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Getting hold of a eunos in the USA

13K views 47 replies 34 participants last post by  concealer404 
#1 ·
I did a search for this beforehand. I have a 1996 miata i'm very proud of that is kind of a autocross/daily driver hybrid car, and now that i'm moving up in the world i might be able to afford a second car. Naturally i'm thinking another NA.

I'd like to get a eunos roadster and keep it stock and clean, i dont have an issue with restoring it, and i assume a great deal of the US parts can be made to work in it. Is this legal? I'd prefer to get one from the US, but its likely to have a massive price hike, or maybe one from canada so i dont have to deal with the shipping. So to summarize my questions, what is the going rate, and are they affordable? would someone used to a USDM roadster have an easy time of maintaining and daily driving one, and can they currently be registered and insured in the us?
 
#22 ·
useless people and their useless ideas nowadays makes me wanna...... :suicide:




friend reqwest sent. :woolery:
 
#10 ·
I'm not one of those weird japanophiles, as a matter of fact i come from a domestic car background and dont have any special love for japan. I'd just want a special NA to leave stock and maintain, and am willing to spend an extra 3 grand for it to be unique. It being identical to domestic mazdas is just all the more reason to do it, because i can maintain it better than a skyrine owner can.

Also, **** you. (if you came here to **** on my idea)
 
#13 ·
First of all, you need be doing your research into federal laws, as it's pretty illegal to own a skyline ( Unless it came through motorex originally). Federal regulation on safety equipment is a lot different here, more strenuous, and you may not be able to bring a vehicle here, regardless of if it is a US production car or not. Honestly, your best bet is to find a POS na and then just buy a right hand drive conversion. If you're looking for that unique factor, that should suffice.

Sorry to break your heart, but shipping a rhd miata over here would be absolutely retarded, especially with so many available for such a cheap price. The shipping alone would cost more than the car is even worth. That's equivalent to buying/shipping a Toyota Cavalier here, just because it is JDM doesn't necessarily mean its better.

You're going down the river ( although there seems to be a heavy red river floating down the side of your leg right meow) if you're wanting to have a unique miata, everything has been pretty much done. :icon_cheers:
 
#12 ·
Only way I would do it would be for a special edition or a crazy shop car that you see pop up on yahoo auction sometimes. Honestly buying a built JDM car might not be the worst idea if a good brand or shop is attached to it. I had seen some pretty wild cars end up going cheap. The parts alone to replicate some of them would easily cover shipping and import. Ball out and get a m2 corp edition. Now that would be worth it!

Just realize anything worth buying you'll need to have around $15,000 cash ready to drop if I had to guess based on the prices I have seen nice cars sell for. After buying the car and getting it here, unless you find something really nice.

I don't think it would be worth buying a stock car. While the car would be cheap you would be spending the same large sum of money on importing it as you could on a nicely done car, and once it's here it isn't really that special in comparison.

Just know the yen to dollar conversion isn't that great anymore, it's going to be expensive. Which is why I suggested getting the nicest example you can find. Make it count.

Try talking to Max over at Rev9 or Rod at tetsuya. See if they have any importers they are familiar with, there is a lot of risk involved buying a car 3rd party and having it shipped. You need to use someone trustworthy if you can't fly over and set it up yourself. Very easy to be scammed.
 
#15 ·
So all of the safety equipment regulations are universal for miatas, i.e., they are produced in a one size fit all manner that meet and exceeds all nations stringent crash codes? If so, then my mistake. However, it still will be astronomically expensive to ship the car, unless you've got some good military friends :).

I totally agree with you on knowing someone, seems to be easy as heck to get scammed.
 
#16 ·
I had a RHD RX-7 and to import a car from outside your country it has to be safety inspected so that it is insurable (though im not to sure about American standards for importing).

I have plenty of friends that own skylines (which is why i bought a FD) and the only thing that was really different for importing them was having to change the headlights.

Again being Canadian im not sure how everything works over there but ICBC here (who is the only people we can get insurance from -.- ) hates RHD vehicles leading to some retarded car right offs.

As an example:
Someone had there car broken into and they tried to screwdriver the ignition. Because of this they wrote his car off.

You wont actually be paying much more for the car, usually less but its the import fee's and getting everything to code for where you live that is the extra bit of spending you do.

I love RHD and miss it so much (was awesome since im left handed so shifting felt a little more natural) but depending on what its like to own a RHD in the states you might want to stick with a LHD. But hey if you want a RHD then get a RHD they are tons of fun and I love the looks you get from people haha
 
#19 ·
I wanted to import a RHD drive Miata myself, until I did my research, and found out about the 25 year eligibility law. You should do your own research too.
Took me 20 seconds through Google to find the following information. There is no need to hold your hand, so read, and figure it out. It's very simple stuff.

If you would like to import an 89 Eunos for example, then, you will have to wait at least 2 years (4yrs for a 93), before being able to import one that is exempt from the NHTSA and EPA standards.
Importing Japanese vehicles under 25 years old DO not meet those standards. I don't think that you will want to pay for a Eunos to be crash tested in Japan either, to "try" and meet those standards, just because you can't wait a few more years to import one that would be exempt. Oh yeah, not to mention making modifications to the car to meet the NHTSA standards. So, if you're dumb and arrogant, then go ahead and spend the money.

READ

Vehicles eligible for import into the USA:

1) Any vehicle that is at least twenty-five (25) years old (to the month/year of manufacture) is eligible to be imported into the USA, fully exempt of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (Department of Transport) and Environmental Protection Agency (vehicle emissions) standards or import restrictions.

2) Any vehicle that was originally manufactured to meet the NHTSA (DOT) & EPA standards, such as USDM cars like a Chevrolet Corvette or European exotic from USA, can be repatriated back to America without import restriction.

3) Any vehicle that is a non-US spec vehicle (Not DOT & EPA compliant), such as JDM cars like a Nissan Skyline, you must hire a DOT-registered importer and have them conform the vehicle to U.S. standards upon importation. * Please check the "list of non-conforming vehicles" (link below) for the JDM vehicle you want to import and also the "list of registered importers" (link below) who might be able to conform that specific vehicle to US Spec for you.

For all of the correct and up-to-date information about the rules and regulations to import a vehicle into the USA please contact the NHTSA & EPA. For your reference, please click on the links below.


http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/elig060109.pdf

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/web_complete_RI_list120508.pdf"

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/index.htm (There may be an error viewing this page. If so, then click the "Transportation and Air Quality" link towards top, then click on the "importing" link in the center.)

EDIT: A couple of links are broken.

 
#23 ·
They pop up for sale here every once in a while. There's a right hand drive automatic one for sale here right now that's been listed for a while, why don't you just buy one of those and bring it down and swap all the right hand drive crap into your car? It would be time consuming but from what I understand it would be a lot bigger pain to try and get it registered legally (if it's possible at all).
 
#24 ·
There's a guy driving around here in broward county with a silver na rhd. HE said he did it in his garage. Drilled holes and ordered the dash from over seas. He also said he had to get a steering rack.

All and all it could be done for a grand or so. Get busy.
 
#30 ·
No offense to the UK, but your cars are rusty heaps usually. The weather has done terrible things to your cars. I would never import a cheap car from the Uk without having seen it up on a lift. Chances of the car having been garaged its whole life are slim, especially with how cheap these cars have become. I have seen some pretty scary pictures of UK cars undersides. Really made me appreciate my desert raised car.
 
#32 ·
I have A '90 for sale up in Canada. It was acid white and uglyfied inside. Restored it. Stripped off remaining paint. Reprinted it. Looks minty now. Has a 1.8l swap in it too. Now sure what your rules are down in the states. The one guy that posted up some laws probably is on top of things. I'll leave it to you to figure that out. Pm me if you want more info Land vehicle Vehicle Car Center console Mid-size car
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Hood Automotive exterior
 
#33 ·
Well, Hats off to the guys that know what they are talking about. Untoasted and dliverance.

But honestly. Just do the conversion. So much less headache and will save you a lot of money.
 
#35 ·
There's a Eunos being parted out here in TX. The guy selling parts off of it is a sheister, but if you wanna go that way, you can probably get the RHD conversion parts for less than importing one. Let me know if you are interested. It's a 1.6l dash. A few of the parts are on my car, but nothing terribly important. He still has the parts with the Eunos badges, etc. Even the engine is intact.

Now, while all these dudes are telling you what you can and can't import, you could have a US servicemember serving in Japan ship one back. It does have to clear DOT standards, and that usually means new headlamps, emissions upgrades and new glass. That can be pretty expensive in Japan. Still, it certainly be done.
 
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