Guest kromwell Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Hello all!! Was just browsing around the tapatalk app and found this forum. Great site! My name is Kornel and I live in the US. I work in the transportation industry for CSX. The east coast's biggest railroad. I do heavy track construction and repair. Its a pretty interesting job to say the least! My dream car has always been a supra for as long as I can remember. I just can't get by paying the prices that the people want to sell them for in this country!! Do any of you guys have much experience exporting your cars to America? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupraStar 3000 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Hi and welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_p Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Unfortunately, you can't realistically have a UK/J-Spec Supra in the states, I looked into it and there isn't any way round it unless you are willing to buy 4, convert them all to US Spec(i.e. replace glass, tires, basically everything that isn't US marked) then give 3 of them away to be destroyed in crash tests, then if they pass the crash tests, you get to keep the 4th legally The other way is to strip the car down and ship the shell and engine/transmission seperately, then reassemble it in the states and register it as a kit car, however, if the authorities discover what you have done, they will take the car and crush it. Otherwise, wait until the car is 25 years old, then you can import it straight in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guigsy Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 There are quite a few skylines over there and I'm sure some jspec supras too. Titan have a skyline for sale i think Id imagine it depends on the individual state laws. We are the wrong forum to ask though tbh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxluc Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Welcome to the forum. I guess everything is possible .. when you find the right guys to speak to, I guess you could get a nice RHD imported You're right : the Supra is the greatest car ever made Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_p Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 There are quite a few skylines over there and I'm sure some jspec supras too. Titan have a skyline for sale i think Id imagine it depends on the individual state laws. We are the wrong forum to ask though tbh There was a guy who got some R33's in legally by crash testing them, however, he then tried getting R34's in with the R33's crash results, customs then caught on and hunted down the R34's and any R33 that was brought in from the point that he brought the first R34 in and they then took them away and crushed them. IIRC there is about 15-20 legal R33's in the US and they do go for silly money. Triston, one of the guys I met at Supra national had an R33 GTS-T that was worth about 30k. In regard to the Supra's, there are some J-spec's over there that are on US plates as the DMV will issue plates as they don't check the cars like we do, however, I can assure you that they are living on borrowed time, if they get pulled they could never see the car again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyson Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Hello all!! Was just browsing around the tapatalk app and found this forum. Great site! My name is Kornel and I live in the US. I work in the transportation industry for CSX. The east coast's biggest railroad. I do heavy track construction and repair. Its a pretty interesting job to say the least! My dream car has always been a supra for as long as I can remember. I just can't get by paying the prices that the people want to sell them for in this country!! Do any of you guys have much experience exporting your cars to America? Your best bet would be to try this forum as it is based in the US and some people might have done it before or be better explaining the legalities of importing a Supra. http://www.supraforums.com/forum/forum.php Forgot to say HI and Welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Unfortunately, you can't realistically have a UK/J-Spec Supra in the states, I looked into it and there isn't any way round it unless you are willing to buy 4, convert them all to US Spec(i.e. replace glass, tires, basically everything that isn't US marked) then give 3 of them away to be destroyed in crash tests, then if they pass the crash tests, you get to keep the 4th legally The other way is to strip the car down and ship the shell and engine/transmission seperately, then reassemble it in the states and register it as a kit car, however, if the authorities discover what you have done, they will take the car and crush it. Otherwise, wait until the car is 25 years old, then you can import it straight in. There was a guy who got some R33's in legally by crash testing them, however, he then tried getting R34's in with the R33's crash results, customs then caught on and hunted down the R34's and any R33 that was brought in from the point that he brought the first R34 in and they then took them away and crushed them. IIRC there is about 15-20 legal R33's in the US and they do go for silly money. Triston, one of the guys I met at Supra national had an R33 GTS-T that was worth about 30k. In regard to the Supra's, there are some J-spec's over there that are on US plates as the DMV will issue plates as they don't check the cars like we do, however, I can assure you that they are living on borrowed time, if they get pulled they could never see the car again. Wow, I didn't realise it was that hard to import a car over there! Must be why the US Supras demand such high prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyson Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Wow, I didn't realise it was that hard to import a car over there! Must be why the US Supras demand such high prices. It's mainly to down to very strict emission laws hence why they stopped selling them there from 1999. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_p Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Wow, I didn't realise it was that hard to import a car over there! Must be why the US Supras demand such high prices. It's mainly to down to very strict emission laws hence why they stopped selling them there from 1999. Yup, it's very strict, however, it's nothing to do with emissions, it could be an electric car or a 10 litre V12, it makes no difference under import regulations, it's down to the fact that any car that was not purchased new in the states could be a death trap as far as they are concerned as it won't have been crash tested, even if the only difference is EU marking on the glass instead of US, that's enough of a difference for them to say that it needs to go through the tests that all new cars go through. Rediculous, I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbhold75 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 The only other way besides crash testing and waiting till the vehicle is 25 years old, is to get the manufacturer, on their letter head, to state that said vehicle meets the US Department of Transportation regulations and saftey standards for that production year. I even went as far as asking if I were to convert a LHD to RHD, if it would be legal? They informed me it would depend on the state I wanted to register the vehicle. I also spoke with a few importers and another option is for race/track use only or dedicated show car, provided it does not touch public roads, but there is a time limit of like 5 years for that one iirc. I know people have had good luck registering RHD's in FL and PA(have to know the right people for PA apparently). I would suggest to continue looking for a LHD in the US, as they occasionally come up for sub-$18k, but normally require some work if they are TT. NA's under that price range are normally fairly clean. Unless ofcourse you want a low mileage 6 speed TT hard top or wait another 6 years and get a RHD 1993. Good luck in your quest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_p Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 The only other way besides crash testing and waiting till the vehicle is 25 years old, is to get the manufacturer, on their letter head, to state that said vehicle meets the US Department of Transportation regulations and saftey standards for that production year. I've heard that one before aswell, but I'd doubt you would find a manufacturer willing to do this due to legal issues should anything go wrong. I know people have had good luck registering RHD's in FL and PA(have to know the right people for PA apparently). Registering isn't actually much of an issue, I was looking at getting one of my Supra's registered in TX, which I could do fine, but the problem is when (and I do mean 'when') customs come knocking on your door and take the car away. My best way would be to run it on UK plates (which is what I'm doing for next years Supra Nationals) for a year then ship it back to the UK once a year to keep the UK plates as they can't touch you on these. However, the costs will rack up doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I've heard that one before aswell, but I'd doubt you would find a manufacturer willing to do this due to legal issues should anything go wrong. Registering isn't actually much of an issue, I was looking at getting one of my Supra's registered in TX, which I could do fine, but the problem is when (and I do mean 'when') customs come knocking on your door and take the car away. My best way would be to run it on UK plates (which is what I'm doing for next years Supra Nationals) for a year then ship it back to the UK once a year to keep the UK plates as they can't touch you on these. However, the costs will rack up doing this. How much will it cost to ship? Must be well over £1k each way?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbhold75 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 How much will it cost to ship? Must be well over £1k each way?! Had a friend ship his Saleen Mustang over here from the states and he said it cost him $1500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Had a friend ship his Saleen Mustang over here from the states and he said it cost him $1500. I don't think owning a Supra would ever be worth that much money or hassle each year. If I were to move to America, I'd just get a Corvette or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbhold75 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I don't think owning a Supra would ever be worth that much money or hassle each year. If I were to move to America, I'd just get a Corvette or something. Luckily the military ships one car when you move locations, provided it was either previously registered in the US or meets the 25 year age limit. I've heard that one before aswell, but I'd doubt you would find a manufacturer willing to do this due to legal issues should anything go wrong. Registering isn't actually much of an issue, I was looking at getting one of my Supra's registered in TX, which I could do fine, but the problem is when (and I do mean 'when') customs come knocking on your door and take the car away. My best way would be to run it on UK plates (which is what I'm doing for next years Supra Nationals) for a year then ship it back to the UK once a year to keep the UK plates as they can't touch you on these. However, the costs will rack up doing this. I have seen some nice RHD Supra's in the states, but true they can be confiscated at anytime. I thought about bying one for a while, but the potential risk was too great. Another possible option for you is registering your car in Canada, only has to be 15 years old there. Would also be a shorter drive, but not sure on the actual ease of doing it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_p Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 How much will it cost to ship? Must be well over £1k each way?! All depends on how you want it shipping, I'll be using RORO (Roll On Roll Off), it's far cheaper but you need to cover the car in temporary bump strips or it will pick up quite a few door dents, also, you will want to remove every item that can be removed easily (stereo/gearknobs/etc) or the theiving gits will have them on the boat. I'll be looking at £700 each way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 All depends on how you want it shipping, I'll be using RORO (Roll On Roll Off), it's far cheaper but you need to cover the car in temporary bump strips or it will pick up quite a few door dents, also, you will want to remove every item that can be removed easily (stereo/gearknobs/etc) or the theiving gits will have them on the boat. I'll be looking at £700 each way. Could you be sly and get a friend in the shipping industry say you shipped the car over and back and then someone over here to do the paperwork (MOT and stuff I assume) and send it to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_p Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Could you be sly and get a friend in the shipping industry say you shipped the car over and back and then someone over here to do the paperwork (MOT and stuff I assume) and send it to you? I wouldn't know the technicalities of doing something like that, sounds like something that could get you in a lot of trouble , mine is just going over for a holiday and Supra Nationals though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkei Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I didn't realise Supras were so expensive/saught after in the USA? What's the average price of a US spec Supra? And what are their numbers like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al02uk Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 They go for big money, some on ebay now for $20-$50k. I always wondered why people here didn't just buy cheap Supra's and export them, earning loads of money from each car. Then I read Marc's post on the US rules and realised why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kromwell Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Thanks for all the info guys! My buddy sent me this list too, which I guess are the only cars that can be imported legally. http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/elig100111.pd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kromwell Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 .pdf is the filename... "smartphone" fucked that one up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kromwell Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Also from what I have been finding, the average price for a 1993 supra tt 6-speed with under 100,000 miles is around $25,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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