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As a spin-off from the ridiculous XB Falcon thread, here's the list of already-approved cars legal for permanent US import according to the NHSTA:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/elig092210.pdf
What cool stuff would you want? 1989 Mitsubishi Galant Super Saloon? 94-94 Ford Escort RS Cosworth?
Ford Escort RS Cosworth 1994-1995
Hell yes!
No nissan Pao listed 
I want one of those badly
"Sweat is what makes it rock and roll, otherwise it is just folk music with drums"
VW Golf Rally =
We are flashin trannys... wait that came out wrong
ODD......
Toyota Corolla 1987-1988 not enough info here, but I'm guessing they mean the FX
Still want a Skyline GTR... very very badly.
When you can leave black marks from the exit of one corner to the entry of the next, THEN you have enough horsepower!
Holy Crap! R33 Skylines are legal!
Escort RS Cosworth
Land Rover Defender
R33 Skyline
VW Golf Rallye
And that's it. I need about another 5-10 years before i become ecstatic.
SCAVENGE THE SEA FLOOR FOR NUTRIENTS
scardeal wrote: Holy Crap! R33 Skylines are legal!
Yup. That's the one that RB Motoring or whoever it was actually bothered to legalize (they had to emissions test and crash test one and do some other stuff). The big stink on those is that importers were bringing in R32's and R34's under the R33's exemption (falsifying VIN's and/or paperwork). If an importer jumped through the same hoops on them, they would be legal, too.
Michael Pinto - 73 AMC Javelin / GoKart / 93 Miata STS / 01 Grand Prix GT / 06 Mazda5
They're legal when modified by a Registered Importer. That's important to remember.
Square left in 50 caution ocean!
I want one of these.
Keith wrote: They're legal when modified by a Registered Importer. That's important to remember.
I'm not sure what that means, but I know people who have imported old Capris. Just regular dudes who moved here from the UK.
Keith wrote: They're legal when modified by a Registered Importer. That's important to remember.
Only on the 24 and newer ones, and it's usually really easy to do as Registered Importers make their money importing cars 
But, yes, Keith is 100% correct.
On those Capri's mentioned, they were probably over 25 which doesn't require much of anything (1-page form, Bill of Sale and/or Title, and a trip to the DMV/DOL).
Michael Pinto - 73 AMC Javelin / GoKart / 93 Miata STS / 01 Grand Prix GT / 06 Mazda5
Still no VW Polo.
How can it be a midlife crisis, when I've driven sportscars my entire life?
so if one were to be able to find a car one wanted in, say, Central America, that was 25+ years old, one could literally just trailer it (or drive it) across the border and register it with vintage tags?
Because south of the border/carribbean I've seen a good share of Peugeot 205 GTIs (just turned 25!), or other small cars that would be fun to own.
That, or I find a military friend to bring back an early Lancia Delta for me :)
irish44j wrote: so if one were to be able to find a car one wanted in, say, Central America, that was 25+ years old, one could literally just trailer it (or drive it) across the border and register it with vintage tags? Because south of the border/carribbean I've seen a good share of Peugeot 205 GTIs (just turned 25!), or other small cars that would be fun to own. That, or I find a military friend to bring back an early Lancia Delta for me :)
Pretty much. You just need to present this form to Customs at the point of entry with Box 1 checked. Drag that and the forms Customs gives you to the DMV/DOL with a Bill of Sale and/or foreign Title and voila! Note that it is 25 years from date of manufacture, so anything built from 2/22/1986 and earlier is currently legal today.
Juicy legal bits: A motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old can be lawfully imported into the U.S. without regard to whether it complies with all applicable FMVSS. Such a vehicle would be entered under Box 1 on the HS-7 Declaration form to be given to Customs at the time of importation. If you wish to see that form, you may download a copy from our website at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import. You should note that the 25 year period runs from the date of the vehicle's manufacture. If the date of manufacture is not identified on a label permanently affixed to the vehicle by its original manufacturer, to establish the age of the vehicle, you should have documentation available such as an invoice showing the date the vehicle was first sold or a registration document showing that the vehicle was registered at least 25 years ago. Absent such information, a statement from a recognized vehicle historical society identifying the age of the vehicle could be used.
Michael Pinto - 73 AMC Javelin / GoKart / 93 Miata STS / 01 Grand Prix GT / 06 Mazda5
I'm no expert. Sounds like Javelin is very familiar with it. But I know it comes up in the Capri crowd from time to time and everyone seems to think there's something magical about 25 years that makes it pretty easy.
Mercedes Benz 190 E (2.6) 16
The Evo II with the wing is legal? But isn't it a 2.5?
LordTurbonia wrote: Mercedes Benz 190 E (2.6) 16 The Evo II with the wing is legal? But isn't it a 2.5?
Not all of their line-items read totally accurate (typical government), so I'd imagine it is the Evo II?
Michael Pinto - 73 AMC Javelin / GoKart / 93 Miata STS / 01 Grand Prix GT / 06 Mazda5
So this brings up the question "Where is it best to buy these cars from?"
Obviously it would be easy for us noobies to deal in an English speaking country such as the UK, but where else is a good place to buy from?
Anybody know what international shipping costs and if you have to pay import tariffs or anything?
Porsche: All other passenger car models except Model 959.
Guess that makes my lottery list a little easier...
fast_eddie_72 wrote: I'm no expert. Sounds like Javelin is very familiar with it. But I know it comes up in the Capri crowd from time to time and everyone seems to think there's something magical about 25 years that makes it pretty easy.
There is.
25 years or older: easy. All cars welcome. I've imported two cars that are over 25, one Canadian-market and one UK-market. I had a broker do the paperwork, but there were no import taxes or tariffs. Just the usual state taxes, like any used car. In both cases, I just drove the cars across the border (the UK car was registered in Canada at the time, not that this makes any difference at all) and dealt with paperwork later.
24 years and under: must be on the approved import list, and may require modification by a registered importer to meet standards - the modifications are listed on the paperwork for that particular model. This may be trivial, this may be very expensive.
It should be noted that the 25 year exemption does not apply to local emissions standards.
Shipping costs are going to depend on the car and the country it's coming from. Once they're on a ship, it's actually not that bad. Getting to and from the ports, now that can get spendy.
Canada has similar rules, but the cutoff is 15 years instead of 25. And there are special rules for importing cars from Canada. However, these special rules only apply to cars originally produced for the Canadian market. You can't bring a Skyline into Canada to "wash" the title and then bring it south of the border 
Square left in 50 caution ocean!
This year is the 25th for first-year Volvo 480s.
Or do I have to stick to a specific line item?
Yeah, I didn't read the title. Ok I would like a euro E38 740i with a manual trans.
I am a King Prawn.
Lugnut wrote: This year is the 25th for first-year Volvo 480s.
OMG, what is that!?! 
I like!
Michael Pinto - 73 AMC Javelin / GoKart / 93 Miata STS / 01 Grand Prix GT / 06 Mazda5
I'm not an expert on this subject but the part I copied below sounds like this is a list of cars under 25 years old that may be imported IF they're brought into compliance with FMVSS standards in force for the year they were manufactured, by a registered importer or his agent;
Under 49 U.S.C. § 30112(a), a person may not permanently import into the United States a motor vehicle manufactured after the date that an applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) takes effect unless the vehicle complies with the standard and is so certified by its original manufacturer. This prohibition applies to both new and used motor vehicles, but does not apply to motor vehicles that are at least 25 years old (based on the date that the vehicle was manufactured).
Under one of the exceptions to this prohibition, found in 49 U.S.C. § 30141, a motor vehicle that was not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable FMVSS can be lawfully imported into the United States, provided it is determined eligible for importation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and is imported by a registered importer, or by a person who has a contract with a registered importer to bring the vehicle into compliance with all applicable FMVSS following importation.
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