how can I find a Silvia?

[dieselpower]

Hey do you want to pay $60,000 for a S15

shure go to the Fools who know best

[kidracer9]

I don't want one that bad. Actually I do, but I don't have 60k. I was thinking 40k or less. Why do you ask, do you know where one is?

[Morpheus XIII]

Forgive me for being absent from my own duties in this forum for such a period of time. Once again, welcome to AF kidracer9, and I am thrilled to see more admiration for 'Japan's Mustang' in the U.S. Okay here goes:

Before we talk about importing, will this genuine Silvia be your daily driver? If so, I ask you to think about what life would be like driving in the other seat. Imagine trying to make a left turn from the 'yielded green-light' left turn lane in the middle of a busy intersection with oncoming turners blocking your view of the high-speed straightaway traffic, while sitting in the starboard seat. Even on left hand drive cars, it's difficult to see the oncoming cars and I, for one need to stick my head to the left to look around the facing turning cars. Then picture yourself needing to enter a parking garage or pass a toll booth; without a passenger, you would need to unbuckle yourself and cross over to the left side of the car in order to extract a parking permit ticket, or pop in a few coins. This of course goes the same for drivethroughs. Now if you are willing to put up with these drawbacks, move on to the next step.

For the second matter, don't look to Motorex for answers for now. Plans for certification of the SR20DET turbo Silvia motor has begun, but nothing more. Entire chassis legalization would take much time and money, and Motorex would probably try to avoid that costly business approach as it has racked up the cost of a factory R34 Skyline GT-R to $90,000.

Gray market vehicle importation has always been exclusive to the wealthy, and well "hooked-up", and the Silvia is no exception. You CAN own just about any car, legal or not, from any part of the world in your own hometown, but it's quite costly. I see some older British cars roaming the roads in my area, but I haven't had the nerve to stop and ask these elites about their methods. Military connections have always proved to be useful for importing Silvias, but I don't have much information in this area; perhaps some of you will know how this is done. To further this reasoning, the recent November issue of Super Street previously mentioned provides a great sum-up of the techniques used to create an S15 Silvia out of an S14 240SX, but it also states on page 102, "We're talking about as near the real deal S15 as you can get without importing one from Japan (which, by the way, would set you back at least $40,000)." So even major U.S. publications believe that a genuine Silvia can be had, for some major greens. And kidracer9, you've said that you may go as high as 40 grand for a Silvia, so I strongly suggest you do some research to figure out if what SS published was the truth.

If you don't succeed at this, I would look for JUN Auto Mechanic U.S.A. for importation of an S15 chassis (they have close connections with Nissan for raw material). Then you would have to build your own Silvia, but hell, you get the genuine look. Of course, the legality of this situation would have to be seriously questioned, since the body structure doesn't meet U.S. standards.

Good luck you to, and keep us informed if you find any new data, as I will do the same.

Originally posted by Yes-Ser
Maybe Nissan will try to bring over the S15 because we need a rear wheel drive, turbo-charged, sports car.

That's what the new Z is for. It may or may not have a turbocharged variant, but hell, it's got something the Silvia will never have: natural torque.

Originally posted by dieselpower
Hey do you want to pay $60,000 for a S15

State your source for this number.

[kidracer9]

Thanks for the info Morpheus. This car would be my sole form of transportation. I think I can handle the minor inconveniences of driving on the wrong side. As for the money part, I figure if I have to wait a couple years and save up, that's fine. True love waits, right? I already called Motorex, they said they couldn't do it because the Silvia isn't legal for sale in the States (because of all the safety regulations and the lack of crash testing). However they did say that if I did find a way to get the car here, clearing customs and doing the conversion stuff to make it street legal would cost me. Altogether it would end up being at least 40k, at least. So I looked into a 240 conversion and have found that it would cost me to do that, too. I have that issue of Super Street, and it has some really good information. A friend and I added up how much it would be to do a 240 to S15 conversion on a 98 240SX. All the S15 parts would cost me 20 to 25k. So if I bought a car for 15k, that would still put me close to 40. I haven't lost hope yet, but I am looking at other car options. If I can't have a real rhd Silvia, then I don't want one at all.

[Twist]

Originally posted by Morpheus XIII
Then picture yourself needing to enter a parking garage or pass a toll booth; without a passenger, you would need to unbuckle yourself and cross over to the left side of the car in order to extract a parking permit ticket, or pop in a few coins. This of course goes the same for drivethroughs.

Unless, of course, you eat at Rally's! :silly2:
I'm sorry, I just couldn't let that go.

[Morpheus XIII]

Ahhh, Rally's is worth the trip in ANY damn car, bicycle or scooter! Just get there!

[Strike888]

hmmm
did u also see the advan racing rims on those bad boys?
dam, $2000 for a set
"we're talking the cream of the crop here"
dam...that whole conversion looks amazing
i think that "silvia" was also in the issue of import tuner that cherie roberts was featured in. no idea which issue that was tho.

[Twist]

The newest issue of Super Street (Dec. 01) has a Sil-180 converted to a S15 by Signal Auto. Man, those guys are awesome! Go buy that magazine for that purpose alone!

[F=ma]

I feel your situation, KidRacer19. The biggest hitch in the process is legalizing it in the US. What surprises me though is that Motorex could actually legalize one if you did get it to US shores on your own. I didn't think they had the power to legalize just ANY old car (not a skyline) for 40 grand. I was under the impression that any car imported into the US had to be crash tested and certified, and also emissions tested and certified. Motorex has done this for the Skyline, but no other cars. And I honestly don't see them doing this for any old car, crash testing requires that you basically total 3 brand new vehicles. For a Silvia, this is close to 100k USD. For a skyline, whew, I don't wanna think about it. Which is half the reason Motorex charges so much for their Skylines.
At any rate, some ppl say Grey Market, like its any old hoo-haa (not you morpheus ) But on other automotive forums, I've asked about importing Evo's, WRX's, Silvia's etc. And there is almost always the obligatory uneducated answer of "just gray market it, dude" Okay, JUST spew elite connections out of my ass. And just pull the money out of the money tree growing in my back yard. Trust me if you had these connections, you wouldn't be asking how you could get something legalized, and if you don't then you probably shouldn't even be worrying about it. So basically you can disregard any "just gray market it, dude" comments. At least IMO.
As Morpheus mentioned, if you have a good friend in the military that will be going to Japan or Australia, they can buy a Silvia there, and bring it back with them to the states, but again, getting it through customs will be a grip. The US *will* allow it, but at a steep price, so I hear.
And just to wet your appetite a little bit, there are some companies that buy seized/repo'd/ or auctioned off cars in Japan to port them over to the United States. I have a few links at home (I'm at work now, and can remember only one of them, www.bestjapancar.com ) Go check it out, its cool. There was an R33 GT-R Vspec whose previous owner had modified it to around 500 hp for sale there. Lots of interesting cars, Lexus SC equivalents, Soarer's that were 2.5 Liter 5 speed turbo's, Older Lancer Evolutions... for a lot cheaper than you'd think. 7-10k USD or so. But you won't find newer cars there, unfortunately. In fact, I have yet to see any generation Silvia for sale. They'll even include the price to send it over to the US, frieght on board for something like 2.5 to 3 grand. But again, the catch is getting it past customs. In fact, on the webpage, it specifically states that they have nothing to do with any of the legalization process, nor are they responsible to what happens to the car once it hits US shores.
There is hope however, Pretty much any car can be imported into the states under the agreement that it be used solely for racing. Lotus Elise's are (well I'm not going to say often, but its not uncommon to see them) imported as race only vehicles. I know of someone on another board that I frequent that has imported a Skyline for racing, thus he did not have to bring it into the states via Motorex. He got it basically at cost. Which if it was a slightly used R34, could have been something like $40k, or if it was an R33, maybe something like $28k. But you've already stated that this will be your daily driver. And a race-only vehicle is about as far from a daily driver as a riding lawnmower is.
One last issue I wanted to mention, was that I know of someone who has gone through Motorex and bought an R32 Skyline to the US for legal street use. But, like any car on the roads today, requires insurance. How do you insure a car like a Skyline? Ouch. With his insurance agreement he's limited to something like 10k miles a year. I don't know how much driving you do, but 10k miles a year is at most, a weekend vehicle. I don't know much more on this subject other than any way through it is going to be a hassle. Maybe there's something worth looking at classifying it as a Kit Car... after all, how are Shelby Cobra 427 Kit car's insured? Or a Classic, something along those lines. Beats me with a stick.

Now I'm not actually promoting illegal behavior by stating this. I am merely making an observation. But if one were to buy a 97 240SX with a blown motor, or a salvaged title, something to that effect. Then import an S15 Silvia under the agreement that its for racing only. It may be possible to fool someone into thinking that your Silvia is a modified 240sx, VIN, title, tags, registration and all. Just be aware that the fine for being caught doing such actions is some 6 digit amount of dollars, and the car goes to the crusher.

Good luck with everything, champ.

Peace.

Kenny

[Morpheus XIII]

Originally posted by F=ma
Now I'm not actually promoting illegal behavior by stating this. I am merely making an observation. But if one were to buy a 97 240SX with a blown motor, or a salvaged title, something to that effect. Then import an S15 Silvia under the agreement that its for racing only. It may be possible to fool someone into thinking that your Silvia is a modified 240sx, VIN, title, tags, registration and all. Just be aware that the fine for being caught doing such actions is some 6 digit amount of dollars, and the car goes to the crusher.

You know, I've always wondered if this would work. But true, it would pose such a huge risk IF one were to be caught doing this. I suppose the 240SX body would need to be melted down or something to eliminate any evidence...

Heh, the power of thought.

As for insurance, I do remember reading an article (perhaps in Turbo) some years ago about a military guy who brought over an S13 Silvia from Japan and was able to get it labled as a 240SX by his insurance company. He too said the greatest drawback was the time spent at customs.

[F=ma]

I've heard that military are allowed one year of driving the car around in the states before the DOT/EPA force them to conform to regulations etc. I can find out more details.

As for the spare 240 you'd be left over with though, I'd just take off all the body panels, throw em in a junk yard then part off the rest of the car, engine, interior, etc. Its about a 30-35k project (which includes the price of the Silvia itself).

[kidracer9]

F=ma,you have some good points there about the whole "grey marketing it" thing. That's exactly what I've been thinking. As for bringing a car in and saying it's for race-only to bypass all the DOT/EPA stuff, I've heard DOT/EPA watches you like a hawk, and if you get caught, it's rough. Iv'e pretty much decided that, at least until I'm a multimillionaire, I'll just stick with what I can get im the States. But someday, I'll have enough money to just pay everyone off to get what I want.

[FCI Performance]

NO matter what way you look at it, it is going to be far cheaper to convert a s13 or s14 to a silvia then to try to import one. Though I havent seen anyone convert the rear end yet, the front end conversion is pretty common.

[kidracer9]

That's pretty much what I've figured out. Then when you do get one here, you have to pay even more to be able to drive it. I've just decided to build my own. I would like to try to convert the back end as well and do the whole thing with a drift racing style look. I would also like to figure out a way to incorporate some old style American street rodder tricks into it somewhere, because that's what I was raised on. The only thing I'm not sure about is the engine. I haven't really heard a lot about the tunability of the SR20DE engine. I would like to have about 400-450 hp and I really like snappy torque also. Can somebody tell me how easy it is to get this from an SR20DE. I've read a lot about the 2JZ Supra engines' ease of tunability. I know it might make some purists mad, but I think a Silvia with a Supra engine would be awesome. However this is just a thought, and I haven't looked into what all I would have to change in order to get it to fit in or how it would affect the weight distribution. But, like I said I come from an American street rodder background where guys stuff Chevy big blocks into Pontiac Fieros, so I know it could be done. Let me know what you guys think.

[F=ma]

Originally posted by kidracer9
If I can't have a real rhd Silvia, then I don't want one at all.

Originally posted by kidracer9
That's pretty much what I've figured out. Then when you do get one here, you have to pay even more to be able to drive it. I've just decided to build my own

lol, that's how it always turns out...

Someone's real hard up about getting one stateside, then after they find out the magnitude of the headache involved, they just say "I wanna build my own" instead.

I've been there man.