How to buy a Nissan Skyline GT-R in America
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It can be done, however it is very difficult and expensive since you will have to get all the legal issues and everything else arranged yourself. Here is the importing policy from J's Garage (http://www.j-garage.com/imports.htm)
*"If you are in the US :
This is information about importing the JDM car into the US.
As you may know, all the Japanese specifications vehicles (JDM car) are Right Hand Drive. Unfortunately, it is difficult to import JDM cars into the US at present except the 25 years or older model, race cars, show cars, and kit cars. It is because you have to obtain the approval from the DOT and the EPA in order to import the JDM car and it needs to legalize a car when it will reach to the US port.
Let me advise you that unless you wish to present crash test data for any Right Hand Drive car, it cannot legally be imported to the US. This is prohibitively expensive as a vehicle must be crashed to obtain the data, and we do not support the crash test data. Also the JDM car probably do not meet the US emission standard. And after 1996 models probably need to install the OBD2 system in order to pass the emission standard.
For your information, here is a link of the US importing information.
EPA : http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/quikover.htm
DOT : http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/
US customs : http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/import/As of Oct 2003 the only RHD JDM allowed for import into US is 1990-1999 Skyline GTS GTR. The vehicle must go to US conversion company (est 8k-18k USD) to meet US DOT standards. And you have to give them a returnable "bond" of 150% of vehicle value until conversion is done. If you get caught with an illegal one on the roads it will be confiscated and destroyed at your cost.
NOTE : We J's Garage Export do not support any import procedure. The buyer is responsible for any necessary procedures, or any transfers, or any modifications for them to import the car."*
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speedstyle wrote:
- The vehicle must go to US conversion company (est 8k-18k USD) to meet US DOT standards. And you have to give them a returnable "bond" of 150% of vehicle value until conversion is done.*
exactly...that would be motorex which doesnt do it anymore...so bye bye to legalizing skylines at this time...they are trying to get someone else authorized tho
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buy one, put it in your house, and stair at it!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4560131083&category=6392&sspagename=WDVW -
If motorex was the only company to do them then there would only be 175 Skylines in North America.
Here is a small list of companies that will modify japanese cars to meet US specs that was updated June 2005:
ALL TERRAIN TRUCK & EQUIPMENT
13551 SEABREEZE CIR, ANCHORAGE, AK 99516MESA AUTO WHOLESALERS
1903 WEST CANARY WY, CHANDLER, AZ 85248AMERICAN AUTO DREAM
1760 MONROVIA AVE SUITE C-12, COSTA MESA, CA 92627BARRY TAYLOR ENTERPRISES
110 SOUTH 23RD ST UNIT D, RICHMOND, CA 94804G & K AUTOMOTIVE
2530 SOUTH BIRCH ST, SANTA ANA, CA 92707PHOENIX AUTOMOTIVE
20803 HIGGINS CT, TORRANCE, CA 90501RB MOTORING
15110 EAST NELSON AVE UNIT C, CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA 91744REGISTERED IMPORTER CORPORATION
301 KINETIC DR BLDG 1 ENT 1, OXNARD, CA 93030AUTOMOBILE CONCEPTS
13329 NE 17 AVE, NORTH MIAMI, FL 33181FLORIDA DREAMCARS
830 NE 24TH LA, CAPE CORAL, FL 33909SUNSHINE CAR IMPORT
PO BOX 100124, CAPE CORAL, FL 33910That is a very very very very small part of the list, if you want the whole thing go here: http://nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/web_RI_list06202005.html
If you want all the rules on importing a car they are listed here: http://nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/Not to be a dick, but do some research before saying that it is impossible to get Skylines here.
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Uhhhh, no. Motorex crashed them and did all the testing for them to be brought over here. But as long as an importing company is competent and can bring the car to specs it can be done. Like I said before if motorex was the only company that could import them there would only be 175 Skylines in North America.
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speedstyle wrote:
For your information, here is a link of the US importing information.
EPA : http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/quikover.htm
DOT : http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/
US customs : http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/import/Just read this stuff it should answer all questions.
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I mean is it really worth it to pay all that money to get a skyline? We do have EVO's and STi's now.
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brett we really need your reply now...you are the know all on this board about motorex happenings...or lack there of at this moment...im still sticking with the fact that skylines are only legalized by motorex to be driven as street cars...but im not gonna argue for all i know i could be wrong...
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PSiedTSi wrote:
brett we really need your reply now...you are the know all on this board about motorex happenings...or lack there of at this moment...im still sticking with the fact that skylines are only legalized by motorex to be driven as street cars...but im not gonna argue for all i know i could be wrong...Motorex was the easiest way, but not the only way.
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http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/web_RI_list06202005.html
Here is the whole list of registered importers. Most of them will do conversions to japanese cars. Why would they not do a full DOT legalization if they registered through the U.S. government and they are willing to import the vehicle for you.
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how bout a link to a company that has actually LEGALIZED a skyline besides motorex? A lot of companies did Motorex's work for them...but are not authorized to convert them by themselves...skylines that is
edit: i see it lists a place in west fargo...go ask them to import and legalize a skyline :rolleyes:
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http://www.fargostreet.com/showthread.php?t=1269&highlight=Motorex
http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB4&Number=67900300&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1 and this is what i found:
With all the problems surrounding Motorex, why doesn't someone else step up and do this? Even just to help out the people who are currently stuck in the system?
whoa. no one else can step up because no one has the proprietary information that motorex has (except Sean) and maybe other current and former employees on the nature of all of the NHTSA modifications. The EPA stuff can still be done for cars 95 or older because it was just being sub'd out to G&K Automotive.
The NHTSA stuff faces two hurdles from what I understand at this point:
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SRS Issue (unless your car is a 95 GTR with dual SRS, then you are f@cked)
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a headlight issue that another member here mentioned that is not public knowledge (yet)
I would be happy to make a cash investment into a company that would be willing to step up to the plate and take over from where motorex left off. in fact, i think a few other RI's wouldn't mind attempting either once motorex is out of the picture completely. Wallace has reverse engineered cars before that were modified to comply using "confidential" procedures, and successfully replicated those modifications and gotten bond release from NHTSA on a few different european cars. Their concern to me when I spoke with them 1.5 years ago was that NHTSA frowns on that type of activity and unless Wallace could prove that Motorex had shared their secrets, then NHTSA would be hard to convince. NHTSA is out to help protect the RI that made the initial investment to get the car onto the eligibility list.
im not sure much else has to be said...read the 2nd link i posted that pretty much sums up everything...those guys posting about whats going on are like the Nissan gods...
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wannabe wrote:
Motorex bought the right's to be the only people able to import skylines. Maybe the s15's and other shit from japan can be liegalized, but motorex is THE ONLY shop that has the rights to legalize the cars. done.
Ok... Companies can't buy the rights to be the only ones to provide a service thats a monopoly. They have to let competitors in the business, if they didnt they could charge w/e they wanted to. This is why we have a bunch of phone companies when there used to be one, the government split them up because they had a monoply.
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