Matvei27

No. A gray market vehicle is a legally imported vehicle that was not originally intended for sale in the United States. Here is the actual EPA regulation: A vehicle is exempted if it has been 21 years or more since its original production year and it is in its original unmodified condition. Vehicles in any condition may be excluded if they were manufactured prior to the year in which EPA's regulations for the class of vehicle took effect. Vehicles at least 21 years old with replacement engines are not eligible for this exemption unless they contain equivalent or newer EPA certified engines and emission control systems. Upon entry, the importer must file an EPA Form 3520-1 with Customs and declare code "E" on the form. If the car has the original engine and you have not removed emissions related equipment you have nothing to worry about. It is more tricky if the engine has been replaced with a different model. (i.e. SR20DET swap into a CA18 car).

Technically it would remain a black market car. A grey market car is one that was legally imported. Regarding the modification thing...no one really knows what it means. In my opinion it mainly has to do with removing emissions related equipment. The 25 year thing is of much more importance than that. To be honest most shipments aren't even inspected with anything more than an x-ray. They aren't going around popping hoods looking for modifications and then deciding whether they are okay or not. They're looking at whether the paperwork you submitted establishes that the car is 25 years old and legal for import.

It's still the original engine so I imagine you will be fine on that end. The legal wording is "in original configuration" which mainly applies to emissions related equipment. Are you running with no cat and screamer outlets? No? Good. You'll probably be fine. Regarding the EPA/NHTSA paperwork: Yes, they can enforce it even in 100 years from now. The car isn't legally in the country. Even when it turns 25 nothing will change. You need a HS-7 and 3520-1 that have been approved by CBP. You would know it was done because you would have a copy of them. An importer will give you these when you buy the car. They are not done to receive a title/registration. They are submitted in order to legally allow the car to enter the country. You cannot clear customs (legally) without them. The only reason some states ask to see them is because if you can't produce them they know the car is not legally in the United States. In theory in the situation you are in at the moment ICE/FBI could seize the car at any time. That situation will continue even after the car is 25 years old. A title does not make a car legal. Florida will issue a title to anything that moves...that doesn't make it federally legal. You may also have difficulty selling the car or registering it in another state without the proper paperwork. Some won't ask to see it. Some will. It will be difficult to sell the car without it, too. I don't think you are likely to get caught or get your car seized until you try and sell it. That's when this kind of stuff comes back to haunt people. But, in your situation it can be easily resolved by exporting and reimporting in December. It's not like a R34 where it won't be legal until at minimum 2023. Do you have the original de-registration certificate? Did you convert the bonded title to a regular title? If you have either or both sorted you should be able to export and reimport in order to obtain a valid HS-7 and 3520-1. Then your car will be 100% federally legal and you won't ever have to worry about anything and you will be able to sell it in the future.

I had these on my car, they are good. But I upgraded to RE-71R.

By the way, I highly doubt anyone will figure this out and try to seize your car between now and December, so really all you need to do is export and reimport and you will be fine. I promise. You'll have the correct paperwork and then when you do go to sell the car it won't cause any red flags, and it will be permanently legal in the US.

So, it appears to me based on the information you have provided that the car was seized, auctioned, and supposed to be exported or destroyed in 2007. Then, someone involved did something illegal (either intentionally or unintentionally but I am going to bet on the former). The reason I bet it was intentional is because of what you said regarding the EPA judgement. It seems like a deliberate attempt to forge just enough documents to get a bonded title. That being said, I can't say for sure who did it or why since I don't know them. In terms of legal liability, you won't be charged with any crime. The person they go after is usually the original importer, i.e. the guy who filed a false customs declaration (a felony) in order to get the car into the country in the first place. But in this case, the car was already seized. What happened to the guy who originally imported it aside from that is hard to say, they could have charged him or they could have just taken it. Usually they only charge them if they are trying to sell it. Anyway, someone else (either related to him or completely unrelated, who knows) forged documents relating to the government seizure in order to "launder" the car and get a bonded title. In this case, since asshole A has already been dealt with (well, he had his car seized) the guy who would be in trouble if anyone was caught is likely this guy, we'll call him asshole B. You wouldn't be charged with anything since you didn't forge the paperwork. Your car would still be seized though. Just like what happened to Kaizo. Anyway I think it would be difficult to find out who exactly these people were and sue them, but the issue at hand is until you get an approved HS-7 and 3520-1 the car isn't actually federally legal. So really the only question is...do you have the Japanese de-registration certificate? Everything will hinge on that. If you don't have it I'm sorry to say you are royally f**ked because there is no way to get another one. If you do have it the solution is simple to legalize your car...export and reimport in December. There are a couple other things you can try if you don't have the de-registration. They aren't how you are supposed to do it, but they might work. You could try exporting using the federal bonded title. Technically this isn't generally considered sufficient proof of ownership, so they may give you a hard time in the target country (i.e. Canada). The other, better option is to convert the federal bonded title to a real title and use that to try and export the car. Unless I am misunderstanding and you already converted to a real title. If you did, then you don't need to do this step. So, yeah, find a way to get your paperwork in line (either finding the de-registration certificate or getting a real title (not a bonded title) or preferably both, export the car, and reimport in December.. Then you'll have a valid customs clearance with associated paperwork and your car will be 100% federally legal. PS EPA exemption is 21 years, not 20.

Right...so you just confirmed exactly what I said before. I hate to break it to you, but your car isn't legal at all. I'm not trying to start an argument with you, I'm just telling you the truth and how you SHOULD resolve the situation if you want the car to be legal. Ignore it at your own peril. The DMV doesn't decide if a car is legal or not. They don't care. The people who decide if a car is legal or not are the NHTSA via the FMVSS and the EPA. The job of enforcing these laws when it comes to imported vehicles is CBP at the port of entry, and ICE/FBI after the port. Those federal auctions have a stipulation for cars like this. The stipulation is that it MUST be exported. Not only that, but it has to be exported OUTSIDE of North America. Not Canada, not Mexico. It's not entrapment at all, the dealer who purchased the car failed to comply with the terms of the federal auction. Likely he did this knowingly as they make it very clear that these vehicles are for EXPORT ONLY. By the way, in the USA it DOES go by the month of manufacture for import. Your car will NOT be eligible for importation into the US until December 2015. Last I checked it's still April. The only information that the de-reg certificate or FAST will not tell you is the actual day of manufacture. Therefore for the purposes of importation a December 1990 car is eligible for import on 1 December 2015, even though it may have been made another day in December. A bonded title isn't sufficient proof of legal importation. Hell, a bonded title isn't even sufficient proof of ownership. Think of it as a temporary title. They are usually issued when the original title is lost. Does that mean you don't have the de-registration certificate from Japan? If so, since Japan will not re-issue them for any reason, it will never technically be possible to legal register the car ANYWHERE. If you do have the de-registration certificate, the next problem is that you don't have a valid HS-7 and 3520-1 certifying legal entry into the United States. Although some states don't ask for them, many states will as there is no way to have a legally imported car without a processed HS-7 and 3520-1 (you need both, one for NHTSA and one for EPA). The only way for you to obtain these documents is to export the car and reimport it. Simple as that. So, in short: 1. No, your car is not 25 years old 2. No, your car is not legal 3. If you want it to be legal, you need to export and reimport it to receive the proper documentation, but you will not be able to do this unless you have the ORIGINAL de-registration certificate from Japan. Them be the facts.

If by interesting you mean completely stupid, then yes.

That's basically what I suggested before my comment was removed from that thread (in Forced Induction).

Unfortunately I don't think his car is actually here legally. The advice I gave before that thread was cleaned up was to export the car and bring it back to the United States next year. Even when it does turn 25 years old it will not be legal without doing this because of the way it was purchased/imported. So for example if you somehow snuck a 1998 R34 into the US and hid it in a barn until 2023, it wouldn't actually become legal even then. Because since you didn't import it legally in the first place it never would have received a valid and approved HS-7 and 3520-1 form (customs documentation). Some states, such as Florida, would still register it, but a state title/license plate does not actually make a car legal. It's still contraband according to CBP, ICE, and the FBI. The DMV doesn't decide which cars are legal and which are not. Other states won't even give you a plate without those two forms (the vast majority of them). The best advice I can give you when buying an imported car in the US (assuming you aren't doing it yourself) is to ask to see the processed HS-7 and 3520-1, or in the case of a Motorex car, the bond release. These documents would prove that a car is federally legal.

OK, so I think we need a thread in this sub forum regarding what is and isn't legal in the United States, since I've noticed some misconceptions and misinformation already on this site. I think the best way to start so that we can get some content would be a Q&A format...you ask a question and I provide the answer. Once we have enough content we can organize it into a FAQ. Sound good? I have a business importing arcade machines from Japan but I also import cars and car parts. Legally, of course.

OK, yeah. If he wants 400hp he needs more cc. 350hp he can keep the 20.

Not exactly. There's been a 10pt on Yahoo Auctions Japan forever now at 30,000 JPY ($324 AUD). Still unsold after months now. The 8pt is much more in demand (i.e. you can actually sell them and people will buy them) but here's what the last couple ones sold for in the box: 26,000 JPY on 14/12/22 28,000 on 14/12/17 30,000 14/7/27 30,000 14/7/1 32,000 14/6/29 So in other words his asking price is about $100~$150 AUD too high. Shame as I'd consider buying it otherwise...could use an extra.

Yes. They make wiring harnesses exactly for this scenario. You have 3 options: 1. S1 RB25DET > Easiest option 2. S2 RB25DET > Wiring more difficult 3. RB25DET NEO > Most difficult If you want the best engine, you go with #3. If you want the easiest to put it and make work, you go with #1. I don't see the point of #2 personally unless you can't find a S1 and you are forced to use a S2. Putting a RB26 into your GTS-t is just a stupid waste of time/money. If you want a RB26, buy a GT-R. If you want to upgrade your GTS-t, buy a RB25. Or put a better turbo on your RB20. But I just don't see why you would fiddle to get the RB26 to fit and work properly when clearly the RB25 is a bolt on solution. Especially the S1. I hope your RB20 is at least dead or dying though...if it still works why don't you just get a better turbo for now and worry about engine swaps later when it does die?

call up neko corporation if they're still around they sell a premade adapter harness for HCR32 to use a RB25DET. then get a RB25DET, plug it in, put on a GT-RS and you're done.

That's what I drive. But remember, a lot of the "JDM yo" people in the US are just kids with no money and probably no license either. Probably the same in AU too, but I don't really remember dealing with any of these kind of people when I was there. Remember, the Americans are too busy spending all their money on wars and inefficient for-profit healthcare so they don't have any left over to buy nice cars.

I'm from the US. Problem is I don't think most of the US visitors actually have one of these cars.

Sure you can. Buy the car yourself in Japan through some auction service like the smart people do. You'll get to see the auction sheet. If you want you can even PM me and I'll translate it. If a car has its proper shaken history included it is difficult to falsify odo readings in Japan now because as was said earlier the export certificate will reflect that. All the clocking is happening on the other end now.

Anything that isn't 25 years old is illegal to import on a permanent basis unless it is on the show and display list (still doesn't solve EPA) To import a car for racing purposes permanently the car has to have been originally manufactured as a race car. That leaves out anything you can use on the road. Any S14 or S15 is illegal. Any R33 or R34 that doesn't have a bond release (i.e. not a Motorex car) is illegal. You might still be able to convince a state such as Florida to register it, but that doesn't make it federally legal. At all. And you would still be committing a felony by filing a false customs declaration to get it into the country. If you titled it as a 240sx, you would also be committing another one when you swapped the VIN.

Well if we ignore price entirely I imagine the best turbo for response on the RB25 will be a GT-RS.

why not just put in a RB25 like everyone has suggested here 100x over neo or otherwise (neo is more work harness wise, S1 ECR33 is easiest).

There is no exemption for military. If a foreign national (i.e. holder of a non-US passport) wants they can ship their car here and have it temporarily here for ONE year only. After the end of the year they need to export it again and they are not allowed to sell the car while here. There are some legal Skylines from the RI Motorex (when they were still around) but they have a bond release and hence are 100% federally legal. They are significantly more expensive to buy than smuggled cars. I should point out that filing a false customs declaration is a felony, as is performing a VIN swap. In addition to getting your car seized and crushed, the other consequences are much worse. Jail time. Some guy recently went to jail for smuggling a S15. Yes, the feds regularly seize and crush illegally imported vehicles. The biggest culprits are Defenders, Minis, and Skylines.

Since he has a R32 GTS-t wouldn't it be easier to use a S1 RB25 engine as opposed to the S2 or Neo?

Option 1: Buy RB25DET, install in R32 Option 2: Sell R32, buy GT-R

This isn't actually true. For a race car to be imported permanently it has to be originally built as a race car by the manufacturer. You can't put a roll cage in your Civic and call it a track car. Furthermore for it to be show&display it has to be on the show&display list. Only 53 cars are on that list...about half of them are already 25 years old. Even if they are on the list they are still not EPA compliant (it only exempts from them FMVSS) and the EPA exemption doesn't happen until 21 years. If they are not 21 years old then a RI or ICI have to do the testing and modifications to make them EPA compliant. There is no one who can do this for any model of Skyline currently. Also, post-96 will require OBDII to meet EPA requirements, even though no Skyline has OBDII. The cost to convert one to OBDII would be about $1,000,000 US dollars based on the required testing, patents, R&D, and manufacturing/installation/certification. So again, the reality is that cars less than 25 years old (or less than 21 years old if on show&display) CANNOT be imported into the United States on a permanent basis. Furthermore, to even get on show&display, one of the requirements is less than 500 units have to have been produced. Hence why the list is so small compared to the Australian list. The reality of the situation is that almost all cars less than 25 years old cannot be imported on a permanent basis legally at all, regardless of intended use (road, track, display, doesn't matter and CBP/ICE don't care). ​Foreign nationals may import non-compliant cars legally for ONE YEAR only. They must be exported at the end of the year. Source: I import cars to the US. PS Whatever you do, get rid of the HKS plugs pronto and install Nismo (NGK) ones instead.