for the value they get from junking it (:p).

Oh another thing, cars that come across the boarders are tagged apparently by the customs people (and have been since the early 2000s I believe).

Moreover, try finding a RI that's going to make the car to meet the U.S.. Standards.

 

It seems like we get one of these "dreamer" threads popping up every six months to a year... every time it ends the same way

 

Technically, YES, any car can be imported to the USA, no matter of origin. But being able to legally drive in on the road is another matter. That's why so many grey market cars are sold with bill of sale and off highway use only. And I'm not only talking about JDM cars. Euro and other asian cars have the same problem.

And it is not just "essentially" the restraint system. You need to consider replacing the windows, safety glass, headlights, tail lamps, reflectors, and bumpers to comply to US safety standards. Do you think its easy finding those parts off the shelf for a car that wasn't sold in North America, specifically the US?

Any car sold (or chassis similar) already available in North America has a less restrictive means of getting US registered. Why? Because they can easily use safety glass, seat belts, lamps, etc from a chassis already marketed here. Good luck finding a part number for a US compliant reflector marker for a car never sold in the US.

Not to burst your bubble. It's not as simple just the restraint simple.

I'd advise you not to put money in your mouth.

 

I'm sorry, but you must not have read all of my comments on the matter. I did not bring this up with the intention of shipping a car to Canada from Japan and then bringing it to the United States.

I am explicitly referring to CANADIAN cars. Ignore JDM. FD's originally manufactured for sale in Canada can be imported legally (FEDERALLY LEGAL) so long as it is equipped with the proper restraint system and is manufactured after 1989. No windshield changes or headlight changes or any of that other tedious business are required.

^THAT STATEMENT IS TRUE ACCORDING TO TEXT TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THE NHTSA WEBSITE.

I have, at least, the reading comprehension required to have figured this out. I'm not looking at other threads on the topic for evidence. If I said it, it came from the NHTSA website.

Want to import at JDM FD? you have to change the windshield, lights, reflectors, emissions, bumper cover, etc.

Want to import a FD from Canada? Was it originally manufactured for sale in Canada and manufactured after 1989? If the answer is YES, then according to the text found in the NHTSA WEBSITE you need only make sure the vehicle is equipped with the proper automatic restraint system and then it is legal. Legal federally. RHD is moot. JDM is moot.

If anyone came here wanting to discuss JDM RX7s then you are commenting in the wrong thread. JDM is not the topic here. CDM, If that's what you would call it, is the topic.

 

Ok, now you're starting to make sense.

If you're talking about cars manufactured and sold for the NORTH AMERICAN market, then yes, you are correct.

So then I'm curious, why bring this up anyhow? What Canadian Domestic Market car would you want register/import that we don't have in the US?

 

Well, I'll admit that I wasn't aware that only 93-95 models were sold in Canada as well. However it at least makes it easier for people living near Canada to buy an FD if they are looking.

Isn't it depressing that Americans, as a whole, couldn't appreciate the FD for its excellence and instead bought Camaro's? "Car culture" is supposed to be an American thing but it's being replaced with "Camry culture" and latte's.