fo0manchu Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Anybody have experience with this? I'm interested in importing a car over here, but trying to figure out the costs and legalities. I know CA is a pain but is this possible and worth the cost? Quote Link to comment
spitznoz Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 dont know about japan to long beach but check this video out Quote Link to comment
MikeRL411 Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 The LA Yellow Pages has a section for auto import and export middlemen. Quote Link to comment
fo0manchu Posted September 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 haha, nice video. I would assume that getting the car actually street legal would be the biggest hurdle. I don't like middlemen, unless they are commission free.. haha.. but I guess it might be safer if they have a reputable connection. Quote Link to comment
metalmonkey47 Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Buddy imported an R30 Skyline for what seems like a good price. I'll see if I can get him in here to answer better. Came to GA, so I'm sure the answers would apply well to long beach. Quote Link to comment
MikeRL411 Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 haha, nice video. I would assume that getting the car actually street legal would be the biggest hurdle. I don't like middlemen, unless they are commission free.. haha.. but I guess it might be safer if they have a reputable connection. If you have EVER had to deal with the US Customs service you would gladly sell you worst enemies soul [let's leave family and inlaws out of this] to the devil to have someone else stand in the breach. Quote Link to comment
baldredhead Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 it really depends what car you want to bring in. it's significantly easier if it's 25 years old or more. after that point they aren't required to meet federal crash standards anymore, but you're always going to be on the hook for whatever the relevant emissions are for that year. here in CA, unless it's a 1975 or older (so it's smog exempt) i wouldn't even bother unless you have bill gates kind of money to figure it out Quote Link to comment
king bee66 Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 ask around on JNC. there are many current JDM owners over there that will point you in the right direction Quote Link to comment
fo0manchu Posted September 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 I am looking at the Nissan Pao. I think its a sweet little car. Its cheap in Japan, but i'm sure costs will add up. Just finding what those costs would be! Quote Link to comment
yellowdatsun Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 I'd love a Pao as well, I want to see how this goes. The problem with the Pao is that it's not 25+ years old yet. The oldest ones (1989) are only 23 years old. If you could wait another 2 years, and then buy an 89 model, things would be significantly easier. As it stands you'd never be able to *legally* drive it on the road. You could import it as a track or display car, but not a road car. There are certain states like Montana, which will title and let you drive just about anything, but most states aren't like that. From what I've heard, it's by far the best to let a broker do all the paperwork for you. This way everything is done, and done right. If you do it yourself, and miss something, it will likely cause you some big problems. I've heard of cars sitting on the docks forever because the paperwork is wrong. From what I've heard, shipping costs are around $3000, not sure what a broker costs. Quote Link to comment
fo0manchu Posted September 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 your right yellowdatsun, while doing more research it is pretty hard to get a car newer than 25 years old here. Especially to CA. And to get it to pass smog, even though the Pao is super efficient and a gas sipper, would be difficult unless I had mucho money and connections. =( Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 It doesn't matter what state you'd import to, since it's a federal regulation that you're up against. Quote Link to comment
fo0manchu Posted September 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 true, but then after that you have the state regulations as well. 2 hurdles to go over. Quote Link to comment
GreenEggs&Ham Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 Diesel vehicles don't fall under that 1975 smog cut off.. more like 1998 here in El Dorado county; I was liking the idea of getting a C33 laurel again... :thumbup: Quote Link to comment
yellowdatsun Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 The biggest hurdle with getting the car off the dock is with the federal government. But after that, it's a matter of licensing the car. Arizona is easy, since we don't require smog as long as the car has classic insurance. So for us, the only issue is at the federal level. There is a local guy here, with Nissan Pulsar GTi awd turbo, which is *less* than 25 years old. But going through Montana he was able to get it titled and licensed. Not sure about the hows and whys, but he did. Brought it through Canada. Canada may be a better solution. People bring cars across the border all the time, you just need the right paperwork ahead of time, and you trailer it across. My GF's parents have a friend in Vancouver CA that have a Nissan Figaro, which was built along the same time as Nissans other retro 90's cars. At least this way you're not getting it from a person you don't understand, and it's just land between you and them, and the border/customs is easier to get through. Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 I imported a car from Australia and went through Long Beach. There is an EPA rolling exemption of 25 years old to be exempted from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or before Theft Prevention Standards were in effect. In a nutshell you need: Customs Declaration form HS-7 EPA Form 3520-1 Bill of Lading list YOU as consignee Title or Certificate of Registration - NON SALVAGE - (you can't import a car that has been written off by an insurance company) The arrival notice A Good Bill of Sale with the info the DMV will accept. There was one other form that Customs asked me to fill out there. I didn't get a copy, they kept it. EPA, DOT, Customs= piece of cake to get the car through and home. The DMV was another matter all together. It's been a while, but you can check the EPA and DOT websites. All the forms are downloadable off the web. Whatever amount the shipping company quotes, expect to add $600-$800 additional charges along the way. EVERYONE that handles the vehicle or paperwork charges a fee, and you will also be charged an import tax by Customs. Google "How to import a car to the US" and you will find the info. I did it myself, and it wasn't all that difficult if you can follow the guidelines and fill out the paperwork correctly. Be extra careful any car you import is exempt under the importation guidelines. CAL DMV is '75 or older for smog. I highly doubt you can get a PAO registered here. (But I can't say for sure) I have seen a PAO here but it had a mfg plate on it. Same as the RHD Cube I ran into a year before they were available here. If you do happen to land a car, pm me for some tips on the DMV. I learned the hard way on that one and can probably save you some grief... Good luck! Quote Link to comment
fo0manchu Posted September 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Awesome information Duncan! It is looking pretty hard to register a PAO the more research i do. I would want to drive it around quite a bit, but it looks like I would only be able to drive it on the track. Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted September 25, 2012 Report Share Posted September 25, 2012 This will probably help, although it's wordy.. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/documents/420b10027.pdf Quote Link to comment
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