Any problems with importing nissans?

[CarlsbadDrift]

Hey guys. well here is my situation. i've got around 20k in the bank for a new car and ive been doing alot of research on RHD nissans. im wondering about problems, especially living in california, that i might run into. ex: cops, impounding, stealing. i have a friend with a wholesale dealership and he said i might be able to set up a wholesale dealership of my own and then get my own set of dealership plates. he said if i put the car into the dealerships inventory then i would be able to drive it without any problems from the cops. the cops are my only worry. well the cops and the fact that it might get stolen.

do you guys have any other suggestions? i have a friend that is close with Mr. Noto from MotoRex so if i do want to legalize it i might be able to score some sort of discount but im just wondering my options.

as to where im buying it from im thinking i would buy it from australia. i'd fly down there, vacation, but the car then ship it here.

now i know this is going to cost a bit more than 20k and ive realized that. especially if i go with a GTR R33. also thinking about 98 180sx type-X. still deciding. oh i might just buy the car down here from a dealer that sells imports. ex: motorex, autoconxion, g-speed.

any input would be great. thanks a million.

[Parry]

My imput is to not waste your time and buy a car already in the country. You'll end up with a better rig because you'll be putting all 20 g's into the car and not a bunch into paying some stiffs to get you a title.

[Sil180AE86DRFTR]

hehe the only way you'll be able to get a GT-R in here not through motorex is to crash a ton of them and certify with the government. and as for other imports, the same goes. they must be legalized.

[DomLee]

Cops will spot you easily in a Skyline. Less w/ a 180sx.

As for cars being stolen....a car is a car is a car. Any experienced thief can take your car. Tow truck drivers can get into all cars...just a matter of how much time they have. Since 240s are an extremely popular car now...don't be surprised if it gets stolen.

Some of the cops know what to look for. Some law enforcement agencies even issue a small photo album showing cars w/ the proper engines underneath the hoods. Just a matter of which cop you run into, whether he is having a bad day,....or whether you just piss him off.......

Just because you have a mutual friend w/ Mr Noto at MotoRex...doesn't mean that you will get a discount. Government fees must still be paid...and those fees are extremely high. I know Mr Noto. I have friends that know Mr Noto. It doesn't mean that this will get me or anyone else anywhere.

Just to let you know. No R33 is getting legalized by MotoRex right now. There are some issues that have come up...but I will not elaborate here.

And as mentioned before on this site, the 180sx is illegal.

In short...you're better off buying a US legal Skyline here. However, w/ only 20k....you're coming up a bit short.

[Ghost of Duluth]

I never understand the RHD thing. Especially for Drifting. Why would you waste all that money on something that you are going to crash? I've had a RHD car and the excitement lasted about 3 days. Hard to gauge distance and it's just a gimmick if you ask me. Use your head and your money wisely, buy something that you can drive, don't have to screw around with funky registering and can get parts for easily. You will thank yourself later on. I mean for gods sake man, you are going to have to fly to Australia, buy the car, pay to ship it here, go out and make some dummy corperation to have a dealer tag for it or funnel more money into Motorex to get the thing legalized. You'll pay 20k for a stock car and get your fanny tarnished daily by cars that cost a fraction of the amount of yours.

Hmmmm not a smart trade off in my book. You want to spend alot of money like that, buy my FD.

[Wayne]

hey ghost ill take your fd, iv eonly got 8gs though ya, if you want buy a skyline gts-t they are like 18gs from motorex. rwd single turbo your straight than

[steph3n]

wouldnt it be too obvious to a cop to see a right hand car ?

or is it legal in the usa ?

[Ghost of Duluth]

RHD cars are legal. A 70's Skyline would be legal, it's the federal laws you are going to have trouble with on vehicles that fall under those years. I think it's 20 years and on fed laws I don't think it's revolving like it is with titles.

[steph3n]

wow, lucky USA...i wish they were legal in Canada

[Nismo_r34]

If you want the GT-R, buy it from motorex because they do all the stuff like legalize it. I don't know about the others but motorex is mostly for the GT-R.

[Octagon]

I'm with Ghost on the whole "driving RHD" deal. One of my cousin Barry's friends (since Barry is a collector who hangs out with other collectors) owned an RHD 1949 MG TC. Got a chance behind the wheel of it and even though it was a wicked fun car to drive it was more than unnerving to have my head that near road signs and have the left front fender almost fully obscured while heading into oncoming traffic.

And mind you, an MG TC is not a big car. Compare this with the size of a Skyline and you'll get a good idea of why RHD isn't a good idea.

[Velvet]

Originally posted by Octagon

Now thats a drift car! lol!

[Octagon]

lol Hey, 4speed non-synchro transmission, 54bhp 1200cc OHV four cylinder, 1,736lb dry weight, and solid axles front and rear suspended by longitudinal leaf springs.

Sounds like a drift machine waiting to happen.

[Darkstar]

I guess you would have to work REALLY effectively to shift fast in a car with non-synchoronised tranny. For those who don't know that - when you want to change a gear, let's take from 2 to 3 as an example, you have to press the clutch, move the lever to neutral, then release the clutch, press the gas pedal for a while, press the clutch pedal again and shift push it to 3rd. Quite a task to do fast without mistakes, huh?

[sulos]

Originally posted by steph3n
wow, lucky USA...i wish they were legal in Canada

you can get a them as long as they are 15 years old, that is the law for canada. from what i have heard you can import some skylines r32 now, i think it is the r32, not sure but 15 years or older. probably not worth it because there are no parts around here you will have to find a company that can get them for you so it is not worth it in the end. stick to the 240 where there are a bunch of parts or where you can do the engine swap for the sr20det. i don't know of any companies that have the sr20 here tho. maybe someone can post a canadian link to a company that has them. that would be great.