[Naples Cruiser]

hi there , i have a question , importing a brand new station wagon 70 series is out of the question here in the Usa so here is my question:
how about buying a brand new one overseas and driving it in the Usa with foreign plates , no laws against that , for how long could i do that ?
if it is insured in its country of origin i should be good for at least a couple of years right?.............anybody here tried that ?
Erick.

[PurpleFJ62]

I am very intrested in this...just imagine...brand new 70 series. The laws in this country regaurding automobiles are absolutly redicilous.
what do you think if we all sent a letter to the president, think we could get the law changed?

[Exiled]

Legally? One year if you do a temporary importation, then you have to take the vehicle out of the country. Insurance could get expensive, but it's very doable, this is the importation method used by most European overlanders who come to explore the US. Not 100% sure if you can do this as a US citizen, but that's easy enough to check.

Depending on your tolerance for gray market and potential litigation, you could drive in some parts of the county with non-US plates for a long time. Texas is full of Mexico plates, and you see Central American plates occasionally. When living in AZ I saw a lot of non-US plates and a good number of non-US vehicles. The Northeast and Florida are ripe with Canadian plates, too.

Those of you who know me in person will confirm that I know a little bit about driving with non-US plates....!

[Exiled]

Originally Posted by PurpleFJ62

I am very intrested in this...just imagine...brand new 70 series. The laws in this country regaurding automobiles are absolutly redicilous.
what do you think if we all sent a letter to the president, think we could get the law changed?

Yeah, I'm sure Barack "Tree Hugger" Obama will be very receptive to us requesting a relaxation of importation laws so we can bring in some non-EPA compliant 4x4s! I'm sure Gettelfinger and the other goons will love that one, too!

[Dieseler]

I dont think a new 70 depending on what country it is from is non EPA compliant,most countries such as Japan,and many of the European countries have more stringent controls than here in North America

[crushers]

p r o t e c t i s m

simple as that.

[Exiled]

Originally Posted by Dieseler

I dont think a new 70 depending on what country it is from is non EPA compliant,most countries such as Japan,and many of the European countries have more stringent controls than here in North America

*All* 70 Series are non-EPA compliant for the basic reason that Toyota has not submitted any of those powerplants for EPA compliance. EPA compliance is based on approval/governance, not on a pipe test.

[crushers]

read: 'how much money will you give us to clear that engine for importation"

[pagemaster]

The 70 series is legal in Canada. Not sure if a brand new one is but we have plenty of used 70 series on the market. I guess you could come to Canada and get one and then drive it in the us.

[crushers]

you might want to do a bit more research before following this advice.

[Exiled]

Originally Posted by crushers

read: 'how much money will you give us to clear that engine for importation"

That's exactly right. And for Toyota, it's a numbers game. Submit for approval for X engine, sell XX cars. Worth it? If yes, then submit. If not, then submit something else.

Don't forget DOT approval for importation, which in the case of the new 70 series, isn't going to happen. No airbags on the new 70 series means they can't be DOT approved. Period.

Again, for Toyota it's a numbers game. Go through the hassle of redesigning the 70 series so it will meet the US DOT requirements? Only if the expected return is worth it. If we spend $XX on this, will we get an ROI of $XXX? No. That's the simple answer, no.

[crushers]

i thought someone had posted the next year 7* series will have airbags...?

[PurpleFJ62]

why do I have to buy a car with airbags, can I not accept responsibility for my driving actions? Let people decide for themselfs, if a soccer mom wants airbags, then by all means she should be able to pay for them. I believe this is one of the major things attributing to high car prices. All the saftey shit...
Not to mention that the air bags ruin a perfect looking dash. A cruiser w/o bags, looks alot better than one with bags, and there is that little tray to set stuff on while driving.

ohh....our government, how did it get so big and controlling...???

[crushers]

ummm, airbags, side protector beams, seat belts have nothing to do with government, government passes the laws but it is the insurance companies that demand the safety items (to save on claims).

curious, have you seen any recalls on the deadly first generation airbag deployment? neither have i.

[Michael Hanson]

Air bags! Would not want to have my life depend on them. Mike

[89GASHOG]

Originally Posted by pagemaster

The 70 series is legal in Canada. Not sure if a brand new one is but we have plenty of used 70 series on the market. I guess you could come to Canada and get one and then drive it in the us.

He wants a 70 series wagon, which has never been sold in Canada. I looked them up and found some info from Toyota sales in S. Africa. Wow, are they cool! Coil springs up front with solid axle, leafs in the rear, locking differentials, 1HZ engine, NO airbags. VERY expensive. IMO, Toyota wouldn't sell as many of these in the US as Land Rover does of their POS similar appearing wagon that many rich dudes buy because, well....rich dudes don't consider the Cruiser as much of a status symbol as the Rover. And, they could care less about the inevitably high costs of maintaining the beast.

[prado t]

AIR Bags are for Gay tree huggers period! Just look how fast those status symbols depreciate. All the gangsters here in vancouver are getting shot in those body bags on wheels

[BiG BoB]

1HZ motor? Maybe for 3rd world markets. Around here it has a stump pulling brand new V8 turbo diesel.

They don't however have airbags, ABS, stability control, traction control

If you want one, I'll pick it up from the dealer, beat it with some chains, hoon through some sand and mud, and send it to the US where you can fit your VIN/Compliance plates and rego from an older registered 7x series

Sean

[crushers]

umm, before you go bragging up the new V8 diesel how about you give it 500K test run. THEN, if the heads don't crack, if the rods don't go through the block, if the BEB are still holding up, the tranny standing up to the torque, you will have something to chat about.
right now, in my eye, it is just 2 'C' diesel blocks siamesed togather at the crank. the C diesel had serious head issues and unless Toyota has cured that problem then they have just doubled the chance of the same problem with the V8 diesel.
and, no, i am not jealous till i see it standing up to the test of time. if it does then i will be extremely jealous.

[PurpleFJ62]

so its the insurance companies....what is auto insurance like in other parts of the world. I ofton say to my friends that the vast majority of americans are fat, stupid, and lazy. I notice that all the cars here have all the saftey shit on them, is this because americans do not know how to get from point A to point B safley...

what you folks think...??

[crushers]

it is amazing that North America has the most safety crap installed and demanded in their vehicles and yet what countries have the worst driving records?

i have been saying for years, we do not need airbags, seat belts, side protection beams... we need PROPER driver education and enforcement.
GOOD drivers do not cause accidents. POOR drivers do.

[roscoFJ73]

Originally Posted by crushers

umm, before you go bragging up the new V8 diesel how about you give it 500K test run. THEN, if the heads don't crack, if the rods don't go through the block, if the BEB are still holding up, the tranny standing up to the torque, you will have something to chat about.
right now, in my eye, it is just 2 'C' diesel blocks siamesed togather at the crank. the C diesel had serious head issues and unless Toyota has cured that problem then they have just doubled the chance of the same problem with the V8 diesel.
and, no, i am not jealous till i see it standing up to the test of time. if it does then i will be extremely jealous.

I dont know of any that have done 500k but there are many down the mines and and they seem to be holding up (the gearboxes would feel it 1st).
The general consensus seems to be that it is a good engine.
As far as dealers go ,it they have less than 5 engine failures per 1000 units under warranty,its good

I doubt very much they used C heads on the V8

My dream swap = 105 series meets V8 diesel and H151

[crushers]

you are dreaming of a headache?
ouch.

[JuanJ]

Originally Posted by crushers

it is amazing that North America has the most safety **** installed and demanded in their vehicles and yet what countries have the worst driving records?

i have been saying for years, we do not need airbags, seat belts, side protection beams... we need PROPER driver education and enforcement.
GOOD drivers do not cause accidents. POOR drivers do.

Hello,

Right in the nail.

It may be possible to design idiotproof safety features. However, no safety feature system protects against deliberate malice or sheer stupidity.

Yes, poor drivers are plenty. And the ones after insurance money, too. For every careful nut behind the wheel there seems to be a lot of reckless nuts who just don't care.

Malice/stupidity aside, there is always a way to fool/override/ignore safety systems and cause serious, even fatal, injury.

It is not fair that we all have to pay a price in order to "protect" them.

My two cents.






JuanJ

[maximBJ70]

what a great thread. Please keep it coming guys...

[roscoFJ73]

Originally Posted by crushers

you are dreaming of a headache?
ouch.

Why? Someone around here has already solved the electronics problem.

[crushers]

LOL!
Rosco, i HATE elecs. i can field fix almost anything but elec are black boxes to me and when something goes sideways i get frustrated... fast.

i am also leary of anything new till proven for a while. some guys see something new and they have to have it. i like to let others with more money find out if something is tough or crap.

just playing with you, i did not mean to pee on your idea.

[roscoFJ73]

Originally Posted by crushers

LOL!
Rosco, i HATE elecs. i can field fix almost anything but elec are black boxes to me and when something goes sideways i get frustrated... fast.

i am also leary of anything new till proven for a while. some guys see something new and they have to have it. i like to let others with more money find out if something is tough or crap.

just playing with you, i did not mean to pee on your idea.

Im the same with electrics,I use test lamps and multimeters for melting cicuits LOL
Ill be waiting for the price of a V8 to come down for awhile yet.

[BiG BoB]

We have a bunch of the V8's here at the mine, all work 24hrs a day but do lots of stop start driving. If they've sat long enough to cool down they certainly arent warmed up at all....

So far none have had anything except regular maintainance

[crushers]

keep us informed, the mines here are not allowed the V8s, 1HZ only with scrubbers and this is the last year for them... so i heard.