TheSamba.com :: View topic - anyone know how to import a rhd japanese car here legally?

Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:07 am

ive search for a way to import a rhd subaru here from japan but apparently there is no way to get them here legally in the usa.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:17 am

I guy I know has imported 5 nissan skylines, 2 have made it to him the other 3 were confiscated.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:39 am

Why not just buy an american rhd scooby from the postal service and import all the jdm goodies? That would be a hell of a lot cheaper.
Can jdm cars be brought over legally? Yes, but it is VERY expensive and time consuming. First you gotta find an importer, then theres the paperwork, then you gotta get approval from the DOT, EPA, NTSC, and like a dozen other depts. And any one can say no and ruin your day. Plus the car has to be converted to US specs and approved for crash worthyness. The list goes on and on, so is it possible? Yes. Worth it? Not likely. Save your money and buy a retired postal car (they do exist, I seen 1 in a local junkyard about a year ago).

Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:19 am

Take it all apart and ship it in as replacement automotive parts.
Once done license it as a home built / modified specialty hot rod type car. (or whatever your state calls kit cars and heavy modified units)

It'll take money, a lot of money.

Dave

Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:26 am

I was at the vet with my dog the other day and this old lady was driving a 2007 Jeep Wrangler RHD????? It didn't look like it was ever a postal vehicle??? odd.

John

Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:34 am

I know that Jeep makes a RHD that contract postal workers can order. Not a USPS vehicle, but a private vehicle. Our HCR driver uses a Subaru.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:46 am

I just askes a japanese customer the same thing, and apparently the cars are around 3-4 k for just bodies and 7-10k for complete nice cars. dont know if this is true but it sounds plausible. anyone pull this off? im interested to know. a Japanese standard would be nice.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:48 am

my65vert wrote: I guy I know has imported 5 nissan skylines, 2 have made it to him the other 3 were confiscated.

:shock: That's a hell of a price to pay to get two skylines...

Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:53 am

The Sage wrote: I know that Jeep makes a RHD that contract postal workers can order. Not a USPS vehicle, but a private vehicle. Our HCR driver uses a Subaru. Our carrier uses a RHD Jeep Liberty. The other carrier in the area uses a RHD Subaru wagon. The part timer that covers both routes uses a RHD Wrangler. There are quite a few of these in the valley, most of them 4WD.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:24 am

look for a company that imports used honda/toyota motors from Japan. they are probably your best bet. Usually they will bring over a crashed shell, so you can swap the RHD stuff over.

If you have a way to get something from canada to here:

http://www.jdmracingcars.com/car.php?id=116

Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:24 am

You can sometimes order them straight through the dealerships. I remember Honda and Mazda did it once. Saw a RHD Miata about 6 years ago. But shifting with your left? Nah, I can't even tighten a nut and bolt with my left hand! :P
Jeff

Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:34 am

A friend of mine ran a local car shop about a year ago. They made two RHD 240's out of american LHD's. You should be able to do the same with the Scooby.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:08 pm

thanks for the response everyone, i was told that you could buy them and have them shipped into canada. i would then have to zip up across the border and bring it back.......yeah, right, i almost got my beetle confiscated at the border. they said it sat too low to be driven safely and held me up for about an hour. i dont think that i could just squeak thru with a rhd subie with japan plates and a fist full of shipping documents. i was also thinking about rhd beetles, john jones from kcw had that 51 split that he converted. he had it swapped to center steer rack and pinion. so far as pedal assemblies, if anyone reading this in england or australia we americans are drooling for rhd pedal assemblies. i also know that you guys appreciate a lhd car there. couldnt someone just start hittin some scrapyards there and we could do some swapping of parts? i was told that a used pedal assembly was a couple hundred but the only one i could find, the dude wanted $1200. dude, i just want the padals, not the whole car.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:15 pm

i know its possible somehow to bring them in, just in the last 6 months ive seen 8 or 9 rhd hondas in the seattle area being driven. legally though, i dont know. they will never pull over to talk to you. a local guy has a rhd subie wrx, he bought it after someone brought it over. he says paperwork is a little iffy but its here. he says cops leave him alone and give him a thumbs up, but he drives real mellow and doesnt give them a reason to pull him over. i just wanted to do it legally and not have to worry bout anything.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:23 pm

i did find out that cars more than 20 yrs old will not have a problem being shipped over at all, dmv just doesnt care. no emmisions, no vehicle inspection, no problem. insuring them might be tricky, just tell them rhd and take your chances or go through a company like grundy that issues policies by agreed dollar values. also, who knows how trustworthy a shipping company can be. car parts or cars are just freight. could be a rhd splittie or 1500 lbs of rebar, its just freight to them

Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:29 pm

^^ You can edit an existing post rather than adding a new post each time.

Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:34 pm

I have heard on some honda sites that the move is to get it into Canada first..

Fri Oct 31, 2008 2:47 pm

My sister in law has a couple RHD suburu wagons and a brand new jeep. She ordered hers from the dealer. She is a postal worker, but you don't need to be to place an order. As far as used vehicles, it sounds like a pain in the rear. Pain better spend doing a LHD to RHD conversion on an existing American spec car.

Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:15 am

Just ship it to Mexico, hire a mule to get it in. If they can get literally MILLIONS of people into the USA surely one little car shouldn't be too much trouble!
Dave

Tue Nov 04, 2008 5:07 pm

I've heard so many stories of cars getting shipped over piece by piece you could try that send a quarter panel here a cup holder there about 5 years later you have a RHD Nissan or otherwise