Would This Work?

[===o===]

In Canada they have that 15 year import law. If i buy a Skyline in Canada, and get it registered under one of my relatives. Then drive it back to the us and drive it here with the canadian registration.

 

[1X83Z]

Sure - you'd just have to come up with a 1990 Skyline (or earlier).

I imported a Lancia Delta fully legally from the United Kingdom about a year and a half ago. I bought it in the United Kingdom and had it imported, legally, to the British Virgin Islands, where I re-registered it. Since the British Virgin Islands and United Kingdom laws mesh perfectly, it required zero work (except shipping fees). I then re-registered the vehicle in the United States Virgin Islands. This took no work because I side-stepped the legal process; if you were to do it legally it'd be a few hundred dollars and you'd probably have to go to the Virgin Islands. Once the car was registered legally in the United States Virgin Islands, I brought it to Nevada, my home state at the time, where I legally re-registered it since the US Virgin Islands are a possession and have the same laws as the United States (it's no different from moving the car from state to state, basically).

It was expensive - shipping cars across the ocean then across the Caribbean then from Florida to Nevada isn't cheap - but I don't think it took more than a month and at the end of it, the Delta had a valid Nevada registration and license plates.

Either way, shipping the car to Canada is a good idea, though I'm not sure how (or if) insuring it would work.

Also, a word of advice: be sure you really want the car. I thought it'd be really fun to have that Lancia Delta, and after all that - and a mid-five-figure investment - it took me only three months to realize the car wasn't anything better than a lot of other stuff I could've had a lot cheaper. I sold it to an enthusiast in California after only four or five months.

 

[Goomba]

[snip]

Out of curiosity, how much money did you make or lose on this whole thing?

 

[1X83Z]

Out of curiosity, how much money did you make or lose on this whole thing?

When I was driving it, I had lost about $62000 on the car but I was able to sell it for $18000, so that brought total losses down to $44000. Wasn't worth it either - the car just wasn't that good. When push came to shove it was a 15-year-old car with the same stigma that goes with any other 15-year-old car; its interior was outdated and it wasn't any quicker than a WRX, which was leagues cheaper. Yeah, it was more exclusive, but that was only fun for a little while.

Losses don't include basic running costs either - I could only find a few mechanics willing to service the thing, and the closest one was in San Jose. At the time, I lived in Las Vegas, so if it ever had a serious malfunction, I would've had to rent a pickup and a trailer and drive eight hours for repairs. Oddly (given its heritage) it never did, but it eventually would've. Additionally, any wreck rendering the car undriveable would've totaled it, because any significant amount of parts would've been impossible to order.

 

[Goomba]

Yeah, but d00d! The Delta on GT3 has a mad skillz blow off valve!!!one11!

Since you've delt with this first hand, would you ever consider importing another car? Would it be worth it? Excluding the fact that this car would be exlusive.

 

[xcsti]

That is not a bad idea. Are there any cost related to the 15 year rule? Do you have to be a canadian citizen to perform it? Isn't there some law that allows you to import an untested car as long as you show it to a club or organization? I believe that is how they bring macs and 959's here.

 

[The359]

The Porsche 959 was not submitted for crash testing, hence why it was not allowed onto American soil. Even though 30 "US-Spec" 959s were built, only 8 were delivered to America before the government stepped in and had transfers stopped and the 8 cars impounded. Porsche had tried to import the cars as "race cars" (meeting different standards and needing no crash test), but people caught on.

7 of the initial 8 were sent back to Germany, and the other 22 were sold off to European buyers. The lone remaining US-Spec 959 was kept in a showroom, not allowed to be driven or even raced. Another 959 was bought and modified to a true race car and brought in that way. Others have been brought in through illegal deals while others have not made it past the US Docks (See: Bill Gates' and Paul Allen's 959s).

Canpera Design of California stepped in and entered into a legal battle with the government which led to the creation of a new law. This law states that any car which has a production of less then 500, is no longer built, was never sold in the US, and they were considered "rare", that they did not have to pass DOT crash tests and thus could be imported to the US only if they passed EPA tests and were driven less then 2,500 miles a year.

To make DOT, the government, and insurance companies happy all owners had to sign agreements that they would not surpass the 2,500 mile limit.

At the writing of AutoWeek's article on this in 2003, 3 had been legalized and 12 were on the waiting list. 10 more had been legalized by other companies but were likely to be finalized by Canpera since he not only makes them EPA legal, but modifies them as well for even more horsepower.

The McLaren F1 on the other hand has always been US legal since it was DOT crash approved. McLaren F1 #XP2 was sacraficed for that.

 

[1X83Z]

That is not a bad idea. Are there any cost related to the 15 year rule? Do you have to be a canadian citizen to perform it?

No - but you do need a Canadian address and the will to commit insurance fraud, because they ask you what ZIP code it will be garaged in overnight, and unless you're going to drive it back to Canada each night, you have to lie.

Since you've delt with this first hand, would you ever consider importing another car? Would it be worth it? Excluding the fact that this car would be exlusive.

The car would have to be unbelievably cool. In fact, I don't know that such a vehicle exists overseas that would make me want to do it again.

 

[Goomba]

I agree, I doubt such a vehicle exists. I had an ambition of trying to import a Nissan Skyline GTR 34 or 33. After reviewing my choices, and my loyalty to Subaru, the STi would come long, long before the GTR. I also grew up and realized that the GTR isn't God.

 

[ShobThaBob]

I agree, I doubt such a vehicle exists. I had an ambition of trying to import a Nissan Skyline GTR 34 or 33. After reviewing my choices, and my loyalty to Subaru, the STi would come long, long before the GTR. I also grew up and realized that the GTR isn't God.

A pity too. They are incredibly cool cars. I think they would have sold well here in the states at a more reasonable price...but you'd have to be insane to pay 50k for a decent used legal R33 GTR.

 

[xcsti]

The Porsche 959 was not submitted........................always been US legal since it was DOT crash approved. McLaren F1 #XP2 was sacraficed for that.

Yeah I believe I read that article. I think they had a follow up more recently where they tested a legalized 959 and reviewed a few shops that will do it. One of them also updated the sequential turbos bringing out about 600hp.