Bringing a car to U.S. from overseas......

[TRicker]

just how hard is it? i wonder really. a nice Mondeo........or my dream, an opel Calibra........or just another Opel GT to add to my collection......what kind of ching does it take, and are they street legal? maybe someone here can help me out, before i go looking online because there is too much info and its hard to get a price, and see what's legal now, since customs is a pain.

 

[Pale Horse]

just how hard is it? i wonder really. a nice Mondeo........or my dream, an opel Calibra........or just another Opel GT to add to my collection......what kind of ching does it take, and are they street legal? maybe someone here can help me out, before i go looking online because there is too much info and its hard to get a price, and see what's legal now, since customs is a pain.

There is a list floating around on the internet with vehicles that can be imported in and be emmisions legal with little to no modifications. It'll take some searching though.
There are two forms that must be filled and filed with the EPA and DOT. Those both can be found on the EPA and DOT websites.
When importing a vehicle you need to know a few things:
Weight of the vehicle (for shipping costs)
How you want it shipped (in con-ex-box or open transport)
Luxury taxes
Import duties

You will also have to make sure all of the fluids are emptied before transport. It helps to know of a reputable export company from the country of origin.
The vehicle you import may need to become emmisions compliant, in which case you will need to utilize one of the DOT and EPA certified companies that will make your vehicle compliant. This can be expensive on certain vehicles. Think: multiple catalytic converters and associated wiring and remapping of ECU's. The bumpers have to be crash rated at 5mph. Most cars overseas do not use 5mph bumpers as they do in the states. Vehicles imported must have a certain amount of ground clearance. They must also have DOT approved windshield glass.

Basically the shipping part of it is the easiest. It's the making it legal to drive in the U.S. that can be costly... Hope this helps shed some light on the subject for you.

Go here: This will also help
http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm/entering_us/7importingyourcar.htm

This site is good too: There is a link on the right hand of the page under Publications.
It is called "Importing and Exporting a Car" Click on it!!!
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/clearing_goods/automobiles.xml

 

[Kremithefrog]

Ship it over and buy a junk contour. Slap contour vin on mondeo, register it at your local tag office. Drive mondeo.

 

[Pale Horse]

I don't think that the Mondeos have a 5mph bumper in order to be approved by customs. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though. Other than that I don't think there is any reason that one couldn't be imported here to stay. I know that you can import one and keep it in the states if you are not a legal Alien. I.E. if you were here for school you can keep it registered in the states for up to a year. Same with military duty. You can bring a vehicle in for the year.

 

[Kremithefrog]

I don't think that the Mondeos have a 5mph bumper in order to be approved by customs. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though. Other than that I don't think there is any reason that one couldn't be imported here to stay. I know that you can import one and keep it in the states if you are not a legal Alien. I.E. if you were here for school you can keep it registered in the states for up to a year. Same with military duty. You can bring a vehicle in for the year.

private museum piece? ummmm black market?