JayStyles662

Does anyone know where I can get some info on Importing a car from Japan. I have search on google but came up with alsmot nothing. I was told if you wanted to import a car you have to provide documented proof of its saftey features ( Crash test results). I also know that you have to put up 150% of the cars cost. I was also told that if you didn`t provide that proof of it saftey that you connot drive it on US road and the DOT (department Of Transportation) may even have to crash your car to collect the data and rebiuld it to our US standards or you may even have to send it back or have it destroyed... Any info would be helpful because I was thinking about importing a Nissan Skyline because I found a 1999 R34 with FOB for 26K

godmachine

there is a place that already imports skylines says it cost anywhere from 16k to 25k to make one legal

http://skylinegtr.com/STOCKLIST.html

JayStyles662

Thanks man...I have one more question and it is to settle a stupid argument. He is saying those Skylines are 90K USD in Japan and that Motorex can import them without doing any modification to make it leagal in America..And I was trying to tell him the car has to be modifided to our saftey specs... etc...Before you can drive it on US roads. I am trying to tell him that the car is about 30K and it coast alot of money to import it and the reason why motorex charges 90K for it is because those are all done up by them so they will meet US standards thats why if you buy a car from thier site that you can drive it on a US road...thanks for your time

Chazmo

I looked into this a year ago with regard to a home-market S and gave up. I thought it'd be very cool to have a RHD, MC blue S in the states. It's prohibitive. That might not be the case with a Skyline, not sure (see last paragraph).

If you own a car overseas and move back to the states, that's one thing. It ain't easy, but it can be done.

If you want to show or race (not street) a foreign car, I'm pretty sure that excludes you from some of the rules. Such a car can't be a daily driver though.

If you want to buy a car from somebody and bring it to the states and drive it, then you have meet NHTSA's crash tests and EPA's emissions standards. It's as if you were planning to market them here. I was not able to find a way around that as just an indiv. owner, and the owner of J's garage in Japan (among others) agreed.

I think it might be possible to get some sort of waiver from NHTSA about the crash data, especially if you could show an equivalent US model that has passed crash tests. Possible, I say, not definite.

The big hurdle (IMO) with the S is the emissions. JDM models don't have the OBDII support in their engine controle module. I'm not 100% sure this is still true, but it was with 00/01 models. You'd have to replace the ECM at a minimum. Even if you greased some palms in EPA to avoid that, you would have your state's registration to worry about. In MA, I'm pretty sure you ain't getting a sticker without OBD.

Of course, older cars are exempted in that respect. So, importing a '60s JDM S600 would be an entirely different discussion. But a late-model car like the S (and I expect the Skyline) would be subject to these restrictions.

The final hurdle with an import is that you will *not* get any warrantee support (or *any* service for that matter) from the US dealership network. With the S, many would call that a blessing ( ), but it's something to consider. Parts are not necessarily attainable from a dealership either if they're different from the home-market stuff.

All that said, people may have already gone through this with the Skyline. Yoshi (of J's Garage) told me that Skylines were the only model he'd exported (for daily driver, that is). The contact info is below, if you choose to proceed. Good luck.

J's Garage Export
Yoshitaka Ikeda yosi@j-garage.com

LiQUiD iCE

Thats true, a Nissan Skyline is not a $90k car in Japan. Its about $30k roughly (Been changing a bit because of the exchange rate). The $90k that motorex charges is exactly because of what you said ... It costs a lot to modify the car to US Spec, and $90k usually doesn't include making it LHD. There's also of course import taxes and other crap associated with bringing the car in. But the extra $60k in cost on the car is basically from Motorex not from Nissan of Japan.

JayStyles662

Thanks for your time and breaking it down for me and my friend guy.It is funny because he is still saying that being the Nissan Skyline is the top of the line car for Nissan in Japan that it would not cost 30K it would be more then that....I agree that it makes scense but still I can`t see the car being more then 50K brandnew..

blue_max

Having been stationed in Japan (US Navy) the used car market is ridiculously inexpensive for US military service members who are not subject to the very high taxes and registration fees that the Japanese citizen must pay. In many cases it is more cost effective for locals to buy a newer car than register an old one because the inspection fees increase dramatically with the age of the car. Military service members are exempt from some of the requirements when shipping a car from overseas back to the states but it must still meet all of the safety requirements. Even on something inexpensive like a Civic Type R the cost of new glass, bumbers, side impact and shipping costs just don't make it very practical. And you will need to get used to right-hand drive - easy when on the left side of the road - I think it would be much more difficult here on the right side of the road.

JayStyles662

Thanks

Slamnasty

I hear that. My sister and her husband were stationed in Japan for the AF, and he said their daily driver was some Nissan turbo sedan, like a Bluebird or Laurel. They loved it and paid almost nothing for it used. They wanted to keep it, but obviously the import process halted that

AcuraRsxtubro

you might have seen a skyline r32 or r33 not a r34 they cost alot more....that's why it cost 90k cause it's the top model not cause you have to have the american saftey standards