Feds Seize Illegal Nissan Skyline GT-Rs In Cali [Illegal Imports]

[Toi]

Glass, airbags, emissions, bumpers, no side impact doors......Not crash tested and not held up to American safety standards.....and probably a big fat dose of the Big 3 fighting it....

[Presha]

That is soo shit! All that effort to sieze cars when they could be hunting down real crims

[codyace]

Originally Posted by Toi

Glass, airbags, emissions, bumpers, no side impact doors......Not crash tested and not held up to American safety standards.....and probably a big fat dose of the Big 3 fighting it....

I *really* doubt The big 3 even remotely cares about importing 10-20 year year old Nissans.

[drift freaq]

Originally Posted by codyace

I *really* doubt The big 3 even remotely cares about importing 10-20 year year old Nissans.

Seriously, protectionism for foreign car imports in the U.S. LOL

[NINE]

Originally Posted by drift freaq

Seriously, protectionism for foreign car imports in the U.S. LOL

Correct it was Mercedes that made Grey market cars illegal.

This avenue was increasingly successful, especially in cases where only lower-specification models were officially offered on the US market. For example, Mercedes-Benz chose to offer only the lower-output 380SEL model to Americans in 1981, ensuring a huge demand for the much faster 500SEL available in the rest of the world. BMW had the same issue with their 745i Turbo. The grey market was successful enough that it ate significantly into the business of Mercedes-Benz of North America and their dealers. The corporation launched a successful million-dollar congressional lobbying effort to stop private importation of vehicles not officially intended for the U.S. market. An organisation called AICA (Automotive Importers Compliance Association) was formed by importers in California, Florida, New York, Texas, and elsewhere to counter some of these actions by Mercedes lobbyists, but the Motor Vehicle Safety Compliance Act was passed in 1988, effectively ending private import of grey-market vehicles to the United States. No evidence was presented that grey-import vehicles' safety performance differed significantly from that of US models, and there have been allegations of improper lobbying, but the issue has never been raised in court.

Grey import vehicle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[drift freaq]

Originally Posted by NINE

Correct it was Mercedes that made Grey market cars illegal.

This avenue was increasingly successful, especially in cases where only lower-specification models were officially offered on the US market. For example, Mercedes-Benz chose to offer only the lower-output 380SEL model to Americans in 1981, ensuring a huge demand for the much faster 500SEL available in the rest of the world. BMW had the same issue with their 745i Turbo. The grey market was successful enough that it ate significantly into the business of Mercedes-Benz of North America and their dealers. The corporation launched a successful million-dollar congressional lobbying effort to stop private importation of vehicles not officially intended for the U.S. market. An organisation called AICA (Automotive Importers Compliance Association) was formed by importers in California, Florida, New York, Texas, and elsewhere to counter some of these actions by Mercedes lobbyists, but the Motor Vehicle Safety Compliance Act was passed in 1988, effectively ending private import of grey-market vehicles to the United States. No evidence was presented that grey-import vehicles' safety performance differed significantly from that of US models, and there have been allegations of improper lobbying, but the issue has never been raised in court.

Grey import vehicle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yup, I helped import an original European version E30 M3 for my friend back in the 80's. Grey Market cars was decent business in the San Francisco bay area.

The issue really is not on lawmakers radar. This is why Homeland security has gotten all misguided in the issue. They seem to think that these cars represent a threat to the security of the country, because they are illegal and lawmakers could care less about the whole thing.

[Toi]

Originally Posted by codyace

I *really* doubt The big 3 even remotely cares about importing 10-20 year year old Nissans.

See above post, my family has been in the car business a LONG time.

[kyles1988]

http://wh.gov/b6q

Petition to change DOT exemption from 25 to 15 years.

[8643710825]

Signed......

[khai01]

That is dump, fine something else to do. Stupid gov. They're probably watching all the forum too...

[SomeoneWhoIsntMe]

Originally Posted by SexPanda

If I had a Kaizo skyline and I got word of this, I'd spend a day pulling the engine, gutting the interior, and putting it up on jacks in my garage. That way when they came, what can they do? I was building a race car.

IIRC, this doesn't work. The gov't has seized shells for "intent" to reassemble it into a skyrine... I'd say the best bet at getting away with it would be swapping an SR, JZ, or LSx, and getting an assembled vehicle title from your state. If you've already assembled the car with the running gear from a different vehicle and gotten it state titled as a kit / custom, they're going to have a pretty hard establishing intent.

Problem is, they still get to do what the fuck they want. There's nothing stopping them from taking your car and crushing it... you just might be able to sue them for damages if you can prove that they weren't justified in crushing your car. So... better get a good legal team if you have a skyline.

[8643710825]

SInce day one we have said the Kaizo Process Was BS. WE have had Homeland Security/ICE/CBP/DOT Special Agents come to one of our warehouse's in search of cars. They were pretty cool but they were def there to seize vehicles.. We have also had chassis seized at the boarders with intent to re assemble. They can detain the vehicle but they can't actually seize it. They have to prove you are going to use that for htat certain purpose. Over the course of about 8 years we have had about 20 chassis seized. Never got any of them back..Some were crushed some were exported.

[WrisColf]

Signed. we have to get the word out of this petition. only reason i found this was because i was bored. Spread the word!

[shiftdrift]

yep, that petition will NEVER work, it's a FEDERAL law which is decided about 10 years in advance, there is a ZERO chance it will work.

[RB180sxChris]

Originally Posted by el ocho

who cares, really. its a skyline. Big woop. I see 5 a day.

Well no shit you see 5 day your in canada you dumbass!

[redline1320]

I signed....Idc if you think it wont work. If by some chance it came down to this single petition and the reason it wasn't passed is because it didnt have enough signatures. I spread the word

[DallasTXjdm]

Instead of investing time and money hunting down illegal cars, concentrate and spend that sh!t on busting actual criminals i.e. drug smugglers, child predators, scam rings, big corporate parasitic flakes, etc,. Oh wait!!! All of those pricks feed money back into the Judicial system which then goes back to our government. Ahhhh ha!

[Rancimo322]

man i love this country and its b.s

BROCODE Article 43: A Bro loves his country, unless that country isn't America.

[AS240]

tried to sign it and got this:
"The petition you are trying to access has expired, because it failed to meet the signature threshold."
...awesome

[enot767]

yep, its no longer on the site.. last i saw it had some 15,xxx signatures

[94vert]

buy from canada forget the feds.

[imwigger0303]

change the stickers and the vin tags to a 1995 or older nissan 240sx shell with a legit title then they cant track it it will fly under the radar except when u get stopped

[bellis_GTR]

I have plans to move to the states in the future. I know I will be bringing my R32 with me. Ill jump through their stupid hoops to get it. I would be happy if they let me bring it in as a track only car.

[delado]

Originally Posted by imwigger0303

change the stickers and the vin tags to a 1995 or older nissan 240sx shell with a legit title then they cant track it it will fly under the radar except when u get stopped

Zilvia does not condone ilegal activities bro dude.

[Godfoot]

cheesey letter, usually when I get letters from the gov , there about pages and pages long

[Coleosis]

Originally Posted by delado

Zilvia does not condone ilegal activities bro dude.

I wonder what the law is you would be breaking to put a 240sx VIN on it and call it a kit car.... I'm not argueing it is illegal... but HOOOOW illegal?

[Toi]

Just try and register it AS a real kit car.....that might work.

Until then everyone needs to wait, old gear heads did it and so can the rest of you.

[go7roo7]

Brian Spilner " hey guys we need a skyline..."

Thomas P O'Brian "hmm I think I saw one heading home yesterday..."


60 days later...

WHERE THE F#$@ IS MY SKYLINE!?

1 month later...

Fast And Furious 6 Premiers

[Rancimo322]

hahaha with a ugly rice kit on it lol

[Big Zee]

Originally Posted by XnTroubleX

I think that the massive amounts of money spent on this investigation and man power to complete this task would have been more beneficial if it was spent on anti-terrorism security or educational purposes for our children. There are so many schools that could have used this money on buying new books, or learning curriculum material! They should have used this money to fund more border patrol agents to keep drugs out of the reach of children. Or even spending it to increase security in schools to keep children safe from that one kid who was not liked enough and decides to come to school with a gun. But instead, their wasting money by removing cars just cause they dont pass standards of American government. When was the last time that a skyline hijacked an airplane and crashed it into two major buildings? When was the last time that a Skyline walked into a school and killed 20 children? When was the last time a skyline set off a roadside bomb? This is a complete waste of money!

^ This is truth and I agree with it. So many people are supporting the wrong priority. Education, Security, Industtry, stupid stuff. that's the order every goverment should be spending their money.