Montego

iTrader: (1)

Most likely you'll get busted at the border. Ever since 9/11 the custom agents have gotten much tougher. They are unto all kinds of stuff.

For example a US resident cannot paint their car in mexico if they do they have to pay a tax. When I painted my truck I was asked every time I crossed the border if I had it painted down there if you say yes CHA CHING! This lasted for about two years until the paint did not look new anymore.

Now if they are that picky about a paint job what do you think they are gonna say about a right hand drive car??? Go ahead and try to be slick but I guarantee you these guys have seen it all.

IF you get caught at the border you have two options pay the goverment (once (if) you get all of the paperwork in order) or leave the automobile. Either way it's lots of money lost.

seems to me it's more trouble than it's worth. BTW don't think it's easy to sneak a car into mexico either. Mexico likes to sell the cars that they build in their country so they are pretty tough about bringing non-nationalized (mexican) cars.

wonder1and

Thats a good point... unless you know where to cross the border

BrianK

Not true. Minis can be brought into the country because they are more than 25 years old. Any car that is 25+ years old can be brought into the country under a "classic car" or "collectable car" clause.

If you want to risk doing something illegal read this first:

The quick version of Tom's story is that he bought an illegally imported car, but was able to somehow register it. Having TX tags made it seem like it would be legal for good, but customs came down on the guys that imported the car & went around to each of the buyers and seized their vehicles.

(notice that this *just* happened last week.)

DomFD3S

Brian,

Thanks for showing what could happen w/ illegally imported cars. Do you happen to have the link to the exact details regarding this? I'm interested in reading about this.

Thanks.

Dom

MR_Rick

iTrader: (7)

Trust me is real I see him everyday and his being driving this car in the states for 2 years now. He has full cover insurance with State Farm and even the title is legal the trick is that he is not supposed to drive the car every day as the title is under a collectors car but is legal to drive it. He goes and does emission test on it every year like he's supposed to and everything and he got register in California. I think the only reason why he had it so easy is because the Skyline is already crash tested because Motor Rex did them a while back, but they charge you a arm and a leg to buy them. we in the military have it alittle bit easier than regular people. you see a used Skyline in Japan for example like a 95 run for like $8k then the shipping and the convertion run you about $10k give or take. how you think most of the guys that own Skyline get them, they don't pay the $80k+ that Motor Rex ask, they go to Japan and get them themself.

DomFD3S

I'm not going to debate this much further. But, I will mention this.

If the car is 100% legal, there would be no need for a "trick". You know it. I know it. A 100% legalized car can be driven every day of the week. However, your friend can't.

And just because Motorex crash tested the Skyline, doesn't mean that those "exact" test results apply to everyone else. I could go into detail about this, but this has been discussed on several Skyline forums.

Bottom line,...your friend got lucky so far...

neo_omega

Arm Forces people can import their cars into US legally, when they convert the car to meet the current US law. But there is a catch, only one car per person.

israel

iTrader: (3)

you know if you're going to start filing off vin numbers and switching tags... i'd say you may as well just steal one. save yourself 100% of your money. but steal mine and i'll shoot you in your kneecaps.

edited to add smiley, all in fun.

BrianK

while I don't feel like looking this exact fact up, I'm fairly certain that people in the armed forces can bring a car in on a two year "visiting vehicle" deal - just like if they were citizens of a foreign country. Again, I don't know this for a fact, but I'm 85% certain.

DomFD3S: There are not alot of places to read about this anymore. There used to be a Florida news station with the transcript of the story online, but they pulled it a few months after it aired (to make space on their server maybe?). Tom was not too forthcoming with info when the car was first seized (about 8 months ago) because he didn't want any more details out than were already out. I haven't pestered him for more info because I'm sure it's been a pain in the **** for him.... no reason to remind him of what he just went through.

Nathan Kwok

Basically I think we're all in agreement here. If you intend to try and import an FD in order to save money, just give up. You won't. Now, if you want a Series VIII FD and absolutely must have a Series VIII nothing else will do, and have lots of money, then the options become more abundant. You can take a registered chassis and strip it, then import all the parts off of a Series VIII and put them on the Series VI chassis (FYI, Series VI='93-'95, Series VII='96-'98, Series VIII='99-'02). This isn't technically legal, but its more along the lines of downpipe illegal versus get your car deported illegal. You could even convert it to right hand drive and probably get away with it if the VIN number is from a registered US spec chassis. There might be a way to import an entire series VIII car as a series VI car the same way people import Minis, as a Series VIII car is a few small modifications away from passing '93-'95 emissions standards. But again, it costs money, probably more than its worth, and the in the long run, if you want a Series VIII spec car its easiest and most legal to just buy the parts.

Nathan Kwok

Basically I think we're all in agreement here. If you intend to try and import an FD in order to save money, just give up. You won't. Now, if you want a Series VIII FD and absolutely must have a Series VIII nothing else will do, and have lots of money, then the options become more abundant. You can take a registered chassis and strip it, then import all the parts off of a Series VIII and put them on the Series VI chassis (FYI, Series VI='93-'95, Series VII='96-'98, Series VIII='99-'02). This isn't technically legal, but its more along the lines of downpipe illegal versus get your car deported illegal. You could even convert it to right hand drive and probably get away with it if the VIN number is from a registered US spec chassis. There might be a way to import an entire series VIII car as a series VI car the same way people import Minis, as a Series VIII car is a few small modifications away from passing '93-'95 emissions standards. But again, it costs money, probably more than its worth, and the in the long run, if you want a Series VIII spec car its easiest and most legal to just buy the parts.

JoeD

Threads on this exact topic crack me up, as most people don't really know what they are talking about (other than Nathan Kwok and DomFD3S). All the "You could do this..." or "My best friend's mom's cousin did that..." stories are funny.

Having imported quite a few cars to this county, most of them ones that were never sold in this country, some legally and some illegally, I can tell you that it is a huge PITA. All these bullshit stories of messing with the VINs, claiming the car is a model year it is not, etc., are exactly that...bullshit. They do not and will not work. The only real way to make a car legal illegally is by knowing all the right people (and there are quite a few involved...customs, DMV, insurance, DOT, etc.) that will do the paperwork for you.

Just how many of you guys have actually imported a car to this country?

Defprun

Not you, you ****** terd.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

Ouch. Not part of the JoeD fan club, huh ?

Btw, been meaning to ask you---who is that in your sig? where is the pic from? Just curious.

derek1987

hondasr4kids
How is beaufort, sc. How long have you lived there because in the 5+ years(about 2 year ago) I lived there I never saw a FD or FC.
Can you get more detail about your friends skyline and what has to be done to get it legal. I want to one of these days fly to japan and get one but no money until I finish high school and College.

Thanks man
Derek1987

Scrapiron7

Arise dead thread!

DomFD3S

1) Start saving money so you can afford to purchase the car and have it shipped over.
2) This is the 3rd gen RX-7 section NOT a Skyline legalization section or thread. The modifications that go into legalizing a Skyline are not necessarily the same for a RX-7.

Ugh....

"Goddamn high school forum".

bighead

Just go live in Japan!!!

rx7will

iTrader: (6)

Have you guys ever been in a rhd fd, it sucks. The fd is cramp enough the rhd one is even worse. I drove a true japanese rhd fd and i hated it, i was barely able to get into the car. I fit just perfect in my old fd but the rhd was a pain to get into and out off. If you can get the car into the use there are loop holes. But you need to know the right people. My friend somehow got a complete and running car into the us and after that he went to the chp and they gave him a new vin number and the smog the car. You have to know the "right" people to make this simple. There are loopholes, but you have about it before you can act on it. The car was a 93. Instead to buying a japanese fd why not just buy the front clip with the rear end, and put this all into a us shell, cost will be a lot cheaper and insurance will be a lot easier. Call you insurance and tell them you want to insure a 99 rx7 and see what they say. I would just buy a us fd and modify it to the way you like it.

rx7will

iTrader: (6)

On a side note making a right turn on a rhd was very easy, you could actually see the curb. But making a left turn was a bit weird since it was my first time in a rhd.

Senna

"High school forum" it is...way too funny DOM!!

But I have two questions: if there were enough of a demand (and the amount of crazies in this club would suggest there are, wouldn't it become a more streamlined and economical possibility for a company to take up?

Secondly, rx7will-how is it that the RHD is that different in structure from the LHD that we have here? Are they ostensibly the same vehicle?

Bio-Weapon

I think its funny that people are conspiring to commit all kinds of federal offenses on a public forum

DomFD3S

Senna

For a private company to take up the task of importing RX-7s,...it will become streamlined in that the cars will be prepped and ready for inspection by the govt. However, that is the ONLY part that becomes streamlined....what you are able to control. The part that is not in your direct control (the inspection by the govt.) can take forever. Much like the DMV,...there isn't an incentive to work any faster. And things like changes in staff/personnel will cause the "smooth running machine" to have to start all over again.

Also, how much would you pay for a relatively brand new FD? Keep in mind that there are US FDs that can be had for anywhere between $10k - $22k. Just a question to ask yourself.

There are others things to consider to, but that is just some that I mentioned to you.

Regarding the RHD/LHD structural similarity,...part of "problem" started when private companies imported vehicles to a country where the OEM had not released that vehicle yet. Therefore, in an attempt to ensure that the profits went to the OEM, OEMs (in collaboration w/ the govt) devised a way to, by declaring that LHD vehicles may or may not be similar to RHD vehicles. I am told, that this was started by Mercedes.

Crackers

Thank you Dom for the last comments.. That is the exact same reason Why I stoped my research into importing JDM Rx7s.. Its just easier to buy one in the US then get on for 4k in japan and still end up paying over 12 in legalizing costs..

You could buy one here for 10~14k thats in perfect condition and be driving it that day..

I would love to have a 2000+ Rx7 but to get it here in the states is just stupid to try..