How To Import A Landcruiser

[ssc]

I want to buy a new landcruiser. Not the one sold in the US, but a new 70. I have contacts in Australia and Africa and will be spending most of March in Africa. I have done a bit of research and it appears to be next to impossible to import one of these rigs. Between the DOT and the EPA and certain agri laws, not to mention taxes and gas guzzler issues, I could build a rig for less. In the hope I am missing something, does anyone have any info on importing these rigs that I have overlooked? Why doesn't Toyota give us what we want? Probably not enough money in it for them. I know come March I will be looking for a way to hide one in my baggage.

Regards, Steve

[sdnative]

Pretty sure it has to 25 years or older. I'll see if I can find some links for you.

[sdnative]

Give Michael a call. He has at least one 70 series. He is right here in Ramona.

http://www.westcoastcruisers.com/
tlcruiserman@westcoastcruisers.com

[OU812]

I did a bit of research a while back trying to buy an AIL Storm from Israel. The Duty for a truck import is %25 of the value. And whether it is smog exempt or not you have to do a federal smog which is about $1000. That one is 16 hours on a dyno, ouch. Also it will not clear customs if the safety features on the car are not up to par for its model year. Some of the hardest ones to comply with are the 1996 and newer side impact rules. You can call the Customs office in Long Beach and ask them if the federal smog has been done for your model vehicle yet. Every vehicle doesn't need one but every model does. Customs has a list of cars that are importable and encourage you to only import vehicles on their list. But it is not impossible to import other cars, just very expensive.

[OU812]

Fun fact: The %25 Duty on pickup trucks is why Toyota made the Tacoma. Before 1997 toyota built all their pickups in Japan. Seeing that the import Duty on cars is only %3 the kept car production in Japan and transfered all thier truck production to the US.

[Chazz Layne]

I did a bit of research a while back trying to buy an AIL Storm from Israel. The Duty for a truck import is %25 of the value. And whether it is smog exempt or not you have to do a federal smog which is about $1000. That one is 16 hours on a dyno, ouch. Also it will not clear customs if the safety features on the car are not up to par for its model year. Some of the hardest ones to comply with are the 1996 and newer side impact rules. You can call the Customs office in Long Beach and ask them if the federal smog has been done for your model vehicle yet. Every vehicle doesn't need one but every model does. Customs has a list of cars that are importable and encourage you to only import vehicles on their list. But it is not impossible to import other cars, just very expensive.

Hmm... so my dream of one day having a new, factory diesel-powered Land Rover Defender 110 crew cab pickup might actually come true?

[cruiserlarry]

[quote="OU812" Customs has a list of cars that are importable and encourage you to only import vehicles on their list. But it is not impossible to import other cars, just very expensive.[/quote]

It can be more than a little expensive - you can lose the vehicle.

I have customers who import vehicles for my shop to work on. Even getting a temporary permit to drive the vehicle, whether for restoration purposes, or even for display purposes, can be very difficult. For some models, it is a pain to get a 30 day temporary permit to garage the vehicle - and that still doesn't allow you to drive the vehicle under any circumstances on public roads. If the specific model is not on the list of vehicles that are OK to import, customs can seize, impound, and eventually petition to destroy the vehicle - with no compensation to the offending importer. Be very careful before you commit, and stay away from gray-area situations...

[cruiserlarry]

I want to buy a new landcruiser. Not the one sold in the US, but a new 70. I have contacts in Australia and Africa and will be spending most of March in Africa. I have done a bit of research and it appears to be next to impossible to import one of these rigs. Between the DOT and the EPA and certain agri laws, not to mention taxes and gas guzzler issues, I could build a rig for less. In the hope I am missing something, does anyone have any info on importing these rigs that I have overlooked? Why doesn't Toyota give us what we want? Probably not enough money in it for them. I know come March I will be looking for a way to hide one in my baggage.

Regards, Steve

You aren't missing anything - those vehicles fail to meet US Federal emissions and safety standards, and are not allowed for import into the US. We can't even bring them in for display purposes. For a diesel Landcruiser, it must be at least 25 years old to apply for import, one reason you now see a number of 60 series diesels being brought in from Canada. But it still is not easy - the paperwork and associated fees can add up - not to mention the over-inflated prices on these vehicles because of their newly acquired status as "US-possible".

[ssc]

Thanks for the feedback. The more I research the more I am convinced it is a no go. I do see a nonresident might be able to bring one in for a year, but the requirements are tough to meet. I guess a brief experience in 2005 has kept me thinking about it. The wife and I were riding the parks in Utah and outside of Zion I saw a new, righhand 70 cruiser pickup in a parking lot. As I pulled in he was pulling out. I tried to get his attention, he pulled out of the parking lot. I followed him for a short time and he turned down a dirt road-not a road to follow on a scooter. Eric, I will follow up with your lead. I will bring back pictures, unless I can fit it in my carry-on.

Regards, Steve

[NotAMog]

Steve,

This subject was covered somewhat on the military vehicle and European vehicle nets. It is virtually impossible to import a new production vehicle yourself. Here are the basic rules -

Federal DOT & EPA - Must be 25 years old or older
California - Must be 1974 or older (1975 is a grey area best avoided)

If you want to speak to a vehicle importer talk to Scott at Expedition Imports -

http://www.expedition-imports.com/

He has been importing Unimogs, Pinzgauers, and other mostly ex-military vehicles for years and is very familiar with the laws.