Is it time for Euro's on American soil?

[erikerikerik]

So, I've spend a lot of time looking for and at Rare BMW's that are not quit classics yet.

And I came accos a 2 year old thread (cant find it now :( ) about how you can now import 15 year old cars into Canada.

So, what do you think about a 2 part import, first into Canada and than into the US? I've read pages and pages and pages and before the shut down contacted the EPA.

I was told technicnly "yes...that is legal," and that the only big thing would that the speedo would need to have MPH not KPH.




link to Canadian cars that are ok to import (http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/canadian/canlis95.htm)

Bimmerforums DYI import into Canada (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?813438-Importing-a-Car-into-Canada-A-DIY)

[jrsmitchell]

It is true you can import any car > 15 years old into Canada (my E36 Alpina for example). There are importers here who pretty much exclusively bring in interesting 15+ year old cars, mostly from Japan. The R34 Skylines are starting to become available.

I don't see any advantage to the "two step" process you describe. If it's not legal there it's not legal there, coming from Canada or Germany doesn't matter.

You should also consider if you can get insurance for the car even if you can get it registered. I've found insurance companies pretty lacking in the creativity department. If the year / make / model / engine size doesn't show up in their database they'll generally decline coverage :(

[GG Allin]

What type are car are you thinking about importing?

[erikerikerik]

It is true you can import any car > 15 years old into Canada (my E36 Alpina for example). There are importers here who pretty much exclusively bring in interesting 15+ year old cars, mostly from Japan. The R34 Skylines are starting to become available.

I don't see any advantage to the "two step" process you describe. If it's not legal there it's not legal there, coming from Canada or Germany doesn't matter.

You should also consider if you can get insurance for the car even if you can get it registered. I've found insurance companies pretty lacking in the creativity department. If the year / make / model / engine size doesn't show up in their database they'll generally decline coverage :(

Its purely walking around the red-tape.

I can't import the Euro M3 engine because of EPA standards.

And the need to swap the headlights for DOT approved. And correct speedo.
However that same engine if in Canada is exempt from the EPA standards and is allowed in.

And our insurance cant (at least in my state) decline the car, but they can charge an arm and a leg to insure it.

[BnGRacing]

Just throwing this out there;

What's to stop someone from buying an M3 in Canada, slapping their plates on it from their US M3, and driving it across the border with a box of Tim Horton's? It's been a while since I drove into Canada but I don't remember anyone checking VIN tags and such...

[CMG]

Getting it across the border is not a problem unless they make it one. Getting it registered is the issue and every state is different

[vanishm3]

you can also register it as a track only car, it wont be street legal though

[erikerikerik]

So, I went diving fairly deep into the web of yander years and found what BMW actually had to do to get the Euro spec cars into Canada.


0940 special order
- all sizes as ECE lighting
- Daytime running light circuit
- Elimination parking light circuit
- 3 Brake light on rear shelf as E36 U.S.
- U.S. Ignition
- safety belt warning gong
- Electric windows and electric. Sunroof as
Schl.Nr. 401, jedocho hn eKomfortschaltung
- ECE Instrument cluster, such as serial, but with modified control
lamp fitted
- rear window as E36 U.S.
- rack for 3 Brake light
- 3 mounting points for child seats in rear shelf
- Exterior mirrors with specific U.S. warning
- front license plate panel U.S. specifically
- Elimination EC nameplate
- ECE windscreen with green wedge as Schl.Nr. 354
- Taps English inscription, as Schl.Nr. 853


The rear window, is 51318173663 (us Version) and the Euro is 51318173662. The rear window is some how modified to fit the 3rd stop light.

The 3rd stomp was a option(?) for Euro's but mandatory for US (there for also Canada)

And the Ignition? still cant find a different.

[RRSperry]

Just how much risk are you willing to take on by trying to smuggle a car that's excluded for import, just to have it? Having the car impounded, facing jail time?

Seriously, it way cheaper, and completely legal to put the much superior S54 drivetrain into an existing US E36.

[GG Allin]

So, I've spend a lot of time looking for and at Rare BMW's that are not quit classics yet.

And I came accos a 2 year old thread (cant find it now :( ) about how you can now import 15 year old cars into Canada.

So, what do you think about a 2 part import, first into Canada and than into the US? I've read pages and pages and pages and before the shut down contacted the EPA.

I was told technicnly "yes...that is legal," and that the only big thing would that the speedo would need to have MPH not KPH.




link to Canadian cars that are ok to import (http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/canadian/canlis95.htm)

Bimmerforums DYI import into Canada (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?813438-Importing-a-Car-into-Canada-A-DIY)


What type are car are you thinking about importing?

Still wondering what type of car you want to import. Personally I'd like to know what it would take to get an E36 Touring stateside. A rust free '95 to be exact. I know this much, it get's a lot easier once the car is 25 years old.
I work in the international freight business and I know the transportation costs are not too terrible.

[erikerikerik]

Still wondering what type of car you want to import. Personally I'd like to know what it would take to get an E36 Touring stateside. A rust free '95 to be exact. I know this much, it get's a lot easier once the car is 25 years old.
I work in the international freight business and I know the transportation costs are not too terrible.

Well, you sir could actually attempt a 2.1.3 to bring it in because it is a LDV / LDE. But where is this originating? The main part in this "2 step," is that once a vehicle is registered in Canada first its tons and tons easier to get it US legal. Particularly because as I found out, cars where made US legal to be imported into Canada. So bringing them complaint with US laws is well easy or done already.



Just how much risk are you willing to take on by trying to smuggle a car that's excluded for import, just to have it? Having the car impounded, facing jail time?

Seriously, it way cheaper, and completely legal to put the much superior S54 drivetrain into an existing US E36.

oh no, nothing I'm doing / looking at is illegal. I'm thinking your picturing the entire Skyline deal? yeah blame that on a dirty ICI, (Independent Commercial Importers) who as we now found out after unsealed papers did 2 things to piss off the feds.

1) They said their bringing in kit cars, but really, it was entire cars just reassembled. The skyline in fast and furious? Street legal because it uses a different engine. (its actually running a WV bug engine in the rear!).
2) They never swapped out the parts DOT told them too... not hard parts to swap, the simple stuff like KPH to MPH, and have english warning stickers.

that was it, it wasent about the "crash test" stuff.

[CMG]

If you're talking about motorex they did bring the cars kinda into compliance but the feds still didn't like it. There is no difference in importing a car from japan or canada. Unless the car is +25 years old or u live in a state where it doesn't matter it won't happen legitimately.

[erikerikerik]

If you're talking about motorex they did bring the cars kinda into compliance but the feds still didn't like it. There is no difference in importing a car from japan or canada. Unless the car is +25 years old or u live in a state where it doesn't matter it won't happen legitimately.

I was talking about motorex.

As for importing the cars from Canada, US import has an exemption for "non-identical Canadian," vehicles. And this is where you have to modify to meet the US laws.
However, the 85 Euro M3's that are already in Canada, you are good to go and bring it down to the US. No modification, its on the OK list to bring in.

[RRSperry]

Where you live in the US isn't the issue. The US Customs, EPA, and DOT, will be. If you manage to get the car across the boarder, (big if since they will run the VIN and it will flag as not compliant), when you submit the title, you should expect a letter or phone call...

[GG Allin]

Does anyone know the story bihind the Touring that Bimmerword brought in? From what I can gather, it came from Sweden as a parts car. Not sure how they made the transition to a road legal car.


The tags in the pictures tell part of the story.

http://www.bimmerworld.com/view_project.php?id=72157624447566066

[TH3 Shifty]

Yeah, you have to remove the engine and drive train, and wheels for shipping. Since you are not allowed to import a "car", you must remove the parts that make it a workable car and ship them
In a separate container.

They register it as a non-street car, basically a racecar or at a county that does not require safety and emissions testing.


The other way to illegally circumvent this, is to re-vin the car using a "like for like" US car, and re-vinning" it, this is very illegal but that's how many cars are done.

[TH3 Shifty]

Regarding motorex, one of their former employees lived up by me for a while. He had an R33 painted in Lamborghini orange. Anyway what he said was, at first they were brought in legally, complying with EPA and feds, they required them to crash 25 cars and have them inspected and the whole deal.

Here's the problem they ran into, the 1st 10-12 cars were all done and papered correctly, and the import fees were paid(something to the tune of 10-15k each car). This would be on top of the 50k they were charging clients. Well the owner had a case of gambling, and not paying the import taxes/fees on the cars and started to sell the cars at a lower price because at 65-70k each not a lot of people were buying. So cars got sold with fake paperwork, helped on by a guy they had at the DMV who pushed through the paperwork for a price.

It was years before the Feds realized what was going on, these cars started changing hands after the initial buyers sold them, that's where the red flags started to appear. Feds then made a huge grab to get all these cars back, with exception of the first 10 cars that were 100% legit. Even though they did try and take those too.

Motorex had a good thing going, problem was the owner and his vices, now other people and companies don't want the risk of it, which is why you really done see this happening.

There is another car company up here in UT that imports JDM 70's cars. They are called "JDM Legends". They do 70's Celicas and old Skylines. All legal.

[erikerikerik]

Let me clear the air; everything I've pointed to is predicated on the 85 cars in Canada.

To get a Euro m3 in, the break light must be installed and rear glazing changed to allow that.
The speedo would need to have MPH not KPH.

And the Canadian specs cars would NOT need a bond to come in.
Anglian they would not need a bond or ICI to come in.

Just a letter from BMW stating there is no recall.