For some, it's impossible to keep us away from what we truly want -- even if what we want is halfway across the globe. For those with their eye on foreign automobiles, this desire is often clouded with rules, regulations, costs, and confusion. But, if the craving is strong enough these individuals soon realize that importing a car isn't impossible, but does require certain steps be taken, sometimes backed with heavy paperwork, seemingly equal to the weight of the vehicle.
But, don't despair -- it can be done. With a little elbow grease and a solid understanding of the rules and regulations in place, your internationally acquired vehicle will be driving the U.S. streets in no time.
Reasons to buy overseas
The overseas import market is equivalent to the Garden of Eden, with the forbidden fruit being popular Japanese and European vehicles. During the last 30 years, examples of forbidden fruits sold overseas are the Lamborghini Countach, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen and the Nissan Skyline GTR, just to name a few. Curiously, these vehicles' popularity rose so dramatically over the years as unauthorized imports that some manufacturers began to market them legitimately for North American buyers.A second reason for importing is less to do with passion and more to do with the weight and size of your pocketbook. Due to supply and demand, as well as foreign exchange rates, an identical vehicle can cost a sizable amount less from country to country. Several years ago, many Americans went vehicle shopping in Canada taking advantage of their stronger dollar to grant savings of up to $6,000 off Dodge Grand Caravans compared to the identical American model.
Purchasing your overseas vehicle
Unfortunately, purchasing a foreign-bred vehicle involves more than just adapting to varying exchange rates. Right from the start, proper documentations are imperative to a pain-free trip across borders. The first piece of such paperwork includes the vehicle's title as well as a bill of sale from the seller.Having just purchased a vehicle in a foreign country, you may decide to drive your newly acquired car to a shipping port yourself -- this is your newest toy after all. To do this, contact an insurance company to set up coverage for before and after transport (if possible), you don't want to be caught in a foreign car without insurance. While driving the vehicle in the country of origin, remember to obtain a temporary driving license as well.
While it might seem as if an entire rain forest has suffered for your foreign car love affair, the paperwork is highly necessary and you must pay attention to the order of the forms carefully. This is a delicate process and if you want your ride parked safely in your driveway as quickly as possible, your best bet is to be diligent with the many, many, many forms.
Imported vehicles holding foreign language titles are required to have a full and accurate translation of the document before transportation to the U.S. It may also be necessary to contact the American branch of the manufacturer to obtain a letter, identifying differences in vehicle specifications compared to the American vehicle -- such as emissions standards, exhaust, engine modifications, and driver-side seating. Keep in mind, automakers habitually discourage overseas importing and may even refuse to help you in this transfer and that includes honoring vehicle warranties.
For the more serious paperwork, you'll require a series of document forms from both the National Highway Traffic and Safety Association (NHTSA) as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Firstly, an importation form from the NHTSA must be obtained and completed. Known as form HS-7, this paper affirms the status of bumpers and safety devices, as well as theft protection relating to American federal vehicle standards. The EPA also requires that you fill out form 3520-1 identifying the engine of the vehicle in question to ensure compliance with emission standards. These forms must be completed and prepared for submission to U.S. customs for the vehicle's admittance into the United States.
Shipping the vehicle
When preparing for your vehicle's trip, use common sense and select a respected and experienced automotive carrier. While you may want to get the best deal, sometimes it's worth dishing out a little extra to ensure your car's safe arrival to the United States. The carrier should provide a destination of arrival as well as an accurate arrival date, allowing you to make arrangements with U.S. Customs to clear the delivery.Pay attention to the U.S. Customs guidelines for preparing your vehicle for transport. Firstly, an imported vehicle must go through a thorough undercarriage cleaning, preferably with steam-spraying. This action is needed in order to neutralize any harmful parasites -- this is just a precaution, but must be completed with paperwork for proof, or the car may not be admitted into the U.S. Secondly, both customs and shipping carriers recommend that your vehicle is completely emptied of any and all cargo. If it's not possible for you to visit and clean out the vehicle yourself before the trip (say the car is in Japan and you live in New York), make sure you have a reliable counterpart at the car's location who can thoroughly inspect and clean out the car prior to transportation. Also, it's important to note that the car must have just under a quarter of the vehicle's total fuel capacity's worth of gas for shipping. If you have spent money to have the tank filled, it will be a certain waste of money as carriers will drain the fuel tank as a safety precaution prior to transport. And lastly, cover the interior seats in order to prevent buildup of moss -- this will not be a fast journey for your car.
Once your car has arrived in the U.S., you'll need the shipper's bill of lading along with the vehicle's bill of sale, foreign registration (such as the title), and all government paperwork needed for the automobile. It is important to organize this paperwork with the company or person you are buying the vehicle from, as well as the shipping company prior to shipping so you aren't looking for missing forms and paperwork once the car arrives.
Legalize your ride
When importing a car, it may not take much for interaction with the NHTSA and the EPA to prove annoying, especially if a vehicle fails to meet their strict rules. If a car is judged as "substantially similar" to a U.S. market model for both emission and safety regulations it can easily be admitted for registration.For the EPA, a good indicator of a vehicle's acceptance is a vehicle emission label located either on the driver's door post or inside the engine compartment. Be cautioned that some automobiles sold outside of the North American market without this label may originate in nations still selling leaded gasoline. Because of this, catalytic converters and oxygen sensors will need to be replaced or added in some cases. If the vehicle is non-conforming to NHTSA and EPA rules, only a Registered Importer can complete modifications making the vehicle formative to American highway rules.
How much is it really going to cost to bring your dream home?
When importing a classic ride, you'll be delighted to know NHTSA exempts rules for non-conforming vehicles exceeding 25 years of age. Other exceptions can also be granted to imported automobiles that are shipped for show, display or racing after meeting certain guidelines.
Even after you have conformed to the NHTSA and EPA standards, you may still encounter some problems registering your vehicle with a state's Department of Motor Vehicles. Since guidelines vary, keep all acquired paperwork handy along with the automobiles foreign title -- in general, any and all paperwork, bills, contracts, and other documentations should always be kept.
Cost for entry
While vehicle import paperwork can be overwhelming, the financial expenses that crop up throughout the process may be just as vast. With shipments by sea measured by weight, the expense to ship a standard-sized sedan to the United States from the UK can be roughly estimated at (₤520.00) approximately $1040.00 USD or $1,750.00 USD from Japanese ports (depending on the seaports). Excluding cars originally produced in North America, foreign vehicles inbound for the United States are assessed under a 2.5% duty cost that must be paid upon arrival.Another cost might be assessed by the EPA if an imported vehicle is rated with a combined fuel economy worse than 22.5 mpg. If such a number is determined, the car is deemed a gas-guzzler and another tax will be issued on the vehicle.
You must also keep in mind all of the extras that will need to be paid for along the way; the car's cleaning and inspection, any changes that need to be made once the car has arrived (mechanical), as well as any fees you may need to pay to those individuals who handled paperwork or organization of your vehicle's journey overseas.
import fever
While importing a car can prove rewarding, sometimes it can be a matter of heartbreak and heartache as your dream machine gets caught in the bureaucracy of it all. If an imported ride really is your one and only desire and something you are willing to sacrifice for, you may find solace collaborating with a registered importer who can and will handle all the nitty-gritty details and paperwork the acquisition entails. Also, their allowance for far-reaching modifications regarding safety and emissions means these companies specialize in making non-conforming cars compatible with American standards and can often get their hands on vehicles individuals working on their own could never score. And if all this still hasn't deterred you from your foreign vehicle dream, we at least hope the above tips will help you along the way… gokouun o inorimasu.Resources:
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/specialreports/articles/64615/article.html
http://www.bmwworld.com/bmw/importing.htm
www.nhtsa.dot.gov
http://www.epa.gov/
http://www.cbp.gov/
http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm/entering_us/7importingyourcar.htm#yourcarisnot
http://www.shipoverseas.com/faqs.html
http://www.aamva.org/aamva/DocumentDisplay.aspx?id=%7B898DCA35-1A0E-493E-8AAB-587643D91FCE
http://www.autoshippers.co.uk/rates.htm)%20(http://www.mt-inc.net/freight_rate.php
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