imported cars straight from japan

[jasraq8387]

just like the title says. i live in spokane washington and i have been trying to find out what it costs to import a car from japan. i talked to one company and they said that to ship it to the united states they would have to ship the motor in one shipment and the car in another and i would have to pay the money for the people to pull the motor. since i live close to vancouver bc and they ship jdm cars there all the time i was wondering if anybody from or around vancouver would know what it costs after i buy the to bring it in to the nited states and then register it in the united states? if any body can answer this for me that would be awsome.

[ebethonda91]

well u must have and arm and a leg to give up lol that cost alot of money and i never heard that u had to take to motor out they would just put the whole car in the bin and on the boat lol from what i heard lol

[h22sparkle]

just like the title says. i live in spokane washington and i have been trying to find out what it costs to import a car from japan. i talked to one company and they said that to ship it to the united states they would have to ship the motor in one shipment and the car in another and i would have to pay the money for the people to pull the motor. since i live close to vancouver bc and they ship jdm cars there all the time i was wondering if anybody from or around vancouver would know what it costs after i buy the to bring it in to the nited states and then register it in the united states? if any body can answer this for me that would be awsome.

I ship cars from washington and canada and all over you pay theyll ship it. Well your looking to freight it through airplane or ship. Thats what 13cents a kilo on the car or depending on how much it weighs. Now are you ready for this.

Now another 5 grand for customs just to look at it check it for drugs shit like that. Fuel surcharge then inspection itll be more than what its worth you may as well bring it over in pieces and put it back together when it gets here for like 10 grand cheaper.

But when you bring it over here youll be lookin the other way because how much insurance will be. And to register it they may be like nope . You have to register it under recreational vehicle.

And the insurance knows those cars dont come a dime a dozen thats more money. If you got the money you should be good but if not you should go to canada and get one. What kind of car are you talking about? supra,skyline? you gotta be more specific.

[lil_dcb7]

I ship cars from washington and canada and all over you pay theyll ship it. Well your looking to freight it through airplane or ship. Thats what 13cents a kilo on the car or depending on how much it weighs. Now are you ready for this.

Now another 5 grand for customs just to look at it check it for drugs shit like that. Fuel surcharge then inspection itll be more than what its worth you may as well bring it over in pieces and put it back together when it gets here for like 10 grand cheaper.

But when you bring it over here youll be lookin the other way because how much insurance will be. And to register it they may be like nope . You have to register it under recreational vehicle.

And the insurance knows those cars dont come a dime a dozen thats more money. If you got the money you should be good but if not you should go to canada and get one. What kind of car are you talking about? supra,skyline? you gotta be more specific.

lol.

that is all.


Customs just doesn't "charge" you five grand. Especially if you have some one that knows what they're doing handling your shit.

It can cost five grand, absolutely. If your shit isnt together, and you have to consistently re write shit, or submit paperwork, storage can amount to that much. PLUS the fees of inspecting the container, as well as entry fees and taxes.

The money associated with customs is fees and taxes only. Not shipping. Not even storage. Those two variables are collected by the steam ship line. 5ish K sounds about right for a container from japan.

A Plane? WTF. Yeah. Don't know about that. LOL

Its a nightmare. Unless you got some major cash to play with, have at it. Some broker is going to make an insane ass load of money becuase you want a JDM CAR SMUGGLED IN PIECES YO!

Fuck the canadian route. Nothing against canada. But if your caught with that thing here, and you DONT have a canadian address with YOUR name as a canadian resident on the car, which you WILL need a canadian license for, kiss your JDM tight car good bye.

Uncle sam has made this nearly fucking impossible.

I hope your rich.

[Shag Wagon]

There is a company in Canada that will get them for you. You also have japan-partner. Its really the shipping part of things. If you find a company that can seem to manage all the stuff for you then its all good. Yes you will pay waaayyyy more than the car is worth in shipping but you should be able to import a decent looking Pulsar GTi-R or Accord for like $7-10 grand. There is also a guy in New Jersey that gets JDM cars too but I cant remember if he still does it or not.

[Shadow1]

dont do it. there was a crap load of Skylines in Cali that have been seized by Customs because they were shipped over that way. they shipped them over as "parts" or "spare parts" and then the people who bought them, put them back together over here in the states. now all those cars are getting taken by Customs and either shipped back to Japan or destroyed.

[jimmybean21]

dont do it. there was a crap load of Skylines in Cali that have been seized by Customs because they were shipped over that way. they shipped them over as "parts" or "spare parts" and then the people who bought them, put them back together over here in the states. now all those cars are getting taken by Customs and either shipped back to Japan or destroyed.

Hell yeah theres a thread about it on here, I think its in off topic... if it ain't done right the FBI will be coming for it.

[Shag Wagon]

Well I think thats because Cali has such strict emmissions laws and a crap load of other laws. For instance in SC, nobody would mess with me because there is a Skyline that runs around here all the time and he got his shit the same way. Been like that for almost 4 years now and the feds aint dicked with him yet. I dont understand why the US hates those cars so much that they have to take them and destroy them. I mean really, it isnt like there are shit pot of them on the road.

[Shadow1]

Well I think thats because Cali has such strict emmissions laws and a crap load of other laws. For instance in SC, nobody would mess with me because there is a Skyline that runs around here all the time and he got his shit the same way. Been like that for almost 4 years now and the feds aint dicked with him yet. I dont understand why the US hates those cars so much that they have to take them and destroy them. I mean really, it isnt like there are shit pot of them on the road.

yeah. good point. i think it was just the cars in Cali. if you registered the car in NC or SC, im sure they wouldnt mess with you. heck. the owner of Frederick Nissan has(or had until he gave it to his son) a R33 for a couple of years. still has it to this day.

[h22sparkle]

lil_dcb7 customs well maybe not where your at out there but customs does charge over here with the paperwork and everything costs over 5 grand. lil_dcb7 the paperwork will have to be re-written reguardless because it has to be properly inspected and classified as hazardous dg-dangerous goods because its combustable with gasoline still in it.

And the storage fees is for the client if they dotn pick it up on-time like they are supposed to . And the service fee is 35 bucks and the storage is 35 a day for freight for everyday that you dont pick it up ontime.

Usually in transport it has to be covered and strapped down on a aluminum pallet skid. thats to go on a plan but as for it goin onto a truck pick your poison. Containers cost more than 5 grand. They have to have insurance on it and then theres the fuel surcharge shipping cars aint cheap.

[blackice]

The government may crack down more because of the emissions laws in California but that doesn't make it any more legal to drive a Skyline in any other state. None of them (r32-r34) can pass an EPA smog test. The only legal Skylines are Motorex cars. They had their certs and paperwork signed off by the DOT and the EPA (besides having work done to make them comply to DOT standards: doors with side impact beams, windshield etc.). Good luck finding one for much less than 40k though. The recent cars that have been seized came as no surprise to people in the Nissan world because there really is no way to legally have an (r32-r34) Skyline on the road (exception of Motorex cars).

Now take an MKIV Supra on the other hand....swap usdm doors, glass, bumper reinforcement and other things in and you have a much better chance of getting the car fully legalized (since that chassis was actually a production car in the USA and has readily available DOT and EPA smog parts that can be swapped on.)

[h22sparkle]

The government may crack down more because of the emissions laws in California but that doesn't make it any more legal to drive a Skyline in any other state. None of them (r32-r34) can pass an EPA smog test. The only legal Skylines are Motorex cars. They had their certs and paperwork signed off by the DOT and the EPA (besides having work done to make them comply to DOT standards: doors with side impact beams, windshield etc.). Good luck finding one for much less than 40k though. The recent cars that have been seized came as no surprise to people in the Nissan world because there really is no way to legally have an (r32-r34) Skyline on the road (exception of Motorex cars).

Now take an MKIV Supra on the other hand....swap usdm doors, glass, bumper reinforcement and other things in and you have a much better chance of getting the car fully legalized (since that chassis was actually a production car in the USA and has readily available DOT and EPA smog parts that can be swapped on.)

True being that its already over here but the r32 and r34 you can lie and say its a maxima a really big one lol. I guess the government caught onto that shit too so .

Thats gotta sucks cant really do anythign anymore well unless you know who tot talk to and got the money to pay them off.

[jasraq8387]

well the company i talked to i cant remember the name. they said they can only ship a parts car to the us for customs reasons. that means they would have to ship the motor and thecar seperate. and the car i was looking at is actually in canada. it is a 94 r-33 nissan skyline for 9000 i just want to know what it is gonna cost to get it from canada to the u.s. if it is to expensive i gues i will ait for a regestered one here to pop up. thanks for all the info guys.

[Shag Wagon]

Well damn, its a good thing to be in SC for once. We dont have inspection and the po po doesnt get paid enough to give a rats ass. There are JDM cars running around all over the place over here and I am sure they are registered.

[deevergote]

Well damn, its a good thing to be in SC for once. We dont have inspection and the po po doesnt get paid enough to give a rats ass. There are JDM cars running around all over the place over here and I am sure they are registered.

Probably with false US VINs too.

Even the Motorex R32 and R34 are technically illegal... though I think if the paperwork is in order, they've been allowed. Motorex only crash-tested an R33, being the least popular... and I don't even believe it was a GT-R.

In 2014, the 1989 R32 GTR will fall under the 25 year exemption... meaning it will not have to meet DOT and EPA regulations. Unless that rule changes (and it may)... I'll be getting one


Until then... yes, getting a JDM car that does not have a US equivalent into the US is VERY expensive, VERY difficult, and really not worth the effort. Shipping it to Canada and bringing it over the border doesn't work. It'd be cheaper to buy property in Canada, become a resident, change your address, get a license, and buy a car that way. Even then, you could only bring it to the US for a short time. It would have to go back over the border or they'll come after it as an illegal import.