im thinking of importing a FD but i cant seem to find the U.S customs regulations on how to bring them to the states. i know that rhd is legal in the county that im in so to regester it would be no problem. the only problem would be bringing it from the port to my house, so im wondering if anyone has done this and what was the troubles you have ran into

 

Do a search, but that's going to your biggest problem ^^^

 

be sure to check the laws of the state that the vehicle will arrive at... the vehicle may be subject to the rules of that state for initial registration... Thats just how I heard it is... I MAY BE WRONG!!!

 

if i did bring it would go through a port at cali then get on a truck and come to ohio i can call tomm and find out

 

You're going to have huge issues trying to register the vehicle. First it will have no VIN so most DMV's will not know what to do. Secondly, depending on how strict your emissions are in your state, it may not pass.

 

Trust me man, I looked into this extensively when I wanted to import an EVO IV back in 1998. Bottom line, its not worth it. You need a lotta money and you have to deal with nothing but hassles. I finally found that it was way cheaper to buy a USDM car,(register and insure it) and then get a JDM front clip and connect the two cars/attach parts properly like any good bodywork man can do. Just swap out the firewall and dashboard/interior panels. I've seen one done with a AE86, looked really sweet. It'll run you way less money, time, and hassle.

 

there is no emission checks in ohio but i agree with you on the vin the company says they will send me the vin i thought it would be the same in japan as it is in the U.S like it starts out like JM1fd but im not sure

 

As far as I can remember...and I could very well be wrong, but the JDM vin is actually a shorter sequence of numbers/letters than Canadian/US vins. I know there is definitely something different between them as it took the insurance guys a couple minutes to figure out how to register my JDM FD in Manitoba Public Insurance system.

 

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/...elig010807.pdf

Here is the list of vehicles eligable for importation without going through crash testing. The FD is on there, but only up to 1995. With a little convincing, they might be able to adjust this to cover all FDs, up to 2002, provided the front end crash parts are the same. If Mazda sends them a letter saying so, then you're in the clear!

For vehicles not on the list, it'll be harder to do. My friend Gabe from the Mirage Forums (username EvoRage) converted his 1994 Mirage Sedan into an Evo 3, including making it RHD and AWD. He'd be able to get you in the right direction if you want to go RHD in your car.
http://www.mirageforums.net

 

thanks for the tips

 

Sigh....seriously, we really need a sticky about importing FDs on the 3rd gen forum...

Yes, the "FD is on there", but you forgot to mention the text in the first few paragraphs that reads: "All eligibility numbers are for left-hand drive motor vehicles except where the initials “RHD,” signifying right-hand drive, appear in the model type column. Then that is followed by: "While there is no specific restriction on importing a right-hand drive vehicle, these may not be imported under eligibility decisions based on the existence of substantially similar U.S.-certified left-hand drive vehicles."

Right. So Mazda will simply put itself on the hook for any and all liabilities resulting from sending an official letter stating that their crash characteristics will be the same. Nope, so solly, not going to happen in your lifetime.

 

What about registering it as a Kit car or custom build?

 

Nah japanese vins are different. they have only 6 numbers

 

alright thanks again but i thought they had more than 6 but i guess you would know you in japan

 

agreed. I'm amazed at how often this comes up. There must be a ton of threads on the search, but people want to hear a different answer so they just keep asking.

to the OP, there are not any emissions in Columbus, but Cleveland and other cities around ohio do (it's done by county I believe), so keep that in mind if you think you'll ever move or sell.

Is there any reason in particular that you're looking to buy a JDM car? Do you want it to be RHD or do you just think you'll get a deal? Remember that buying a rat FD can end up costing you WAY more in the end than just saving and buying a nice example.

 

Doesn't work like it used to...

 

Move to Canada. We have tons of JDM yo! cars. It makes me appreciate my USDM car even more!

(Why can't we just be happy with what we have?)

 

naw im good in the U.S thanks im thinking about it now i want a lhd but there expensive and so hard to find in ohio. i know some people will say im crazy because importing is harder. but it just seems so much eaiser and cheeper i can get a 92 fd with 80,000 km for only 4500 us dollars but o well. hopefully soon enough ill have a Fd but untill then ill keep dreaming and wanting to drive and own a rotary rocket

 

Hate to burst your bubble, but that $4500 will be the least of your financial worries. Importing a JDM FD is far from "easier and cheaper". As some have posted already, regardless of what you might think, you will have some very significant hurdles to overcome, starting with convincing U.S. Customs that you're not going to drive the car on U.S. roads illegally (this is after you've already spent $$ getting it over here). They will hold the car until you convince them to their satisfaction otherwise, and if you fail to do that, you have to pay for the car to be sent back, or it gets crushed (along with the $$$ you spent getting it to that point). "Kit car" or some other specialty vehicle registration might work at some backwater DMV (and even then, each state has significant mileage restrictions on them), but it won't work with U.S. Customs, because the car wasn't built at a specialty manufacturer.
The rest of the federal hurdles involved with trying to legally import a RHD car that isn't on the NHTSA approval list has been discussed a thousand times on this forum, with hundreds of threads on the subject.

 

I love how much misinformation there is in this thread. How many of you have imported a FD or know anyone who has? I agree that I would never import one but a very close friend of mine has his JDM 1992 FD here registered and titled. Anything is possible, im not one to say that its the cleanest and most legal way but it is titled and registered.

 

Back in 80's when gray market cars were still allowed the process was not simple, but was easier than today. All it took was lots of $$$$. ... Buy car overseas, post bond with US customs in amount of full value of car plus conversion to US emissions and safety standards (kind of like paying twice and hoping for refund), ship car direct to a registered converter in US, ship car to house and then find factory decided to sell the car into US less than 2-years later. i.e. my experience with BMW 323i, 6-cyl predecessor to the M3.

I would love a Spirit R, just not worth the trouble. I believe today’s path is only to show it certified as a race car; next problem not a US legal car so racing bodies don’t want to class it.

 

I have an easy fix here, move to New Zealand. Problem solved! The FD's are cheap and you can bring them in on your own not a prob. But I guess the other downer is that you will have to drive on the other side of the road and pay more for your gas.
I am looking at bringing in a 2002 FD for about 13-16K NZD in the next couple of months.

 

And just what "misinformation" might that be? A friend of mine was in U.S. Customs (has since moved on) dealing with shipping ports and gave me the rundown on importing cars, as he was there when the D.O.T. and U.S. Customs started clamping down on grey market importers. This includes the NHTSA crash requirements, although that information is all there in black & white for anyone to see.
I never said it was "impossible", anything can be done with enough money and time. As for your close friend, good on 'im, but I'm talking about doing everything legally, not cutting corners and taking risks. Anyone is welcome to do that, but it's just as much "misinformation" to not tell a person about the legal and financial hurdles they'll encounter trying to do everything above the line, because not everyone will be able to take the same risks or use the same avenues that people with "titled and registered" JDM/RHD/AWD/LOLWTFOMGwhatever cars have done.

 

i maybe be wrong but i remeber looking into importing about 3 years ago and when going throught all the government sites nhtsa there was something along the lines of if the car is 25 years or older it is exempt from having to go trough all the dot and customs checks. so wait until 2021 and you can have it over here no problem atleast the 96's. im pretty sure im accurate because i did some serious research into it(would go find on the nhtsa site but dont want to spend time searching)but it may apply different to RHD cars, mabe not i've also heard this to be true on a couple of skyline fourms. I believe it also stated cars would be exempt from emissions.

 

The fact is that there is a hole in legality. There are ways to bring a car in and get it registered. At some point you have to lie or get it past some authorities who have laws stating you may not bring it in. But sometimes it works, and most states don't care as much and will register/title it. Hence the term grey market import - it's not legal, but it's not too likely to be seized and destroyed. But they can be seized and destroyed.

Dave