Michael wrote:
>>Or you could do what my father did when he imported an
>>Italian-spec '73 BMW: He paid about five or six different
>>shops about $20 each for receipts showing that the
>>improvements necessary had been done, then to prove it to
>>the EPA/DOT/etc. (alphabet soup people) he
>>photographed the relevant parts of a U.S.-spec BMW of
>>the same model (which he happens to own :) and sent
>>them in.
>>No problems at all.
Not yet, anyway... I have a friend at DOT who tells me that
there was a pretty big flap about grey market shops doing this
sort of thing and that importing _anything_ other than a US
spec. car is now nearly impossible... unless you want to
provide 2 other identical cars for crash testing (1 for front and
back and 1 for side impact) to prove they meet _current_
standards. Or, if there is an equivalent US model, you might
be able to provide documentation that the relevant pieces of
your car matched those of a US spec one (he mentioned a
1500 page document they received to allow a Euro-spec
Ferrari in... it was a page by page comparison of the parts
books for the 2 cars showing that every body panel was
identical, so he only had to meet emissions certification).
He also said to be careful about buying a non-spec vehicle
already in the states, even if it is currently titled. Several
states are now computerized (and yes, I'd have thought they
all would be by now) and have routines to flag a non-US VIN
for examination when a new title is requested. If you get a
visit from the Customs and DOT boys instead of a new title,
don't expect to see your car again unless you want to
re-certify it to (again) _current_ specs! So, even if it was
brought in in '73 and was not properly certified at the time,
you would _not_ be able to certify it now to the specs for '73,
you'd have to meet '95 standards.... good luck!!!
An additional warning: there are some pretty big fines
involved if an illegal importation is discovered. You know how
it goes: "ignorance of the law is no excuse". And, the statute
of limitations only applies to when the 'crime' is _discovered_,
so getting away with something for 20 years doesn't get you
home free.
Kinda makes you think, huh??
- jack chesley <jwchesley@aamc.org>
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