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

[raremotive]

You can always import the chassis and all the other goodies separate...it's not considered a motor vehicle if it's a rolling chassis. and while waiting til 2014+ for R32 or 2024+ for R34 you can assemble it, track it... and finally register it when the time comes. This is perfectly legal. As long you don't drive on public roads. But getting into the country is the FUN part, always...

This is on the same page... you really didn't read.

Not to beat down on you. But, we have many many fanbois come in here and asking the same questions without reading. Sean Morris who used to work for Motorex gave deep perspective in what it takes. It's all in here. I am not going to link it every time someone ask.

It get's tiring.
Modified by Rare_f8 at 3:29 PM 5/5/2009

[ventrex]

This is on the same page... you really didn't read.

Not to beat down on you. But, we have many many fanbois come in here and asking the same questions without reading. Sean Morris who used to work for Motorex gave deep perspective in what it takes. It's all in here. I am not going to link it every time someone ask.

It get's tiring.

Modified by Rare_f8 at 3:29 PM 5/5/2009

[a2000rt2]

Ok then, let's just do this another way.If you know exactly how to do it from start to finish then just tell everyone and you wont have to repeat anything ever again. The problem there is you have to have someone to disassemble just to get it here for you. If you know of this person then tell everybody who and how so they dont have to ask. Make it a posty as is this thread. Or start a new thread what you can do and how, instead of the same thread that 99% of these are that just keep saying you can't import it and register it legally. Just tell them what they can do legally. Give every the name of this "fly by night importer " that can get it here with no problem or how they can instead of just saying and arguing that you can't. Would that be easier for you? Then everyone knows who to go to for what, rather its a whole car, a whole car for parts, an illegal to register and so on.

[AZhitman]

Because we're not in the business of directing traffic to "shady" companies that try to fly under the radar of the Feds.

While I don't agree with the importation and registration rules, it's stupid to think we're gonna circumvent them.

Here's the deal - If you have the scratch to get the parts imported, you don't need our help telling you how to do it.

Again, for the last time - If it were a simple process, I'd have 2. In my driveway. Now.

Just because you don't like the answers that this thread has given you, doesn't make them the "wrong" answers.

Here's a short answer for you as far as what you can do legally:

You can buy parts of a Skyline from Japan and have them shipped here for use on your car.

How's that?

[raremotive]

You can buy parts of a Skyline from Japan and have them shipped here for use on your car.

How's that?

Yep, you don't need them to be eligible to enter the country. As long you are not smuggling something else, they don't care.

Again, for the last time - If it were a simple process, I'd have 2. In my driveway. Now.

A early model R32 and R34..

[leon14]

To bad MotoRex shut down.

well i own a skyline GTR R33 v spec but those skylines are alot easier to import or register than R34's i want a R34 so bad but theres only 2 ways i know to get one here legalized

1.) Buy one from someone who already has a legal one 2.) go to Kaizo so they can give you the unibody and you just add the drive train and engine

[raremotive]

[AZhitman]

1) Good idea, but expensive.2) Still not Federally legal. Try again.

[CaribR32]

I've read through the entire thread.

I own an R32 GT-R in St. Kitts. Here we had absolutely no emmisions or safety regs, just rediculous import duties so I had no problems importing the car a year ago.

I'm moving to the US soon. I was considering contactint the DOT and other sanctioning bodies to maybe allow the car into the US.

After reading all of this I figured it would be better to just contact a friend in Japan and look for a DR30 and ship that.

Unless the R30 is falls under the same problem as the R32-R34.

If not it's a solid plan no?

[Vandrel]

R30's are legal, one of the SOUSA guys just brought one into VA and got it registered recently. Still a pain in the a** but it's 100% legal.

[roadrunr]

so what would it take $ wise to become a registered importer? I have a close friend who owns a wrecking yard so 75% of the paperwork should be done, any ideas? I have read MGA's report on crash testing the GTR and I think I have a pretty good idea of what Motorex did to make them compliant, besides all the stickers and safety requirements there was some bracing that had to be installed. Besides there are other ways to find out but it will take a lot of research. And part of that would be getting a GTR here to compare with. So does anyone know of a place where just a body could be purchased and shipped in from? It wouldn't be a waste as it to could be converted later on. And why couldn't the smog equipment from a same year US compliant Nissan be used on a RB26 with a standalone?

[AZhitman]

I've read through the entire thread.

I own an R32 GT-R in St. Kitts. Here we had absolutely no emmisions or safety regs, just rediculous import duties so I had no problems importing the car a year ago.

I'm moving to the US soon. I was considering contactint the DOT and other sanctioning bodies to maybe allow the car into the US.

After reading all of this I figured it would be better to just contact a friend in Japan and look for a DR30 and ship that.

Unless the R30 is falls under the same problem as the R32-R34.

If not it's a solid plan no?

Welcome aboard, and welcome back to the US!

I can't see any easy way to get your 32 in-country, unfortunately. If there was, we'd all do a brief stint in a US territory, import the dream car, and box it up for the US.

The R30? No problem. 25 years old is good to go.

[XMSducksauce]

I'd kill for an R34, but I can't wait till 2025 for one...okay you got me. I can!

[roadrunr]

I wonder if the RI part can be waivered, its just to have someone responsible for recalls and the like and if you agree to take care of all that yourself, then there should be a way to get a waiver on it. Now that addendum A has been released it shouldn't be too hard to make one legal. I'm going to check into it and I'll let you guy's know what I find out. One more thing, why are only 96 to 98 one's eligible when the testing was on a 99?

[the converted]

And you'll be getting a OBDII ecu to run it from where? If releasing the addendum made it that much easier, there would be no skylines left in Japan.

[roadrunr]

It does not have to be ODB2, read this http://www.ccar-greenlink.org/Search/1702body.htm

So there should be a way to modify a 300Z ECU to work. I know that Motorex used 3 catalytic converters and got them approved. This is most likely all that EPA requires and leaves the rest up to the individual states. If you do know that they specifically require ODB2 please let me know where you read that, I would also like to read it.

[the converted]

All cars that were manufactured after Dec 31 1995 had to be OBD II compliant from an EPA mandate. Because the importation process requires the cars to meet emissions standards your kind of screwed with that one. Motorex may have gotten around this one but then again, they are responsible for most of the mess of why it is so difficult now to import one.

I snagged this right off the EPA's website.

On-Board Diagnostics, or "OBD," is a computer-based system built into all 1996 and later light-duty vehicles and trucks, as required by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. OBD systems are designed to monitor the performance of some of an engine's major components including those responsible for controlling emissions.

[s13-t]

I dont feel that this question has been fully addressed. - Is it legal to tailor an r32 from Canada into the US with or without the engine, then just let it sit in my garage until it can be registered? I know its illegal to drive an unregistered vehicle but is it illegal to own one and not drive it...? reason I ask is because Im close to the border, my family has friends in canada, and my family has all the equipment needed to transport a car like that. we could even load it into a shipping container...

[AZhitman]

Not illegal at all.

At that point, it's treated like parts. Or furniture.

[Eikon]

So by simply pulling the motor out of the car, it can be brought over as a parts car. Then I could reassemble it in my garage and wait for 5 years for it to be "of age" and then go register it?

[s13-t]

if this is true, then i will sell my sr20 240sx and buy the silver 91 r32 for sale in bc. a 7 hour drive lol.

[the converted]

Yup, if it comes over without engine/transmission it is an assemblage of parts and can be imported legally. Then you just have to let it sit until it is 25 years old.

[s13-t]

but I can install the engine and drivetrain but then just never drive it on public streets? that legal? could I get away with installing everything except like an igniter chip then plugging it in when I want to take laps in my neighborhood?

[AZhitman]

Ummm, no.

Your neighborhood consists of public roads. You need to register a car to use it on public roads, and most states have insurance requirements as well.

You can trailer it to a track and drive it there.

[a2000rt2]

These were the same questions I was asking and couldn't get a straight answer, all answers were no its not legal and why dont you read the post.

[s13-t]

thanks for the info. I knew it was illegal in my neighborhood however I could drive it there and no one would care. wouldn't drive around town though. sweet, well now I get to rebuild my sr in order to sell my 240 then go buy a skyline.

[CaribR32]

Welcome aboard, and welcome back to the US!

I can't see any easy way to get your 32 in-country, unfortunately. If there was, we'd all do a brief stint in a US territory, import the dream car, and box it up for the US.

The R30? No problem. 25 years old is good to go.

Sweet. I'm already looking for an RS-Turbo clone. Also considering an R31 GTS-R clone.

[ventrex]

I am friend with the owner of R31 House in japan. He has soo many R30's and R31's over there. Let me know if you would be interested in any. I have been trying to get an R31 GTS-X. my email address is [email protected]

[s13-t]

think I found an easier way to get the r32 into my drive way with less legal drama...

here's my situation. I live in Kennewick WA. no emissions bs, no state troopers inspecting vehicles ect... My WA state drivers license says my address is in eltopia- family farm...all my bills go to the address on my ID. The house I live in is owned by a family friend and rent is paid in cash with no paperwork or documentation. so Basically the po pos dont know where to find me if they wanted to. That being said now I will explain my idea. My family has many friends and customers in Canada. Its easy for me to hitch a week long trip through Canada with my father. So, I am going to try and get a Canadian PO box that will let me use the company physical address as my own. Then schedule to get my Quebec Drivers license and Canadian auto insurance on an r32 skyline. Then I can drive the car across the border to "visit" my friends and family and when/ if pulled over by the po I would give the Canadian information. I wouldn't drive often and therefor wouldn't be questioned about If I had moved to the states and have 60 days to swap registration.

my question is, do the take the old license? - the WA state one- and if they do take it from you do they use a joint database where the dmv in the states would see that they took my license in exchange.

another option would be to wait another year- turn 21 get new license- give Quebec the old license like weeks before it expires, return to WA, get my new 21 license... then If pulled over I give whichever info is necessary for the vehicle I'm in.

[prestonp06]

i had to become a member just so i can talk with you guys lol. i dont own a nissan, datsun, or an infinity; but i am a really big fan of the R34.

i appreciate all the info this series of pages has to offer.

AND to the best of my knowlege, i understand that to be able to drive a R34 in the US, it must either be....

-A Motorex Skyline seeing that there was a bond stating that they could be legalized because of the tests and mods (or lack of) that they underwent by their licensed contractors for emmissions and crash tests. (We all know how that fiasco turned out)

-And Kaizo, (Looking back at the old replies from that "c*** Face" MostH8D), sells VINless bodys and do not need OBDII because according to Casey from JSPECConnect because they sell motorless unibodies but in Cali you must apply for a Smog kit car exemption, but good luck because there is only 500!. And the DMV will have no records of the Kaizo brand they will be assigned the model year as the default (1960). This also is from Casey. The VIN on the bodys is just a body number and the US VIN will be assigned to them when attempting to register the car and discovering that its not in the system.

how are things looking?

and as for kaizo bodys. its just the body. the engine is up to your choice but you better hope you're one of the 500 SMOG exemptions annually for CA. (I intend to search for the guys in charge of these releases and invite them to a BBQ)



correct me if i'm wrong b/c i want a R34 and i would like the definite facts.

oh and i saw something earlier in this discussion about the 1999 R34 becoming a rare and collectable car therefore making it elegable for importation. the document was dated Jan of 2009.