Here's what I sent to Owain this morning but neglected to reply all. Maybe
this background info could be helpful to others thinking about doing the same
sort of thing:
Owain,
Unfortunately, I don't have the time this morning to write a very detailed
response because, like you, I'm in a super busy time. Very quickly, I'm a
Yank but lived in Europe for many years. I have tried to bring cars both
ways and it is difficult, to say the least. If you are coming temporarily,
it might be easiest to not import the cars, particularly the Mini. There are
two sets of standards you need to worry about when importing cars into the
US, smog and safety. Importation duties can be rough. I would check for
detailed information at www.EPA.gov and www.DOT.gov.
Some things to keep in mind are that anything from 1967 or earlier does not
have to worry about such things as smog, standard bumper heights, crash
resistance, mirrors, seat belts, etc., I believe, so the Tiger should be
really easy. Also, if the Tiger started its life in the US and can be
proved with documentation, I believe it will be exempt from duties, which
were already paid in the beginning of its life. As for the Land Rover, each
year after 1967, DOT and EPA added certain required, standard elements for
cars in the US. You would have to worry only about the elements listed for
those years. In other words, if in 1969, it became a requirement to have
two rear facing mirrors and a speedometer calibrated in MPH, then you should
ensure that you have at least one mirror on the door and one on the
windshield, as well as the right US approved speedometer. The lists by year
should be on the government websites. So the Land Rover should be quite
easy.
As for the Mini, I had one myself, so I understand your wanting to bring it
with you, but I would have to say that the procedure to bring it in will
likely cost you thousands just to make it compliant with EPA and DOT
regulations. You may have to even have the bumpers modified if the UK model
does not have the same crash test rating as the US model. Add to that cost
the duties you'd have to pay and it may not be economically feasible.
Having said that, there are "grey (or gray) market" import companies that do
this type of work all day long, so you should contact one of them. If I
were you, I would leave my Mini in England and buy another one here. You
can probably modify the new one here to similar or superior specs for much
less money than it would cost to import your British car to the US. Check
out www.minimania.com for lots of Mini information.
Whatever you decide to do, I wish you well, and I wish you luck. You'll
love New York. I lived there as well and it's a uniquely interesting place
to live, like London, Rome, Barcelona or LA. You know you're there even if
they drop you from a plane blindfolded. Cheers.
M
Jun 25, 2010 12:34:50 PM, s_ralsten@yahoo.com wrote:
---You can probably find your answers in here....
http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/
at least the parts about vehicle registration requirements. Every state is
unique.
So, now we should call you Yank Lloyd ? ;^)
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