Sgt. Pepper

Has anyone lived in Japan for any amount of time, purchased a car there, and tried to bring it back to the United States with them? Say under the guise of Japanese residency? I dont know what loop holes you can go through if you actually purchase one in person and try to bring it back with you, but if I really am going to be living in Japan for any amount of time, I couldn't think of a better souvenir than a JDM car.


Any input is appreciated

pbm317

I don't know, but I would assume the tariffs, transport fees, etc would make it pretty unattractive unless you've got a lot of money burning through your pockets. But if you ARE able to, that'd be great!

xmatt

With the various taxes in Japan, you're going to be spending *much* more for the same car in Japan as you would here. So unless you're talking about something that's so JDM that you can't modify a car you buy here, it's probably not worth it.

That said, I'd be tempted to get some crazy little sub-mini and try to bring it back, like the Honda Beat. But I bet US collision standard would prevent it.

Sgt. Pepper

I thought there was something like where, as a Japanese Citizen you can bring a car to the states unmodified for a period of up to one year so long as it was registered under your name. I dunno how accurate that is, just how expensive is it to own a car in japan?

dickiejohnson

Go to a Japanese forum or contact Young R on here.

Chris S

RHD would suck in the US...hard to see around traffic to pass, PITA for bank/fast food drive throughs, etc.

Sgt. Pepper

A vehicle brought back from the home islands would not be used for a midnight burger run or a bank width drawl. I wouldn't want to bring the car back home unless it was something special. Something not readily available in the states that I could use on the weekends for my driving pleasure, perhaps take out to a track.

Young_R

I got your PM.

You have to do several things if you want to bring a JDM cars back to US.
First you have to find out what shops is willing to convert the car into USDM safety standards and Import your car to them in US. You also need a letter from the company...ie. Honda, saying that the car can be safely used in USA. Not from the honda dealer but the Honda company with a sig and stamp. Some cars have been approved already, but nothing you and I would get. So, you would have to do some work.

ace123

i'd be more interested in bringing a C6 Z06 over there if i were you.

even if you dont want it, if you could sell it, you might make a fair chunk of change.

Sgt. Pepper

I was actually I was thinking about just taking my S2000 with me but decided against it becausebiw ould have no form or transport if I came back to the states to visit. I don't have that much to begin with so I'm saving for it right now.