Would this work to import?

[RazorGTR]

None of this will float about getting it as a race or display car with the hopes of ever getting it on the street. Until MotoRex's monopoly on the legalization you guys in the states are stuffed.

I am in the same boat right now if I were to head back to the states and bring mine it. It will owe me more than I could pick one up from MotoRex to start with so I am playing the waiting game.

[Flatbroke]

We had our preacher, a German National, register with the state (Oklahoma) as having an automobile museum located on his property. He has imported about 5 or 6 vehicles now through Houston as museum pieces. I will ask him soon about any mileage or any other restrictions that were imposed. I do know he drives all of them on occasion, but not to any great extent.

[DSSA]

For what this is worth:

Speaking to a friend of mine in CA that works on a lot of Lancer Evolutions that were brought over here before the current Mitsu version, a lot of people get racing licenses and import the cars. I think this gives you a 1 or two year "stay of execution" (providing that you get past all of the legal garbage to get it over here--not always easy). After the 2 years are up, they basically send back a beat up Mirage. This isn't actually legal, but has been done. Since Rally cars have to be driven on the street from one segment to the next, they're given plates to be driven on the road.

One problem with this is that the skyline chassis isn't in the US in another form. People have brought them over and rebadged them as a 240SX (using 240SX VIN plates/bages) and registered them. Not exactly legal either--and can get you a $250K+ fine and about 5 years of ass-ramming in a federal pen.

I'm looking into some psuedo-legal ways of getting one in the states at the moment (loopholes, etc.) as people *HAVE* done it. There's also been a lot of talk about Motorex being pissed off about some Florida laws allowing people to find loopholes to get cars imported at a Florida port, and registered. The question is "what are they doing". The most I've found out so far (with questionable accuracy) is that you must be either a Florida resident or a student in the state of Florida.

No, it's not *impossible* as some people would like to have you believe, as it has been done in the past. However, is it worth the time, money and risk over just going through Motorex? This is what you have to decide.

As far as some earlier statements about "Land of the Free" patriotic crap...

I agree with the aspect of taxes (although their appropriations later are much to be desired), however, you're telling me that it's not business/political when the government tells me that I can't import a car because it may not meet U.S. safety standards? However, I can go down to my local cycle shop and legally buy a bike, ride without a helmet, and be less safe than a skyline with the bumpers completely removed, and no seatbelts? Justify this for me please. (Note: Emissions, I can see restrictions on, as it affects others)

[enecks]

Hey guys,

I've been reading the forums for a little while now (yes, I've read all the FAQs and whatnot), and I thought I might share my own idea on Skyline importation/legalization loopholes. As I'm neither a fan of stepping outside the boundaries of the law nor paying exorbitant sums to monopolistic regimes (read: MotoRex), the avenues you guys have explored thus far don't particularly appeal to me.

I have, however, done quite a bit of reading in the past about building kit-cars, more specifically Lotus Super-7 replicas. Ron Champion penned a book on the subject entitled How to Build your own Sports Car for £250. This project seems to be very popular in the UK, where the DOT (or MOT as they call it) is also rather stringent about registering vehicles. Anyway, the gist is: these guys build a car basically from scratch, welding steel tubing together to create a chassis, molding a body from aluminum or fiberglass, and sourcing mechanical bits (engine, suspension, and a few other sundry parts) from an old Ford Escort or other such 'donor' vehicle. Since the Escort isn't a donor in the typical kit-car sense (i.e. the builder does not use its chassis/frame as a base upon which to build his kit/replica), its title cannot be used. Rather, the builder/owner must apply for a Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) test that seems to me to be an emmissions/safety test. Once the vehicle has passed the SVA, it's completely street legal. As near as I can tell, the process for getting approval is similar (if not slightly easier) here in the US. In the most basic terms, details excluded, it seems that if you build a car from scratch, you can take it down and have the highway patrol inspect it and give you a VIN/title for it.

In case you haven't already put two and two together, my idea is this: import Skyline parts (chassis, motor, suspension, body, etc.) separately and put them together yourself (or at a garage, more likely :P). Once you've got it together, wouldn't it seem to a home-made car that could be registered as a home-built kit or the like? Surely, I'm not the only one who has had this idea, but as far as I can tell, nobody here has mentioned it. And as it seems that many of us are eager to be Skyline owners but lack the funds/resources to go through MotoRex, I thought I would toss this idea out in the open. I'm sure there are plenty of flaws in the plan, so please point them out as you see fit .

-justin

[sami]

Originally posted by enecks
In case you haven't already put two and two together, my idea is this: import Skyline parts (chassis, motor, suspension, body, etc.) separately and put them together yourself (or at a garage, more likely :P). Once you've got it together, wouldn't it seem to a home-made car that could be registered as a home-built kit or the like? Surely, I'm not the only one who has had this idea

No, you're not. It doesn't work that way and has been discussed before, not sure if in this forum but elsewhere.

[scourge2u]

Hey guys, I'm all for taking a big ole piss all over the government, but this is an issue that you simply cannot win. Its been looked into for a long time now and the fact remains as it always was - MotoRex is the ONLY way to get a 100% street legal Skyline in the USA. When another RI get s licensed, the Nissan world will know about it.

[Hudson]

Originally posted by enecks
...As near as I can tell, the process for getting approval is similar (if not slightly easier) here in the US. In the most basic terms, details excluded, it seems that if you build a car from scratch, you can take it down and have the highway patrol inspect it and give you a VIN/title for it. ...

You should look into the www.nhtsa.gov website. It's not as easy as you make out to be.

[sKyLiNe_69]

Everybody on here knows that you can no longer import skylines to the US right? It's either universally over the entire US, or just in the Military

[Gtr2.7L]

Originally posted by sKyLiNe_69
Everybody on here knows that you can no longer import skylines to the US right? It's either universally over the entire US, or just in the Military

When did this happen? I had no problem doing it in November.

[luvmyGTR-33Vspec]

That's not true about not being able to import skylines. And that mystery port in florida that imports skylines is where i have bought a few of mine. I buy them from IDirect which is an auction company in japan which has a shitload of them on there weekly. I have connections with most of the people in the company which means i can get a skyline into the port for roughly around 13,000 for GTR-33's, 18,000 for GTR-32, and a whooping 30g's and up for a GTR-34 vspec or vspec II which generally are about 35 to 45 thousand. also if you want the SOFTER GTS's (j/p) i can get those for roughly 5 thousand dollars. Dont believe me? ill email you the info if your serious. My email is Corsalini585@hotmail.com

[luvmyGTR-33Vspec]

Sorry it looked like i was saying that you didnt have to go to motorex. YOU STILL DO but overall its cheapier to buy it your self and have it sent there than to buy it from motorex. there 80,000 GTR-33 vspec i can get for 35 to 40 tops.

[sKyLiNe_69]

Strange to find that out. I'll have to talk to my Staff Sergeant and see if that's correct. He had 2 R33's and he tried to import one of them and they said he couldn't. But if that's true it must be throught the military only.

[Gtr2.7L]

Originally Posted by sKyLiNe_69

Strange to find that out. I'll have to talk to my Staff Sergeant and see if that's correct. He had 2 R33's and he tried to import one of them and they said he couldn't. But if that's true it must be throught the military only.

They're giving him a load. Tell him to print out the "Cars available for Compliance" from the DOT website, circle the car on the list, and give it to them.

Like I said....the military shipped my GTR in Nov. I doubt anything has changed since then.

[firefighter81]

I love how some people will take the word of a person who probably has no idea what they are talking about (IE, his SSgt) and take that as the way things are. A buddy of mine just imported his Skyline R32 GTS-T (why that model, I dunno, he's a dork ) not more than 2 months ago, it's at Motorex now. My buddy is in the USAF and they shipped it the same as they always have. Probably the reason they said he couldn't bring it over is because in the military before you ship the car you have to have WRITTEN PROOF of a contract with a Registered Importer (IE Motorex) to get the car into DOT/EPA Compliance.

Jason

[anothercarlover]

if i live in florida i just can import a skyline and register it, from any port. i live in miami if anyone wants to give me any help with that.