importing a 15 year old car...

[88CRX]

alright... i know all about being able to import anything over 15 years old. but i still have some other questions.

1 - how do i insure it? and who will insure it? cause the vin is completely different.

2 - when the car arrives do i need to already have insurance? or do i need to register it? does RIV register it or would i still just register it with the local dmv?

3 - what are the loop holes to get a car a year early... i want an 89 but i may settle for an 88 :dunno:

[AquamosH]

Np.

What do you plan on importing?

[88CRX]

if i get an 88 a crx si or if i wait an 89 sir

either way it will have a full mugen kit and all the other jdm goodies
:D


anyone else have something to add?

[Eric Happy Meal]

what re the rules for cars 15 years or older???

[lammer]

you can import it as a collectable.

[sandman]

dude get a skyline :D, but yea after 15 eyars dont worry boutt he RIV, no need for federal inspections neither, n yea from what i understand u jus go to any registries, and they'll do something for ur VIN as well, adn then u can insure it as well....whats duty like from japan? 6.1% is from the US if u get somehting from there thats not a domestically made car, and either way u gotta pay 7% GST, adn tor egister, ull need an Out Of Province Safety Inspection, its like an 80- point inspection, but they'll fail if somehtin like a seatbelt doesnt retract, or rust holes on the udnercarraige, headlights being screwy, no need for daytome running lights tho, im rpetty sure anyways, to get it if its like getting cars from US, go to the calgary highway sufferance warehouse in the SE, then theyll giv u some shit to giv to customs in the NE by impressions, pay ur duty and GST, then back to SE, pick up car, then get outta prov inspection done, get insurance (u dont need outta prov for insurance, but for reg., u do) and then reg. and jus go to registries and tell them bout the car and u need a VIN,good luck on this man, tell me when ur getting it, coz then other mite want somin JDM, i know i would!!!!

[rage2]

hehe AFAIK, no new VIN's are needed. You basically go to your insurance company, tell them it's a 15 year old import, they'll give you insurance on it like any other car. Then you go to the registry and they can punch in any VIN on a car > 15 years old.

The 300zx was available to the public in mid-late 1989, with early-mid 1989 build dates, which makes the first built ones only 14 years and 3 or so months old, meaning it's not available here yet.

That post sounds a wee bit suspicious :).

Anyways, if you guys are serious about importing rare machines, talk to ZR Auto. They import old minis regularly, and they can probably get you a skyline or whatever car you want.

[Eric Happy Meal]

Originally posted by lammer
you can import it as a collectable.

does that sowrk in the us as well?

[Maxt]

Originally posted by 88CRX
if i get an 88 a crx si or if i wait an 89 sir

either way it will have a full mugen kit and all the other jdm goodies
:D


anyone else have something to add?
THere are a few rx-7s from Japan driving around in Alberta that are newer than 15 years old...
I think you would be best off just getting the engine you want and putting it into a North American car...
As far as Honda tuning and cars over in Japan, don't dream to hard, people don't tune crx's preludes civic's etc etc to the extent that they do in North America, you have a better chance of finding a car full of mugen stuff in North America than in Japan, there are pockets of tuners that do Honda stuffm but most of them focus on NSX and S2000, the other honda cars are average cars here, and not worthy of the time to tune in there eyes....
I was at a department store size car store full of tuning and bling bling parts, there wasn't a honda part to be had in the place, not even for RSX etc etc, if it was Canada, every part would have been for a honda of some description....So in a nutshell when it comes to Cool stuff for Honda fwd's, your chances of finding it at home is way better than Japan....Max

[88CRX]

Originally posted by Maxt

THere are a few rx-7s from Japan driving around in Alberta that are newer than 15 years old...
I think you would be best off just getting the engine you want and putting it into a North American car...
As far as Honda tuning and cars over in Japan, don't dream to hard, people don't tune crx's preludes civic's etc etc to the extent that they do in North America, you have a better chance of finding a car full of mugen stuff in North America than in Japan, there are pockets of tuners that do Honda stuffm but most of them focus on NSX and S2000, the other honda cars are average cars here, and not worthy of the time to tune in there eyes....
I was at a department store size car store full of tuning and bling bling parts, there wasn't a honda part to be had in the place, not even for RSX etc etc, if it was Canada, every part would have been for a honda of some description....So in a nutshell when it comes to Cool stuff for Honda fwd's, your chances of finding it at home is way better than Japan....Max

do you know what your talking about? mugen parts that were discontinued over 10 years ago in canada.... i wish....

[Heep]

Originally posted by Eric Happy Meal


does that sowrk in the us as well?

Yes, but with 25 year old cars instead of 15.

[jdmakkord]

Originally posted by 88CRX


do you know what your talking about? mugen parts that were discontinued over 10 years ago in canada.... i wish....

But hondas aren't "Cool" in Japan. Its all about the toyota's, nissans, and mazda's there.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by jdmakkord


But hondas aren't "Cool" in Japan. Its all about the toyota's, nissans, and mazda's there.

I think that was the point Max was trying to make. I would tend to agree. If your looking for aftermarket parts for your civic or prelude etc it's proabably easier and more practical to find that stuff in North America.

[Maxt]

Exactly, I was just at a huge used performance parts place.... There was zero Honda stuff, I mean zero, and its not because people are buying it all up, its that here, no one wants the stuff or needs it... Again, you will have far better luck finding it in the market it was produced for, North America...Maxt

[88CRX]

Originally posted by Maxt
Exactly, I was just at a huge used performance parts place.... There was zero Honda stuff, I mean zero, and its not because people are buying it all up, its that here, no one wants the stuff or needs it... Again, you will have far better luck finding it in the market it was produced for, North America...Maxt

:dunno: so whats your point? are you trying to say i should head on over to yoko's or speedtech and ask them for all these honda parts :rofl: hahaha.

i dont want a toyota, nissan or mazda. i want rare, origonal honda parts that did not exist in north america.... ever... as in they arent available here.

[Maxt]

Did I say that...no....
What I am telling you , is if you buy a j-spec car just for the engine, thats all you are going to get, thats anygood like i said originally, you are far better off to buy the jdm motor, and forget about the hassle of a JDM car, its not going to come loaded with mugen parts,no one here bought mugen parts in the first place in any quantity to begin with.....If you are after older aftermarket, for the third time, you are bound to find them in North America, not here....

[88CRX]

Originally posted by Maxt
Did I say that...no....
What I am telling you , is if you buy a j-spec car just for the engine, thats all you are going to get, thats anygood like i said originally, you are far better off to buy the jdm motor, and forget about the hassle of a JDM car, its not going to come loaded with mugen parts,no one here bought mugen parts in the first place in any quantity to begin with.....If you are after older aftermarket, for the third time, you are bound to find them in North America, not here....

im not buying it for just the engine.... and yes some did come with mugen parts, ill dig up some old auctions with 'mugen' crx if you'd like

anyway do you have any info on how they got those newer cars in the country?

[Maxt]

I am told you can import at any time a car that has an equivalent model here, since the crash standards would be the same, however it has to be the exact same model, for instance you could import a non turbo evo, but not a turbo evo since the front mount would change the crash standards...
As for Mugen parts, your best bet is to look at ebay, or partstrader, I asked about crx's and civics at parts shop again this afternoon, they said your best bet is USA, since that is where most were shipped to .Some amatuer racing series here use Honda Fwds but they typically don't sell the wrecked cars, and most parts are no good after being raced...
I think the flood of JDM engines that started a few years back is gonna come to an end as well, if you want a JDM motor buy it now, there are no older Hondas left here, and there are none in the wreckers yards here either, the only cars that are kept around are ones that were popular for performance, you see alot of older corrolla's , sylvia,camaro's,supras and Rx-7's, the rest are
ground up into pulp when they get to be 5 years old....
I think the North American Market has made Honda what it is, I was really quite shocked to see how little there are on the roads here, I have seen more porsche boxters on the roads here than Hondas of any description...maxt

[Eric Happy Meal]

motorex said 30 years hjere in america.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by Maxt


I think the North American Market has made Honda what it is, I was really quite shocked to see how little there are on the roads here, I have seen more porsche boxters on the roads here than Hondas of any description...maxt

North American owners of such vehicles hate to hear that. In fact most of them are in denial about it.

If your importing a RHD car that is very unique I guess I can see going through the extra hassle, but a car like a CRX doesnt make any sense. The used market for such a car is far better here as is the support for aftermarket parts.

[Heep]

Originally posted by Eric Happy Meal
motorex said 30 years hjere in america.

It very well could be 30 years, though I vaguely remember seeing 25 years in the US rules for importation or whatever.

Either way, 15 year old cars aren't legal in the US without federalizing.

[88CRX]

Originally posted by rx7_turbo2


North American owners of such vehicles hate to hear that. In fact most of them are in denial about it.

If your importing a RHD car that is very unique I guess I can see going through the extra hassle, but a car like a CRX doesnt make any sense. The used market for such a car is far better here as is the support for aftermarket parts.

ok fine... i admit it.... hondas suck, i quite, im getting a mazda :thumbsdow


anyways, i origonally just wanted a full mugen kit and all the parts for an sir front end and from what ive been told buying the whole car isnt going to be much more... i would need the full kit (7 pieces) hood, headlights, rad support and all the body work to get it on my car so i fiqure what the hell, why not get the whole car. 160hp b16 engine, power everything and awesome gas mileage :dunno: sounds good to me.

[rage2]

Alright, back to the original topic. Now that we know how that 300zx got here (VIN swap)... there's good and bad. Good is you can get newer cars here :). Bad is, if Transport Canada finds out, they can seize your car, destory it if you don't export it back out of Canada. If Insurance finds out about it after you get into an accident, they have a right to not pay out and consider your policy void.

As for how to do it, talk to any chop shop :). Basically, what's done is they take a donor car that's wrecked and get all the VIN's and build plates off them. They install them on the target vehicle, so it looks like it's the original donor vehicle. This is how ppl peddle off stolen cars in the same province as well.

Highly illegal of course.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by 88CRX


ok fine... i admit it.... hondas suck, i quite, im getting a mazda :thumbsdow


Hmm I don't remember saying that. The fact you interpreted that from my comments proves my point however.

I said unless there is something very unique I don't see the point. From the sounds of it your looking for something unique. My point was that you should exhuast all your options in North America first, before you shell out the $$$ and all the hassle Rage2 just outlined. To many people just assume that Japan will have all these cool Honda parts, and the reality is that it does not.

[Eric Happy Meal]

Originally posted by Maxt

there are pockets of tuners that do Honda stuffm but most of them focus on NSX and S2000, the other honda cars are average cars here, and not worthy of the time to tune in there eyes....
as it should be here, most of the cars that they like to tune we have, with an exception of two.


I was at a department store size car store full of tuning and bling bling parts, there wasn't a honda part to be had in the place, not even for RSX etc etc, if it was Canada, every part would have been for a honda of some description....

thats because most everyone cares about performance in japan and not other crap, which is why there were no honda parts. and well you can figure out why there wouild be honda parts here then.

[Maxt]

In fact if you are looking for something unique, buy a ae86, those cars here are cheap, and the aftermarket is huge....In Japan, the kids buy those cars up, because of the low initial cost, not bad mileage, and then they go nuts on them,the used parts stores are loaded with hachi roku parts, from ported heads, to turbine kits, to full body kits, and at not bad prices....
Next down the list is is Nissan 240/sylvia, very popular car with huge aftermarket support,its kinda like the mustang of Japan.
Rx-7,skyline and 300 take a whack of cash to buy initially, so they are popular but only for those with deeper pockets... The chev camaro has a pretty good following here, its wierd to see them with a big Dragger n1 style exhaust system and advan rims... The corvette is catching on here as well, but they are just about ferrari money once they are here...
I bought a magazine called "goo parts", approximately 800 pages of used performance pars for sale across Japan, unfortunatly there is not one Honda parts listed in those 800 pages, nor one wrecked honda...
By the way , for your records, "mugen" pronounced moo-gen, means "forever".....Maxt

[rage2]

Originally posted by Maxt
By the way , for your records, "mugen" pronounced moo-gen, means "forever".....Maxt
I thought it translates to infinite? Well, at least the Kanji/chinese words translate to that.

[topher91]

I've been calling around insurance companies about insuring an imported vehicle from Japan since u told me about it 88CRX!!:D My current insurance company won't insure it cuz they do not know what it is:confused: but they said if I brought it here and had them look at it they "Might" be able to insure it but no gaurantees.:rolleyes: They refered me to a bunch of other insurance brokers and I have made more calls about it. Cant insure it as a "classic" or "vintage" car if it is to be driven on a daily basis so I can be insured if it were kept in a garage for 28 out of 30 days in a month!!!:( :rolleyes:

I have one more number to call: Godfried Morrow at 245-8743 (insurance brokers) Apparantly they deal a lot with imported vehicles........So 88CRX give them a call if you have time and tell me whats up!! Maybe we'll get our RHD CRX sooner than later!!!

-Chris

[Eric Happy Meal]

i know a guy who works for mugen, and he pronounces it as mew-gen.


Originally posted by rage2

I thought it translates to infinite? Well, at least the Kanji/chinese words translate to that.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Eric Happy Meal
i know a guy who works for mugen, and he pronounces it as mew-gen.
What does that have to do with translation? :dunno:

[Eric Happy Meal]

hrmm.....it doesnt work with multiple quotes i suppose, i just clicked on yours because i didnt want to have3 to edit his to get what i wanted from it.

[88CRX]

Originally posted by topher91
I have one more number to call: Godfried Morrow at 245-8743 (insurance brokers) Apparantly they deal a lot with imported vehicles........So 88CRX give them a call if you have time and tell me whats up!! Maybe we'll get our RHD CRX sooner than later!!!

-Chris

cool :thumbsup:


grrr... whether or not i want a crx isnt really up for discussion. why try to change my mind :dunno:

[88CRX]

i want... i want :drool:

http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g5341392

[Mike09]

Originally posted by topher91
I've been calling around insurance companies about insuring an imported vehicle from Japan since u told me about it 88CRX!!:D My current insurance company won't insure it cuz they do not know what it is:confused: but they said if I brought it here and had them look at it they "Might" be able to insure it but no gaurantees.:rolleyes: They refered me to a bunch of other insurance brokers and I have made more calls about it. Cant insure it as a "classic" or "vintage" car if it is to be driven on a daily basis so I can be insured if it were kept in a garage for 28 out of 30 days in a month!!!:( :rolleyes:

I have one more number to call: Godfried Morrow at 245-8743 (insurance brokers) Apparantly they deal a lot with imported vehicles........So 88CRX give them a call if you have time and tell me whats up!! Maybe we'll get our RHD CRX sooner than later!!!

-Chris
HAHA, I'm going threw that too. I'm importing a Silvia but no1 will insure me not even the company I'm with. Does anyone know of any company's that deal with specialty car's or what. I've seen them driven around so I know they can be insured but by who. If any1 Finds a company please Pm me.

[mx73someday]

No one will insure you!? What reason do they give? I had no serious problems insuring the Soarer, they just asked for spelling and wanted to know how many doors it had. It took the representative 5 minutes to ask her boss how to input a serial number as opposed to a VIN, but otherwise it was done in one 15 minute phone call.

They wanted me to get an appraisal in order to get fire, theft or collision.

The company was Meloche Monnex.

[BBMac]

88 crx,
I will try and be as helpful as possible.
As for the swapping VIN this is not possible without two cars.Ie. import car from japan and when it arrives.... what am I saying! the only way to import a newer vehicle than 15 years is to have a Letter of compliance from the manufacturer in japan stating that the car was made to transport canada's standards, also I was told personally from two canada customs agents that it is near impossible to obtain such a letter so don't wast time. anywasy you probably already know this. the only thing to do is wait until, I believe it is may, when you can bring the crx sir over. As to buying it now some import companies will store it for untill it can be brought into the country, but under NO cercumstances will customs let you keep it here in Canada, they will send it back and leave you pennyless! Check out jns-imports.com and it has all the relevant info. needed and explainations it too. conatct them at [email protected] darren will reply but if you want tto buy go through mike. they are both great guys and will help you to the fullest and answer any questions that you have. also tell them brydon sent you! I hope that I have been atleast some help to you. Also do you still want those new quarters put in? Method was discussing the instalation with me.

[BBMac]

As for info on insurance I have spoken with afew companies mainly libery mutual and there isn't usually a problem provided you are able to settle for only liability insurance.Ie. if you hit someone they pay for them but give you nothing. This is normally thcase as it is hard to determine value and it ends up being pricey for a bodyshop to import japanese parts, so inturn cheaper to buy a new car.

[redbaron303]

I phoned for insurance coverage on the white Silvia from our website, no problems! It turns our cheapre than insuring a 240sx se here!

I'm with StateFarm insurance too...


:) Give them a try Mike.

[Mike09]

Either way I'll find away, But the thing that pissed me off the most is I asked to insure a "88' Nissan Silvia" and they said no problem but I called back 2 day's later to confirm and mentioned the fact that it is RHD and they almost freaked! They said there is no way. But here is the best part>>>>> the Primary reason is because our road system isn't setup for a driver on the right and I'll be at and causing more risk. Then The guy dissed me saying i'm wasting his time!!! So I think if I tell them as little as possible but just give them the VIN and the Make model and year
88' Nissan Silvia PS13
they will insure me. The problem is if I crash or something or do any sort of claim they will Fuc* me for not telling them it is RHD.
BTW: Can they tell from the VIN if it is RHD!
mx73someday your Christian from import concern correct.
I'll try Meloche Monnex but are they in calgary or edmonton.
State Farm is saying they will not take any new client's until January or Feb/04

[Mike09]

Originally posted by redbaron303
I phoned for insurance coverage on the white Silvia from our website, no problems! It turns our cheapre than insuring a 240sx se here!

I'm with StateFarm insurance too...


:) Give them a try Mike.
Chris right? did you tell them it was RHD or did you let them figure that out for themselves. Because most other company's had no problem till I said RHD!!

[mx73someday]

Ya Mike, mx73someday = Christian, redbaron303 = Chris. Meloche Monnex should be all over Canada, it's the TD bank's insurance co, or is affiliated somehow.

JDM cars only have serial numbers, so they're going to think it's pretty strange that you're not giving them a VIN. You're going to have to tell them it's from Japanese. The only info in the serial number is the chassis code QS13 or whatever and the actual serial number.

I believe Meloche Monnex might also be an exlusive-type of insurance company, joining up may be difficult with them too.

[Mike09]

Ya thanks most bank issurance company's are hard to get with. Both BMO and HSBC declined me on my first car 1 year ago because I'm under 21. They just don't insure people under 21 but i'll give it a try either way. Just looking at the auction sheet on your website the serial # is in the bottom left right? Thanks Christian.

[mx73someday]

Just looking at the auction sheet on your website the serial # is in the bottom left right?

Bottom right, S13-XXXXXX.

[redbaron303]

Mike I never mentioned the fact that it was RHD, it's not important that they know that... likewise that it's got a turbo motor in it! I have talked w/ 1/2 dozen insurance co's and they do not have problems insuring these cars at all, even RHD and TURBO combinations. They have a problem insuring me on them b/c I'm not "ancient" and far over the hill (40+)

They'll insure you for liability no problems, when it comes to comprehensive most insurance companies will require appraisals, in which case a lot of this information is presented and by that point chances are you're still okay with insurance.


I'll be phoning on Monday, my agent at Statefarm to double check my policy arangements on the Silvia to see if anything has changed w/ the gov't dipping into insurance policies and such now! Make sure it's still the same (my original quote was a month ago when we bought the car).


When you're phoning for insurance a lot of places will not insure you on a 2door "sports" car for your first vehicle. My fathers insurance company will insure me for next to nothing on my Maxima, but they won't consider me w/ anything that has a turbo (sports car/coupe/etc) or high power all motor cars like Mustang 5.0, Camaro's, and certain Corvette's! I find that to be BS but there's nothing we can do~!


So when you call for insurance, just mention the car is from Japan, it has no VIN but rather just the shortened Serial # instead... tell them it was legally imported from Japan and that it is a 1988 Nissan Silvia. They do not need to know more than that unless asked. If they sask for the engine type, tell them it's a 1.8L inline 4... You're not lieing but you're not telling them things they may consider as "high risk" either! :)


I would try statefarm again, if you have a clean record they're even pretty cheap! DO NOT mention that it's RHD and they should not have a problem.

ps - I'm Chris K (both of us have similar names :) )

[Mike09]

Hey thanks Chris I'll give it a try too, Sorry 88CRX for hijacking your thread abit.

[redbaron303]

NP Mike.

Next time we'll start our own thread... :)

Let me know how it goes, just pm me though :)