hey there i just found out that my GF is moveing to japan for a year and a half with her family beacuse her stepdad is stationed in the army in japan....(WOOOOT WOOOOT PARTY JK JK LOL) So i asked her if she could get me a car and she said yes..... but the thing is how would i import the car from japan to the U.S.....? Like what papers do I have to get and what would be the cost of importing it... I dont know nothing at all on what has to be done to import a car but i would really want to know so i could import a car. Also would i be able to regester it at the DMV and stuff or would i just have to keep it on the down low and just drive it once in a while.... lol... I havent made up my mind yet on what car i want i was thinking like a Honda NSX, Nissan skyline, nissan 350 or 370z not so sure yet but ill make up my mind when the time comes tho.. If you guys have any other cars in mind that would be cool let me know.. cuz i want an awsome car from japan.. lol THANX...

 

I hope you have some deeeeeep pockets.

There is a lot more to it than just importing the car. To be able to drive the car here, all of the safety and emissions have to be up to the US's standards.

And that is not even including the cost to get the car here....

 

Are your parents wealthy? If yes, we can go on from there.

 

It's never gonna happen. Sorry to burst your bubble. 90% of the US military who end up stationed overseas say they will bring a car back to the US. Then they realize what it would cost and they give the fantasy up.

 

The only inexpensive route is to get a car that is older the 25 years old or specific models off the list they have exceptions for. For other information see ... http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CARS/RULES/IMPORT/

 

Not worth it, trust me I looked into it about 10 years ago.

 

Were you stationed overseas at the time?

 

Yep, I've been to a few places

 

^^^
So you are one of the ones I spoke of in post #4.

 

Even if you could afford a JDM car, how the hell are you gonna use RHD in everyday situations like drive thru's and the turnpike. You gonna reach all the way over from the "passenger side"? Just bustin your chops there are plenty of cars worth that small annoyance I suppose.

 

okay... first off lemme tell you. sometimes its cheaper to do a RHD conversion.
next... ill tell you details of the import.
you'll need to find someone in canada that you can import the car through, or you can go wherever your car goes and drive it/trailor/tow whatever... down to the states.
you need to research the emissions. its one of the key things in being able to get your car registered. another key thing is finding a shop that is like "dmv-approved" that can show the dmv/gov that the car is legit.
then you gotta find some insurance company willing to insure a rhd car.
and... you're set.
but another thing, i think a lot "street legal" r34's are flagged from what i heard. so just be careful when you're driving. and make sure its not a DD.

 

mm... dont listen to this guy.
if its what you want and are willing to sacrifice you can do it.
i know a couple of people with RHD cars.
rhd eg 4 door
rhd mk4 supra
rhd r33 skyline
they all do it... you just gotta commit to it and understand what'll be required/sacrificed with driving one.

 

is it worth it?

 

This is very true. So if a vintage Japanese sports car is what you want, then this can be done. However, the rules are quite different if it is a newer car.

Let's say you were thinking of an R34 GT-R. Well, the reason you can not import cars to the US is not so much emissions (yes, it is a factor, but not the killer), but crash worthiness.

The USDOT / NHSTA requires that any model of car entering the US be crash tested. So all vehicles that are here have been tested. Simple enough? No, because for cars not intended for the US market, there has to be 10 copies of said vehicle brought in and crashed, then the NHTSA culls the data and recommends either additional body/frame work be done, or it becomes certified. You also would get a new front clip / bumper, as Japan does not do 5 mph bumpers. So the $20K Skyline becomes a $100K plus investment.

After that, if the motor for that vehicle is not normally sold in the US, then it has to be cleared for emissions. This is tough, as throwing a catalytic converter on there is not enough. A thorough test must be done, and if the engine can not meet the requirements, it can't be titled or registered.

Things like it being RHD are not a big deal. A new speedometer can be put in, all the glass here is DOT certified, and maybe some lighting changes (headlamps, turn signals, etc...). Not that big of a deal.


There are some cars you can get in, like certain R33 Skylines, but it's only a handful of cars that are eligible. Now, if there is a car that is made for the US market AND the Japanese market (Infiniti G37 / Nissan Skyline are the same car), you would need the manufacturer to give you a statement attesting to the designs being nearly identical. Big auto companies do not do this very often, as it involves liability.

This will not be a cheap endeavor, nor is it as simple as your "Girlfriend" slipping a car in a container and shipping it (which alone is about $4000).

PM me if you are really serious about this, and I can do some model research for you. I would not expect anything to be cheap.

 

You're not going to see your gf for 18 months, and your first thought is about importing a car.


:|

 

Get whatever you want, put it on my tab at Harry's

 

WIN....
i think its worth it if it's not a daily driver.

 

Why not bring a motorcycle back over?

Theres tons of cool bikes overseas that arent available in the US, and I know a few guys that were in the military that brought bikes back with them. Im not sure what it involves though.

 

The main reason why I wanted to import a car from japan was so I could have a bad ass car.. Ive always wanted to own a NSX or skyliine… lol.. my GF gunna be in japan for a year and a half and she said she willing to send me a car but first I gotta find out the cost of getting it to the us. If its to expensive then we may not do it.. when I mean expensive I mean like the value of a new car here.. If we don’t do it she will just send me a shit load of JDM parts for my 1st gen TL…

To do a RHD conversion how much would that be..? The only way am do a RHD conversion is if its EXTREMLY EXPENSIVE to import a car I want.. If am make a RHD conversion I want to do my 1st gen TL .. All I see are RHD conversions for civics and integra also seeing these cars are cool but to me there getting kinda old like why don’t people RHD something eles.. See I like to do cars that people don’t really work on because parts are to expensive or parts are to hard to find I like cars that will give me a challenge.

When u mean “dmv-approved’’ you mean a place that does official smog to cars..? If so then in that part am good cuz the guy I go to get my smog done he’s shop is official and am really cool with that owner..

As for insurance who will insure it..??? like triple A or what…? Or is it a special insurance..? like how much do you think it will cost..?

As for getting Hated on (getting pulled over) I don’t see it as a big threat because I wont be driving this car daily ill be driving it once in a while..

As for that other guy.. idk what he saw thinking of course its goin to be weird driving a RHD car but am willing to do it. Anyways that’s kinda the point anyways.. lol.. you know like why would I want to import a LHD car that would be a waist of money.. lol..

 

Oooo really dam i never really thought of that.. also am be geetting my moto licenes pretty sooon.. i thought that the whole jdm thing didnt happen with bikes... i thiought all the bikes we had here in the us were also over there.. lol... and to import a bike is it the same thing with the cars or what as for the cost too..?????

 

Well she going to be over there for 18 months and she noes one of my dreams is to have a NSX or skyline and how more thought full could that be if my own GF made that happen. lol... yea ill miss her but she gotta go over there for a good reason tho... lol... Time will fly so it wont be that long....

 

My fiance's brother is currently converting his Integra to right hand drive. It is a lot of work, but if you have the time and the tools it can be done.


I think I saw an R34 once on a road here at night...it looked amazing mixed in with all the other cars here. I hope you can make it happen. And I hope you have a lot of money lol.

 

i hope sooo too lol.. i really want that to happen.. lol....

 

This just has me laughing. Thanks. I needed that.

http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/BuySell/...ing_an_nsx.htm

Enjoy.

 

this thread is fail

 

OP's use of the English language "is fail."

 

I guess I can't impart enough wisdom into this guy. I buy all my cars through an import/export agent, and we see these kids come in and ask this question over and over again, "ohh, I want a twin turbo Supra"....

Reality is unless you have a minimum $50K - $100K, it's not happening. Hell, even an old 240Z in nice condition can run $20-30K. Then you have to ship it.

The motorcycle slant is interesting. I know that can be done, and it's relatively inexpensive to ship those.

 

If I had the cash for it, Id ask someone in Japan *ahem*mrmako*ahem* to find me a nice CB1000R and ship it here.

 

Too bad your dream wasn't to get a proper education.....For those grammar skills...

 

Forget about all of the fees, paperwork, and possible inspections/modifications to ensure the car is legal in your State.....Do you even have money to buy the actual vehicle outright based on vehicle pricing in Japan? -- Meaning, on top of paying only to import it. ...Or is your GF financing the car itself for you with a xx,000 loan?

 

this thread is pure fail. im pretty sure the OP doesnt have the money to do this anyway. because if he did hey heres an idea why not just buy one of those cars you want here in the states.

 

Pain in the ass

 

EVO 5, yum.........

 

Stop encouraging him.

 

For u guys that gave me an idea on what it would cost to import and stuff thank u very much ur info was really helpfull... Now i have an idea what is involved i guess it is too much soo ill just get a crap load of jdm parts for my car when i visit my gf in japan.... Thanx Guys....

Btw i just wanted to find out costs and what is involed i never said anything bout being a 100% i was going to ship a car... if it was possible id dooo it but its going to be too much.

As for that other sack are you be going to grading my grammar...? i bet you got fired from a elementary school......

 

Its cheaper to move out of the country than get a JDM car legal over here.

 

That applies to women as well........

 

OP: Your 1 Gen TL is sold here as the Inspire or Saber. There are a lot of parts for it that can be had.

 

^^yeah i know i have the inspire tail lights... i would like to get the power folding mirrors and the rear spoilder and the mugen front rear lip

 

I know you already saw this reply... but just highlighting it again in case some missed it...


Also, OP... why would you spend all of that money to get cars that you can buy in the states already (350z, 370z, NSX)? Just to have RHD? If you're dream is to own an NSX... wouldn't a US, readily available Acura NSX suffice? Much easier and cheaper to do it that way...