importing help Options

[4-eyed-freek]

hey guys, this may be a very stupid question, but either way im going to ask it. in less than a year i will be out of school and hopefully working in the automotive field. my dream car as like many of you on here is the celica gt four. what i really need is someone or some people to help shed some light on how to get one over here. sence it is my absolute dream car, i really do not care how much it would cost. the only thing is, i dont want to have the dot take it and make it all enviroment friendly. if anyone could help me get going in the right direction that would be great.

[yarik83]

You are partially correct.

You can import a track car pending that that car has been previously engineered and registered as a track vehicle with all safety equipment. You must also have a racing license and sign appropriate paperwork that says that you can import car here and drive less than 2500 miles per year. You will, however be obligated to ship the car back to country of origin. That caveat benefits auto racers like rally cars for example where they attend the race here in usa and then fly back elsewhere. So in other words you are not allowed to import a gt-4 as a track car unless you have purchased rally built vehicle with racing pedigree and in that case you would still be obligated to ship the car back.

Another option is importation of a "collector car" which implies that car must have some sort of aesthetic, engineering or historical significance. It also implies that car will have a temporary tag to be driven between car shows for example and garaged at other times. Mileage limitations also apply.

I believe that best way to get the car here (thus solving 95% of problems) is to buy from private party. Car will be registered and insured etc etc in Canada. You fly there, pay the person (some sum) and agree on terms of transporting the car here. Something in lines of that person driving vehicle here with registered canadian tags. At which point you pay remainder of the balance and get gt-4 on a trailer, cover it and park it. Fly original owner back to his or her home and deliver your car on a trailer (still covered) wherever you live. If you are not willing to sacrifice your celica then buy a beater hatchback that matches color and swap some vin numbers. Register usa celica, insure it etc etc and park it out of sight, part it out if necessary to recoup some cash. Do not sell parts with vin numbers on them. Slap license plates on gt-4 and remove gt-4 badges. Print a bunch of photos from someone's rhd to lhd conversion and someone's gt-4 exterior conversion project (that matches your car color) and stick it in your glove box. Drive the car, dont do anything stupid and if asked present your evidence in photos. Tell them you swapped it yourself and it took you forever.

That is what I was going to do. And then I figured that I would be better off buying an evo.

And then I had personal life events that required my finances elsewhere but evo is still on drawing board.

I could of course get a gt-4 but lets be rational here. Even if you can buy a landed canadian one for say 10 grand, you are buying a cat in a bag but even if car is in good shape.. it is still a old car. Quite a risk.

If I had to give you an advice. DO NOT BELIEVE STORIES OF SOME GUY WHO KNOWS A GUY WHO KNOWS A GUY WHO KNOWS HOW TO SMUGGLE CARS HERE. Assume that all information is NOT credible until proven otherwise. Our resident Forgmann is on the dime with what he said. It is not easy and it is not technically legal but with enough determination and finances anything is possible.