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

A forum for owners and fans of the legendary Nissan Skyline and Nissan GTR.
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l31nismo
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Isn't there some sort of loophole for me being military to get it legally here. When we went to Germany I took my dad's Vette. I was going to sell it for him. However When we got it there they briefed me and told me I could not sell the car. I could have it there just as long as I didn't sell it and I took it back with me. Does this work both ways?


DanCouga
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Taking a vehicle out of the country is a lot different than bringing one back.

To bring one back in, it has to meet EPA and DOT standards. You cannot resale the vehcile. I will find a link to all of the information as soon as I can.

Greg, I think it might be good to find a registered importer/independent commercial importer just for this section.

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Vkoslak
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So how many r32's would one have to have crash tested, and could you use the base model 4cyl or gts/gts-t or would it have to be gtr?

It would only have to meet US standards for the year it was produced right?

Mostly I'm just curious.

It would be nice if the data Motorex collected could become public domain. Or if someone could buy it and make it public domain (not holding my breath)

sugarbear225
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hey i really wnat a 240 but i dont know much about what i should be looking for and how much it is worth can you help

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Vkoslak
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um, have you seen the nifty 240sx link over on the right hand side of the screen? Try there. There is also the Nissan Cars Classified link that is sure to have some 240sx cars for sale.

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sean8564
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We have all that info from motorex through JK motors since we are going to test the R32 and bring them in

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sonicsam
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Hi all, long time visitor, first time poster.

Ok, here we go:
AZhitman wrote:If they are an RI, approved to import and legalize Skylines, and are in compliance will all NHTSA guidelines, then you're set.
sean8564 wrote:acctually now the only federal Legal skylines are from 1/1/96 to 6/30/98 R33 GTS and GTR this is because motorex cheated on there documentation to the federal govermant and said that the R33 was produced from 1990-99 and now we all have to suffer cause of that. so if you want a R32 you must buy 2 cars and have them crash tested first by NHTSA and then you must be a importer able to conform to the fedral chrash test standards of 1989-1994. same is true for a R34 also the laws states that cars over 25 years can be brought in with out any problem
This means that, if I want to import and federalize a 96+ R33 GTR, all I'd have to do is find a RI on the NHSTA's list that would help me do so [modifying the car to meet standards]. Right?http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/....htmlSo... does anyone know which RI's [on the east coast] are currently willing and able to import and federalize/legalize a 96+ R33 GTR?

sean8564, iirc, in another thread [about one of the r32's you brought in], you said that you knew someone who could legalize, but didn't know how much it would cost (?).

also, a friend of mine who frequents nasioc.com (subaru forums), showed me a meet photo thread with photos of a R32 GTR with NY plates, owner said he bought it legalized from a importer in Long Island? Anyone have info on that? I googled 'skyline gtr long island import' and came up with this place:Moto Imports, 15 Trade Zone Drive, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 ::shrugs::

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Vkoslak
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sean8564

Cool beans. When do you think you will have some r32 gts-t/gtr available?

I'll have to unload my 300zx TT before I can get one though :xMy wife would kill me!

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impreziv
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Vkoslak wrote:sean8564

Cool beans. When do you think you will have some r32 gts-t/gtr available?

I'll have to unload my 300zx TT before I can get one though :xMy wife would kill me!
maybe you werent paying attention...

never

the R32 isnt allowed to be imported, unless you find a RI that wants to go thru the motions of crashtesting and re-engineering the structural integrity of the car.

ive had the front bumper off my R32, and i tell you, now i understand why Hiro lied about the R32 being just as good as the R33 (safety-wise).

im currently looking at the requirements of getting R34s up to spec for Transport-Canada. its looking very easy, but im not making any plans. this is 99.9% curiousity.

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sean8564
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Vkoslak wrote:sean8564

Cool beans. When do you think you will have some r32 gts-t/gtr available?

I'll have to unload my 300zx TT before I can get one though :xMy wife would kill me!
I have 3 of them here in the states with a title the GTR is 15K for a US title that says 1990 Nissan Skyline.

grosspolluter
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Nice, so are there any states that are more lenient that others on registering JDM vehicles?

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sean8564
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A lot of the South easytern States are more relaxed with enforcing the laws and give up titles to the cars as they sit by doing a VIN inspection on them and well so are more strict. it dose not make the 50 states legal but if you have the title then bam you can drive all day that is all the cops here want to see is insurance and tag they could care less about the skyline or any thing JDM.

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sonicsam
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so your sayin' the GTR you have available comes with a title? and with a title and a willing insurance company i should be able to drive it on the streets (though not completely legal)? if this is true, i cud be a possible customer a month or so from now.

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Vkoslak
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With the only currently 49 maybe 50 state legal skylines being after 1996, wouldnt they all need to be made odb2 compliant?

takaramotors
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sonicsam wrote:so your sayin' the GTR you have available comes with a title? and with a title and a willing insurance company i should be able to drive it on the streets (though not completely legal)? if this is true, i cud be a possible customer a month or so from now.
progressive is the insurance company and yes we have a GTR R32 with a GA title authough not 50 state legal but still you can transfer a title once you have it to any state did the black GTST that was on Ebay witha title

takaramotors
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Vkoslak wrote:With the only currently 49 maybe 50 state legal skylines being after 1996, wouldnt they all need to be made odb2 compliant?
yes that is why no importer will bring them in

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sonicsam
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so do all the skylines [gtr's] you guys bring in have titles? and are more r32 gtr's on their way over to the US? i'm really interested in picking one up by or around summer time. are there any NY skyline owners on this board that could share experiences on registering and insuring (process, cost, etc)?

also, iirc, you guys are working with JK to test R32's for NHTSA so that they can be legalized again, and i think that's awesome what's the progress on that and is a estimate on the cost of a legalized one and the approximate time for availibilty of r32 legalization possible at this time?

takaramotors
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We are paying roughly 90K for the testing of the cars

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Vkoslak
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Dayum 90k. Lot of cash. I thought it would be more though. Hopefully all goes well, I would really like a legal r32. Do you a timeframe on completion?

Out of morbid curiosity, how many r32's will you have to sell in order to recoup your costs? As much as I love the r32, if there wasn't some profit in it, I couldn't see attempting to legalize the r32 for the US. I couldn't see a bank giving a loan to setup business importing r32s without a solid business plan either. Unless you just got cash to burn

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sonicsam
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so when will the federalized r32 gtr's be available?

also, if i were to purchase the r32 gtr that you have in right now and wanted to transfer the title to my state (NY), would it be as a foreign imported car (requiring original [japanese] title (de-reg papers?) and customs papers as proof of ownership and passing through customs) or as a normal car from a out-of-state owner? or both?

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sean8564
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we have one yaer to adjust the R32 to pass standards of 1989.

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komprecce
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Takaramotors, you guys kick @ss for fighting the good fight. Hope you guys become crazy successful for your work with the Skyline.

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Gold Digger
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sean8564 wrote:we have one yaer to adjust the R32 to pass standards of 1989.
Sean, you're gonna fail miserably...lol. J/K homie.

I got your call today too, and yeah, I was asleep.

choi0706
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I've got one for salehttp://houston.craigslist.org/car/148953361.html

takaramotors
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choi0706 wrote:I've got one for salehttp://houston.craigslist.org/car/148953361.html
this is not a sale section

JaS3113
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sonicsam wrote:so do all the skylines [gtr's] you guys bring in have titles? and are more r32 gtr's on their way over to the US? i'm really interested in picking one up by or around summer time. are there any NY skyline owners on this board that could share experiences on registering and insuring (process, cost, etc)?

also, iirc, you guys are working with JK to test R32's for NHTSA so that they can be legalized again, and i think that's awesome what's the progress on that and is a estimate on the cost of a legalized one and the approximate time for availibilty of r32 legalization possible at this time?
I'm a new owner, I am currently insured thru Progressive and they are costing me an arm and a leg (almost 5 digits) a year on insurance (full coverage). They are the only ones who do not ask for DOT papers. Now here's the catch, my bro-in-law works for them, if something happens to the car and they run a check with DOT, they have the right NOT to pay for the claim. I'm looking into State Farm and other insurance comapnies, most if not all requires DOT and EPA paperwork, that's my current experience.

If registering for the first time, you will need the De-Reg with translation, copy of the 7501, insurance and a vin verification.

Regards,John

Forgoten214
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there isnt anyone that can legalize them professionally? in the US?

takaramotors
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NO

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paintballpro69
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good luck! if all goes well then I will have to pick one up

zoborax
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JaS3113 wrote:
I'm a new owner, I am currently insured thru Progressive and they are costing me an arm and a leg (almost 5 digits) a year on insurance (full coverage). They are the only ones who do not ask for DOT papers. Now here's the catch, my bro-in-law works for them, if something happens to the car and they run a check with DOT, they have the right NOT to pay for the claim. I'm looking into State Farm and other insurance comapnies, most if not all requires DOT and EPA paperwork, that's my current experience.

Regards,John
Actually, I have liability with Progressive, and they told me that I had to have one of 3 documents. I don't remember the first two, but I know they had something to do with US Customs and Border Protection (Form HS-7) and a document from the NHTSA stating that the vehicle complies with ALL applicable FMVSS of the year in which the car was manufactured. The third document is simple...State vehicle registration. They told me to fax that to them once I got it and I would have no problem. That registration, according to them, states that the car is allowed to be driven on the streets. I have done the best I could. The car is titled and registered as exactly what it is! NOT A BOTCHED 240 VIN! After all, it's up to the states to enforce the laws, not the Federal Government. The Federal Government can only regulate the importation! So if a car is smuggled in....


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