SOLD 2003 Troopy in the US

Year

2003

Vehicle Model

1. 70 Series

Not mine. Coming up for auction soon in Arizona. Looks sweet!

2003 Toyota Land Cruiser for Sale at Auction - Mecum Auctions

View the 2003 Toyota Land Cruiser for sale at Glendale 2020 in Glendale, AZ as S232.

www.mecum.com

 

[4runnermods]

Definitely Venezuelan truck. 1FZ wide nose conversion. Popularity called there Batalla Larga (Long Battle) probably registered in Florida, I've seen a couple newer models, No 25 years old arriving to the States. Somehow they get through.
Love it. Looks real great, awesome restoration.
Good luck on the auction.

 

[gilmorneau]

Another point seldom considered is that although, technically speaking, it's in the country illegally, who's gonna care? Not to be cheeky, but, yes, it's here in violation of Federal law, that's not really in question. But since (presumably) Florida has titled it, the authorities there must feel that it meets their State's legal requirements (discounting for the moment the possibility of deception on the part of the owner). The situation may represent a conflict between State laws and Federal laws. Happens all the time. Consider for example legalized weed--I can walk into a weed store here in Colorado and buy my choice of uber-refined pot. No problem. Totally legal in Colorado. But it remains a violation of Federal law. The Federal government (i.e. the F.B.I. and/or Justice Department) could, at their discretion, come to Colorado and arrest and prosecute me for the same action. But, were I to engage in such activity, I wouldn't reasonably fear that they would. The Federal government has chosen not to devote their crime-fighting resources to Colorado pot smokers. For now.

The question any potential buyer of this truck has to ask themselves is: "how likely is it that the Federal government will devote their crime-fighting resources to me?"

Most (if not all) of the cases of Federal seizure and destruction of illegally imported vehicles with which I'm familiar have involved unscrupulous dealers, intentionally flouting the law, deceiving US Customs and buyers. The Federal authorities get wind of it, go after the dealer, then go find all the vehicles. Too bad. So sad.

Will that be the case here? As a buyer, how much would you be willing to wager? That's what's at stake here.

 

[sogafarm]

In Georgia, it can be registered as a farm vehicle as long as it doesn't travel beyond a certain distance from the farm that it is registered.

 

[gilmorneau]

In Georgia, it can be registered as a farm vehicle as long as it doesn't travel beyond a certain distance from the farm that it is registered.

Curious....do the Georgia laws governing farm vehicles refer specifically to foreign-market cars that have been smuggled into the USA unlawfully?
Or just more generally to vehicles that are deemed unroadworthy for one reason or another?

If it's the former, that would be a clear contradiction between State and Federal law that, if litigated, would need to be resolved by the Federal Courts.

Unfortunately, I suspect it's the latter, which means that while the car might be made to comply with Georgia laws, it would still be in violation of Federal statutes.

Que triste

 

[sogafarm]

Curious....do the Georgia laws governing farm vehicles refer specifically to foreign-market cars that have been smuggled into the USA unlawfully?
Or just more generally to vehicles that are deemed unroadworthy for one reason or another?

If it's the former, that would be a clear contradiction between State and Federal law that, if litigated, would need to be resolved by the Federal Courts.

Unfortunately, I suspect it's the latter, which means that while the car might be made to comply with Georgia laws, it would still be in violation of Federal statutes.

Que triste

Punetero, LOL

 

[gilmorneau]

Punetero, LOL

Yeah...sometimes. Sorry about that. Lol...

 

[SteveJackson]

There is no federal off-road/farm-use exemption except for vehicles built specifically for non-road use purposes.

 

[ace10]

Glad to see the discussion on this rig. It had me scratching my head when I came across it on the Mecum consignment list.

Upon inquiry, Mecum provided the VIN.

8XA21UJ7839500478


Here's the BOL from VZA back in December:


Date
2019-12-19
Shipper Name
Servicios Aduanales Ca
Shipper Address
CARRERA 4CCALLE 26 CC ETRURIA ZONA INDUSTRIAL 1 BARQUISIMETO VE
Consignee Name
Office Express Corp
Consignee Address
2061 NW 112TH AV MIAMI FL 33172 USA TE7862022390
Notify Party Name
Double Ace Cargo
Notify Party Address
2175 NW 115TH AVE, MIAMIFL33172 UN
Weight
2536
Weight Unit
K
Weight in KG
2536.0
Quantity
2
Quantity Unit
PKG
Country of Origin
Venezuela
Details
2,536.0 kg
From port: Puerto Cabello, Venezuela
To port: Port Of Entry-Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida
Place of Receipt
Puerto Cabello
Foreign Port of Lading
Puerto Cabello, Venezuela
U.S. Port of Unlading
Port Of Entry-Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida
U.S. Destination Port
Port Of Entry-Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida
Commodity
TOYOTA LANDCRUISER COLOR GREY YEAR 2003 VIN 8XA21UJ7839500478 TOYOTA FJ40 LVKA COLOR BLUE YEAR 1983 VIN FJ40937575 TOYOTA LANDCRU ISER COLOR BEIGE, YEAR: 2004 VIN 8XA21UJ7288 003478 HAZARDOUS MATERIALINFORMATION VEHIC LE, FLAMMABLE LIQUID POWERED CLASS-9, UN-316 6,
Container
KOSU4515342
Marks Description
8XA21UJ7839500478 TOYOTA FJ40LVKA COLOR B LUE YEAR 1983VIN FJ40937575 TOYOTA LANDCRU ISER COLOR BEIGE, YEAR: 2004 VIN 8XA21UJ7288 003478 HAZARDOUS MATERIAL INFORMATION VEHIC LE, FLAMMABLE LIQUID POWERED CLASS-9, UN-316 6,
Carrier Name
DOUBLE ACE CARGO INC
Vessel Name
FS IPANEMA
Voyage Number
221N
Bill of Lading Number
DACBHBL92822
Master Bill of Lading Number
KOSLPBLPEV02132
Lloyd's Code
9433145
HTS Codes
HTS 8703.23

 

[Jroc561]

Another point seldom considered is that although, technically speaking, it's in the country illegally, who's gonna care? Not to be cheeky, but, yes, it's here in violation of Federal law, that's not really in question. But since (presumably) Florida has titled it, the authorities there must feel that it meets their State's legal requirements (discounting for the moment the possibility of deception on the part of the owner). The situation may represent a conflict between State laws and Federal laws. Happens all the time. Consider for example legalized weed--I can walk into a weed store here in Colorado and buy my choice of uber-refined pot. No problem. Totally legal in Colorado. But it remains a violation of Federal law. The Federal government (i.e. the F.B.I. and/or Justice Department) could, at their discretion, come to Colorado and arrest and prosecute me for the same action. But, were I to engage in such activity, I wouldn't reasonably fear that they would. The Federal government has chosen not to devote their crime-fighting resources to Colorado pot smokers. For now.

The question any potential buyer of this truck has to ask themselves is: "how likely is it that the Federal government will devote their crime-fighting resources to me?"

Most (if not all) of the cases of Federal seizure and destruction of illegally imported vehicles with which I'm familiar have involved unscrupulous dealers, intentionally flouting the law, deceiving US Customs and buyers. The Federal authorities get wind of it, go after the dealer, then go find all the vehicles. Too bad. So sad.

Will that be the case here? As a buyer, how much would you be willing to wager? That's what's at stake here.

95% of the time you'll get away with something like this, maybe even more. Florida has so many illegal r34s driving around.

But if you do get caught, reported, have a cop who actually knows about these things in a random check then there isnt much you can do but take the complete loss. When I lived in Florida I could never imagine driving something illegal, theres so many cops just strolling around looking to pull people over. That isnt the case in most parts of the country, I know no one would bat an eye if I drove that thing around here.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Curious....do the Georgia laws governing farm vehicles refer specifically to foreign-market cars that have been smuggled into the USA unlawfully?
Or just more generally to vehicles that are deemed unroadworthy for one reason or another?

If it's the former, that would be a clear contradiction between State and Federal law that, if litigated, would need to be resolved by the Federal Courts.

Unfortunately, I suspect it's the latter, which means that while the car might be made to comply with Georgia laws, it would still be in violation of Federal statutes.

Que triste

It is common knowledge that the local plantations have vehicles that are for "off-road" purposes only (think late model Defenders and at least one diesel G-Wagon) and the fact that they will spend their entire life on the plantation basically means the state nor the federal government give a damn.

 

[FJ73Texas]

It is common knowledge that the local plantations have vehicles that are for "off-road" purposes only (think late model Defenders and at least one diesel G-Wagon) and the fact that they will spend their entire life on the plantation basically means the state nor the federal government give a damn.

I can only see this being possible if the vehicle was illegally imported to begin with.

Legally imported vehicles that are under 25 years old have to exit the country after a year or so or whenever the diplomatic owner is done with it. Right? Does the government check to see if they left?

 

[Gun Runner 5]

I can only see this being possible if the vehicle was illegally imported to begin with.

Legally imported vehicles that are under 25 years old have to exit the country after a year or so or whenever the diplomatic owner is done with it. Right? Does the government check to see if they left?

I'm winging it here but my guess is that the vehicles mentioned above aren't registered, titled or even insured to spend a life on a plantation so there is virtually no paper trail. I don't own a plantation so I'm not speaking from a position of authority.

 

[SteveJackson]

Legally imported vehicles that are under 25 years old have to exit the country after a year or so or whenever the diplomatic owner is done with it. Right? Does the government check to see if they left?

In theory yes. Anything imported under those circumstances has to be bonded for the duration of the stay to ensure that it gets re-exported as required.

 

[sogafarm]

I need one of these................ for hauling watermelons!

 

[umpqua]

What about liability insurance? You hit someone. Insurance company investigates the claim. If illegal would they have to pay damages? After how much litigation?

 

[gilmorneau]

I can only see this being possible if the vehicle was illegally imported to begin with.

Exactly. It would either have been smuggled in or imported on an exemption (i.e. diplomatic) then illegally kept here after it was supposed to be re-exported.

But because of this:

Anything imported under those circumstances has to be bonded for the duration of the stay to ensure that it gets re-exported as required.

You can bet it was the former.

What about liability insurance? You hit someone. Insurance company investigates the claim. If illegal would they have to pay damages? After how much litigation?

Excellent question. I'm not an insurance guy, but I'd guess they're not in the business of paying claims for contraband related losses. Another wager for a would-be buyer to consider.

None of the necessary gambles are worth it to me, especially when there are legally importable cars to be had. But then, I don't gamble in Vegas, either. Everybody's different.

 

[ace10]

The importer is a "legit" company.

Automotive

servicios de compra, papeleo, traslado y envío de tu vehículo, compra de consmibles de calidad que solo consigues en los Estados Unidos

www.officexpress-us.com

This is their Florida corp registration.

Detail by Entity Name

search.sunbiz.org

The year and VIN are clearly disclosed on the BOL I posted earlier.

 

[1000Taco0001]

The importer is a "legit" company.

Automotive

servicios de compra, papeleo, traslado y envío de tu vehículo, compra de consmibles de calidad que solo consigues en los Estados Unidos

www.officexpress-us.com

This is their Florida corp registration.

Detail by Entity Name

search.sunbiz.org

The year and VIN are clearly disclosed on the BOL I posted earlier.

I figured I’d just reach out...

On Mar 13, 2020, at 12:05 PM, Marv Drummond <mdrummond@mecum.com> wrote:

I can assure you that the 2003 Land Cruiser is 100% legal or it would not be crossing the auction block.There will be nothing to worry about if you purchas this vehicle.

Thanks,
Marv

 

[ace10]

"...nothing to worry about."

-Said by every person present right before something bad happens.



Mecum will get their vig from the buyer and seller and will wash their hands of the entire matter after the wires have been confirmed.

 

[archerm3]

coil front and leaf rear springs seems fishy to me but IDK...