Well, that's not 100% exactly true. Remember the Mercedes G-wagens that were imported to America in the mid 90s. There was a company that federalized them and they weren't exactly US-spec either. They also charged a pretty hefty premium to people that wanted one.
Here's the list of cars you can actually import to the US that is under 25 years old.
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/elig010807.pdf
This isn't the same case as importing an old Nissan Skyline but just another 80-series Land Cruiser with basically the same US-spec engine.
It's not even apples and oranges.
Federalizing a vehicle is one thing, you have to jump through all sorts of hoops, get a VIN, get
tons of signatures and paperwork filled out, etc. That's why there can easily be a $20k premium on the process.
A Middle Eastern spec Cruiser, whether with a 1FZ or not, will
not be federalized. It will not have a VIN. It will not have the signatures or paperwork required.
The fact that it's "basically the same US-spec engine" means nothing. As a simple example, many 80's overseas had no EGR system and no cats (or cats and no rear O2 sensor). That puts them far out of compliance with US requirements. A foreign spec 1FZ would be fairly easy to bring up to US spec, but you'd basically be taking it and strapping on all the parts that were for a US truck. And all that is no guarantee that they'll let you import it, many people attempt to import vehicles in this fashion, get rejected (after jumping through all the hoops and spending thousands of dollars), then sell it as a grey/black market vehicle.
Easier would be to do an engine swap, which is legal in most states. I've heard Cali is rejecting even some of those now. That's not what he's claiming he did here.
A simple test would be to ask for the VIN. If he has one, it'll be a specially assigned one and not a standard VIN.
There was a grey market diesel 80 on eBay for a while back. Story was the seller bought it somewhere back east where the state registered it, moved to Cali, and Cali flat out rejected the vehicle even though it had been legally registered in another state.
IF this vehicle is an import (which I am extremely doubtful of to begin with) then you run the risk of being rejected for registration or renewal every time it comes up. If you move to another state or sell it, there's a fair chance of it being rejected.
As I said, I did a ton of research on this as I have family in the Philippines, and because the country is so poor prices are cheap. It would be extremely cheap for me to buy and ship an 80 (diesel or petrol). Getting it legally drivable over here (100% legal, not grey/black market) could easily set me back many thousands of dollars as I jump through hoops. I've heard of stories of people spending $20k+ trying to get it all done, only to have it fail.
That's why importers pick a vehicle that's essentially already US spec and need very little adjustments to get it up to par. It has to be popular, because they might spend a couple hundred thousand buying, transporting, modifying, and running through paperwork to get the vehicle OK'ed. And even with all that, they still sell them for such a high premium that most people can't afford 'em. And you
still run the risk of certain states refusing to register them.
And while the NHTSA might okay the 80 for import, that's the easy part. Getting a VIN for a vehicle that doesn't have one already is darn near impossible. Even the NHTSA's page acknowledges the difficulty with getting a VIN.
VIN Issues
Under NHTSA's regulations at 49 CFR Part 565, a motor vehicle manufacturer must assign to each motor vehicle manufactured for sale in the U.S. a 17-digit VIN that uniquely identifies the vehicle. The VIN must be correctly formatted and include a check digit in the ninth position that is mathematically correct under a formula that is included in the regulations. Typographical errors in a VIN can only be corrected by the vehicle's manufacturer. Contact information for many vehicle manufacturers is available on NHTSA's website at
Manufacturers' Information. Unless you have contacted the manufacturer and been informed that the manufacturer cannot assist you, please do not contact NHTSA if you have been advised by a State DMV or other authority that there is an error in the VIN assigned to your vehicle.
when he wrote up that ad.
