So you want to buy a Skyline in the US....

[MrPresidentQ45]

RE: The last few posts. All the info is, for the most part, in the thread. As far as your question goes, Sheridan, you'll still have to go through an RI (registered importer?) as they are the only ones who can make the vehicle compliant IF the vehicle is elligible for importation (see previous posts). The rules for new vehicles (and someone PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong) are something to the effect that if the vehicle is "substantially similar" to a USDM vehicle you still have to make it DOT compliant but it can be done. Browse the thread, I think there's a link to a list of RI's. Now, having spoken with some service personel who have tried this, beware. I work for Lexus and met a gentleman who wanted to import a Soarer from Okinawa (SC300). The Man told him no. Why? We didn't get twin-turbo Soarers here, so there was no way to make the vehicle EPA compliant. Plus, there is a hard and fast rule about vehicles newer than 25 years old. It might actually cost you less to ship over any conversion parts to make a USDM G35 right hand drive (plus any body bits, badges etc.) than it would to import the Skyline. And it would be HUGELY easier to register and insure. Or, you could always go old school and try to track down a 1968-75 Skyline.

[Sheridan]

Thanks Mr President....I do appreciate the advice. Its just very frustrating...being here in Japan.....and able to buy a used 2007 350GT SP fully loaded for $25,000......only 2,000KM on it.....and cannot take it home I still may buy and sell it before I leave in 3 years.

(Check out this article: Heres a clip from it) This is a official Press Release from Nissan. Skyline V36

Standard safety equipment includes rigid, safe Zone Body construction, driver and front passenger SRS Air Bag System, driver and front passenger SRS Side Air Bag System, SRS Curtain Air Bag System, Active Front Head Restraints and three-point ELR rear seat belts. Emergency Brake Operated Pre-crash Front Seat Belts are optionally available.

The Skyline coupe body has been designed to offer greater pedestrian protection, including the application of Nissan's new "pop-up engine hood" technology. When sensors embedded in the front bumper detect an impact with a pedestrian, the system's control unit determines if the hood needs to be instantly raised. If deemed necessary, the control unit activates a pyrotechnic actuator that raises the rear edge of the hood, creating a larger, protective buffer space between the hood and hard engine components underneath. This helps cushion the impact to the pedestrian's head if it collides with the hood.

From an environmental standpoint, all Skyline coupe models are certified as SU-LEVs, meeting 2005 standards to cut emissions by 75%. In addition, over 95% of the vehicle is recyclable (based on definitions of recyclables for new cars and calculation guidelines by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, 1998).

[sebastianmao]

will ,, only papper work needed ,, car come in as right hand dr, need smog,, and more papper work ,, I sale skyline ,, different model here in us,,

[sebastianmao]

so i read thru the first 2 pages and it confused me so bad that i didnt read the rest. so can someone pm telling me what i need to do to get one in the states....i already have it lined up i just need to know the fine details of this all

do you really want one? what kind?? ,, i can help you ,, i have one r34 skyline ,, and i will get more,, so,, if you really want one ,, email me at,, [email protected],, sebastian

[sebastianmao]

hey i'd like more information on registering a skyline i have one lined up right now for pretty cheap from germany but i want to know what else ill need to do to legalize it here its a r34 and from the sounds of it i can even bring it into the u.s. im fairly new to the whole skyline importing thing but i would really like to get more information and costs. i have a lot of friends that work in the auto business and mechanics business so any info is appreciated.

thanks,

andy

1, you cant register any right hand skyline in CA. 2, you need a full line of papper work of where the car was from,model,engine spec , smog obd,ect,,, 3, one month time in US custom,with ser house fee, $150 a day. Sebastian

[Enzo_Guy]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum, so please be easy this humble noob if this idea has been proposed before.

After reading this thread and reviewing the petition by JK Technologies, I think I am coming to grips with this information. Now, all of the changes to make the car DOT legal are contained within the petition, or were there seperate (mind you DOT-specific, nothing to do with EPA yet) changes that needed to be made to the R33 post-96 series that Motorex has still not disclosed?And then, once the car has passed the DOT inspection, it will then need to go through the EPA and their OBDII, which is what shuts down most potential buyers, correct? If that is correct, what if the car were outfitted with an OBDII-equipped engine (say an LS1 for the sake of argument), then would it be allowed to pass through the federal regulations or will it have been modified so heavily that it will no longer be considered a Skyline?

Now, with that said, what if strictly the body were imported, it was converted by an RI to comply with DOT rgulations, then outfitted with an engine that would pass the EPA regulations with an engine already in America. Would this modification, assuming that the DOT no longer considers a Skyline with a swapped motor to be the standard production model, be legally capable of being registered as a kit car (federally, not just state) because now it is heavily modified so that it is no longer a production car but it still meets DOT regulations?

[MrPresidentQ45]

You know, I've actually been thinking along those lines, but from a different direction. Who knows, maybe the "build your own" skyline trend will catch on. I was thinking to keep the vehicle Nissan AND compliant, I would build it this way (get ready to cringe):Swap in VG30dett and take to referee station (CA)Import 1 1992 Skyline GTR as parts.Dismantle said Skyline into its component pieces.concurrently, dismantle my 240sx into its component pieces.Swap R32 font clip (including AWD bits.) and interior on to 240sx (not including engine)Cut quarter panels off R32, graft to 240sx (tail lights, trunk lid, etc.)Mate VG30dett to AWD running gear.

Now you've got a legal engine that can make some power, legal VIN, and after some extensive body work and chassis fabrication, you've got the exterior (with a slightly different roof line) and the AWD.

How much could that possibly cost?

[BNR32]

l

You know, I've actually been thinking along those lines, but from a different direction. Who knows, maybe the "build your own" skyline trend will catch on. I was thinking to keep the vehicle Nissan AND compliant, I would build it this way (get ready to cringe):Swap in VG30dett and take to referee station (CA)Import 1 1992 Skyline GTR as parts.Dismantle said Skyline into its component pieces.concurrently, dismantle my 240sx into its component pieces.Swap R32 font clip (including AWD bits.) and interior on to 240sx (not including engine)Cut quarter panels off R32, graft to 240sx (tail lights, trunk lid, etc.)Mate VG30dett to AWD running gear.

Now you've got a legal engine that can make some power, legal VIN, and after some extensive body work and chassis fabrication, you've got the exterior (with a slightly different roof line) and the AWD.

How much could that possibly cost?

Quote from JP Morgan "If you have to ask,you cant afford it"!

[Enzo_Guy]

You know, I've actually been thinking along those lines, but from a different direction. Who knows, maybe the "build your own" skyline trend will catch on. I was thinking to keep the vehicle Nissan AND compliant, I would build it this way (get ready to cringe):Swap in VG30dett and take to referee station (CA)Import 1 1992 Skyline GTR as parts.Dismantle said Skyline into its component pieces.concurrently, dismantle my 240sx into its component pieces.Swap R32 font clip (including AWD bits.) and interior on to 240sx (not including engine)Cut quarter panels off R32, graft to 240sx (tail lights, trunk lid, etc.)Mate VG30dett to AWD running gear.

Now you've got a legal engine that can make some power, legal VIN, and after some extensive body work and chassis fabrication, you've got the exterior (with a slightly different roof line) and the AWD.

How much could that possibly cost?

You're looking at some high prices unless you can do the labor yourself, but since you're registering the car as a 240SX I don't think you will have to have the labor done by an RI. If you are doing the labor, you lose a lot of money that you would have normally forked over to the RI, so it will be time consuming, but I think you will still have to register the car as a heavily modified vehicle or kit car.

The thing I think with my idea is that if the car has no engine when it comes through customs, then can the EPA stop it? As long as I have it legally converted by an RI to meet the DOT regulations then it does not look like insurance companies can bust me for fraud (since it is a fully DOT-legal car) but without an engine the EPA cannot stop it from going through. I could always juist take the engine out and put it back in one it's through customs anyway (or get one of those crazy Canadians to ship me down a good RB if I wanted to keep it Nissan). I would seriously like to know what some of the thread experts say about the idea of bringing the car in and getting it federalised without an engine.

[USsil80]

just a FYI full race will take a 240sx from you and turn it into a awd monster.. they call it the R-14..

[MrPresidentQ45]

Full race? is that the company name? do you have any info on them, by chance?And yes, doing it yourself would be a f***ton of work. Fortunately, I have access to a shop, have been working on cars for years, one of my co-workers fabricated a chassis for his 50's pickup from scratch.... I'm not too poorly connected. Right now I'm looking for more info on how the whole Nissan AWD system works, where to get parts, etc. We'll see what happens.

[strongside1335]

is the skyline legal in iowa?..

[Hype]

is the skyline legal in iowa?..

Everyone, stop the nonsense. NICO is an incredible resource with knowledgeable and patient members. If you take the time to READ and SEARCH, chances are you'll find 99% of your answers. Just look at my join date and how little I've posted! I have been here longer than many active members with over a thousand posts, while I have fewer than 50.

To answer the question for the 10th time in this thread, there is only ONE legal way to own and drive a Skyline on public roads:

Buy one that has been legally imported by Motorex with the paperwork to back it up.

Despite what others may say, anything else is gaming the system and you can and WILL be subject to stiff *** penalties when you get busted. Those Skylines arent as fast when they are crushed little cubes.

[Enzo_Guy]

Everyone, stop the nonsense. NICO is an incredible resource with knowledgeable and patient members. If you take the time to READ and SEARCH, chances are you'll find 99% of your answers. Just look at my join date and how little I've posted! I have been here longer than many active members with over a thousand posts, while I have fewer than 50.

To answer the question for the 10th time in this thread, there is only ONE legal way to own and drive a Skyline on public roads:

Despite what others may say, anything else is gaming the system and you can and WILL be subject to stiff *** penalties when you get busted. Those Skylines arent as fast when they are crushed little cubes.

I'm still waiting for an intelligent response to my idea of legally doing the DOT conversion and then installing an OBD2-equipped engine after it goes through Customs (or before if need be, but the car is shipped here and legally converted with no engine).

[pirate87]

Enzo, I think your idea is clever, regardless of whether it would work or not, but replacing the engine with something OBD compliant would taint the entire package. I just couldn't see spending all that time and effort just to drive a skyline shell. Something about the purity of the Skyline, how its almost the perfect car off the shelf, lends credit to its popularity and I think a lot of that would be destroyed by dropping in a VQ.

[Enzo_Guy]

The other i

Enzo, I think your idea is clever, regardless of whether it would work or not, but replacing the engine with something OBD compliant would taint the entire package. I just couldn't see spending all that time and effort just to drive a skyline shell. Something about the purity of the Skyline, how its almost the perfect car off the shelf, lends credit to its popularity and I think a lot of that would be destroyed by dropping in a VQ.

Another idea could be to ship one in with no motor then just bring down an RB26DETT from the Canadians. It would go through the DOT regulationd just fine and be all legal and the EPA can't test it because it has no motor.

[AZhitman]

Still won't have a VIN, won't be Federally emissions-legal, still can't be registered and still will be an insurance liability.

[Cameron]

i am looking at a skyline at a local Nissan Dealership to buy, it is a 1993 1/2 R33 GTST. It is titled and Import Papers are with it. So it is legal in the state of GA, and was previously driven By the Owner, Tagged and everything. I don't know how he did his insurance though, and i have no way to ask him.. My question is, (i have researched so much on this, you dont even know) How hard is it to go about getting it insured, and what should i expect to hear from the insurance companies? also, What should it be insured as, owning the car is no big deal, im just worried about insurance. What have you guys done as far as getting yours insured? A step By step would be nice.

[BNR32]

call progressive,and insure it for what it is

i am looking at a skyline at a local Nissan Dealership to buy, it is a 1993 1/2 R33 GTST. It is titled and Import Papers are with it. So it is legal in the state of GA, and was previously driven By the Owner, Tagged and everything. I don't know how he did his insurance though, and i have no way to ask him.. My question is, (i have researched so much on this, you dont even know) How hard is it to go about getting it insured, and what should i expect to hear from the insurance companies? also, What should it be insured as, owning the car is no big deal, im just worried about insurance. What have you guys done as far as getting yours insured? A step By step would be nice.

Modified by BNR32 at 8:13 PM 1/27/2008

[Cameron]

tried that, they said no Nissan Skyline was in there database

[BNR32]

they have to manully put the car in.my skylines are insured with them under a skyline.you dont know how to talk to them thats why.you got some stupid clown who doesnt even know what a gray market car is on the line,goto love the training insurance copies give there employees,call them back up.tell then i need to insure a gray market car,and tell them I WANT TO TALK TO SOMEONE WHO HAS EXPERIANCE WITH GRAY MARKET CARS.tell then the make ,model and the non 17 digit vin #.and if your doing full coverage you tell them what you want the cars replacement value to be. or if your looking for a car i have a few skylines for sale and i help my customers all the time with dealing with the insurance companies for them

[Scram]

I did a lot of research on this about 2 years ago.

Basically there are several organizations that are involved.

DOTNHTSAEPA

Motorex was able to legalize for a while. They hired a place in Baltimore Maryland to do the crash testing on 4 imported Skylines all R33's I believe. They also hired an engineering firm to design the needed modifications. I think they were located in Minnesota or Michigan. Before Motorex filed to have them be an importer of these cars, they filed a "Confidentiality Grant" that their research was considered intellectual property - meaning the Government can't release the results of the testing and needed modifications. Later due to some sort of problem, their importation was revoked. I think they were allowed to clear everything in the pipeline out, but then no more.

I talked to the place in Baltimore that did the actual testing for Motorex. They told me that anyone could go through the motions again to get these cars legalized, but the setup cost for crash tests is 1 million dollars. And that's not including the cost of the cars. Additionally, they were aware that the OBD2 challenge still hadn't been overcome and that is also causing problems in getting Motorex recertified.

As far as the insurance deal, all you should have to do is Declared Value.

[zdonner]

So any word from sean8564 about those R32's? Or did that get shot down?

[Gold Digger]

Sean has been MIA from here for quite a while, actually.

He used to call me on a pretty regular basis, but haven't heard from him in over a year.

[zdonner]

Yeah I haven't noticed him posting in about 4 months now... figured I'd ask to see if anyone heard from him. His R32 project sounded promising...

[brizanden]

Are you just rambling magazine facts. The Altima and Maxima Sub-frames are identical. You can swap suspension components between the 2. I know this because I work on these cars all day long. Unless you've dropped the front cradle on any of these cars your opinions are not valid to me. Maybe to someone else but I know the fact, and that fact is despite the chassis codes these cars are similar but in fact NOT the same which is the point I was trying to make in the first place so instead of trying to critique my writing why don't you analyze the entire point of my senseless rambling. The G35 is not a Skyline.......

does this mean u can make an altima rwd? always was curious about that

[Gold Digger]

I am gonna have to say no on this one. Maximas and Altimas share many similarities, but they don't share many of the same things with the G35/V35 Skyline.

[brizanden]

wait rnt maximas rwd so u could try to shove the drivetrain into an altima?

[Gold Digger]

Ok...I am now going to try and lay another argument to rest.

Look closely at these two cars. The car on the left is the V35 Skyline 350GT, the car on the right is the Infiniti G35 coupe.

Tell me there cars aren't the same.

Then PROVE IT!

[Gold Digger]

Nope...Maximas are FWD. Have been for a loooooooooong time.