Importing Foreign Vehicles
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Apr 1997 17:25:32 -0700 From: nickkrest@batnet.com (Nick Krest) Subject: 4-door Hilux To: Toy4x4@tlca.org Jughead wrote: "Does anyone have any idea what country imports the four-door Hilux with a solid front axle, diesel engine, and the steering wheel on the left side?...how hard it would be to buy one there and import it to the U.S. ?" I am just gonna re-post the same answer I had to a similar question in January. If you want a foreign-market (non-USA, non-Canadian) Toyota pickup, Toyota Gibraltar Stockings, Ltd., of - you guessed it - Gibraltar, keeps approximately 40 of each model in stock at any given time. They have Land Cruiser pickups, Land Cruiser Wagons, and Land Cruiser Hardtops (all 70 series - all diesel), standard-cab pickups, and double-cab pickups. Your choice of left- or right-hand drive. Pickups come with a 4-cylinder 2779cc Diesel (is this an Isuzu motor?), 5-speed, vinyl bench seats, manual hubs, any color you want as long as it's white, front and rear leaf springs (solid axles), halogen headlights, 112.2" wheelbase, and a cool roll-bar/cab protector affair welded to the bed. Options include Anti-theft package; Bull Bar; Electric winch; Pintle Hook; Roll Cage; Communications Equipment; "Mul-T-Lock" Car Transmission Lock; Anti Personnel Mine Protection; Anti-Vehicle Mine Protection;. Full Ballistic Protection; Ambulance Conversions. Body style is like the '89-95 cabs, with what looks like a '79-83 bed. These can be delivered anywhere in the world EXCEPT for the US and Canada, so Mexico is kosher (not really, but in a manner of speaking). If you were to have one delivered in Mexico, for instance, you could leave it unregistered and apply directly to a state such as California, which has exempted its smog laws from Diesel motors, for license and registration. By bypassing the feds, you leave the crash-testing and EPA testing behind. Not that motorcycles have anything to do with car laws, but I recently licensed for the street a full-blown Dakar Rally race bike (not an imposter BMW). All that was required by the DMV was a "statement of fact," certifying that this vehicle met all state and CHP standards for brakes, lights, safety equipment, etc. They didn't even need to see the vehicle. Paid my money, and voila'! License plate. I know that the government, DMV, etc., is far harsher on cars/trucks than on motorcycles. However, the EPA allow (or did allow, as of 1996) each US citizen a one-time vehicle importation. This is how you buy your German-market BMW, Porsche, etc., take European delivery, and bring it back to the States without having to have it smogged. The EPA requires you to own the car before you bring it over, so you must take delivery overseas (or in Mexico). They will issue you a one-vehicle smog exemption, which is legal in all states. The vehicle (unless it is a Diesel) must pass a certain (low) emissions level, based on model year and displacement. Diesels, by nature of their emissions (more dirt than gases), do not have to pass an emissions test. If you are in the military and stationed overseas, there is, I believe, a one-a-year limit on vehicles imported this way. Also, I have heard that buying a Canadian-spec vehicle was incredibly easy for people living in the Northern climes of the US (N. Dakota, etc.). I know that our Canuck friends get the 70 series Cruisers, though I haven't seen any strange pickups up there that stand out in my mind. - Nick ------------------------------Back to the top of this thread
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