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

A forum for owners and fans of the legendary Nissan Skyline and Nissan GTR.
SmallCity765
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Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:41 pm

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I will read this entire forum and hopeful answer most of my laundry list of questions. I am a longstanding member on a bmx forum so I too hate it when people do this. Apologies for posting prior to investigation.


SmallCity765
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Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:41 pm

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Alright. First off, AZhitman I can't believe you've answered the same questions year in and year out about this subject. Kudos to you. I got some of my questions answered and some of them still loom out there.
*I can't store the car until 2020 because it is not coming from its original country of origin.
*Cars aren't getting crushed, but worst case scenario is they could be.

Unanswered questions:
*Could you part these seized & auctioned cars out stateside? This is sacrelige to me, but is it possible?
*Do you have to do anything to own these cars and just have them in your garage or can the govt just take them based on the fact they're in the US.

This car went at auction today for $5500, which is absurd to me considering its a GTR. I ended up winning the auction but no money has changed hands yet. If I can own this car and just take it to the track Im heavily considering it
Image

tittitbangbang
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man i read all of it... this guy have a r32 92 with the wisconsin title and the guys seem to be honest about it... what really inrested in his vehicle is because he have the form from japan with english translate, the bill of sales, the bills of lading, and he have wiscoinsin title for the car and rehgistration also ( Currently US TITLE and successfull registration ) but he also hold canana title and registration from canada too... so can AZHITMAN help me and answer me ?

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AZhitman
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SmallCity765 wrote:I will read this entire forum and hopeful answer most of my laundry list of questions. I am a longstanding member on a bmx forum so I too hate it when people do this. Apologies for posting prior to investigation.
No worries, brother - All good questions. There's no "grandfathering" in... otherwise, I'd have a warehouse full of R32/33/34 just waiting for the calendar to roll by.

Part out - Yep (but still exposes you to some risk). Track use? Yep. The only issue comes when you try to pass one off as a legitimately-titled, street-legal, registered car.

Trust me, I think the whole legal issue is stupid, but while it's in effect, we're here to help keep you guys from getting screwed.

I don't give a damn about the importers - Most of them are shady, and in the 13 years I've been doing this, they ALL think they're smarter than the rest of us, without fail. :)

p.s. <-- long-time BMX dad (ABA).

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AZhitman
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tittitbangbang wrote:man i read all of it... this guy have a r32 92 with the wisconsin title and the guys seem to be honest about it... what really inrested in his vehicle is because he have the form from japan with english translate, the bill of sales, the bills of lading, and he have wiscoinsin title for the car and rehgistration also ( Currently US TITLE and successfull registration ) but he also hold canana title and registration from canada too... so can AZHITMAN help me and answer me ?
I already answered these questions. A Wisconsin title just means he found someone stupid at the Wisconsin DMV. :)

It's not Federally legal, so if you buy it, all the concerns still apply (can't legally insure it, can't legally register it, and if you get in an accident, you'll get your a$$ sued off by any attorney worth his degree). AND, your insurance company won't pay out, because you obtained coverage fraudulently.

It can still be seized by Customs.

Ask him for the Bond Release paperwork and ask which Registered Importer made the car Federally legal. He won't answer you, because he won't have that.
tittitbangbang wrote:the guys seem to be honest about it...
Don't ALL car salesmen? :rotfl

tittitbangbang
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Car: 06 nissan 350z

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:wtf2:
AZhitman wrote:
tittitbangbang wrote:man i read all of it... this guy have a r32 92 with the wisconsin title and the guys seem to be honest about it... what really inrested in his vehicle is because he have the form from japan with english translate, the bill of sales, the bills of lading, and he have wiscoinsin title for the car and rehgistration also ( Currently US TITLE and successfull registration ) but he also hold canana title and registration from canada too... so can AZHITMAN help me and answer me ?
I already answered these questions. A Wisconsin title just means he found someone stupid at the Wisconsin DMV. :)

It's not Federally legal, so if you buy it, all the concerns still apply (can't legally insure it, can't legally register it, and if you get in an accident, you'll get your a$$ sued off by any attorney worth his degree). AND, your insurance company won't pay out, because you obtained coverage fraudulently.

It can still be seized by Customs.

Ask him for the Bond Release paperwork and ask which Registered Importer made the car Federally legal. He won't answer you, because he won't have that.
tittitbangbang wrote:the guys seem to be honest about it...
Don't ALL car salesmen? :rotfl
sorry if i miss your question about it and if you already nanswer it , but what i planning to purchase the car for is just track it and have fun with it as a event and track car and wont be driving it to public until 2016 and willing to wait three years from 2013 and 2 more years at 2016 and then register it from there....but then since it will be legal from 2016 what do i have to fills out and form and suchs, and what else do i need to get it legal in 2016. agains im sorry for your time if i miss the question u answered.....thank you man.. what part of arizona are you from

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AZhitman
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tittitbangbang wrote:wont be driving it to public until 2016 and willing to wait three years from 2013 and 2 more years at 2016 and then register it from there
Won't matter. You'd have to export it, then re-import it.

It was brought in illegally, so it can't be "grandfathered" in.

Like I said, if that was a feasible way around the rules, I'd have a warehouse full of R32/33/34 just waiting to be registered. Customs is smarter than that.

EDIT: Surprise, AZ

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usafdarkhorse
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Props to you for fielding all the questions, AZhitman.

It gets really old, especially when no one does the leg work to read about what they profess to know. What has really frustrated the flow of accurate information is the confusion over previous eligibility to import several models to now loopholes being closed into virtual non-eligibility; people just "know a guy" who has one and assume that it was done correctly.

The topic of R34 GT-R legality came up recently in a car forum local to me with one member proclaiming that the R34, as well as most Japanese Honda Type-R models (NSX-R, ITR), were on a "lifetime NHTSA ban list" where you could not import them, even over 25 years old. When I asked where he found that info, he dredged up an excel file from NHTSA with the filename "List of Nonconforming Vehicles Ineligible for admittance under Show or Display", which I found humorous.

Moral of the story: Go to NHTSA and read the import regs for yourself, with emphasis on READ (understand).

tittitbangbang
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yep that what i thought... .. i read . and just want to confirm the info on the law with the pro's thank once again azhitman, i guess save up now for 89 or 90 thens

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AZhitman
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Glad to help.

At some point, we'll need to clean up this thread, and turn it into a FAQ... Sounds like a week-long project. :)

SmallCity765
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Has anyone on here bought one of the govt repo ' s to use as a racecar? That's the only reason I want this csr, what scares me is the export only title. I don't k ow if they will come after me if it's not exported. They made note of some promissory note I'd have to sign before I could take possession.

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AZhitman
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Location: Surprise, Arizona
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SmallCity765 wrote:Has anyone on here bought one of the govt repo ' s to use as a racecar? That's the only reason I want this csr, what scares me is the export only title. I don't k ow if they will come after me if it's not exported. They made note of some promissory note I'd have to sign before I could take possession.
To my knowledge, you've got to have the export already arranged. It's set up for people who want to sell the car to someone in another country.

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Extreme Dimensions
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nismo1118
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Saw this posted on Sean's blog. So is it not necessary to wait until August for an early production car like I have seen stated here several times in the past?

Caplax40
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nismo1118 wrote:Saw this posted on Sean's blog. So is it not necessary to wait until August for an early production car like I have seen stated here several times in the past?
I have the same question and am confused as well. I talked with JDM Legends earlier this year and also exchanged emails with Sean in the past few months regarding the date the cars would be available and was told the same thing.

What gives??

cdn_bmxer
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I saw this also on Sean's Blog. Very confusing/interesting .

I have a possible theory. Maybe it can be "Busted" by someone who knows better than I .

In Japan the cars VIN plate does not show the month/year of production , this is only on the Japanese registration . So when someone imports a car in from Japan it clearly states on the de-registration papers the first month/year of production .

Now if the car is already registered in Canada it no longer states the month of first registration in Japan on its Title/Registration paperwork only the year of the car.

So unless the Custom officer checks with Nissan on the month of production there is no information on the Car or Paperwork stating exact month of production ,only the year.

This is only a Theory on my part based on the VIN plate info on my 89 , my Canadian registration ( British Columbia ) & all the paperwork I have kept since importing it from Japan.

If this is the case , you will be able to import cars that are already registered somewhere in Canada earlier than getting one out of Japan.

cdn_bmxer
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Sean just posted an answer on his Blog to our questions .

BTW Sean , thanks for clearing this up.

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Tofubadguy
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AZhitman wrote:Glad to help.

At some point, we'll need to clean up this thread, and turn it into a FAQ... Sounds like a week-long project. :)
Can we make wagers? I bet a basket of vegetables from Bountiful Baskets it'll take longer than a week! ;)

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AZhitman
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Hmmmm.... I like me some Bountiful Baskets... ;)

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themadscientist
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You mean bath and bodyworks baskets you old softee.

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Tofubadguy
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l31nismo wrote: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......
AZhitman wrote: The Altima and Maxima DO NOT share a common front subframe.

The LCA from each car is more than $100 difference in price. They're different parts. That's just the FIRST part I checked.

So which is it? Swapping subframes is a subject near and dear to my heart! ;)

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hotwings2112
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hey there guys and gals,

kinda newer to this GTR thread but I am stationed in Japan. At the end of this year, 1989 GTR's will be legal to import because of the 25 year mark. If you are looking for cars or parts, please don't be afraid to ask. I've got a few friends who can speak japanese pretty fluently.

:werd:

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AZhitman
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Tofubadguy wrote:So which is it? Swapping subframes is a subject near and dear to my heart! ;)
How do ya feel about helping a brotha swap S13 F/R subframes onto a 620 pickup frame? :)

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Gold Digger
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hotwings2112 wrote:hey there guys and gals,

kinda newer to this GTR thread but I am stationed in Japan. At the end of this year, 1989 GTR's will be legal to import because of the 25 year mark. If you are looking for cars or parts, please don't be afraid to ask. I've got a few friends who can speak japanese pretty fluently.

:werd:
They usually just ask me...been here 10 years now. I gots seniority...LOL

loopyR31
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A little late on reply here, I've been an avid lurker of this forum for awhile and didn't bother to register until recently after purchasing a R31. Just wanted to toss a thanks out for the info posted here. After having to do all the leg work myself to get my car I found this thread to be quite helpful though I still would never do it again.

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jbracy7
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Idont even have gtr and the money I spent to get this dawm car,could been a down payment on 13 gtr

federalizedrhd
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Hey guys,
New here as you can see...
I want to crash test some R34's and EPA compliance.
Are there any registered importers that will do it? And will stand by their word and contrast?
My understanding is there needs to be three crash tests: Side, front, and rear and a simulated roll-over to test for fuel leakage.
I have read over the released conformance package for the R33.
J&k used two cars for all tests it seems and still is keeping airbag information to themselves.

Any insightful information would be appreciated...

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usafdarkhorse
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Good luck

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EL MAMITO USMC
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federalizedrhd wrote:Hey guys,
New here as you can see...
I want to crash test some R34's and EPA compliance.
Are there any registered importers that will do it? And will stand by their word and contrast?
My understanding is there needs to be three crash tests: Side, front, and rear and a simulated roll-over to test for fuel leakage.
I have read over the released conformance package for the R33.
J&k used two cars for all tests it seems and still is keeping airbag information to themselves.

Any insightful information would be appreciated...
not really..

just hit up Rivsu Imports and they can bring you a Skyline 100% legal... :bigthumb:

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kabob
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federalizedrhd wrote:Hey guys,
New here as you can see...
I want to crash test some R34's and EPA compliance.
Are there any registered importers that will do it? And will stand by their word and contrast?
My understanding is there needs to be three crash tests: Side, front, and rear and a simulated roll-over to test for fuel leakage.
I have read over the released conformance package for the R33.
J&k used two cars for all tests it seems and still is keeping airbag information to themselves.

Any insightful information would be appreciated...
That will cost you into near 6 figures just for two cars, much less the thousands and thousands you'd need for JK to do the testing and certification.


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