Newbie question on importing

npca-jaw · Post by **npca-jaw** » Wed Dec 04, 2002 12:55 am

Hello,I currently live in Honduras, Central America and have a '93 Nissan Patrol that has served me well these past few years. I am toying with the idea of taking her back with me to Boston, but have no idea what that would entail on the receiving end. I suspect navigating emissions standards and whatnot would be as tedious as navigating Mexican highways. Is this a true assumption? Is it a big deal to bring a Patrol into the U.S. and get it registered? Anyone with particular experiences with Massachusetts DMV, by any chance? And just to prove what a novice I am at all of this, so why aren't there any Patrols sold in the U.S. anyways?I await your wisdom. Or if there is something on the web that answers these questions I'd be greatly appreciative if someone could point me in the right direction.Many thanks,~John (loving his Patrol, but failing to wash it all that frequently)

npca-fud · Post by **npca-fud** » Wed Dec 04, 2002 1:40 pm

Hey John, You could do this but....it will cost you a ton of money because the Patrol is not 25 years old. The newer Patrols having not been sold in the USA do not pass the safty standards of the USA. Emissions is a problem also. If you were to do it you have two choices. Pay to have two vehicles imported, one will get trashed and inspected by the governeing authorities and may or may not pass their tests, this is expensive and you may not get a pass, plus you have importing costs on two vehicles. Second choice is to get a letter from Nissan stating the vehicle is up to US standards. I heard of someone who tried this route and he was denied by Nissan. I think there is one other route which is to have a professional company import the vehicle for you, they handle all the headaches. Yet, I would expect this to cost no less than $10,000. I have heard of this costing closer to $60k or $70k. ouch...way to much money! The other route you could go is find a Patrol down there that is 25 years or older. Probily something not available in the USA like a G60 or WG60 model. Since we have so many stupid laws here in this country a classis, 25 years or older, is exempt from the importing and safty laws. So this is fairly easy to get done. This route will still cost you in the range of $2-$5k depending on shipping method, insurance and so on. There are alot of costs once it gets here to have it titled and registered plus I have heard of imported classics sitting in customs for up to 6 months or more. I have heard of one or two newer Patrols in the USA, I saw an 86 for sale years ago. Talked to the guy and he brought it in from Indonesia. I am not sure how he did it.....I am sure there are loop holes in the system but you have to know what you are doing and like I said don't expect it to be cheap by any means.....If it was easy and affordable to bring in newer vehicles then people would be doing it. Newer Patrols would be all over the place along with alot of other cool vehicles. that's my 2 cents anyways..... Ian

npca-gumby · Post by **npca-gumby** » Wed Dec 04, 2002 3:19 pm

Hello Im a newbie here from Australia , I have a 90 Nissan Patrol shorty Automatic with a 4.2 litre Motor which I after my wife I love more than anything ( sometimes the patrol switches positions with wife ) . My question is ( and I apologise up front if this has been discussed a zillion times before i joined ) has anyone looked at importing Aussie Patrols into USA as I was under the impression our safety laws were one of the highest in the world. I know for a fact that most imports into this country have to be modified to meet Australian standards. The obvious negative up front is the vehicles here are right hand drive and the emission thing i know nothing about. You could pick up a nice later model Patrol here for $12 to $15 thousand which converted to US dollars would be around $7000 - its a shame isnt it when they allow tiny cars into the country that would fit under a patrol in an accident and then impose restrictions on one of the toughest vehicles ive ever owned. my two cents ( one US cent ) gumby

npca-saguaro_hugger · Post by **npca-saguaro_hugger** » Sat Dec 07, 2002 6:38 pm

For those who are interested: www.madmaxcars.com This guy specializes in importing cars (mostly older Holdens and Ford Falcons) into the USA. Given his inventory and past importation behavior, it appears that the 25 year rule applies to Aussie vehicles as well. Rick -PS: Next years Camaro / Firebird will be a Holden Monaro, so apparently they can import something

npca-fud · Post by **npca-fud** » Sun Dec 08, 2002 2:53 pm

http://www.autotrader.com.au/search.asp?MasterCatID=5 ^Australian autotrader....usually at least 10 Patrols on this site for sale, search 1960-1979 Patrols....keep in mind the exchange rate, USA $1 = $1.76 Aus Now if I can only find the same thing in S.America!

npca-alex · Post by **npca-alex** » Tue Dec 24, 2002 12:22 pm

Hey John, First off, the '86 floating around I believe is one that was imported into Canada before Canadian importation laws changed; it was modified to meet Canadian specs by the person who imported it and later sold. A Canadian who permanently moves to the U.S. is allowed to bring one vehicle in with them without it meeting DOT or EPA; a Canadian may also gift/sell/will a vehicle to an immediate family member who is a U.S. resident without it meeting DOT or EPA. In all cases the the Canadian must prove that the vehicle was not purchased with the sole intention of getting it into the U.S. (ie. ownership long before it going into the U.S.) If a vehicle displays the door sill tag that states it meets all Canadian federal motor vehicle safety standards then it is possible for a registered importer to import it. One of the above explains how the '86 got here. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it currently is not possible to bring in a Patrol newer than 25 years and here is why. In order for a vehicle to be eligble for importation it has to have been petitioned by a registered importer to show that there is a vehicle already certified for the U.S. market that is "substantially similar" and then that the vehicle in question is capable of being modified to meet U.S. saftey standards. This determination can also be made by the head of the NHTSA at their discretion. Neither of these has happened for the Patrol. According to the eligibility list there are no Patrols eligible. I am not sure if anyone has tried and failed or if simply no one has tried. If a petition fails a registered inporter can crash test three to prove eligibility. None of the above covers EPA. The DOT has the 25 year rule, the EPA has a 21 year rule, not that that halps any with a '93. However, the good news as far as emissions goes is that it is 6 years old or older which means that an EPA certificate of conformity is not required. A simpler emisisons test called a "MOD test" in the industry by any of the labs across the country that are licensed by the EPA will suffice; some of these labs charge as little as $2000. So, if you really wanted to bring your Patrol in you would need to contract with a registered importer to petition for it's eligibility and pay for the emissions testing. Petitioning is expensive, they say to plan on spending the same amount as the value of the vehicle on the petition process. But, once done it opens the door for more to come in, often a petition can be written such that it covers all model years for a specific model that were there were no runnign changes. For example, the sucessful petitons on file for the Land Cruiser covers covers up to 1989, then a new petition covers 1990 to 1996. For those of you familiar with Cruiser models the first covers the 60 series, the second covers the 80 series, and then there is no petition on file for the 100 series. It would be easy therefore to petition for say a 1979 G60 Patrol because the L60 was certified for the U.S. market through '69, but I guess at this point all 60 series Patrols will be eligible for importation under the 25 year rule in two years, so why bother spending the money. If one were to petition an MQ, all MQ's would/could be covered under the one petition and be eligible, that is like, what, 7 years worth of Patrol models?! Now, above and beyond the above are all the illegal ways to get a vehicle in and licensed. But I will not go into those here as I do not want to get myself in trouble by appearing as if I condone any of these practices nor would I want anyone else to get in trouble by trying them on account of me. I don't know if I have given you enough info, if not e-mail me at woodmansee@ll.net and I will try to answer as many more of your questions as I can and I can even recommend an RI to you if you should so decide. Good luck, Alex.

npca-fud · Post by **npca-fud** » Mon Dec 30, 2002 5:27 am

Hey Alex... The 86 Patrol I know of that is in the USA was in Oregon about 8 years ago. It was a wagon (LWB) and silver/blue. It was in La Grande or La Pine....I spoke with the guy as it was for sale in an autotrader for $6k...he said he brought it in from the Philipiens. Ian

npca-belize · Post by **npca-belize** » Tue Dec 31, 2002 6:03 pm

Very informative letter Alex. Since I'm a Canadian, currently residing in the U.S. (permanent resident) who purchased my patrol 2 + years ago and if I can bring one vehicle in without meeting EPA requirements this sounds like it might just work for me. Who do I contact to see about licensing, the DOT? Is there a web link or do I contact the local DOT? My Patrol is a 1983 MQ 4 door SD33. Sure would be great to license it.

npca-alex · Post by **npca-alex** » Tue Jan 07, 2003 7:33 pm

Hey John, Well, I am not sure how that would work for you because you have already moved to the U.S., the Patrol would have had to have been in your possession in Canada before moving to the U.S. and they like to see that you owned it for a long enough period of time prior to moving proving that you didn't just buy a vehicle for the sake of being able to take it with you to the U.S., know what I mean? Also, the vehicle has to be certified for the Canadian market, which your Patrol isn't. If you could some how get it to Canada and make it road legal there then you might have a better chance of getting it in with these exemptions. As far as who to contact, it is all US Customs. I found a copy of the EPA exemption but have not actually been able to find the DOT exemption written anywhere but I know it exists because I know people who have used it so Customs obviously knows about it even if I can't find it written anywhere. Keep us informed as to what you end up doing, or for more creative but nefarious ideas, contact me off-board at woodmansee@ll.net Alex.