importing the gt4..I've found a way Options

[OrbitalGT95]

ok before i get flamed THIS HAS BEEN DONE...BUT NOT WITH A GT4...And is kinda expensive unless you can get to a country that has gt4s...My friends buddy lee was stationed over in japan..he bought a 96 STI and removed the engine...shipped it to america then shipped the fame out and registered it as a "kit car" and it is now sittin in his drive way in michagain..complete JDM 96 Subaru Impreza STI...If he could have done this with an STI we could do the same thing with the GT4's. Simple ship the engine and frame out in to seperate crates! Now there im sure there are other issues involving this but this is what i heard...im almost positve there is red tap through out this entire process but he got the car to america and is drive it legally!! Of course you would have to know someone in japan, the uk..etc to get the car or you could go there yourself...but if it works with this impreza then it more then likey can work with the gt4's
-Jack

[lagos]

anything is possible with enough money.

[azian_advanced]

i'm just wondering, how do you go about registering the vehicle? don't they check for VIN numbers and safety and stuff like that before it can be driven legally? or at least that's how things work where i'm at....

[celicast3sgte]

anyone curious enough to go about looking up all the details? if it can be done id love to take out a loan for the 4... itd be worth a payment for a little while.

[lagos]

i dont think any bank will give you a loan for a car thats overseas


why didnt everyone just try to buy that awd converted 6th gen that was on ebay. it basically is a gt4, and totally leagal to register.

[celicast3sgte]

are you talking about the 7gen that had the 3s conversion and AWD? i dont remember seeing any 6gen awd on ebay.

[lagos]

are you talking about the 7gen that had the 3s conversion and AWD? i dont remember seeing any 6gen awd on ebay.
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no, there was a 6th gen with gold rims. an old celica.net member ended up buying it and he now hangs out on celicatech.com

[95CelicaST]

no, there was a black 6th gen that had been converted to AWD with a 2nd gen 3S I believe. The last time I saw it, it was like $6,000.

[lagos]

no, there was a black 6th gen that had been converted to AWD with a 2nd gen 3S I believe. The last time I saw it, it was like $6,000.
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yep...and it had the 3rd gen 3s..not the 2nd. so basically it was a gt4

This post has been edited by lagos: Sep 30, 2005 - 2:37 PM

[celicast3sgte]

well how hard can it possibly be to convert? harder than importing and licensing a GT4? yeah frame work but body shops mess with frames all day long twisting this straightening that.. couldnt you give them the work u need done have them chop it and reweld then the rest is a parts hunt just like any other swap. cheap no. easier than importing... maybe.

[sakara]

that is the hard way to do it lol

u have to pass inspection still and smog in some states... u can get VINS from toyota... VERY pricey but they will sell them to ya... a few simple things... u need to replace the glass... it doesn't spider web break like ours in the us... so it has to be our glass... u gotta put on or fake both a cat and egr... make sure the suspension is gonna work in ur state and not break... the st205 suspension is very difficult and lotsa little parts, hehe. u can convert it to LHD... but why bother? lol... If i'm gettin a 205 I want it to be a stock non converted 205 ... also... the best way to get it to this country would be buying it from a private party... if u ship it from a dealer they will pull the car at import and could take it... buy from a private party, have them ship and there ya go... still gotta deal with DOT and that crap... but it can be done

and there are 'legal' st205's in the usa... at least that we all trac ppl know of all on the east coast and midwest... 1 in illinois... 1 in Fla... 1 in PA, NJ area... 1 in new england.

[Bigmeanbulldog55]

You can buy rear clips from different places. If you could get the back haff of a gt4, and the usually front haff of the clip for the engine. Then you can use the engine and probably the parts from the back on your Celica to convert it. It wouldn't be that much harder than a lot of things I've seen people do. Not that many are interested in it, and sad but true, the Celica GT4 is not that wonderful of a car. Sure, I'd love to have one, but for the same price as doing all this, I could have a lot of different things with better aftermarket support. Can't beat the Celica styling though, USDM 94-96 hatches that is.

[jgreening]

u have to pass inspection still and smog in some states... u can get VINS from toyota... VERY pricey but they will sell them to ya... a few simple things... u need to replace the glass... it doesn't spider web break like ours in the us... so it has to be our glass...

Technically you have to get the car DOT approved. That of course is not practical so your car won't be legal. The people that have them here probably swap vins with a totaled 6gc.

u gotta put on or fake both a cat and egr...

not necessarily. depends on the state. For example, in my area of Illinois, there is no emissions control.

make sure the suspension is gonna work in ur state and not break... the st205 suspension is very difficult and lotsa little parts, hehe. u can convert it to LHD... but why bother? lol... If i'm gettin a 205 I want it to be a stock non converted 205 ...

They make stock LHD ST205's.


also... the best way to get it to this country would be buying it from a private party... if u ship it from a dealer they will pull the car at import and could take it... buy from a private party, have them ship and there ya go... still gotta deal with DOT and that crap... but it can be done

and there are 'legal' st205's in the usa... at least that we all trac ppl know of all on the east coast and midwest... 1 in illinois... 1 in Fla... 1 in PA, NJ area... 1 in new england.

[jgreening]

Can't beat the Celica styling though, USDM 94-96 hatches that is.
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What's wrong with the 97-99 hatches?

[Bigmeanbulldog55]

I just like the singal opening in the bumper, the smoother turn signals, the two post spoiller, and I'm not a fan of the side skirts. I may be a little bias sence that's what I have though. I just feel they have the smoothest and best flowing look to them.

[sakara]

as far as the egr and stuff... I'd have to do that for PA... lucky IL ppl

and I think tearing the back half of a GT4 or chopping one is a waste of a great car

[95CelicaST]

^probably talking about the 2 post spoiler, like the GT-4, but I think that is actually just the 94-95

[jgreening]

I just like the singal opening in the bumper, the smoother turn signals, the two post spoiller, and I'm not a fan of the side skirts.  I may be a little bias sence that's what I have though.  I just feel they have the smoothest and best flowing look to them.
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I see what your saying. For future reference, the change in styling occurred after the 95 model year as the 96 models are identical to the 97-99. Good luck.

[Bigmeanbulldog55]

I just like the singal opening in the bumper, the smoother turn signals, the two post spoiller, and I'm not a fan of the side skirts.  I may be a little bias sence that's what I have though.  I just feel they have the smoothest and best flowing look to them.
[right][snapback]339970[/snapback][/right]

I see what your saying. For future reference, the change in styling occurred after the 95 model year as the 96 models are identical to the 97-99. Good luck.
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Yeah, I knew it was 94-95 and 96-99. I have no idea why I put that. Might have been a typo on my part, I can't remember that far back.

[celicast3sgte]

so im TRYING to keep a tally of what needs to be fixed. your saying at the most (WITH emissions) you should get a private seller to ship you the car (motor less or not?) then when you get it you need to replace the windshield with ours (a normal celi windshield should work right?) and then you need to have a cat (can just use high flow outside of cali) and EGR setup which im sure can re taken care of at worst you need to swap a 2nd gen 5g alltrac motor in (built up the 3rd gen motor isnt any different). what else am i missing???

[sakara]

^^ That is all right... but there is no reason to stick a 2nd gen 3s in there... u can swap a 3rd gen 3s into an st165 or st185, so it's not that big a deal... The main part of getting the car legal is the VINS... it has to have vin plates... now I"ve heard of ppl yanking them off of a 6gc and registering it that way... but if u want a truly legal one u gotta get VINs form Toyota for a nice price

[95CelicaST]

so im TRYING to keep a tally of what needs to be fixed. your saying at the most (WITH emissions) you should get a private seller to ship you the car (motor less or not?) then when you get it you need to replace the windshield with ours (a normal celi windshield should work right?) and then you need to have a cat (can just use high flow outside of cali) and EGR setup which im sure can re taken care of at worst you need to swap a 2nd gen 5g alltrac motor in (built up the 3rd gen motor isnt any different). what else am i missing???
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...Money??

Hey, if you ever got around to this, I would get off my ass and come help!

[popstar]

Hey Guy's
shoot down if you want, but it's not worth it, as someone has already said 'it's not that great a car'
sure i'm lucky, i,ve got one (sorry) but you only want and dream about a 205 cause you can't have it in the states........
i dream about thing's and just missed out on a second 4 last week

about the only reason i can see for actual importing a '4' to the US is

"JUST BECAUSE" and to prove "I CAN" !!!!!!!

but good luck to ya, and if you do i hope the car lives up to your dreams......

[Redline_Racer]

some guy out here in knoxville used that system of importing on a R32 skyline, pretty smooth ****.

-Brandon

[yarik83]

why go through all the trouble? do you already have a celi-? yes do you have a registered car?-yes

according to the import rules you can import gt4 for offroad use (ie shows) or for racing purposes (which is also offroad)

so import the damn thing that way and just stick your vins all over it, swap the licence plate and "take care" about odometer-that is up to you-disconnect, change etc-again that is your preference.

if you were to be stopped for police roadblock you have all the right documents and all the right vins.. just say you did a left hand conversion

[sakara]

I want the car because it is my dream car... It's the rarest celica ever made and I want to own a piece of celica history, not to mention the greatest one, IMO. I don't want it cause I cna't have it... I can have it if I want it, lol... anyone can if they know how to get it and have money.

and no... I don't have a celi right now... and I figure.. why spend money on a new car when I can get a 205 for just as much or cheaper. Others may have other reasons for wanting one... but I want it for the car... not to say "I can" I already know that I can

[yarik83]

I was not aware you did not have a celi.. either way the cheapest you could import a gt4 here is by doing the following:
buy in on english ebay for like 6500, spend the rest on importing shipping fees and papers.

[Shigexile]

i might be wrong but isn't there a LHD ST205? like somewhere in europe or something?

my thinking is that, wouldn't it be easier to hide/keep secret of the car since its LHD and like you can put ST204/AT200 vin # on?
for emissions, don't you just have to have all the parts nessasary and you'll pass emissions? if the car filters the gas clean?

i don't know. RHD celica would be awesome and original but i think it would be a hassel just to register it and make it legal.

sorry if i'm talking non sense.

[yarik83]

I have emailed a government official on the website regarding importation of gt4 for racing and or for show. Stricktly offroad.

here is what he wrote:

Dear Mr. Yuri,

This is in response to your email requesting information regarding the importation of a 1994 Toyota Celica. GT4. I will research
all applicable information regarding your request and respond to you on 10/4/05.

John Lewis, Safety Compliance Analyst

Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation

400 7th Street, SW Room 6115

Washington, D.C. 20590

Voice:(202) 366-4192

Fax: (202) 366-1024

Email: john.lewis@nhtsa.dot.gov

[sakara]

Yea... I had a 90 black all trac... and I'm looking to get another or wait to get a 205 imported... I'll have to call that guy and see if he says differently about what I know about importing one

[soulshadow]

Its quite possible. You just need to replace the windshield, put in a cat, and EGR valve. Then get the thing tested for pollution and there you go. Don't forget the fess tho to register it. Its gonna be a real killer.