Title says it all. I want to import a vehicle that is hard to find in the USA. Either from Canada or from Europe. Canada is preferable of course, because I can buy it and drive it in myself.
Is it legal? ( I do NOT want answers that will encourage me to break the law. )
Is it costly?
Is it difficult from an administrative point of view?
How hard is it to make a car built for Canada’s laws conform to US emissions standards? This is going to be a diesel car, though I don’t know if that fact matters.
I do NOT seek a luxury vehicle. I seek a minivan or SUV that is diesel. Hard to find here, easier elsewhere.
Search google and SDMB for “gray market” as this has been asked before. You will find it difficult at best and very expensive if the model isn’t already available in which case you probably wouldn’t need to do it.
If you throw enough money at it anything is possible.
Oh yeah.
Ditto.
Not sure.
Totally not worth it. If you were talking about some exotic sports car where you’d stand a chance of making your money back it might be different, but probably not. Why would you want to? Why would you want a diesel SUV or minivan? Are you a masochist? What’s wrong with ordering one from your dealer? Have you seen the Jeep Liberty diesel? Do you have any idea how hard it is to import a vehicle that does not already have NHTSA and EPA approval?
Another concern: Most of the European (and Canadian? maybe?) diesel engines will not run properly on the poorer quality, high sulfur diesel fuels available in the US. I believe that we finally have a plan to bring our diesel fuel up to ROW standards but I don’t recall details.
Well, since I’ve done this I think I can state authoritatively that it can be done. As for the rest of the questions: it depends.
The car must conform to all U.S. standards to be road-legal here. When bringing cars from other countries, that may involve changes to the engine, brakes, headlights, and more. Depending on the car, this can be very pricey.
I arranged my purchase through a new car dealer here in the States, so the paperwork was easy. I flew to Germany, picked up the car, drove it there for a month, delivered it to a dock in Frankfurt, and picked it up in California six months later. Yep. Six months to get it shipped here, have the mods done, and get it through customs. Of course, I saved so much over the cost of the American model that even after the modifications and the shipping, it paid for my trip to Germany.
I did this 20 years ago. Personally, I wouldn’t do it again. Given the state of the economy in the U.S., I’d rather spend my money here.