Holden Performance - holden to the US?




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98camZ
07-18-2012, 07:04 PM
Ok not sure if i will get anywhere here but im looking possibly to bring a holden monaro to the US or buy one thats already here. I have googled it and that gets me no where, ebay doesn't even list them, and finding someone around where I live is impossible even the court house people had no clue on any steps to make it legal.I know guys buy hondas from japan all the time and have them shipped over but how?
How do they get a US VIN number?
How do they insure them?
So if anyone has any info on how this process works or websites or anything would be great!

Thanks


squee
07-20-2012, 05:10 AM
I've been wondering this too. I'd want to get a Ute.

Why bring over a Monaro though? Its just a GTO, which you can easily get and convert. Unless your talking a '03 Coupe4, which there were only about 200 of, but even then, you can convert a GTO/Monaro to AWD with the right parts, so...why a Monaro? lol

bedo
07-20-2012, 02:04 PM
or you could import a Vauxhall Monaro VXR :) no idea as to hep you out tho



i agree importing a ute would be badass


KreeperKamaroSS
07-25-2012, 03:17 AM
i read this in car and driver, here's the link to the story on the website

http://blog.caranddriver.com/how-to-win-the-car-importing-game/

sounds like a gigantic hassle to me so you better really want that car over here haha

brewersprts
08-07-2012, 09:47 AM
I had a buddy in Fiji that I was looking into buying a r34 skyline gtr from. I could have got it really cheap, like 13,000. It was $1,800 to have it shipped. Customs charged a certain percentage of the declared value. The worse part was EPA and the safety people. The car had to meet the emission and safety guidelines for cars made here at that time. So the car would have to have all smog eqipment installed, functioning, and emissions meeting the federal laws for that year. Also side airbags, all electronic aids that were a federal mandate for that year and all that had to be installed. I spent many, many hours over many days calling people and finding all this out. I never was said I had to put it through crash test ratings or anything though.

All in all it would have been well over $100,000 to get a skyline here, and more likely $150,000+. If you're importing a Ferrari f50, zonda, mclaren F1 or something along those lines it might be worth it, but not for a Nissan. And besides, that's way more than I could afford anyways.

There is two ways you could do it though. One, which is how a lot of skylines get in to America is to ship it in parts. Companies do this, one of the bigger ones is called Kaizo, they ship the drivetrain and body and stuff seperately, then it's put together and they sell it as a Kaizo kit car, like how Shelby sells the gt40 with seperate body and drivetrain so it's exactly as the original, which wouldn't meet current laws for new cars. Shelby will build the car for you but it's kind of a seperate deal if you know what I mean.

Another way to do it, is to ship it as a show only car. You would not be able to to title or register the car and would not be issued a VIN. This is much cheaper as I could have been in a r34 GTR for less than $20,000. You could then bring it to your own state and say it was a kit car, or even put the VIN plate from a different car on your skyline and then it would be titled as a 1988 Nissan pulsar or whatever. I didn't want to do an of this. Ohio is not strict at all when it comes to inspections or emissions, I work at the BMV so I know first hand it would have been easy to do. I just don't want to do anything illegal. I also don't want to take a $20,000 risk and have the chance of my car being permanently taken away. That's more money than I could afford to lose on the hope I didn't get caught.

brewersprts
08-07-2012, 09:49 AM
I would absolutely love to have a RHD vxr8 Bathurst edition though. I'd rather have that than one of my z06's.

So if you figure it out, let me know

brewersprts
08-07-2012, 09:56 AM
Actually there is a much better way to get a foreign car here. If someone in the military is stationed overseas, when they come home they can bring a car with them. This is what I was told by the customs agent in California. I wish I knew someone stationed in Italy or down under. I'd have them bring me home something super nice.

My sister and her husband are contemplating moving to austrailia so maybe I can go visit and figure out a way to scheme myself a Bathurst edition back over here

Vengeance Racing
08-09-2012, 04:39 PM
I'll sell everything for a Ute!

Nicky98T/a
08-18-2012, 12:42 AM
theres a guy in my area who did a whole holden body conversion to his GTO it looks really good...Ive also heard people buying not to badly damaged GTOs for cheap removing the body and then modify it to have a ute body pretty neat

vzss
09-04-2012, 03:38 PM
From what they are saying they are having so issues
with the export to the U.S. but it seems like they are trying to
get the ute to you guy's.

Cheers

http://www.news.com.au/business/comp...-1226454440153

96Ztop
09-23-2012, 01:10 AM
Hotrod mag done an article a few years back about bringing aussie muscle stateside. There might be an answer or two for ya there if ya wanna dig. Also I'm in the Army and was stationed in Germany. We were told if we wanted to ship any european spec cars that didn't meet U.S. specs, to ship to either Florida or Mississippi. For they don't have near as strict regulations in auto customs. But that was in 07 that I was in Germany. Hopefully that'll help ya.