import from japan
 

has anyone on here had any experience importing a 3rd gen from japan and getting it licensed and registered in the usa im wondering about how to do this iv searched but iv only found out about the importing not to much on what is required for an rx7 where i live i dont have to pass emission so thats on thing for me


if it wasnt so illegeal i would just import one as parts and switch vins with a wrecked us roller but thats a no no

Simple answer is NO! This has been asked a million times in the past. I don't even live in the US but I already know the answer is NO.

Whats wrong with finding one in the states? I'm sure you guys have more than plenty to choose from.

with the movies and what not they bring a premium in the states when i can buy and import one from japan for less then half of what most want in the states

they're actually getting harder and harder to find, but they're still out there.

as for importing, dont even bother. You have to appeal the DOT and EPA claiming that the car is manufactured to the same saftey and emission qualities as the US models and that includes crash testing as well as the actual import fees and the price of the car. Typically, youd have to hire a lawyer and then appeal the DOT with a letter claim this and that about the car. So on top of the price of the car, you'd be looking at about 10k in fee's and thats not including the actual importation of the car. So id say, 40k is a reasonable price for car, import fee's and DOT and EPA fee's and testing. Plus youll be on the good side of waiting, id say a year, maybe more?

When i was looking for an RX-7 i went to an importer looking up information on importing a car as well as legalization fees and such and i was pointed to a lawyer who deals with this kind of work and he quoted me 11k for the testing and other fees as well as DOT and EPA work.

So is it worth it? well if your crazy maybe.

Personally, im looking in the near future to convert my FD to RHD. thats just about as a crazy but nowhere near as expensive :P

jeez i didnt know it would cost so much it would be easier to just move to japan i guess ill just keep saving and looking for a usd rex

RHD yo! Cars like ours must bring in a "premium" a week before Race Wars!

God, I don't know how different the laws are, but Here in Canada, I got an FD in great condition imported for $11 000 CAD, and It was knocking at my door 3 months after I ordered it, ready to ride.

I know most people here (from Canada at least) don't like imported rx7 because they're a lot cheaper, and will eventually lower the value of their cars, but importing isnt such a big deal, really. In Canada, at least. IM, not sure about the US.

Here is a link to one of the only trustable import shops that I know of. Maybe you can get some additionnal informations here. http://www.importconcern.ca

Good luck!:fingersx:

EDIT: I went to get some information for you, and I'm affraid you can't easily import one. Here, there is no regulations on cars that are older than 15 years old. Un the US, it's 25 years. So in 10 years, you will be able to import a '92 JDM FD from at a low price the same way I can do it right now. That sucks

There are lots of illegally imported JDM FDs in the US. They are usually registered in states with loose registration laws - and mostly are represented as legal by sellers, though the buyer may be in for a surprise if they try to register them in, say, California.

For some bizarre reason, these cars usually have asking prices 50%+ higher than legal US cars.

Importing is always a risk - if the car gets stopped in customs you will never get it out of there.

well some states have pretty loose import laws, like Florida and Tennessee, both states seem to allow JDM cars into the state and registered, but its still a risk

I miss tennessee

a few years ago, way back in the 70's when this import ban on foreign non EPA and non ntsa compliant cars began, the high end( Ferrari ect.) guys had a loophole in the regulations where there would be a once in your lifetime exemption. You could import one non-complying car once.
I'm sure regs in some states (like the people's republic of Kalifornia) may not allow non compliance to their own rules.

I think bringing an FD in from Japan could be done, and registered in Indiana for sure.

To be honest, I would bet most if not all of them are not 'really' registered. To register the vehicle, the VIN has to pass an algorithm for insurance and other purposes. The VIN's are different for each country for a reason.

I used to work for an insurance company in IT. We did the software that their systems used to verify VIN's. When I mean insurance, I'm not just talking like State Farm, they did insurance for car dealerships, body shops, etc. And I can say that its difficult to get a car registered if the VIN cannot be verified. Not impossible as when new cars come out (the Lotus Elise had this problem), it takes a while to get the software updated and out to various companies who use it. In there case, it was pretty clear what the issue was since it was a brand new car. However if you are trying to register a 10 year old car where the VIN isn't decrypting in the software, that's going to throw up a red flag.

Yeah, thats why we came about with the designation "FB" for the 1st Gen RX-7 when the us mandated the use of 17 digit VIN numbers.

Im not sure why, but it seems like some states dont seem to care about registering a "grey market import". I actually drove a 1991 Nissan Skyline GT-R BNR32 when i was in Tennessee, it was fully registered and had a Tenneessee title but a Japanese VIN. Almost bought the car too, but then i realized what a pain it would have been trying to transfer the title up north to Connecticut where i was living at the time.

what you CAN do is import a car for track use, in that case it doesnt matter about the VIN or the "legal status" of the car because itll never be used on the roads. But then you never get to enjoy playing around on the road in your RHD JDM import.

My suggestion, just stick with USDM, at this point trying to import anything newer than a 1982 will be a HUGE pain in the ass. If you still dying for that old JDM feeling, RHD convert your car, and go talk to Ramy about getting every JDM part you can find xD

Even that law has changed within the last couple of years. If you do a search for FDNewbie and "import", you'll probably find the post where he quoted the new regulations around "track use".

Just FYI, the info here:

https://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php...2&postcount=80

"RHD"..."JDM"...BFD

haha....I love you guys! haha. No need for me to say anything anymore.

BFD?

Big Fucking Dummy? I really can't figure it out lol

States' regulations are irrelevant. If a car isn't imported into the US (a COUNTRY) legally, it is in violation of FEDERAL standards, leaving it subject to seizure and destruction, and the owner liable for anything ranging from operating an unregistered/illegal vehicle to fraud with jailtime. Again, state laws are irrelevant when you're talking about importation regulations. If a car is imported LEGALLY (meeting FVMSS), it'll be 50-state legal no problem, and even Cali won't be an issue.

It was before my time, but IIRC, it was called the Grey Market car law. I'm pretty sure that it's no longer in effect though.

Try "Big Friggin Deal." Google is your friend ;)

Hey man, 2 out of 3 isn't bad ;)

Didn't think you could type in abbreviations and get results, either...

Yea not bad, but I'd prefer to skip the obscenities ;)

Well not like that. Type in the abbreviation (BFD) then "internet abbreviation" for example. And it'll pull up a bunch of pages that list various abbreviations and their meanings. And almost always, the abbreviation you're looking for will be listed in the comments/summary below the links/results, so you don't even have to click on any of the links/results to find out what it means ;)

Hey now, did I ever use or advocate obscenities in that post? :D

Kento, I was referring to MADDSLOW, who's only guess involved an obscenity lol (That's why that comment was put right after I quoted his post ;))

only way u can get them to the us is if we tear apart every part of the car and ship it in boxes pretty much to the US as parts , then you have to put it all back together , even then i dont think you can insure it, other way is getting it through the military i had a friend who went down to the states from canada to pick up a RHD FB and he drove it back here.