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Right Hand drive in the US?

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  #1  
Old 07-08-2008, 12:28 AM
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Right Hand drive in the US?

I deliver mail and would dearly love to replace my right hand drive Subaru with a right hand drive Fit. Any chance that could ever happen?
 
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Old 07-08-2008, 12:42 AM
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1. sell me your RHD subaru
2. buy RHD fit
3. ????
4. PROFIT!!!!!
 
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Old 07-08-2008, 01:39 PM
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you wouldn't want either of my RHD subarus. '96's
 
  #4  
Old 07-09-2008, 01:34 AM
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Isn't there some heavily modded Fit for sale that's RHD?

So what's the policy on grey imports? Is it you can have the car, it's just up to your DMV whether or not to register it?
 
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Old 07-10-2008, 11:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Wuze
Isn't there some heavily modded Fit for sale that's RHD?

So what's the policy on grey imports? Is it you can have the car, it's just up to your DMV whether or not to register it?
It is a little more than that. I live on the Canada border (My house is on the river that seperates the US from Canada) and I see people get married and come over with their ccars and license them here quite often.

There are plenty of importers that will import it for you and take care getting the car here and as much of the conversion as you want.

The main concern,from what I have seen, is that the glass in the car has to meet US DOT specs. Almost all cars in Canada meet this but many european and Asian do not. If you can get a letter from the manufacturer that it meets all us specs there is no inspection at all. If not, you will have to have an inspection and fix all of the little things.

Check this link below. It not only has the rules, but lists of importers that know the rules and can get it right the first time. This is right from the US NHTSA website
Vehicle Importation Regulations
 
  #6  
Old 07-10-2008, 11:22 AM
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Originally Posted by solbrothers
1. sell me your RHD subaru
2. buy RHD fit
3. ????
4. PROFIT!!!!!

yess! Underpants Gnomes!
 
  #7  
Old 07-10-2008, 11:50 PM
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my subaru is factory RHD just sold here mainly to mail carriers instead of exported. As a rural carrier I have heard horror stories of people who have purchased RHD from other countries and then had the vehicle tied up in customs forever.
 
  #8  
Old 07-11-2008, 12:52 AM
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Originally Posted by seeremlive
It is a little more than that. I live on the Canada border (My house is on the river that seperates the US from Canada) and I see people get married and come over with their ccars and license them here quite often.

There are plenty of importers that will import it for you and take care getting the car here and as much of the conversion as you want.

The main concern,from what I have seen, is that the glass in the car has to meet US DOT specs. Almost all cars in Canada meet this but many european and Asian do not. If you can get a letter from the manufacturer that it meets all us specs there is no inspection at all. If not, you will have to have an inspection and fix all of the little things.

Check this link below. It not only has the rules, but lists of importers that know the rules and can get it right the first time. This is right from the US NHTSA website
Vehicle Importation Regulations
Thank you so much, been curious about importing RHDs forever. :]
 
  #9  
Old 07-11-2008, 12:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Wuze
Isn't there some heavily modded Fit for sale that's RHD?

So what's the policy on grey imports? Is it you can have the car, it's just up to your DMV whether or not to register it?
i dont think that is actually dot approved for street use, just a trailer queen track car
 
  #10  
Old 07-11-2008, 01:01 AM
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Originally Posted by seeremlive
It is a little more than that. I live on the Canada border (My house is on the river that seperates the US from Canada) and I see people get married and come over with their ccars and license them here quite often.

There are plenty of importers that will import it for you and take care getting the car here and as much of the conversion as you want.

The main concern,from what I have seen, is that the glass in the car has to meet US DOT specs. Almost all cars in Canada meet this but many european and Asian do not. If you can get a letter from the manufacturer that it meets all us specs there is no inspection at all. If not, you will have to have an inspection and fix all of the little things.

Check this link below. It not only has the rules, but lists of importers that know the rules and can get it right the first time. This is right from the US NHTSA website
Vehicle Importation Regulations

Hmmmmm........i wonder why most people on this forum drive $16,000 Fit's instead of easy to import used jdm $10,000 Skylines and Sylvia's with double to triple the horsepower? I guess they couldn't get letters that their glass was ok.
 
  #11  
Old 07-11-2008, 07:41 AM
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Originally Posted by 98TypeR
Hmmmmm........i wonder why most people on this forum drive $16,000 Fit's instead of easy to import used jdm $10,000 Skylines and Sylvia's with double to triple the horsepower? I guess they couldn't get letters that their glass was ok.
R32's and R33 skylines aren't as hard as R34's and i think its cus the car can't pass emissions and safety regulations

there was a company down in cali called motorex and they imported r34's legally and did all the necessary modifications so that they are street legal in the states, but then they committed big time fraud and were shut down

heres an article about how you can but its gonna run you about $60,000
There's More Than One Way To Get a Classic Nissan Skyline GT-R in America
the guy does something like reinforces the body panels and whatever i'm too lazy to read it again lol

its like the jazz in japan have a different bumper than the USDM fit cus in the US theres some safety regulation about the bumper support so thats why our fits have a shorter bumper than jdm ones do

something like that lol

BTW, its Silva not Sylvia
 
  #12  
Old 07-11-2008, 12:14 PM
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Silvia
 
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Old 07-11-2008, 01:13 PM
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I was looking into importing a car a while back and i heard a lot of rumors about different things. but i heard that some people disassemble them completely and when they bring them through customs they say that its for spare parts. then you take a vin from a salvage yard. but every part has to be completely clean. something about asian bugs or diseases????? who knows. but also i heard that getting cars from australia is easier??? like i said they are just rumors not sure how much is true. but when it gets here its gonna have to be completely inspected for safety and emissions and things like that. it was going to cost me like 30000 dollars for a civic. and thats hoping that it passes all the tests. i figured it was cheaper to convert myself so i did.
 
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