<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2><TABLE width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top colSpan=2>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]Importing an X19 into the US from the UK<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]May 14 1999 at 4:19 PM[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial][/FONT][/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<SCRIPT language=Javascript> <!-- var n54_em; n54_em = ""; n54_em = n54_em + "c";n54_em = n54_em + "j";n54_em = n54_em + "m";n54_em = n54_em + "@";n54_em = n54_em + "i";n54_em = n54_em + "n";n54_em = n54_em + "t";n54_em = n54_em + "e";n54_em = n54_em + "r";n54_em = n54_em + "t";n54_em = n54_em + "r";n54_em = n54_em + "u";n54_em = n54_em + "s";n54_em = n54_em + "t";n54_em = n54_em + ".";n54_em = n54_em + "c";n54_em = n54_em + "o";n54_em = n54_em + "m"; document.write("C.J. MacDonald"); // --> </SCRIPT>C.J. MacDonald <NOSCRIPT> C.J. MacDonald </NOSCRIPT> [/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=bottom colSpan=3><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<!-- google_ad_section_start -->Does anybody have any experience importing an X19 into the US? I am looking at an '88 from the UK, is it legal for sale in the US? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=left>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial] [/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]
[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]Author[/FONT]</TD><TD>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]Reply[/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top noWrap width="17.9%">[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<SCRIPT language=Javascript> <!-- var n54_em; n54_em = ""; n54_em = n54_em + "s";n54_em = n54_em + "e";n54_em = n54_em + "a";n54_em = n54_em + "t";n54_em = n54_em + "t";n54_em = n54_em + "l";n54_em = n54_em + "e";n54_em = n54_em + "x";n54_em = n54_em + "1";n54_em = n54_em + "9";n54_em = n54_em + "@";n54_em = n54_em + "y";n54_em = n54_em + "a";n54_em = n54_em + "h";n54_em = n54_em + "o";n54_em = n54_em + "o";n54_em = n54_em + ".";n54_em = n54_em + "c";n54_em = n54_em + "o";n54_em = n54_em + "m"; document.write("Mac"); // --> </SCRIPT>Mac <NOSCRIPT> Mac </NOSCRIPT>[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial][/FONT]</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 15px" vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<!-- google_ad_section_start -->Ooh - that hurts!~<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial][/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]May 15 1999, 11:29 AM [/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 15px">
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
Hi CJ!
I have often considered doing this myself. I have many friends in the UK who own X1/9s, and have wanted for a long time to import a right-hand drive X1/9 from the UK to the USA. I have spent a little over a year investigating for myself the ways that I could possibly do this, and, well - let's put it this way: I haven't got one yet!
There's really only a couple of basic ways by which one could bring a UK-spec X1/9 into the USA for personal use:
A> The LEGAL WAY. This is likely going to cost you about 5 times what the car is worth, meaning you would first have to buy the car from the UK (value is higher there to begin with), THEN you would have to bribe, er... uh, I mean "apply" to the US Government to CONSIDER allowing an X to be brought in. The X1/9 is *not* on the Government's list of "pre-approved" self-importable cars. This means you have to pay a non-refundable fee of $6000 (yes, six grand) just for the Gov't to THINK ABOUT wether they'll let you do it - and there's no guarantee they'll say yes. If they do, it gets worse! Then you bribe, er- uh... PAY the Customs import fees, and EPA fees (if applicable). Then you must, by law, hire a Registered Importer to handle the transaction. These guys are outrageously expensive, because they are hand-picked by the Government - in other words, they can charge whatever they want. Between them, and a licensed/EPA-approved shop, your imported car would then be taken straight from US Customs to their shops, where the car would have to be modified to meet all Federal Safety, Emissions and Anti-Theft regulations. This process is likely to cost at least another $10,000 (yes, ten grand) or more. Then once all the modifications are done, they take the car back to the Gov't inspectors to be examined (more fees) and approved. Congrats! Here's your right-hand drive X1/9 to the tune of about $20,000... and your State Patrol inspectors and County Licensing agents haven't even had their cut yet! Start to finish, this process is the LEGAL way to go, and you're going to spend between $20,000 and $30,000 to do it. For more info on the LEGAL import process, go to the Customs website and click on "Importing Goods for personal use", then on "Importing a car".
B> The NOT-SO-LEGAL or 'Quasi-Legal' way. There are several possibilities here, most any of which are far less costly, but also not entirely legal. You could buy the X, ship it over, and declare it as a "Parts Car" to Customs. There is a small fee, and that's it - the car is yours. From there, however, it gets complicated and risky to attempt to license or register the car, with stiff penalties if you're ever caught down the road (no pun). Or you could declare it as a racecar, in which case you'd not be allowed to ever drive it on the street either, but you'd still get it into the country. If you want a very unique autocross car, you could do it that way. Another option would be to have a British Citizen come to the USA and bring the car with them. They declare the car to Customs as their own personal property, they get a "trip permit" to operate the vehicle inside the US for 90 days or something like that, THEN once they're in and driving down the road, you buy it from them and send 'em home on an airplane. Now it's yours, but you still have to title & register it as such in order to ever drive it, and this (although possible) could be very, very tricky depending on the State you're dealing with... and if Customs ever figures out what happened, you're busted for smuggling - and the car will be impounded, shipped back to the UK or destroyed.
Needless to say, they don't make it easy! There are even a few other options that I haven't mentioned here, but each with its own set of risks and potential consequences. I have not given up yet on the idea of importing one myself just yet, but it will certainly take time and effort to do it... it will probably be a long time before I try anything, and I would probably end-up buying a parts car, gutting it out, and swapping all the parts over onto a US-spec car which is already titled & registered in the US... but that's just me
Either way, I wish you GOOD LUCK! Peace, -Mac.
<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial] [/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]
[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top noWrap width="17.9%">[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<SCRIPT language=Javascript> <!-- var n54_em; n54_em = ""; n54_em = n54_em + "s";n54_em = n54_em + "e";n54_em = n54_em + "a";n54_em = n54_em + "t";n54_em = n54_em + "t";n54_em = n54_em + "l";n54_em = n54_em + "e";n54_em = n54_em + "x";n54_em = n54_em + "1";n54_em = n54_em + "9";n54_em = n54_em + "@";n54_em = n54_em + "y";n54_em = n54_em + "a";n54_em = n54_em + "h";n54_em = n54_em + "o";n54_em = n54_em + "o";n54_em = n54_em + ".";n54_em = n54_em + "c";n54_em = n54_em + "o";n54_em = n54_em + "m"; document.write("Mac"); // --> </SCRIPT>Mac <NOSCRIPT> Mac </NOSCRIPT>[/FONT]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial][/FONT]</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 30px" vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<!-- google_ad_section_start -->one more thing...<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial][/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]May 15 1999, 11:50 AM [/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 30px">
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<!-- google_ad_section_start -->I forgot to mention one thing I have also discovered buried in the Customs regulations: IF THE CAR IS 25 YEARS OLD OR OLDER, it is EXEMPT from all EPA and DOT regulations! This means that IF you bought and X that was 25 or older (they go by the build date on the doorplate) then you need only pay the customs fees and it's yours! No modifications!!
This would save several thousand dollars and still be perfectly legal... however the X1/9 was not officially sold in the UK until 1976, which means that you could not go this route until AFTER the specific car's build date - in the year 2001. AND, that also means you'd have to buy a '76 X. Good luck finding one for sale! If you do, it ain't gonna be cheap, as these are some of the most desirable Xs on the UK market.
In order for this exception to work on your '88 X, you'd have to wait until the year 2013... and THAT assumes that the Gov't doesn't change the rules between now and 2013...
UGH!!!~<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
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[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]May 14 1999 at 4:19 PM[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial][/FONT][/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<SCRIPT language=Javascript> <!-- var n54_em; n54_em = ""; n54_em = n54_em + "c";n54_em = n54_em + "j";n54_em = n54_em + "m";n54_em = n54_em + "@";n54_em = n54_em + "i";n54_em = n54_em + "n";n54_em = n54_em + "t";n54_em = n54_em + "e";n54_em = n54_em + "r";n54_em = n54_em + "t";n54_em = n54_em + "r";n54_em = n54_em + "u";n54_em = n54_em + "s";n54_em = n54_em + "t";n54_em = n54_em + ".";n54_em = n54_em + "c";n54_em = n54_em + "o";n54_em = n54_em + "m"; document.write("C.J. MacDonald"); // --> </SCRIPT>C.J. MacDonald <NOSCRIPT> C.J. MacDonald </NOSCRIPT> [/FONT]</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=bottom colSpan=3><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<!-- google_ad_section_start -->Does anybody have any experience importing an X19 into the US? I am looking at an '88 from the UK, is it legal for sale in the US? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=left>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial] [/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial][/FONT]</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 15px" vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<!-- google_ad_section_start -->Ooh - that hurts!~<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial][/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]May 15 1999, 11:29 AM [/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 15px">
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
Hi CJ!
I have often considered doing this myself. I have many friends in the UK who own X1/9s, and have wanted for a long time to import a right-hand drive X1/9 from the UK to the USA. I have spent a little over a year investigating for myself the ways that I could possibly do this, and, well - let's put it this way: I haven't got one yet!
There's really only a couple of basic ways by which one could bring a UK-spec X1/9 into the USA for personal use:
A> The LEGAL WAY. This is likely going to cost you about 5 times what the car is worth, meaning you would first have to buy the car from the UK (value is higher there to begin with), THEN you would have to bribe, er... uh, I mean "apply" to the US Government to CONSIDER allowing an X to be brought in. The X1/9 is *not* on the Government's list of "pre-approved" self-importable cars. This means you have to pay a non-refundable fee of $6000 (yes, six grand) just for the Gov't to THINK ABOUT wether they'll let you do it - and there's no guarantee they'll say yes. If they do, it gets worse! Then you bribe, er- uh... PAY the Customs import fees, and EPA fees (if applicable). Then you must, by law, hire a Registered Importer to handle the transaction. These guys are outrageously expensive, because they are hand-picked by the Government - in other words, they can charge whatever they want. Between them, and a licensed/EPA-approved shop, your imported car would then be taken straight from US Customs to their shops, where the car would have to be modified to meet all Federal Safety, Emissions and Anti-Theft regulations. This process is likely to cost at least another $10,000 (yes, ten grand) or more. Then once all the modifications are done, they take the car back to the Gov't inspectors to be examined (more fees) and approved. Congrats! Here's your right-hand drive X1/9 to the tune of about $20,000... and your State Patrol inspectors and County Licensing agents haven't even had their cut yet! Start to finish, this process is the LEGAL way to go, and you're going to spend between $20,000 and $30,000 to do it. For more info on the LEGAL import process, go to the Customs website and click on "Importing Goods for personal use", then on "Importing a car".
B> The NOT-SO-LEGAL or 'Quasi-Legal' way. There are several possibilities here, most any of which are far less costly, but also not entirely legal. You could buy the X, ship it over, and declare it as a "Parts Car" to Customs. There is a small fee, and that's it - the car is yours. From there, however, it gets complicated and risky to attempt to license or register the car, with stiff penalties if you're ever caught down the road (no pun). Or you could declare it as a racecar, in which case you'd not be allowed to ever drive it on the street either, but you'd still get it into the country. If you want a very unique autocross car, you could do it that way. Another option would be to have a British Citizen come to the USA and bring the car with them. They declare the car to Customs as their own personal property, they get a "trip permit" to operate the vehicle inside the US for 90 days or something like that, THEN once they're in and driving down the road, you buy it from them and send 'em home on an airplane. Now it's yours, but you still have to title & register it as such in order to ever drive it, and this (although possible) could be very, very tricky depending on the State you're dealing with... and if Customs ever figures out what happened, you're busted for smuggling - and the car will be impounded, shipped back to the UK or destroyed.
Needless to say, they don't make it easy! There are even a few other options that I haven't mentioned here, but each with its own set of risks and potential consequences. I have not given up yet on the idea of importing one myself just yet, but it will certainly take time and effort to do it... it will probably be a long time before I try anything, and I would probably end-up buying a parts car, gutting it out, and swapping all the parts over onto a US-spec car which is already titled & registered in the US... but that's just me
Either way, I wish you GOOD LUCK! Peace, -Mac.
<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial] [/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial][/FONT]</TD><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 30px" vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<!-- google_ad_section_start -->one more thing...<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
[/FONT][FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial][/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]May 15 1999, 11:50 AM [/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 30px">
[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]<!-- google_ad_section_start -->I forgot to mention one thing I have also discovered buried in the Customs regulations: IF THE CAR IS 25 YEARS OLD OR OLDER, it is EXEMPT from all EPA and DOT regulations! This means that IF you bought and X that was 25 or older (they go by the build date on the doorplate) then you need only pay the customs fees and it's yours! No modifications!!
This would save several thousand dollars and still be perfectly legal... however the X1/9 was not officially sold in the UK until 1976, which means that you could not go this route until AFTER the specific car's build date - in the year 2001. AND, that also means you'd have to buy a '76 X. Good luck finding one for sale! If you do, it ain't gonna be cheap, as these are some of the most desirable Xs on the UK market.
In order for this exception to work on your '88 X, you'd have to wait until the year 2013... and THAT assumes that the Gov't doesn't change the rules between now and 2013...
UGH!!!~<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial] [/FONT]</TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap align=right>[FONT=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Tahoma, Arial]