Importing 25+ year old Fiats?

ryan

ryan

True Classic
Any thoughts on importing cars that now meet the US 25+ year requirement?
A few neat cars we never had here officially:

1987 (?) Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130TC (on left)
1982 (?) Fiat Ritmo Abarth 125TC (on right)

ritmos.jpg


1979 (?) Fiat 127 Sport

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1985 (?) Fiat Uno Turbo i.e. (Mk1)

L-Fiat-Uno-Turbo-ie.jpg


1985 (?) Fiat Croma (Mk1)

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I preferred the looks of the refreshed Uno and Croma with the smaller front grill, but the first ones are not bad. It won't be very long until the Fiat Tipo becomes old enough to be imported too. Anyway, just thought it was neat that it is actually possible to start importing Fiats that never made it after the early 80's US market pullout.

-ryan
 
RYAN... YOU LIVE IN LOS ANGELES!

Unless I'm confused... I believe the import rules and smog rules are about the same...

YOUR Govenator screwed us all a few years back when we had a 30 YEAR rolling exclusion. Now it must be a '75 or earlier.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...
 
25+ is federal rule

The 25 year old or older is a federal rule for import exemption. To get the car in the US it has to have a build date over 25 then all you basically need to do is ship it in and pay a fairly modest import duty. Actual Licensing/Registration rules (as Tony mentioned) vary by State. I think California is the only State that has a stiffer rule than the feds though (that 30 year is to pass emissions?... so you can still import it, you just might have trouble getting plates). As for me, I always wanted to import a right hand drive mica blue Gran Finale X1/9 from the UK :excited:still a few years left to go on those though...

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I was waiting for you to chime in Mac, since we've often discussed the fun game of importing cars into the US.

Yeah, like Tony pointed out, any car 1976-Present has to go thru smog. I wonder how they determine limits for a car never sold in the US -- I have a feeling it is done by age and engine-type.

The emissions laws are pretty stringent in Europe, so I have a feeling an '85 Lancia Prisma (for example) with a gasoline 1.6L should pass smog with a good catalytic converter on it.

I really don't have the space or money now, and I need to invest in fixing up my two toys I'm already lucky to have... but it would be so neat to have a Euro market car over here. I have fond memories of these 80's Fiats and Lancias when visiting Italy.

Anyway, I wonder where us folks in CA can find out more of the additional loops we have to jump thru. I know the obvious is the DMV, but oh man.. no fun. :D
 
Black-Tooth said:
Unless I'm confused... I believe the import rules and smog rules are about the same...

YOUR Govenator screwed us all a few years back when we had a 30 YEAR rolling exclusion. Now it must be a '75 or earlier.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...
Click to expand...

I think these cars would pass smog though. They are mostly small displacement gasoline euro engines, which I believe may even be cleaner and more efficient than what we typically had in the US in the 80s, but this is just a guess.

You are right though that them getting rid of the rolling exclusion is ridiculous. I think as long as a car is not a gross poluter and spewing blue smoke, if it is a certain age, it should be exempt. The fact is there just isn't that many old cars on the road, and classics are generally kept in nice shape and rarely driven. That, and CO2 produced doesn't really change!

Anyway, get this Tony. In 2010 they actually REDUCED the emissions limits on cars. My '88 SAAB used to have a limit of something like 91ppm HC at 25mph... now it is something like 64ppm. They reduced the limit by 30%!! Is that fair, to move the goal posts on a 22 year old car? These cars were designed for requirements at the time and are aging, and they moe the limits. Just brilliant.

Anyway, the car did pass, exactly at 64ppm, but I think in two years time I'll need a new catalytic converter... :wall:
 
Well, if you like the looks of the Fiat Croma of that period, it would probably be easier (and cheaper) for you to go out and buy an old Saab 9000... Its the same car in many ways. Both a product of the "Type four" chassis jointly developed by Saab, Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo. In fact, some of the body panels of the Croma will fit on the 9000.
 
Ryan... I too could rant on and on...

... with the BS we haveta put up with to live in God's Golden State...

We'll need to do this over some libations soon...
 
the rub...

the rub is not whether it would pass the sniffer part of the test but whether they would bother to pop the hood and do a physical exam on it. If they are at all bright they would likely be able to determine the emissions system on it is not US SPEC (regardless whether it would otherwise pass this will disqualify you, in theory, at least). On the bright side, I suspect most of the inspectors would not be able to tell by looking... unless there is some decal or tag they are searching for that declares it "meets all federal standards" that is just not there - oops... You can always take it to a neighboring state for plates...!! j/k :mallet:
 
Not so funny, Mac... (ha!)

That's probably why my brother and I are co-owners of Black-Tooth like "partners", or "husband and wife"... "Our" car is registered in AZ.

I live out the LETTER of the law, but probably not the SPIRIT.
 
yep...

sucks that something as simple as a little decal/plate can be ones downfall in grand self importing plans....

Emissions guy... "hey... where's the...?"

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I guess there is always a chance they won't notice as long as it passes the sniff...
 
Jim W said:
Well, if you like the looks of the Fiat Croma of that period, it would probably be easier (and cheaper) for you to go out and buy an old Saab 9000... Its the same car in many ways. Both a product of the "Type four" chassis jointly developed by Saab, Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo. In fact, some of the body panels of the Croma will fit on the 9000.
Click to expand...

I hear you on the shared platform of the 9000, 164, Croma, and Thema, but part of the point would be having a car over here that was never sold here. :D

Plus, I've been told that even though the cars were engineered with some shared parts, that they are really all quite unique cars. I do know from experience that the 164 and 9000 are very different rides.
 
seattlex19 said:
the rub is not whether it would pass the sniffer part of the test but whether they would bother to pop the hood and do a physical exam on it. If they are at all bright they would likely be able to determine the emissions system on it is not US SPEC (regardless whether it would otherwise pass this will disqualify you, in theory, at least). On the bright side, I suspect most of the inspectors would not be able to tell by looking... unless there is some decal or tag they are searching for that declares it "meets all federal standards" that is just not there - oops... You can always take it to a neighboring state for plates...!! j/k :mallet:
Click to expand...

That is messed up, doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of the 25+ year import laws from the feds? So basically that is saying that in California you can import anything from overseas, as long as it is 1975 or older. Messed up. But, right, in that case, register it out of state. It would be for limited use, non-commuting, anyway.

But it does sound right, for a complex smog system like in California. They wouldn't even know where to start to smog a non-US car like that. :(
 
yeah well

You can still import it, over 25 the feds dont care anymore

You just have to then deal with CA as a separate issue once the car is here, I guess you have a 50/50 chance of getting CA plates for it (depending on whether they do a visual inspection at emissions, or just stuff the sniffer up the tailpipe)

If I lived in Cali and wanted to self import that badly, I would not let it stop me. I'd just sit on it for five years if I had to :eek: probably I would just register it in Nevada or something though... (not suggesting you should do this, ;), just sayin...)
 
Euro X

I kinda like having the only RHD X1/9 in the US. Mine has been here for a really long time and I have not had any issues in TN.
Brett
 
seattlex19 said:
You can still import it, over 25 the feds dont care anymore

You just have to then deal with CA as a separate issue once the car is here, I guess you have a 50/50 chance of getting CA plates for it (depending on whether they do a visual inspection at emissions, or just stuff the sniffer up the tailpipe)

If I lived in Cali and wanted to self import that badly, I would not let it stop me. I'd just sit on it for five years if I had to :eek: probably I would just register it in Nevada or something though... (not suggesting you should do this, ;), just sayin...)
Click to expand...

Well, I'd like to try at some point. Would be nice though if we had the Canada-style 15 year old Federal law though.
 
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