Grey Market Import petition

[Spinal Tap]

Hi all,

In general, I'm not a fan of online petitions or twit-book "movements", and the like. But finally, there is an online petition I can get behind.

There is a petition on the Whitehouse.gov's website to reduce the amount of time/money the DHS spends on impounding grey-market vehicles, and reduce the age exemption for importing vehicles from 25 years to 15, to align with our Neighbors-to-the-North.

Read about it on AutoBlog here: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/16/petition-started-to-change-gray-market-exemption-from-25-to-15-y/

And go to the petition here:
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition...n=shorturl

Just think about how much easier it'd be to import Syncro's and Doka's!
_________________
'85 Westy
'74 MG-B

[McVanagon]

Sadly, I don't think they're going to make it.

_________________
'69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop

[JeffRobenolt]

I signed, just 19,000 to go for me to get a Doka
_________________
For OEM Subaru and SixStar parts and harness modications
AVsubaruconversions.com

[GrindGarage]

Signed it... Passed it to a buddy on s14.net
_________________
-cliff

91 Vanagon AUTO
97 Single Port EJ22 all smallcar.com

[MarkWard]

I like the idea, but not likely I would create and account on the whitehouse.gov website to do so. Black helicopters and all.

[hdenter]

It will get squashed Dropping the age to 15 years means more decent used cars available to compete with new car sales. Detroit would fight this tooth and nail. I'll still sign, but won't hold my breath.

Hans
_________________
'79 triple white convertible bug
'84 sunroof vanagon
'85 weekender

[foodeater]

Signed it yesterday. No fear about the black helicopters, they're already following me!

No doubt detroit will put the kibosh on the deal. However that being said it was reportedly Mercedes Benz who applied leverage to get the law enacted in the first place. After (according to some sources) the market was flooded of upwards of 20,000 grey market imports of one model in a year, all sold outside of the Mercedes dealer network.
_________________
89 Bluestar-2.5 Subaru Powered-RIP
'84 Westy Tiico-daily driver-sold
'82 Caddy diesel-sold
'87 Vanagon Syncro-RIP
'81 diesel rabbit-sold
'82 Vanagon auto-RIP

[MarkWard]

[nerfer]

[ach60]

[syncrodoka]

[kevin3406]

what the heck is a "doka?
_________________
[insert various aircooled vehicles here] if the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.- Red Green

[syncrodoka]

[sub-hatchtim]

[drscope]

I'm not sure Detroit has any power to deal with this type of thing anymore.

After all, they let Toyota into NASCAR and now I even see Toyota commercials were they are saying Toyota is an American car.

If this keeps up, the radios in our cars will all be made in Japan!

The government has issued millions of dollars to all sorts of organizations in the name of homeland security. This money was supposed to be spent to purchase items which would help secure us as a nation.

New police cars, fire trucks and that sort of thing.

Our local volunteer fire company used their funds to build a new bingo hall.

Customs used the money to buy all sorts of new toys and to add more people to their payroll. Siezure of grey market cars and the red tape and paper work that now go with it is how they justify spending our tax dollars.

This isn't going to pass. Even if 90% of the people in the country signed this petition, it still wouldn't get changed. They need to have something to do.
_________________
Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch!

[Bobnotch]

I agree with above, in that it won't pass even with 100% of the registered voters in America signing it. The DHS has gotten their fingers into every piece of the US budget system now, that there's no way to cut it off. On top of that, their own budget keeps getting bigger in the name of "security".
Unlike drscope's fire dept, ours actually used the money to buy a fire truck. Granted our TWP fire dept still has the moto of "we haven't lost a foundation yet". The big city I live near though, spent their part of the money "granted" to them, on things like training for chemical spills, bomb sniffing equipment, and infra-red glasses to see hot spots in buildings, and other emergency management type of stuff. Note we live within 15 miles of the 3rd busiest "International" border crossing in the USA (Canada is across the river).

As for customs searching for "gray market" cars, all I know is that I doubt any of the auto mfgr's would want 15 year old cars being dumped in the USA, since most of them would be just out of warranty, and would compete on the lots with their own "pre-owned" cars. The big 3 doesn't really care about used cars, as they'd rather sell new ones. As it is, most of the "big players" are now building their cars here in the USA, because it's cheaper.
_________________
Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120