Importing a Japanese car to America

Off-topic
1

So I want to import a car from Japan to America.

Has anyone ever gone through this?
What all do I need to go through to get it street legal?
I plan on keeping it right hand drive.
Will I maybe need to upgrade it to stronger parts, I heard you sometimes have to do this, is that true?
How will I go about getting insurance for it, and how will the prices compare to a standard american car?
I am talking about getting a car that isn’t in america.
Once it arrives what is the process to get it off the boat and get it emissions tested and such? If it is going to be shipped into California I might plan on flying out there with a friend and road tripping it back, and don’t really want to pay for a hotel room.
What other sort of taxes and such must I pay? Like import tariffs and such? How much can I expect them to be?

I may add to this later.
And just for general discussion on this whole idea.

2

If you have them cut it in half, you might not have to spend the money on the extra fees for importing an automobile. It would qualify as a vehicle. Then just weld it together when you get it.

3

And why do you want a japanese car?
There are millions of cars in America!

4

If I were you, I’d start at square one… how are you going to get the car to the US? Find a shipping company that specializes in transporting automobiles, and I bet they’ve got someone who can tell you everything you need to know about tarriffs, inspections and such.

Plan on having them deliver the car to your garage, 'cause you won’t be able to drive it legally until it’s been inspected, registered and licensed. Forget about the road trip.

The second place you should call is your DMV. Ask them what it’ll take to get your car registered and licensed. See if you can’t get, on paper, a list of requirements / regulations that they’ll use when inspecting your car. This should come in handy when you talk to a mechanic.

That is, if you’re planning on driving the car on open roads. If you’re only driving your car on a track, then you’ve got a lot less to worry about…

If mods are required (depends on emission laws) you might be up against a HUGE amount of work, depending on the year, make and model. Newer cars are largely computer-controlled, and any sort of work that involves messing with flow rates, mixtures, timing, etc. can be very expensive to perform, and finding replacement / aftermarket parts can be a real headache.

I’d also try calling an auto shop that does work on racing vehicles and/or collector cars. They likely have the most experience with engine modding and might even know what it would take to get your import up to snuff.

Come to think of it… the mechanics would be the first people I’d call. They might be able to refer you to someone who’s imported a car. You should really find out how much money you’ll need to spend getting the car to pass inspection. That could be significant, compared to the cost of the car.

As a rule of thumb, plan on spending 2-3x the cost of the car in tarriffs, taxes, shipping costs, modification and registration. You got that kinda cash floating around?

5

What Maestro said. Are you expecting to spend a buttload of money? It won’t be cheap. If you don’t have DMV in Michigan, it used to be the Secretary of State’s office. Also you could talk to small companies that import exotic or rare cars. Back when my family got our first Subaru (in Michgain) in 1973, there were no Subaru dealers. My dad got it from a guy in Livonia who imported Citroens, though I think they are long since out of business.

You would probably have to have the car shipped to Michigan (not drive it), or to whichever state you want to register it. Then find out what’s required to make it street legal. Probably safety features, though I’m not sure how Japan compares these days. In the past it was bumper standards, but now it might also be crumple zones, airbags, antilock brakes, traction control, etc. Different things may be required for different car categories.

Mostly I’m curious as to what car and why bring over the Japanese version? You will find right-hand drive to be a pain on American roads, and not particularly safe.

6

Please tell me that you’re importing a Nissan Skyline GT-R. It’s the only car from Japan that would be worth all this trouble.

7

I know absolutely nothing about cars and the skyline was the one that popped into my head.

8

Agreed there, the Nissan GT-R is awesome!

I don’t reckon any new car will need things changed to meet US regs. We have a Mitsubishi Pagearo import which is the same year as my mini (about 20 yrs old), yet it has more on it than most modern cars.

Maybe it would be a good idea to find a company that imports Japanese cars, because they will make sure they are registered and pass any US laws and stuff. There must be companies out there that do that.

9

A forum that has its main topic being on call things cars or even imports would be a bit more helpful than a uni forum.

10

Are there import dealers in Michigan? There are a few dealers around here who specialize in importing vehicles from Japan, lots of times to order. I checked out a couple mini-trucks at one and had a very informative conversation with the dealer.

One of the things that stuck out in the conversation was that he said that the vehicles he sells are legal to drive anywhere in Canada and most states but not all. That was one of the factors that ultimately made me decide against getting the imported truck, I did not want something that becomes illegal when I cross a state line, I don’t want to be limited in where I can drive.

11

Yes if I were you I’d find a car importer, or a Jap car dealer.

12

http://www.importexporthelp.com/importing-cars.htm

13

Wow, a lot to read!

I reckon you are reckoning randomly. I can almost guarantee that at least a few things will not be US-compliant on a car that wasn’t built for export to the US. The specifics will go by state, but I think it’s pretty uniform except for California, which has stricter emissions and fuel rules.

Still nothing back from habbywall. I’m still curious what car he likes/wants! I think he read all this and is going OMG, forget about that…

14

You may want to make sure that the car can be imported. I know regs vary, but there was an article about buying US cars and importing them to Canada last year, and there are some US models that you can’t get in Canada, and that cannot be made legal because the parts are simply not made to make them legal.

Failing that, I’m guessing as long as it’s a normal gasoline engine, the biggest thing will be a catalytic converter. When I move back to the states later this year (we’re “moving” but I’m keeping my Canadian residency a bit longer) I have to get a new catlytic converter for my car apparently. Of course, that’s because I bought my car in the US and had it registered in NH for a few years originally.

Are there any problems registering a right-seat model? Remember, they drive on the left in Japan :wink:

15

I don’t know about problems (other than driving it) but there are plenty of right-hand drive cars in the US, not including the tens of thousands of mail delivery vehicles we must have. Those are right-hand drive so you can stick the mail in the box without being on the wrong side of the road. Plenty of retired ones of those driving around as well.

But you also see Rolls Royces and other foreign cars with the controls on the right. Just not very common.

16

Across from the office where I used to work, they built an Arby’s (fast food joint) in a little parking lot. The drive-through starts near the entrance, leaving VERY little room for the cars to line up. I wondered why they didn’t make it go the other way around the building, which would allow many cars to be in line without congesting the parking lot entrance. But a friend pointed out that the drive-through window would then be on the wrong side (duh). I assume this Arby’s cannot afford to cater only to mail delivery people and habbywall.

17

I was just thinking of waivers or what have you. Many of the postal vehicles I’ve seen in NH/VT (the privately owned ones the carriers own, not government owned mail trucks) seem to be modified with controls on both sides, or are simply left-hand drive. Many of the rural routes are low-traffic enough that the carrier just drives on to the wrong side to deliver the mail :wink:

I have seen some imported right-hand drive cars though. I used to be the only one in our garage who could drive them over the pit without being too mis-aligned or driving into something :wink:

Again, biggest possible problem will be that the car doesn’t meet US EPA regulations. If it’s an antique or something you can probably get a waiver (my brother did for his Pantera when he was living in California) but some vehicles just cannot be imported.

Case in point: The original VW bug was manufactured in Mexico until 2003, but a 2003 model could not (and still cannot) be imported because it doesn’t pass safety or emmisions regulations. They can be driven in the US, so long as they remain registered in Mexico.

18

Wow, that’s almost as great an idea as importing one in the first place… :roll_eyes:

19

I hope you imported it already, because it will sooon be against the law to import cars when America needs your business.

[THREAD=69621]in Billy’s defecation thread[/THREAD].