PDA

View Full Version : Oversea's imports laws to change?



Deetz
09-10-2005, 06:09 PM
Just a heads up, its getting out that the Canadian gov't and Transport Canada are looking to change laws of importing cars from abroad to a 25 year restriction.

I found a thread on 780 Tuners regarding this, thought other people may want to be aware:

Here is a quote:

“ Transport Canada is currently reviewing the 15-year-old rule. The department is considering increasing this period to 25 years. This would ensure that most of not all of old vehicles are imported only by collectors and that such vehicles would only occasionally enter the everyday traffic”.

Here's a link to the thread:

http://forums.780tuners.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31894

I hope this new restriction does not go into effect!

AJL
09-10-2005, 06:15 PM
Hmmm, if that law goes through alot of companies will go bankrupt.

Weapon_R
09-10-2005, 06:16 PM
Sweet, best idea evar.

DannyO
09-10-2005, 06:20 PM
Nooooo, now I'll never get my TVR :(

Godfuader
09-10-2005, 06:35 PM
Not just a couple years before the NSX, MKIV, GT-Four! that sux...but in a way its good that we wont have skylines on every corner, and the NSX and MKIV will still be unique cars.

FlySi
09-10-2005, 06:39 PM
I think its great news too! Its about time someone put a stop to this crap. Im getting sick of seeing these pos on our streets and its annoying when we see threads like "i just bought a 1990 skyline with 60,000 km on it but my transmission is blown." People are so naive to believe that they are actually driving low km vehicles that just conveniently ended up in auction overseas. With any type of car and such low mileage, these cars should be nearly *mint*. But then again, they're 15 year old cars, right? LOL, i've seen 1990 honda accords in better condition than the "grade 3.5" skylines ppl bring. They're here cuz no one there wants em!

Deetz
09-10-2005, 06:40 PM
Originally posted by Godfuader
Not just a couple years before the NSX, MKIV, GT-Four!

The NSX came out in 1990 in Japan.....its already 15 years old.

asp integra
09-10-2005, 06:56 PM
that would be stupid, if anything they should change it to a 10 or 5 year rule, or even a 0 year rule

freakin
09-11-2005, 12:56 PM
So what happens to the cars that have already been imported? Are they still clear to stay?

BerserkerCatSplat
09-11-2005, 01:00 PM
Originally posted by DannyO
Nooooo, now I'll never get my TVR :(

I know what you mean. :cry:

EK 2.0
09-11-2005, 01:23 PM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...I want my EK9 CTR...:cry:

unfocus
09-11-2005, 01:26 PM
i hope it dont take efect not till 2008 or 2009 so then i can still get my supra ... lol

RXsevenmonk
09-11-2005, 01:27 PM
Originally posted by FlySi
I think its great news too! Its about time someone put a stop to this crap. Im getting sick of seeing these pos on our streets and its annoying when we see threads like "i just bought a 1990 skyline with 60,000 km on it but my transmission is blown." People are so naive to believe that they are actually driving low km vehicles that just conveniently ended up in auction overseas. With any type of car and such low mileage, these cars should be nearly *mint*. But then again, they're 15 year old cars, right? LOL, i've seen 1990 honda accords in better condition than the "grade 3.5" skylines ppl bring. They're here cuz no one there wants em!

yeah but its alot cheaper to bring one over and fix a blown tranny then to build a syline powered 240.... not to mention JDM cars are virually rust free.... I imported a hilux surf and with all the little repairs i had to do it was still less expensive then buying one here plus less km and no rust whatsoever

EK 2.0
09-11-2005, 01:31 PM
Originally posted by RXsevenmonk
yeah but its alot cheaper to bring one over and fix a blown tranny then to build a syline powered 240.... not to mention JDM cars are virually rust free.... I imported a hilux surf and with all the little repairs i had to do it was still less expensive then buying one here plus less km and no rust whatsoever



I can appreciate the rust aspect of importing...I mean most times the imported bodies are a LOT nicer than the bodies of the same gen of car here...

But I am interested to see, since importing REALLY took off this year, how well these cars will hold up after one or 2 winters with us in Calgary...After one or 2 seasons, will they really be better off??

Sorath
09-11-2005, 01:34 PM
i want my fd :(

/////AMG
09-11-2005, 01:58 PM
:eek: :thumbsup:

Dave P
09-11-2005, 02:13 PM
The reason this is changing is because there has been and increase in insurance fraud regarding import cars from japan.


In japan, if any car over ten years doesnt pass emmissions inspection, or is in an accident, it is written off.

you see so many imports that are like 50,000km and 15 yrs old because they sit in a junk yard waiting to be sold to some shmuck how will buy it for 2g can, then sell it for 10g.


when its written off or stolen, insurance pays blue book which is way more then its worth.

This is a huge problem in bc right now, and starting to be in alberta.

I doubt many of you jdm nuthuggers will believe me, but i work in the insurance industry and just giving you a heads up

EK 2.0
09-11-2005, 02:20 PM
Originally posted by Dave P
I doubt many of you jdm nuthuggers will believe me, but i work in the insurance industry and just giving you a heads up


I don't believe you...haha;)

Team_Mclaren
09-11-2005, 02:24 PM
about time they change that shit. Sick of all the RHDs on the street... (nothing against the people who bought them). But imo RHD should never be allow here.

AllGoNoShow
09-11-2005, 02:35 PM
I wonder... don't flame me for thinking this but this is what I've been tthinking fo lately.

RHD is kind of neat and should be allowed for non-daily driven, show/classic cars. It is way to dangerous to be driving daily around on streets ment for LHD vehicles. For example making blind left turns at lights, not such a good thing when traffic is moving and you cant see a car coming and just decide to jump out infront. There goes your car and there goes the insurance company paying someone else again.

Maybe I'm kind of biased, halfway through a LHD European BMW deal right now. But I think they should make restrict the rules a little more towards the RHD side of the crowd. Because if some theif sees a RHD Skyline, its the new hot item, so they will jack it, drive it, sell it for cheap, make their money, part out, whatever they will do. Where as if they saw say a LHD Integra or Civic *not the same class but they dont have LHD skyliens here in dealerships* its just another Integra or Civic in calgary, which are a dime a dozen, therefor less would be stolen and insurance wouldnt be paying out huge amounts if they restricted the RHD classification under the insurance policies.

If the insurance thing is true, that sucks because they shouldn't be paying out more then the car is worth just cause its from Jap compared to the same car here, if that is what is happening.

I just think a stricter set of rules should be thrown down for a car that stands out more and is harder to drive in a city not ment for that position of driving.

mx73someday
09-11-2005, 02:52 PM
Originally posted by Team_Mclaren
about time they change that shit. Sick of all the RHD on the streets... (nothing against the people who bought them). But imo RHD should never be allow here.

You don't think they should allow RHD cars in Canada because you're sick of seeing them on the streets? You need to explain why they shouldn't be here, just because you don't like them isn't a very good reason. I hate American cars, I don't think they should be sold in Canada, but that isn't a good argument for banning them from Canada.

I don't think there are Skyline's on every street corner, there are bigger fads in recent times (EX: bright colored non-turbo FF Lancer's).

No one has the right to tell another person what vehicles they can and cannot drive. Our local market is full of overpriced, under-performing, high mileage shit. Japan is the greatest export country of used vehicles because their used cars are the most affordable, high performance and low mileage cars in the world.

A790
09-11-2005, 02:56 PM
Agreed with Christian on this one.

To me, it just seems like more legislative bullshit without a good reason for it.

I drive RHD every day and I find it just fine (except when I have to go through parking garages). I've never had a problem at all, and if anything, it encourages me to be MORE careful as I have to really watch before I make left turns.

mx73someday
09-11-2005, 02:59 PM
Originally posted by AllGoNoShow
It is way to dangerous to be driving daily around on streets ment for LHD vehicles. For example making blind left turns at lights, not such a good thing when traffic is moving and you cant see a car coming and just decide to jump out infront. There goes your car and there goes the insurance company paying someone else again.

I just think a stricter set of rules should be thrown down for a car that stands out more and is harder to drive in a city not ment for that position of driving.

This is not a flame.

RHD on LHD streets is not dangerous. Changing the driver's position 2 feet over is not enough to make it dangerous to make left hand turns.

Why should there be stricter rules for cars that stand out?

AllGoNoShow
09-11-2005, 03:03 PM
Originally posted by mx73someday


This is not a flame.

RHD on LHD streets is not dangerous. Changing the driver's position 2 feet over is not enough to make it dangerous to make left hand turns.

Why should there be stricter rules for cars that stand out?

I wasnt referring to feet position makign left hand turns...

If your sittong on the right side of the car and a larger car, truck, van semi or something is infrotn of you turning to their left, then you cant see the traffic in the other 2 lanes as easy which makes it harder to guage when it is safe for you to make a left turn therefor riskign possibly your life, your car, other people slifes and their cars.

snowboard
09-11-2005, 03:06 PM
Originally posted by AllGoNoShow


I wasnt referring to feet position makign left hand turns...

If your sittong on the right side of the car and a larger car, truck, van semi or something is infrotn of you turning to their left, then you cant see the traffic in the other 2 lanes as easy which makes it harder to guage when it is safe for you to make a left turn therefor riskign possibly your life, your car, other people slifes and their cars.

i dont think he meant moving your feet literally, i think he meant moving the driver position 2 feet in measurment.

AllGoNoShow
09-11-2005, 03:09 PM
Well whatever he ment, I've been in RHD cars and been passengers in other cars for awhile, and yah sur eyou get used to it but I still see more danger in it because of sight and vision behind larger vehicles.

I'm sure you'd think the same way if someone in a new RHD car went left and your brand new Mercedes or something ended up hitting him because he didnt know you were coming.

mx73someday
09-11-2005, 03:10 PM
Originally posted by AllGoNoShow


I wasnt referring to feet position makign left hand turns...

If your sittong on the right side of the car and a larger car, truck, van semi or something is infrotn of you turning to their left, then you cant see the traffic in the other 2 lanes as easy which makes it harder to guage when it is safe for you to make a left turn therefor riskign possibly your life, your car, other people slifes and their cars.

I'm not talking about feet position either, I'm talking about your line of sight 2 feet over. You either ask your passenger when it's clear to go, or else you lean over until you can see. Failing those, you wait for the light to turn yellow or the truck in front of you to turn. It might be inconvenient for the person behind you, but it's not criminal or a reason to completely ban them.

And you didn't answer my last question, why should there be stricter rules against cars that stand out?

There are greater issues that need attention from our government, like shitty drivers. I'm more fearful of an idiot driver crashing into me than a RHD car making a left turn into me.

AllGoNoShow
09-11-2005, 03:19 PM
Stricter rules because it is RHD, stands out more because it is "unique" around here, modified as some/most cars are, therefor possibly making it a hotter item to steal and part out. Therefor making insurance pay out more because they are getting stolen quicker/more often, thereofr making other peoples premiums go up possibly.

RealToyCars
09-11-2005, 04:06 PM
Originally posted by AllGoNoShow
Stricter rules because it is RHD, stands out more because it is "unique" around here, modified as some/most cars are, therefor possibly making it a hotter item to steal and part out. Therefor making insurance pay out more because they are getting stolen quicker/more often, thereofr making other peoples premiums go up possibly.


Actually, the more "unique" a car is, the less likely it is to get stolen because it does attract more attention, and the police will notice it more easily than a Civic or a Neon. Thieves prefer to be low-key and attract as little attention as possible, unless, of course, the thief is a complete moron and wants to get caught quickly. It will also be more difficult for a thief to turn around and sell a RHD car because the average person won't buy a RHD car. So your statements about RHD cars getting stolen more often doesn't really jive.

When it comes to driving a RHD vehicle, you simply must be more cautious. It's not like RHD vehicles have just suddenly shown up on the streets in Canada in the past couple of years... People have imported RHD cars from the U.K. for many years, especially people who have moved from the U.K. The occasional Mini or MG can be seen on the roads in Canada for many years now, and no one complained about those RHD cars on the road.

Accidents happen because one or more drivers were not giving 100% of their attention to their driving, or were impatient, or were careless, or their vehicle was not in a safe operating condition (i.e. tire pops off rim because it was under-inflated, or the driver did not properly scrape the frost off their windows, etc.).

I've seen so many careless LHD drivers that almost clip another vehicle with the right-hand side of their vehicle because they don't know where the other side of their own vehicle is, or because they change lanes and accelerate when they're already very close to the car in front.

It all boils down to paying attention and being cautious regardless of whether it's LHD or RHD.

finboy
09-11-2005, 04:11 PM
utter bs, i'm never going to get my hands on an evo or cossie now :banghead:

AllGoNoShow
09-11-2005, 04:12 PM
Don't get me wrong, got nothign against them, but some people need to figure out how to drive them.

Yes if some theif went and stole say a RHD Mr2, and tried to sell it, wouldn't take long before it was recongized and reported. BUt if that MR2 is heavily modded, the theif has a garage, then its nothign to stirp down a car, smash and slash the extras and sell the modified parts online.

finboy
09-11-2005, 04:17 PM
Originally posted by AllGoNoShow
Don't get me wrong, got nothign against them, but some people need to figure out how to drive them.

Yes if some theif went and stole say a RHD Mr2, and tried to sell it, wouldn't take long before it was recongized and reported. BUt if that MR2 is heavily modded, the theif has a garage, then its nothign to stirp down a car, smash and slash the extras and sell the modified parts online.

a modified jdm car will attract just as much attention as an equally modded usdm car from theives, if all they are after is parts.

as for driving, usually auto enthusiasts who care about their cars buy imported cars, and as such realize that driving around like an idiot will get their car written off (in MOST cases), i worry more about the person who just got their lisence, driving around in a cavalier that their parents bought for them.

pressure_ratio
09-11-2005, 04:47 PM
Originally posted by AllGoNoShow
Stricter rules because it is RHD, stands out more because it is "unique" around here, modified as some/most cars are, therefor possibly making it a hotter item to steal and part out. Therefor making insurance pay out more because they are getting stolen quicker/more often, thereofr making other peoples premiums go up possibly.
I have a hard time believing the insurance thing.These imported car account for less than .5% of the cars on the road.One or 2 gets stolen or crashes and they want change legislation?The whole reason the 15 rule was put in place was to encourage people to support local economy(yup,all those nice Canadian brands!).Since over half of the cars on the road are import brands the rule is obsolete imo.
There should be a 0 year or maybe a 5 year rule.
Driving RHD is hardly different than LHD after getting used to it.Might as well ban all those from RHD countries from driving on our roads too then,it's to great a danger! :nut:
As far as being sick of seeing them...well i'm sick of loud and obnoxous Honda Civics,bangers in Camaros,red necks in big trucks and so on.Maybe we should have a no class/bad taste law in place?

AllGoNoShow
09-11-2005, 05:10 PM
Originally posted by pressure_ratio

I have a hard time believing the insurance thing.These imported car account for less than .5% of the cars on the road.One or 2 gets stolen or crashes and they want change legislation?The whole reason the 15 rule was put in place was to encourage people to support local economy(yup,all those nice Canadian brands!).Since over half of the cars on the road are import brands the rule is obsolete imo.
There should be a 0 year or maybe a 5 year rule.
Driving RHD is hardly different than LHD after getting used to it.Might as well ban all those from RHD countries from driving on our roads too then,it's to great a danger! :nut:
As far as being sick of seeing them...well i'm sick of loud and obnoxous Honda Civics,bangers in Camaros,red necks in big trucks and so on.Maybe we should have a no class/bad taste law in place?

Never said we should ban them, just have stricter rules.

RealToyCars
09-11-2005, 05:17 PM
Originally posted by pressure_ratio

...Maybe we should have a no class/bad taste law in place?

Would my Nissan S-Cargo be exempt from the no class/bad taste law? :D

DJ Lazy
09-11-2005, 05:19 PM
Originally posted by EK 2.0
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...I want my EK9 CTR...:cry:

Your not the only one... :cry: :(

Payner
09-11-2005, 05:26 PM
I want My 180:banghead: :banghead: :thumbsdow

pressure_ratio
09-11-2005, 05:27 PM
Originally posted by FlySi
I think its great news too! Its about time someone put a stop to this crap. Im getting sick of seeing these pos on our streets and its annoying when we see threads like "i just bought a 1990 skyline with 60,000 km on it but my transmission is blown." People are so naive to believe that they are actually driving low km vehicles that just conveniently ended up in auction overseas. With any type of car and such low mileage, these cars should be nearly *mint*. But then again, they're 15 year old cars, right? LOL, i've seen 1990 honda accords in better condition than the "grade 3.5" skylines ppl bring. They're here cuz no one there wants em!

The reason they're so cheap is because as cars get older it gets more expensive for them meet safety & emissions,therefor the cars have a very low resale value.Most are low Km's,because you don't have the endless highways like you do here.


Originally posted by RXsevenmonk


yeah but its alot cheaper to bring one over and fix a blown tranny then to build a syline powered 240.... not to mention JDM cars are virually rust free.... I imported a hilux surf and with all the little repairs i had to do it was still less expensive then buying one here plus less km and no rust whatsoever

Agreed it is a LOT cheaper to buy a jdm car and maybe have to do some work to it than it would be to buy,say an s13 and do a front clip and engine swap.and they're usually rust free.


Originally posted by AllGoNoShow


Never said we should ban them, just have stricter rules.
I understand that's not what you were implying.It I have no problems with stricter rules but that would be hard to enforce.As any driver and owner it's your responsibility to maintain your car and drive in a safe manner.There's a lot of cars on the road that would never pass a safety,and drivers that would never pass a drivers test.A 25yr law would only open the door to more illegal importing.

R34-crazy
09-11-2005, 05:30 PM
The only real danger in RHD cars is making a pass on a 2 lane highway. Other than that city driving is NO different! Takes a week or so to get used to it, after that driving on the right side makes no difference..

pressure_ratio
09-11-2005, 05:35 PM
Originally posted by RealToyCars


Would my Nissan S-Cargo be exempt from the no class/bad taste law? :D
As long as your not a red neck driving a lifted S-Cargo with a loud exhaust and neon underglow I think we could let that go!

DJ Lazy
09-11-2005, 05:44 PM
Originally posted by R34-crazy
The only real danger in RHD cars is making a pass on a 2 lane highway. Other than that city driving is NO different! Takes a week or so to get used to it, after that driving on the right side makes no difference..

Thats not completely correct. :rolleyes:

RealToyCars
09-11-2005, 05:56 PM
Originally posted by pressure_ratio

As long as your not a red neck driving a lifted S-Cargo with a loud exhaust and neon underglow I think we could let that go!

Hmmm... I better pull off that sport-tuned muffler... The damn car doesn't seem to go any faster with it on anyways... what a rip-off! :burnout:

And thank goodness I didn't install the dozens of underglow and interior-glow neon lights, yet... But can I keep the mirror ball in the back cargo area?

talonboi
09-11-2005, 06:10 PM
i hope it goes through, cuzz im gonna hate to see a bunch of TT supra's driving around by young punks that dont deserve them, and will crash them within a week

finboy
09-11-2005, 06:13 PM
Originally posted by talonboi
i hope it goes through, cuzz im gonna hate to see a bunch of TT supra's driving around by young punks that dont deserve them, and will crash them within a week

...that just means more 2jz's on the market for cheap :D :D :D

TegLover
09-11-2005, 07:36 PM
this stricter law shit is retarded:thumbsdow

Godfuader
09-11-2005, 10:50 PM
Originally posted by talonboi
i hope it goes through, cuzz im gonna hate to see a bunch of TT supra's driving around by young punks that dont deserve them, and will crash them within a week

:werd: :werd: Let the MKIV remain a unique car.

asp integra
09-11-2005, 10:56 PM
Originally posted by talonboi
i hope it goes through, cuzz im gonna hate to see a bunch of TT supra's driving around by young punks that dont deserve them, and will crash them within a week

i dont agree with this statement, if you work hard, make money and have a good taste in cars you should be able to drive and own what ever type of car u feel like, even though there will be occasions where there are the little rich kids with crazy fast cars, there are alot of hard working people out there who deserve to drive around in a sick car like a supra tt

Sonic Racing
09-11-2005, 11:00 PM
Has anyone actually verified this? Spoken to T.C themselves?, I just read through the other forum, and it sounds pretty conflicting, not saying it couldn't happen but....

theken
09-11-2005, 11:22 PM
i cant wait for the supra tt's to come in will sell my z in a split second when those bastards get here, same with the r33 skylines
:drool:

AllGoNoShow
09-11-2005, 11:40 PM
I got some time on my hands tomorrow, I'll give them a call and see what I can find.

Aleks
09-12-2005, 01:49 AM
About time...

BerserkerCatSplat
09-12-2005, 01:59 AM
Though my previous post was a lament at probably never getting to own a Sagaris, I really don't mind the law change all that much. The law is in place because the JDM cars have not been tested under/ did not pass Canadian crash testing and other regulations. The law is in place so only hardcore enthusiasts would import them as special cars. Unfortunately, we have seen a glut of JDM cars brought in in various conditions. As was posted, I really wonder how they'll hold up through a couple of Calgary winters. I really don't want to see vehicles that were not designed well enough to pass Canadian testing, or that have been rendered unsafe by our weather conditions, on our roads.

AllGoNoShow
09-12-2005, 11:04 AM
Well called TC and RIV today, all of which you can image are absolutly useless being the government. But from one person I talked to, he said there has been no updates or changes and nothign he knows of about increasing it to 25 years, so it looks like everything is possibly in the clear, although a more reliable source would be helpful.

talonboi
09-12-2005, 11:37 AM
and also, if the law passes at 25yrs. wont the re-sale value of jdm cars go up??

pressure_ratio
09-12-2005, 11:38 AM
Well for now it looks like we're safe.If things ever came down to changing the laws I'd be one of the first to lobby against it,along with the people who actually import these cars.There are more than a few reasons that would have a negative effect to changing it to a 25+ year law.

To all the meaningless posts like these....


Originally posted by FlySi
I think its great news too! Its about time someone put a stop to this crap. Im getting sick of seeing these pos on our streets and its annoying when we see threads like "i just bought a 1990 skyline with 60,000 km on it but my transmission is blown."



Originally posted by Team_Mclaren
about time they change that shit. Sick of all the RHDs on the street... (nothing against the people who bought them). But imo RHD should never be allow here.

Sorry,but that kind of negative attitude/opinion isn't a good enough reason to change legislation...


Originally posted by pressure_ratio

As far as being sick of seeing them...Well I'm sick of loud and obnoxous Honda Civics,bangers in Camaros,red necks in big trucks and so on.Maybe we should have a no class/bad taste law in place?

What about safety?Good point but,since most of these cars are using the exact same chassis as their USDM counterparts I doubt that safetry is much of a concern.Skyline excluded,which passed US DOT by Motorex.
The majority of the people I know who own jdm cars are parking theirs for the winter.

mx73someday
09-12-2005, 11:58 AM
Safety standards are a joke, these aren't Lada's or Yugo's. These cars were manufactured in a reputable country. We can't have the new EVO's in Canada because of some lame bumper standard that has more to do with keeping insurance companies happy than safety. If you can choose to ride a motorcycle on our roads, then you should have the right to choose any vehicle.

It's lame that they allow importations of exception vehicles that are less than 15 years old from the U.S. (which isn't even a metric country), but there are no exceptions from the larger import countries like Japan and Germany.

Nissanaddict
09-12-2005, 12:36 PM
I would be unhappy if this came about. I've wanted an R33 for a while. If that gets taken away from me, I won't be happy. By the time they apply to the 15 year old rule I will EASILY be able to afford one. All that law will do is INCREASE fraud, because more people will illegally import them, instead of now, when most of us are patient enough to wait 15 years, so we do. I wouldn't illegally import a car, but I'm not everyone. In fact, most of us on this forum (to my knowledge) look down on illegal importers...but some might even open up to them if the govt decides to be a hugh jass about it. Not a good idea.

Toms-SC
09-12-2005, 12:41 PM
good

Sonic Racing
09-12-2005, 12:53 PM
I just re-read the T.C site and one fact that would concern me is at the top of the regulations for imorting it says.

"Importation of vehicles into Canada from countries other than the United States

Revised December 2002 Subject to revision without notification"

It's that last bit thats the kicker...

Ben
09-12-2005, 01:40 PM
I could care less about the JDM cars, it's the ones from Europe I've been waiting patiently for. Cars that would survive fine in our winter, and most importantly, are LHD.

JCX
09-12-2005, 02:06 PM
Originally posted by finboy


...that just means more 2jz's on the market for cheap :D :D :D

Not this close to racewars it doesn't. :( :D

Regarding the rule, can't say as I really care. Matter of fact in some ways I agree with it. IMO a lot of these cars are just other countries unwanted "junk" anyways.

At the end of the day we aren't entitled to drive period, let alone any car from any country. Enjoy the current 15 year rule while it lasts. :dunno:

JCX
09-12-2005, 02:10 PM
Originally posted by Nissanaddict
All that law will do is INCREASE fraud, because more people will illegally import them, instead of now, when most of us are patient enough to wait 15 years, so we do.

Hey Columbo, care to explain how this will increase fraud? It's going to be tough to represent a 15 year old car as 25 year old car.

pressure_ratio
09-12-2005, 02:18 PM
Tell that to the guy in town with the ITR.Not as hard as you may think,you can't decode VINs on those cars.
The main thing is everyone loses out.It's not just the JDM cars that would suffer.All those waiting for a car to become legal lose out.Say for example you were a big dollar collecter and had plans to bring in an exotic(Macleran F1).Your chances of bringing in a MB evo,Cossie or e36 m3 evo are gone.and all those car are LHD.

A790
09-12-2005, 02:20 PM
Originally posted by mx73someday
Safety standards are a joke, these aren't Lada's or Yugo's. These cars were manufactured in a reputable country. We can't have the new EVO's in Canada because of some lame bumper standard that has more to do with keeping insurance companies happy than safety. If you can choose to ride a motorcycle on our roads, then you should have the right to choose any vehicle.

It's lame that they allow importations of exception vehicles that are less than 15 years old from the U.S. (which isn't even a metric country), but there are no exceptions from the larger import countries like Japan and Germany.

NAFTA, my friend.

garagefujimoto
09-12-2005, 05:18 PM
i am one of the biggest fans of jdm, but yes it can be annoying to see all the rhd being imported. i only hope that if anything they tighten the quality and volume of cars being brought in, as opposed to closing the door altogether. i am trading my lhd car for a japanese equivalent, because it will be less worn, and less rusted, leading me to believe that it will be safer to drive. garbage trucks are rhd too, it's not the car's fault, it's the peopel who operate them.

C4S
09-12-2005, 05:43 PM
It will change .. just depends on when? even Canada gov change that law to 20 yr or 25 yr .. it probaby still take some time for them to have the new rule .. ?

I still want to import my dream car here .. :drool:

I think it is a good idea to change this import's rule .. may be from 15 yr to 20 yr? or just allow LHD, but no more RHD? :dunno:

Will@STRD
09-12-2005, 06:23 PM
DAMN I'll die before I get a R34!!:banghead:

heavyD
09-12-2005, 06:37 PM
What is this? The Canadian government making a good decision? About time! Raise it to 25 years.:clap: :clap: :clap: The 15 year rule was never intended to allow a mass infusion of crappy cars from Japanese auto wreckers to this country. It's hard enough to find competent LHD drivers in this country let alone a bunch of teens in their RHD cars.

I know the JDM crowd will flame me but think about it. Most of those 15-year old imports will be on the roads here for 3 - 5 years max then they will head to the dump here. Why should we end up disposing of Japan's garbage?

RealToyCars
09-13-2005, 12:15 AM
Instead of a cut-and-dry 15 year rule, or 20 year rule... I'd rather see a 15 year rule with a compliance program for cars that are less than 15 years old. It would start up a whole new set of services and businesses in the automotive industry, and the CCRA could make additional money through compliance inspections and fees. It would allow car enthusiasts who have the funds to purchase, import, and modify cars (through licensed businesses) that are less than 15 years old... And we could then see legal R34's on the road. And one would hope that the compliance process wouldn't cost as much as it does in the U.S... that's just brutal.

It also appears a few of you are quite ignorant when it comes to knowing and understanding the condition and quality of JDM cars that are imported, and some of you are just simply jaded about it. Yes, I agree that some of the cars that get imported are a bit junky, but that's the purchaser's perogative, who may have plans for it as a project car or a winter beater. For the most part, many of those 15 year old JDM cars that get imported are in much better condition than the average 10 year old car on the roads in Canada, mostly because they haven't been exposed to as harsh elements or been driven as much.

There tends to be more local junk being sold and resold locally that really shouldn't be on the roads than ones being imported and put on our roads. Japan has incentives for their consumers to purchase new cars, and make it more and more costly to continue to upgrade and insure their cars as they get older. So at some point, it becomes more economical to buy a new car and sell the older one for export. Used car export to other countries is just as big an industry as new car sales for Japan.

And what could be so different about the JDM cars that would make them so unsafe in the winter? You don't think they have winter weather in Japan or something?! The northern part of Japan, especially in the mountainous areas, get their share of snow and nice... and that's why you see many of the cars that come from northern Japan with winter tires, or they come with a second set of wheels/tires (one summer, one winter set).

Tires are the biggest safety issue in the winter, and we can certainly fix that problem by putting on some good Canadian winter or all-season tires. Brake fluid and transmission fluid (for those automatics) viscosity issues? Sure, that could be an issue... so flush them out and put the Canadian fluids in... issue resolved. Problems with the engine block freezing in the winter? Put Canadian coolant in and a block heater. All the cars have frost plugs on the engine block, so pull one out and find a block heater that fits. Heck, I put a block heater in my little S-Cargo, and it started just fine this past winter... and it handled just fine our Calgary winter roads. If that little S-Cargo can handle our winter roads, surely all the other cars can! Some of the higher end cars, like Skylines, are equipped with ABS brakes and even a traction control system (Nissan's ATTESA system).

So... where's the safety concerns? All these imported cars have to go through an out-of-province inspection first... so most of them should be in safe operating condition... which is more than what could be said for the guy down the street who's lowered his pick-up truck to maybe 6-inches off the ground and has to have the camber on his front wheels at such an extreme angle so he can turn the wheels... and who drives it in the winter despite the fact that he has 30 series low profile summer tires...

Safety concerns?! I think the concerns are about the owners who make their cars unsafe or ignore safety issues... not the actual cars. And we don't have any regulations in place to check up on vehicles that get modified, so maybe something should be done about that instead.

Wes
09-13-2005, 10:09 AM
Originally posted by RealToyCars
Instead of a cut-and-dry 15 year rule, or 20 year rule... I'd rather see a 15 year rule with a compliance program for cars that are less than 15 years old. ....

:werd: Well written Mike.

AllGoNoShow
09-13-2005, 10:14 AM
Originally posted by RealToyCars
Instead of a cut-and-dry 15 year rule, or 20 year rule... I'd rather see a 15 year rule with a compliance program for cars that are less than 15 years old. It would start up a whole new set of services and businesses in the automotive industry, and the CCRA could make additional money through compliance inspections and fees. It would allow car enthusiasts who have the funds to purchase, import, and modify cars (through licensed businesses) that are less than 15 years old... And we could then see legal R34's on the road. And one would hope that the compliance process wouldn't cost as much as it does in the U.S... that's just brutal.

It also appears a few of you are quite ignorant when it comes to knowing and understanding the condition and quality of JDM cars that are imported, and some of you are just simply jaded about it. Yes, I agree that some of the cars that get imported are a bit junky, but that's the purchaser's perogative, who may have plans for it as a project car or a winter beater. For the most part, many of those 15 year old JDM cars that get imported are in much better condition than the average 10 year old car on the roads in Canada, mostly because they haven't been exposed to as harsh elements or been driven as much.

There tends to be more local junk being sold and resold locally that really shouldn't be on the roads than ones being imported and put on our roads. Japan has incentives for their consumers to purchase new cars, and make it more and more costly to continue to upgrade and insure their cars as they get older. So at some point, it becomes more economical to buy a new car and sell the older one for export. Used car export to other countries is just as big an industry as new car sales for Japan.

And what could be so different about the JDM cars that would make them so unsafe in the winter? You don't think they have winter weather in Japan or something?! The northern part of Japan, especially in the mountainous areas, get their share of snow and nice... and that's why you see many of the cars that come from northern Japan with winter tires, or they come with a second set of wheels/tires (one summer, one winter set).

Tires are the biggest safety issue in the winter, and we can certainly fix that problem by putting on some good Canadian winter or all-season tires. Brake fluid and transmission fluid (for those automatics) viscosity issues? Sure, that could be an issue... so flush them out and put the Canadian fluids in... issue resolved. Problems with the engine block freezing in the winter? Put Canadian coolant in and a block heater. All the cars have frost plugs on the engine block, so pull one out and find a block heater that fits. Heck, I put a block heater in my little S-Cargo, and it started just fine this past winter... and it handled just fine our Calgary winter roads. If that little S-Cargo can handle our winter roads, surely all the other cars can! Some of the higher end cars, like Skylines, are equipped with ABS brakes and even a traction control system (Nissan's ATTESA system).

So... where's the safety concerns? All these imported cars have to go through an out-of-province inspection first... so most of them should be in safe operating condition... which is more than what could be said for the guy down the street who's lowered his pick-up truck to maybe 6-inches off the ground and has to have the camber on his front wheels at such an extreme angle so he can turn the wheels... and who drives it in the winter despite the fact that he has 30 series low profile summer tires...

Safety concerns?! I think the concerns are about the owners who make their cars unsafe or ignore safety issues... not the actual cars. And we don't have any regulations in place to check up on vehicles that get modified, so maybe something should be done about that instead.

Good points.

Yah if they managed the rules a little better, like what your saying about a compliance program for younger cars and even the older cars then we could keep the junk off the streets *Not saying there is a ton on there from other countries* and the government would be happy making money off the guys who had the money to bring in their R34's and such.

heavyD
09-13-2005, 10:36 AM
Originally posted by RealToyCars
So... where's the safety concerns? All these imported cars have to go through an out-of-province inspection first...


I can tell you from experience that out of province inspections are a joke. You can go to any mechanic to get them and if that mechanic is a friend even easier.

As for the ignorance about the condition of these imported cars maybe Calgary and Edmonton have just got the bad ones because of the imports I have seen the junkers outnumber the decent ones by at least a 2-1 margin.

The whole thing is a little shady if you ask me. Alot of the cars aren't inspected in Japan before they come here. Just pictures & specs. Nobody really knows the history of these vehicles. Hell buying a used car off a lot in Calgary is a shady proposition, let alone a Japanese car that has been through japanese sellers, exporters, canadian importers, etc without you even being able to do a thorough history check on the car.

sputnik
09-13-2005, 11:07 AM
Originally posted by heavyD
It's hard enough to find competent LHD drivers in this country let alone a bunch of teens in their RHD cars.


Personally I would rather just see a ban on ALL RHD cars in North America.

I dont care what people claim about safety, the fact that they have limited visibility for passing and turning makes them more unsafe than their LHD counterparts and should be taken off the road period. Personally I would not want to be in a head on collision on 22X because some JDM fanboy wasnt as careful as he claims to be. I think all it will take is a couple of bad accidents with JDM cars involved and you will see this happen sooner than you think.

Lets keep RHD cars on RHD streets.

BerserkerCatSplat
09-13-2005, 11:17 AM
Originally posted by sputnik

I think all it will take is a couple of bad accidents with JDM cars involved and you will see this happen sooner than you think.



Very true. I would not be surprised if we see a law outlawing RHD cars entirely.

pulse_crx
09-13-2005, 11:26 AM
So what about all the fedex/ postal delievery trucks, garbage trucks and city owned vehicles that are RHD. Does this impose that we have to ban those too?
The reason that I imported a JDM car is that because compared to the canadian market, the cars are in better condition, have lower km's, better performance and for the most part, the majority are rust free.
I did not want to pay over double to find the exact same car in worse condition thats LHD in the Canadaian Market.

Most of the people that are importing RHD cars are not going to be driving them in winter, other than the few SUV's, and even then, Japan also gets snow in the winter, they did host the Olympics a couple years back.

Most of the chassis' that are being imported are identical/ if not similar to what we have for LHD. With MR2s, S13, Any Honda, etc... they all have passed the canadian saftey tests on the same chassis, so I dont believe that the safety of RHD cars is really an issue.

mx73someday
09-13-2005, 12:12 PM
Originally posted by heavyD

As for the ignorance about the condition of these imported cars maybe Calgary and Edmonton have just got the bad ones because of the imports I have seen the junkers outnumber the decent ones by at least a 2-1 margin.


Stop criticizing the cars that people are choosing to buy, maybe what you're considering junk is someone else's gem, as long as it's passed the OOP and it's safe for road use, then you don't have the right to criticize them. There are far worst cars on the road than the RHD cars people are buying.


Originally posted by Sputnik
I dont care what people claim about safety, the fact that they have limited visibility for passing and turning makes them more unsafe than their LHD counterparts and should be taken off the road period. Personally I would not want to be in a head on collision on 22X because some JDM fanboy wasnt as careful as he claims to be.


Get over this fear of limited visibility. It's not even an issue to anyone who owns a right hand drive car. LHD turns are simple, you ask your passenger to check when to go, you lean over unlike a lazy ass or else you wait it out. Passing on a highway is not a problem, wait for a slight curve so you can see around, or use the right shoulder, or hang back from the vehicle in front and peek out, or just not pass at all. If a RHD driver crashes into you because they were taking risks, then they are a bad driver, it's not because of a seating position that's only 2 feet over.

Maybe they should issue RHD driver's training or special RHD licenses.

pressure_ratio
09-13-2005, 12:17 PM
Originally posted by RealToyCars
Instead of a cut-and-dry 15 year rule, or 20 year rule... I'd rather see a 15 year rule with a compliance program for cars that are less than 15 years old. It would start up a whole new set of services and businesses in the automotive industry, and the CCRA could make additional money through compliance inspections and fees. It would allow car enthusiasts who have the funds to purchase, import, and modify cars (through licensed businesses) that are less than 15 years old... And we could then see legal R34's on the road. And one would hope that the compliance process wouldn't cost as much as it does in the U.S... that's just brutal.

It also appears a few of you are quite ignorant when it comes to knowing and understanding the condition and quality of JDM cars that are imported, and some of you are just simply jaded about it. Yes, I agree that some of the cars that get imported are a bit junky, but that's the purchaser's perogative, who may have plans for it as a project car or a winter beater. For the most part, many of those 15 year old JDM cars that get imported are in much better condition than the average 10 year old car on the roads in Canada, mostly because they haven't been exposed to as harsh elements or been driven as much.

There tends to be more local junk being sold and resold locally that really shouldn't be on the roads than ones being imported and put on our roads. Japan has incentives for their consumers to purchase new cars, and make it more and more costly to continue to upgrade and insure their cars as they get older. So at some point, it becomes more economical to buy a new car and sell the older one for export. Used car export to other countries is just as big an industry as new car sales for Japan.

And what could be so different about the JDM cars that would make them so unsafe in the winter? You don't think they have winter weather in Japan or something?! The northern part of Japan, especially in the mountainous areas, get their share of snow and nice... and that's why you see many of the cars that come from northern Japan with winter tires, or they come with a second set of wheels/tires (one summer, one winter set).

Tires are the biggest safety issue in the winter, and we can certainly fix that problem by putting on some good Canadian winter or all-season tires. Brake fluid and transmission fluid (for those automatics) viscosity issues? Sure, that could be an issue... so flush them out and put the Canadian fluids in... issue resolved. Problems with the engine block freezing in the winter? Put Canadian coolant in and a block heater. All the cars have frost plugs on the engine block, so pull one out and find a block heater that fits. Heck, I put a block heater in my little S-Cargo, and it started just fine this past winter... and it handled just fine our Calgary winter roads. If that little S-Cargo can handle our winter roads, surely all the other cars can! Some of the higher end cars, like Skylines, are equipped with ABS brakes and even a traction control system (Nissan's ATTESA system).

So... where's the safety concerns? All these imported cars have to go through an out-of-province inspection first... so most of them should be in safe operating condition... which is more than what could be said for the guy down the street who's lowered his pick-up truck to maybe 6-inches off the ground and has to have the camber on his front wheels at such an extreme angle so he can turn the wheels... and who drives it in the winter despite the fact that he has 30 series low profile summer tires...

Safety concerns?! I think the concerns are about the owners who make their cars unsafe or ignore safety issues... not the actual cars. And we don't have any regulations in place to check up on vehicles that get modified, so maybe something should be done about that instead.


Thank you Real Toy Cars for a well writen post.
no matter what you say though it looks like some people will just never be happy.

It's not as if importing rhd drive cars is a new thing,there have been countless cars from the UK and other countries imported here over the last few decades.Heck,there were even some Rolls Royces that were sold here new as rhd!

As for Heavy D and your comment about OOP's being a joke.I remember that the inspection books are government issued to a shop.Each Inspection was numbered.They were very strict about who got them.One copy went to the customer,one to the shop and one to the government.
I have seen cars that were a year old fail because of a crack in the windshield,I'd be willing to bet that 75% of the cars on the road wouldn't pass one.
If your so concerned about the safety and well being of motorists you should be reporting this person you know of from personal experience instead of posting about them because that person is a fraud!

heavyD
09-13-2005, 12:48 PM
Originally posted by pressure_ratio
As for Heavy D and your comment about OOP's being a joke.I remember that the inspection books are government issued to a shop.Each Inspection was numbered.They were very strict about who got them.One copy went to the customer,one to the shop and one to the government.
I have seen cars that were a year old fail because of a crack in the windshield,I'd be willing to bet that 75% of the cars on the road wouldn't pass one.
If your so concerned about the safety and well being of motorists you should be reporting this person you know of from personal experience instead of posting about them because that person is a fraud!

I've got my fair share of OOPI's done. A quality and honest mechanic will do due dilligence but please don't think that the world is full of honest people in the automobile industry. You only need to know a mechanic personally or share business interests (wink, wink) with one and you can get any car to pass an out of province inspection.

Weapon_R
09-13-2005, 01:13 PM
^ That's the honest truth. I passed an OOP inspection once without bringing the car there when I was 16 because my dad knew the mechanic :D.

Of course, I wouldn't even purchase a car today that needed an OOP, but when you're young and have no money, a Tempo looks enticing.

pressure_ratio
09-13-2005, 01:16 PM
Yes,I know I was in the insustry for many years.It's sad to know that there are so many frauds out there.
A compliancing system would be a great idea,but could be just as easily corrupted just like it was in Australia.If OOPI's are being done correctly it shouldn't be necessary.

Weapon R:Being young,money or not that doesn't make it right.Your no better then.:thumbsdow

blueripper6
09-13-2005, 01:34 PM
Ok listen, in a LHD vehicle making a left hand turn across traffic, do you go if you cant see a clear path?

NO?

So why in gods right would you go in a RHD vehicle, if you cant see, dont go?

Problem solved, everyone who thinks they should be banned cause they dont like them is retarded and needs to stfu.

JCX
09-13-2005, 01:55 PM
Originally posted by pressure_ratio
Yes,I know I was in the insustry for many years.It's sad to know that there are so many frauds out there.
A compliancing system would be a great idea,but could be just as easily corrupted just like it was in Australia.If OOPI's are being done correctly it shouldn't be necessary.



I still think the best solution is to change the 15 year rule to at least 20 years (ie. making them a classic) and leave it there. We don't need extra scrap metal. Again, I don't hate JDM cars (well not completely) but the majority of ones I see are jalopies. :angel:

OOPI's are unreliable at best and compliance systems would lead to the importers whining about costs and complexity.

stevieo
09-13-2005, 03:14 PM
Originally posted by mx73someday


or use the right shoulder,

nice :thumbsup: :rolleyes:

mx73someday
09-13-2005, 08:55 PM
Originally posted by stevieo


nice :thumbsup: :rolleyes:

I didn't mean to pass on the shoulder, I meant to peek from.

Mosquito_R
09-16-2005, 10:27 AM
I think the law should be changed to 10 years rather than 15. That way we can get better condition cars and shift the junk-to-good ratio. IMO it's hard to find a large number of great-condition 15-yr-old cars; it's probably easier if they were a couple years newer.

As for safety standards, I really hate the 5 mph bumper law that's enforced by Canada and nobody else. I think the US laws stipulate 2.5mph. As for lighting, why does this continent have their own stupid laws when everywhere else comply to another set of standards? I think side blinkers should be mandatory, and no one-bulb-does-it-all brake/tail/signal lights shoudl be allowed on the rear.

As for the LHD/RHD issue, I think it should be the buyer's perogative like it is in Japan and UK. These are RHD countries where LHD is allowed. Naturally when you drive on the different side you should take extra caution; if you can handle it, by all means go ahead, if not, buy LHD. I don't think it should be up to the govt to tell us what we should have.

And of course, from an enthusiast's point of view, having access to both LHD and RHD cars will of course allow us to enjoy more automotive goodness from around the world.

RealToyCars
10-30-2005, 11:39 PM
This sounds like a rumour. Someone from Cole International contacted us recently asking about whether there's any truth to this rumour since they were not able to find any information on it.

For those of you who are not aware, Cole Internationl is a huge international freight forwarding and customs brokerage company, so if they can't locate any supporting information through their contacts with Transport Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency, then it definitely sounds more like a rumour.

Y'know how they start... someone says, "Hey, what if Canada decides to change the import regulations to 25 year old vehicles just like Australia." And after it gets filtered through a few people, it turns into, "Hey, Canada's going to enforce a 25 year old rule just like Australia."