The joys of importing a grey market vehicle

[JordaanDMC-12]

Was surfing the web today looking at Mercedes for sale just to see what's out there and jumping from site to site I landed on 300E's for sale in South Africa, don't ask me how LOL

I remember hearing from a friend a long time ago that importing a non US car was a HUGE and EXPENSIVE hassle and I had done minimal research on it and found that to be quite true, but I never fully investigated it, until now. So we have three main players here; DOT, NHSTA and the DMV of your state and then on the side the "Registered Importers" who do the modifications to the vehicle as it comes into the country so it's able to be legally driven and registered here.

I had NO idea how much of a mess things are in those departments and all the miscommunication there is between them... This was the process and the outcome I got.. *I have no intention of importing a 300E from South Africa, but I wanted to know what the process is.* So I claimed I wanted to import a 1989 Mercedes 300E (RHD) from South Africa.

I firstly called the California DMV who immediately gave me the number to the DOT stating they could give me more information on that matter. So I call up the DOT and state I want to import the vehicle above into the country and want to know if it's on the list of conforming vehicles which are allowed entry and if I could get more information on the process. They give me another number to their "department of importing".

I call them up and give the vehicle information and they tell me that the vehicle is eligible for importing into the country but for the process of modifying I need to go to the NHTSA website which has a list of registered importers who can give me more information on that, so I go to the above website and call three of the four RI who's numbers have been disconnected and I get ahold of the fourth who are cool and give me some good info, but I mention the car is RHD and i'm told the shop owner doesn't modify the RHD vehicles because the DOT is VERY strict about them (which the DOT didn't say anything to me about it). So I decided to call up the DOT again and ask about this, again, I'm sent to the department of importing where I explain the situation to the lady on the phone. I tell her "I was told by one of the registered importers that the DOT is very strict with the entry of RHD vehicles and I'd like to know if this vehicle being RHD is still eligible" to which I am told "I'm not sure, and I don't want to give you the wrong information" And there was a moments pause on the phone like she didn't know what else to tell me, so I tell her that I'll just call another RI and see what they say. So I call yet another RI in Arizona this time and he tells me that the DOT had passed a law last year forbidding ANY RHD vehicle into this country. I thanked him and told him I was glad he could give me information the DOT couldn't give me on their own rules... So I call back the DOT explaining the whole situation and that I just want to know for sure that this RHD vehicle isn't allowed into the country anymore, they again try to give me the number to the importing department but I tell them the lady there "didn't know and didn't want to give me the wrong information" The lady helping me was shocked and said she couldn't believe that they don't know and couldn't help me and that I need to ask for another person. So I hang up with her and do a little researching for this new law only to find on NHTSA's website they explain how it's possible to import a RHD vehicle

So I call the department of importing one more time, and I get a different person thankfully, explain to him the entire situation. I'm then told BY the department of importing themselves that "RHD vehicles are allowed entry, and that this Mercedes being RHD is still just as eligible as it was before AND that if it's 25 years and older, it's exempt from all safety regulations but might still require emission modification." Even though I was told this, I still feel like it might not be solid information and that it wasn't everything i need to know which I shouldn't be thinking coming from the DOT themselves, but I guess i'd just roll with if I was importing. I couldn't believe how much different information I was given and how that lady "didn't know"! I'm like "really?? :/ you work for the DOT department of importing and you don't know??" This sure caught me off guard!! I thought it'd be as easy as calling and being told exactly how it went down, boy was I wrong!

[MTI]

As they say, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

[JordaanDMC-12]

Originally Posted by MTI

As they say, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Well I know the actual process of importing isnt easy, but I at least thought getting clear information on the process of it wouldn't be as crazy and mixed up as it was.

[tjts1]

Its legal to import any vehicle into Canada that is 15 years or older and some end up registered in WA state. If you can drive it across the boarder it all depends on your local state laws.
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/cto/2482225121.html
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/cto/2550642683.html
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/cto/2549220075.html
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/cto/2546771097.html
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/cto/2526975702.html

[tbomachines]

I've seen RHD JDM cars over here but very few and far between. We're talking about the guys who spend 100k into their RX7s, Supras, Skylines, etc.

[Skippy]

One of my Navy buddies works for the emissions section of the NV DMV. He's seen quite a few people go about things the wrong way and end up with JDM engines that aren't legal in the U.S.

[sjh]

.

Yep, dealing with any bureaucracy, yikes.

Here's story from 20 years ago. The rules may have changed and it may no longer be relevant.

My folks had a small antique shop on the outskirts of a pretty affluent area. Guy pulls up driving some $300K+ (1990 $'s) exotic foreign vehicle (I forget what) and gets out.

I say nice car, I've never seen one before. He says yeah its a blah-blah-blah, they're not legal in the US.

So I ask, how can it be here then.

He says DOT (or whatever letters go here) allows a six-week temporary window for bringing in a car for an examination. After 6 weeks it must met specs or leave.

I'm about to ask a question when he says, "so I bought two, drive one and keep the other outside the country. Every 6 weeks I return one and bring the other in!"

Certain advantages to wealth!

.

[TheDon]

Originally Posted by tbomachines

I've seen RHD JDM cars over here but very few and far between. We're talking about the guys who spend 100k into their RX7s, Supras, Skylines, etc.

A friend of mine has a RHD Cedric. It's such a sweet car.

[Skippy]

I remember back in the 80's Bill Gates bought a Porsche 959 and had a terrible time being allowed to import it to the U.S. I think he finally got it in, but it wouldn't surprise me if he spent more on bureaucracy than he did on the car.

[davidmash]

My 190.is a euro. Brought it over in 89. Import and conversion was about $6k. Still cheaper than buying it here since the dollar was very strong. Not to big of a deal. A few hicups but nothing too bad.

[Hatterasguy]

Originally Posted by Skippy

I remember back in the 80's Bill Gates bought a Porsche 959 and had a terrible time being allowed to import it to the U.S. I think he finally got it in, but it wouldn't surprise me if he spent more on bureaucracy than he did on the car.

I beleive they got a special law passed to allow it, helps being well connected!

Seems like its best to be a little sneaky about this, what about importing it as a kit car? Or just importing it and registering it in a state that doesn't care like NH?

[MTI]

Thirteen years is a long time to wait for a Porsche.

[elchivito]

I've often wondered about mine. It's been here a long time but I don't know if it came over new or what. I figure it must be somebody who bought it in Europe and brought it home personally,rather than somebody who did it for profit. Wasn't there a European delivery deal set up that made it easy for discharged servicemen to bring cars home? I remember an older cousin who brought home a 50's vintage beetle after he got out of the army. I was like 10 or something. I'd never seen one before. Canvas sunroof, semaphore turn signals, 6 volt electrics. He kept it pristine and then gave it to his layabout son who wrecked it in no time...Anyway, who would bother to import what amounts to a German taxicab that didn't even ship with factory AC except somebody who really loved it?

[Skippy]

Some years ago I worked with a (much) older fellow who bought a Beetle new in Germany in 1963 and brought it back to the states with him when his tour there was up. I didn't think to ask him the specifics of what it took to import it.