Is it even possible to get jdm cars in CA legally?

So is it even possible to get a true rhd jdm car in california legalized and registered insured etc without paying an arm a leg and a nut?
Im asking this b/c there is this registred importer in Washington that says that they can legalize the car up in WA (regulations are different) so it is 50 state legal, then send the car down to CA and it's legal to have...but people have also told me that it then has to be legalized in california too or something to that effect...
Any help is good...

you mean do it legally without paying a lot or just to do it legally at all? because you can get it done. skylines, silvias etc are trickier but accords for example are much easier.

well how would you go about doing it, pm me if needed, I just want to know, b/c for my next project car (might be a lil white though haha) I wan't to do a real jdm car...or post it here whatever...

my understanding is that if its a car that has been crash tested and stuff here and it has the same engine you dont really have to change anything on the car its just a ton of paperwork. however like skylines have no safety data, and silvias had different engines so that makes it way harder. but for like jdm integra type r's its not that bad because there are a lot here. i guess you just have to talk to the DMV and then probably go to some other gov. offices and get people to sign shit.

actually skylines have been crash tested (compliments of motorex) but to have silvia's and skylines legal in the US you need to do alot of structual work. for skylines i believe they do the following: change front and rear glass to shatter proof, change the cluster to MPH, with american writing on cluster, inner door supports, front and rear bumper braces, exhaust mods (catalitic converters ect) and headlights and tails changed to meet DOT specs. but you have to have some of the work done by a DOT certified person (in which i believe for skylines Motorex was the only one) Orestes is right though, MR2's, accords, civics, ect are decently easy to get passed

although, you dont have to go through all that, if you have the car for track/show use only...thats only to make it driveable in CA.

naw i want to make it registerable and insurable, what would someone do for like a cefiro b/c I saw one for sale one time down in redondo beach or somewhere...

ya to make cars that were never sold here in america legal you have to do alot of structure work, well according to regualtions and have it inspected

I believe it is called Class E were you import the car for show/off-road uses, but you are not allowed to drive on teh streets, if you got caught they are supposed to take the car away from you and destroy it

if its 50state legal then it would stand to reason that it is legal in cali, unless it somehow became the 51st state without notice

the only real thing that comes to mind for me is that cali, does visual inspections on engine and you might not pass that and it's part of the smog testing right??

actually in cali, if you get the motor smog legal, and tested to make the car legit, then you just show the paperwork that the car was redone to suit CA laws...then visual inspection dont mean anything, unless it doesnt obide by the law (I.E doesnt pass emissions)

I mean if it was legalized in another state, then sold to someone in cali, would it have to be relegalized or whatever?

if you had everything legalized in another state, yes you would have to relegalize it for CA, becuase there laws are stricter. In my state of SD, it wouldnt take much at all to legalize a skyline, or much of any car here...maybe in a few years i'll buy a JDM car for track use, and maybe legalize it...but like i said...there absolutly zero inspections in SD...just need insurance and a title to drive it on the streets :)

So would it just take a lot of paper work or what? Are there more hidden fees or other bs?

the only hidden fee (kinda) is the shipping fees from japan. the way i had it explained is you have to hve 150% of the cars value to ship it...which the money is reimbursed (spell check) after the vehicle arives safely...the % of the vehicle varies by shipping company though...just lots of paperwork, and money to get it legalized.

this probably isnt usefull at all but in aus you can register left hand drives, in my oppinion the rhd are alot eisier to drive, i couldnt even picture driving in reverse but i suppose for you guys rhd would be really wierd.

yeah, im used to shifting with my right hand, i am right handed and i dont think i could imagine it shifting with my left..

yeah same, im looking to mabye import a car later, just clearing up some research junk...where do i go for official government bullshit? The dmv?
anyhow, my friend (he has a usdm type r dc2) was at pcc the other day and saw a real jdm rhd type r and freaked out lol...

lol, i have a friend who drives a honda and freaked out when he saw a RHD integra on Forza...i was like "damn, calm down bitch."

haha, but this was in real life...

yo where culd u pick up a jdm s13 or a 180sx? and where culd u get it legalized in the states if u need to?

japan.

dmv and dot. will cost you thousands.

is there a time frame where you have to get it legalized or can u do it gradually if u dont have all the cash right away?

answer to ur Q is .......





NO period, unless u r a dealer and u get a TEMPORARY licence!

dang, i wuldnt mind havin a 180sx shiped to Canada and picking up there and drive it to the states. BUT i dont kno if they need to go thro inspections and sh*t. all i want is a real rhd jdm but u kno cheeper then a skyline and all the bs

heres a idea instead of a lot of heresay online why dont you go do some reasearch make a list of ?'s then contact the proper gov't office and ask them all of the ?'s you have listed then you will have a definate answer to what your looking for

dang, i wuldnt mind havin a 180sx shiped to Canada and picking up there and drive it to the states. BUT i dont kno if they need to go thro inspections and sh*t. all i want is a real rhd jdm but u kno cheeper then a skyline and all the bs

thats alot easier said than done...

What are all the govt offices needed to be contacted
im guessing:
dmv, dot, ntsa? i dunno

dot.gov has a few things...(6-7 pages) worth of info on the subject.

i see, but what offices should i contact when i do import a car (for legalizing, oh yeah and this is in socal)

move to canada, you can get almost anything legalized there for cheap.

If I lived there, I'd have a Cefiro or some mad RWD VIP sedan.

to get the car legalized ect...first you would have to go through customs, then i believe the dot...if you email the dot sometimes they will give you some answers. (i've tried and got some answers)

hmm, i probably wont do it anytime soon then...mabye ill just get a rhd car that was imported then legalize it or something in ca...
did anyone hear what happened to motorex, they got sued etc...i was talking to mark from slide squad about it at d1...apparently they go sued for over a million and might go under...

HERO fuked up bro... thats is why motorex is out...

If you can get the title and papers for the car, I can legally register it in California.


Which you can't...

If you can get the title and papers for the car, I can legally register it in California.

and how do you get those?

The vehicle can be legally registered in California.

How pray tell?

Becuase I'm pretty sure driving a car around with a motor that was never emmisions tested in the united states is illegal...

Then theres the fact that the cars that Motorex "legalized" are still infact illegal.

IBregisteredforoffroaduseonly.

so its kinda like vin swapping but w/ liscence plate and title swapping as well?

interesting..

how can the registration possibly be valid lol?

What i mean is how is it valid b/c it is a jdm car and doesnt it have to be looked at by dot and whatever else?

Whatever, thats a technicallity that seems easy enough to spot... and when it does get spotted the car is going to the crusher.


State laws are easy enough to weasel around... Ignoring federal laws is pretty serious business.

jdm cars dont have us vins...

yeah i still dont believe it

:bs: Ima have to raise the flag

but how are you going to get a us title for it?

:thumbsdow

im not saying it cant be done, im just asking the usual questions that most people would when someones says they can "legalize" a jdm car...so dont take any of it personally...

How The Fuck Do You Get The Us Title?

fuck it wont let me post in all caps that time. how about this

HOW THE FUCK DO YOU GET THE US TITLE?

but once you get it titled out of state dont you have to get it registered in california which will require inspection?

damn that's some sweet shit... i wan't a 180sx now...hmm i wonder how much i could get for my 240 heheh

Negative, that is a very popular misconception. The DMV requires a REG34a, better known as a VIN verification by the CHP, and not the DMV, due to the fact that it is an out of state car. But, VIN verification is for novices, and is seldom done when registering gray market vehicles. Because the VIN verification is performed by an agency besides the DMV, that fact by itself complicates the registration process 10 fold.

The VIN verification is oftentimes overlooked by CA DMV clerks.
:screwy:

suuure my frieeeend..... tell that to ur friendly LAPD next time u get pulled over or when u insure ur car

Well i was looking on his posts on other forums and he apparently got a skyline registered fine so i guess that is proof enough for me!

mind showin the link?

hummm..... yeah a link would be great...

check hazw8st's first post where it tells what forums they were on...or ask hazw8st im sure he wouldnt mind saying

lets put this very simple sure it can be done but if it were cheap and easy to do there would be much more JDM cars bottom line its expensive and not a easy task to accomplish

hello all. so heres my 2 cents
firstly, my expreince with registering an out of country car is from Mexico.
i brought up a 1998 240SX.
i got it over the border, and they told me to take it to inspection. there was no one there, so i drove on to austin tx to my buddies. lucky for me cuz the whole legalizing ordeal took about 4 months, and cost about $800!..
which i guess isnt THAT bad considering i sold the 240 for 10k.
(it was CLEAN w 50kmi)
anyways.
you need a representative (forget their name) to officially file the request to ahve the car legalized, and they charge about $400. you need all original docs of the car (title-equivalents) translated. another $60.
you need to pass state inspection and get the sticker. $40, takes just a sec, they just plug in the hose and hook it up to a computer.
and you need to get a police inspection. cop just made sure my car had seatbelts and wrote down the VIN to make sure it wasnt stolen.
than you wait for the rep to deal w the DOT and Customs. takes a while.
i had $100 at my disposal when i started out, that is why it took me so long to legalize. if you have all the $ than it should take maybe 2 wks.
when the rep is finished you take his docs, the stuff from state inspection, an insurance (all u need for that is a VIN, ANY vin, they really dont check. if they cant pull ur car up, most will just say, ok. if ur having trouble, there are special companies that offer insurance near the border that just need ur name and a credit card number. this is enough for the legalization, u can switch to a mainstream insurance company later).
got to DMV of the PORT SATE WHERE THE CAR ARRIVED/entered the USA with al lthe docs (i sent my friends mom w a power of attorney)
pay the fees, (like any newly purchased vehicle fees) and thats it, you get ur title and plates in the mail in 1-2wks.
now, i assume its a little diff for JDM cars, but, thats the paperwork.

when crossing the border, they just checked that the car had a DOT approved sticker on it. usually under the hood or in the doorjamb. mine had both. if ur particular car doesnt have it, take one off any same brand car, and voila (not legal advice). just makes things easier.
i drove my car w mexican plates and registration for 4months till i had my TX docs. (i was in indiana). i was pulled over once for speeding and just got a ticket. cop looked at me wierd, but he just gave me a ticket. make sure u have insurance card for car ON you.

thats basically it.
now, on to the good stuff
who wants a JDM car!
jajaja.
im currently in Osaka, but ill be back in Tokyo next week, and can start lookin for cars. older used cars sell for very reasonable prices here, cuz japanese like having cars less than 3yrs old. course, the kind of cars we like are move coveted, but still.
i saw an R32 in a lot w minor front left fender damage, out of use. that was on the train from Narita to Tokyo. i plan on going back and trying to buy it.
i will post elsewhere as well, but basically, i will be in japan for the near foreable future, and would gladly car hunt for ppl. i was in the states till just a few weeks ago and know how much i wanted an R34 than.. jajaja.
Sylvias are everywhere here btw. i see 2-3 a day. (and i havent even contacted my tuner friends yet).
so. pm me or email me. or post on my new thread.

I'm assuming the guy in Japan is in the military, as am I. I'm currently stationed in AZ. There is this one guy, don't know him, but i've heard his story and seen the car. He has an Skyline GT-R R33 and it's registered in Missouri. I'm not all that sure what paperwork he went through to get it here, but it's here and legal. it just depends on the state, Cali, not too easy. I would love to have a Skyline or Silvia, but i'm more concerned with swapping the engine in my s13 convertible for an RB25det. I'm moving to Cali in about 3 months after I getr booted from the Air Force on a medical discharge. If anyone knows how to legally register an RB25 in Cali, meaning passing the swag inspection, "sniffer" test and visual inspections., let me know.

im not in the military. im a recently graduated japanese studies major and a photographer and just happen to be obsessed w cars.
hey, btw RW 240 can u pm or email me. if ud be interested in legalizing cars i send over, maybe we can work together to help our fellows out in gettin their dream rides.

haha dude hes been banned for so long. this thread is eons old. only riceboys care about importing a car we can pretty much get here. oh but if you see a 20B you should try and stick it down your pants and bring it back with you.