its good you justified your post topic, i was ready for a throw-down.....

 

Anyone with about $1200 can import any car they would like. But getting it past the Feds at the port is something else completely. To get past the Feds, the car has to be one of the following:

1 in compliance with all Federal safety and emissions regulations
2 over 25 years old
3 for off-road use only
4 for show and display only (a list of cars approved for this is avail at the NHTSA site)
5 has to be in the hands of a company registered to conduct federalization mods to the car if it is not up to US specs.

If you happen to get around these rules, your next challenge is to get the car registered at your local DMV. If the car is not US spec, it's VIN# will show that. If you do not have the proper paperwork showing the car meets all Fed requirements, you will get no registration.

If you get a noncompliant car registered at your DMV you will be fine until you need to file a claim with your insurance company. If they see any problems with the cars vin, or any other oddities with the method with which it is registered, they can and will deny your claim.

Chances are the Silvia you saw was imported as 'parts'....ie the engine was removed from the body which was seperated from the suspension which was seperate from the interior. They then took those parts and installed them into a similar US spec body shell. Or the car was imported whole as 'parts' and was repaired to driveable condition and registered as a salvaged car using vin tags from a totalled US spec car.


SC~ who has actually imported a car before.

 

thanks for all the replies...