Shipping a 2000-2002 RX7 from Japan
 

I was reading the NHSTA website...........again.............and again..........

I have come to the conclusion that the best way for me is to.......take the motor and drive train out of the vehicle.......and have the car sent back as a parts car.

Later......buy a American approved RX7 Engine and drive train......register as kit car??

Comments?? Opinions?

Here is a email I got from Mazda Japan

Dear Sir

I am Minoru Morikawa of Mazda Call Center.
Thank you very much for your e-mail.

I read your e-mail, and response it as below.

Excuse me, but the vehicle's specifications and functions are different between each market, so we at Mazda do not have the information as the crash test data and safety standards of the USA markets for domestic market's model.

Also, it is difficult to receive your RX-7 appropriate service at Mazda dealers in the USA. Because they do not have the service information and the parts for Japanese market's models.

Therefore, we at Mazda can not provide the information as the crash test data and can not support the exported vehicles in the USA too, so we never recommend to export domestic market's models.

Please understand their situation.


Sincerely,

****************************
　Minoru Morikawa
　Call center
　Mazda Motor Corporation
****************************

The abs, ecu, turbos, bumper(ducting), and intercooler are the largest things that are different on the subsequent models. Buying an entire car to get these parts is a waste of your time and effort. I would collect the parts from scrappers and send them home as parts. No smogger in the country will be able to tell that your turbos are not stock to the model year, this is likely true for the intercooler piping, ducting, and bumper. The gauges are also a popular swap.

It is illegal under federal law to register a mass produced car as a kit car. That's what's getting all of the GTR kids in trouble.

So- change everything you want, get a car that's nearly identical to it's jdm counterpart, save money, and don't do anything that could get you in to trouble.

I'm assuming you want to bring back a Spirit R?

Because to me anything else isn't worth the risk, time, and money.

Its like this guy who wants to bring an 92 from UK to USA ;

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/importing-japanese-fd-u-s-859435/

I would never do such a thing as its not worth the risk of not getting it registered once its here in the states. Not only that, RHD street legal FD's are available if you look hard enough in the states.. Also, RHD is over rated!!

If you really look into the difference between 92 USA version vs 2002 Spirit R, there aren't much of a difference as most people will modify them. If you are getting it as a collector, then registration shouldn't be much of an issue as you'll be buying it as a collector/ show room piece. Also that means money isn't much of an issue so you should be able to afford another 10K FD that you could mod.

But at the end, if you have a deep pocket, know the right people, you could get anything street legal.

bring a spirit R over so it can be impounded and crushed when it gets pulled over by the police! worth every penny.

I've seen so many threads about this and it makes no sense to me why people want to import these cars to the US. Its a waste of money and theres already alot imported rx7 here in the states. But the only reason i would agree to import a rx7 spirit r is if its just for a showroom collectors car.
But if you have the money do what ever you want.

Because its JDM YO!!!

Most people who want RHD FD's, I tend to think they are young and don't know much about FDs. I know one person who's an exception to this and that person don't get on forums asking "how", he has it, mods it, and have one amazing RHD FD in USA.

I want to convert my FD to RHD so I can start delivering US Mail. Do you think a FD would make a good mail delivery car?

^ I remember someone on the forums in california converted their LHD FD to RHD. Forgot his username though.

You can never legally register it as a kit car. It's a production car. Taking the engine our and putting it back it in doesn't change the fact that its a mass produced production car. Kaizo tried to pull this scam. He got caught and now all the cars he brought in are being tracked down by the federal government and crushed.

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._6367402_n.jpg

There isn't a legal way to get these cars on the road in the US. You can probably find some way to make it happen and make it look legal, but it won't be. The federal government doesn't really fuck around.

Why do you want a JDM car anyway? There are plenty of good legal and much cheaper USDM cars here already in the states.

Here we go again.....

Well I currently own a 2000 RX7...........but yes I was considering buying a Spirit R to bring back.

I understand your points obviously.

But......there is something about owning one of these cars (like I do now) and driving it everyday..........and the stupidity of that law stopping this car from legally entering the states...........that makes me want to bring it more and more.

I have always wanted a RX7 since I was a kid.........and there is something about buying one here at the SOURCE that makes it more special.

Sounds silly?? Maybe

Thats not a bad idea..........actually...........especially if I do the conversion while still here in Japan

Yes I know there are legal RHDs in the states...........but I won this one now. Also.....most of the legal ones are old. This is a 2000

It boils down to this: it is illegal. The federal authorities that would impound/crush the car might not necessarily find and stop you. If you create fraudulent papers (which is in essence, how it's done) you can in many states get titled and registered without issue. So it will not be illegal within a state (or at least they won't turn you in) but it will always be illegal in the eyes of the feds. There is at least one Spirit R out there in the US. But you first have to get it to that state, hope the registered importer doesn't screw you, then hope the feds never stumble onto it, and that is a big risk in my mind. That particular Spirit R was brought into Florida, where the importer took it to a drag strip and basically tossed it around in Florida for a while before turning it over to the buyer.

Plus there is the issue of insurance and liability. I'm sure you can get insured, but if there is an accident I'm also sure they'll figure out it's not a legal car and drop your coverage. Or you could find yourself being sued by the other party simply because your car is not legal in the states.

Obviously if this makes you want it more then so be it. I find that to be a sadly childish response. It's your $50k, if you want to put it all on black and spin the wheel that's your business. If you are motivated to do something difficult there are millions of other problems in this world that really deserve this kind of effort.

David

Well said :)

I don't know if you've driven a RHD in America before...I've driven a mustang in the UK, it was PITA being sat on the wrong side for the road.

It would be a hell of a lot cheaper to buy a '93 FD and 99 spec it...And it would be 100% legal & safe from the crusher...Seems like a no brainer to me...

The other option..Is to wait a little while. I'm not sure on Americas age policy on imports. In 2 years, spirit R's will be legal in the UK.

phil, your cosmo is illegal. you effing lawbreaker. you're pretty much a terrorist.

lol

anyway, i know at least a dozen people who have registered (titled) / insured RHD cars (FD's, R32's, R33's, etc.) here in the US...

You know, Im doing this myself right now and I'm not to sure about this. I'm only up spec'ing the interior and exterior and its already cost a pretty penny. I'm not even doing everything exactly either. The JDM parts are pretty pricey to import and some of the pieces I have no idea about how to get (e.g. special plastic panels in spirit R models). As for the 99 spec performance parts, the stuff is expensive or really hard to get. If I learned one thing from my whole ordeal, its to forget about up spec'ing. Its just to much work. If you could import a car and keep it from a crusher though, do it. Then sell the car to me.

I have another one, but it's a converted RHD ;)

....or you could sell up and come live in Australia.

Spirit R's grow on trees here.

No RHD issues either :).

I hear this whole story over and over again all the time. If someone wants to bring their car to the states, why not let them try... I plan on doing it when I leave Okinawa. Not to step on anyone's toes but has anyone ever thought that maybe it's never just been about RHD? Maybe it's about someone buying a car and trying to do what they can to Keep what they have? Yeah there are cars in the states that are just fine, but for me anyway, those cars are not MY Car that I bought and drove in Japan.

Even if I have to strip the car down to a shell, send it back as parts and Never register the car or drive it on the streets... I'll trailer queen that car to the track like there's no tomorrow and it will be MY car that I bought in Japan. No one can say a thing about it because it would not be put on US highways.

We all here that story to. We know and we understand that connection between an owner and his car. Deals gap didn't say everyone wanted to bring the car over only for the novelty of RHD. He even mentioned an exception. I think most of us are just sick and tired of people wanting to bring over there RHD cars and being disappointed that they can't. I know I am. I wish luck to all who do.

What does that prove?

Aside from a few Skylines that were imported through the full process and meet NHTSA and EPA emissions test, they are all illegal to those governing bodies. A title or insurance policy won't save your car if the right people start poking around.

David

I hope it's common knowledge that a track-only car needs no registration, title, or insurance.

Still, do some homework. Illegal imports have come through on the track-only use declaration and the current law makes it at least difficult for a streetable track car to come in simply because the owner might try to register it.

David