HyperMike

Hello all,


This is my first post here and I hope it will be the first of many as I move forward through the process of finding and owning a 928!


I have spent considerable time searching both through the FAQ and using the search function and I have yet to find a definitive answer to my question, so here it goes.


Can a 1990 model year 928 S4 that was originally delivered in Japan (ROW VIN with the 'ZZZ' nomenclature), imported and living in Canada for 10+ years, be imported into the U.S.?


I found some info suggesting that it would need to be "federalized" but that was from several years ago and I was wondering if the 25-year rule for importation negated the need for that.


I am in Canada and am looking at a nice specimen located locally but it's a Japanese import. While I don't expect to want/need to sell it anytime soon, if I were ever to want to sell it, I'd like to know whether it would be limited to selling within the Canadian market or whether I'd have the option of selling it into the U.S. market as well.


Anyway, thanks in advance for any assistance you could provide!


Cheers,
Mike

rbrtmchl

Hypermike,

I did this early last year. I imported my ROW (Japan) '89 from Abbotsford. Let me look back and I will post some further information.

James Bailey

California if considered part of the United States has NOT accepted the Federal 25 "year rule" . Governor Moonbeam 2.0 has an EXTREME dislike for old cars or even new ones If it is not electric and on rails it is BAD !!

Wisconsin Joe

"Federalizing" and "Grey Market" are done.

Mercedes bought a bunch of CongressCreatures and paid them to kill it.
They were tired of seeing new M/Bs being imported, federalized and then sold cheaper than they could sell them for.

25 year rule is very easy to use. Basically fill out the forms.

BUT..

They are pretty strict about it. The Feds will crush anything they catch if they can prove it's being faked. They catch L/R Defenders every so often.
I don't think the time it spent in Canada matters.

rbrtmchl

Hypermike,

Early in 2016 I purchased a 1989 928 from a Rennlister in Abbotsford British Columbia. I found a service provider who handled both the customs/importation and the transportation. There were costs for the border entry, a bond fee, a bond underwriting fee, US Customs Duty, etc. I needed to provide a US power of attorney. Due to the age of the car being at least 25 years old, I did not need to show EPA & DOT compliance. There was a 2.5% duty rate at the time of import. The process is not too cumbersome, and should not be a concern for a potential U.S. buyer in the future who might consider purchasing your car from Canada.

HyperMike

rbrtmchl...Thank you very much for the quick reply. That was what I was hoping the case would be and it's great to hear from someone who's actually gone through the process!

I've been doing tons of research on this forum in preparation to buy a 928 and I hope that at some point I can contribute to this fine community.


Cheers,
Mike

BrianG

There are a few of us here. Stay in touch.

Imo000

Make sure that this car had lots of maintenance done since it arrived here. The couple of Japanese 928s that I had the pleasure of working on had low mileage and because of this, tons of deferred maintenance too came with them too when they arrived in North America. This can can cost a fortune if everything needs to be fixed or replaced. I personally would rather get a North American 928 that was well maintained all it's life (even if the mileage is higher than the Japanese ones) than to deal with a Japanese ones.

HyperMike

Imo000...thanks for that, I appreciate the insight. I agree that condition and history is more important than mileage. This particular car is owned by a local gentlemen who, for the last 10 years, has taken very good care and invested a significant amount of money on maintenance and upkeep. My only lingering concerns is that I'd want to have it checked for crankshaft endplay/flexplate deflection to make sure the thrust bearing is in good shape.

Cheers,
Mike

HyperMike

Thanks BrianG...I am in Calgary. The car I'm looking at is the white one currently advertised in the Autotrader...it lives in Okotoks. Any chance you know of the car and can provide any insight into it?

Cheers,
Mike

rbrtmchl

Hypermike,

You and Okotoks are a bit far from Abbotsford, but you might want to check with Colin Jensan [goes by Lizard928 on Rennlist] to see if he knows the car you are interested in. Colin is a frequent poster on RL and knows these cars very well.