gilmorneau
SILVER Star
Good to know. Learn something new every day.
Importing a 70 series to the USA (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Sakhr
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
If it were easy to bring them in from the Middle East and flip them it’d be getting done a lot more. You have to have connections in region to get actual market prices there... the sellers over there smell a reseller a mile away, and they want to share in your profit. Also, they smell a fat western wallet a mile away and you pay more than most others would.
You either need to focus on bringing especially well-kept versions... or provide a value on importing them (fix them over there with new OEM parts for example).
You can drive the shipping price down per truck if you bring over more than 1 or 2 at a time.
Again, if it were easy...
- Thread starter
- #23
I couldn’t agree with you more. You hit the nail on the head with this one. I think the way to do it is for me to actually go there and get the deal done.
Hello,
And let us not forget those who smell pink-colored glasses a mile away and will do their best to sell a piece of junk for a lot of money.
It takes a lot of caution to navigate through all of these characters.
Juan
I purchase and imported a very similar truck from Dubai earlier this year and then drove it across country from Virginia to Salt Lake. You may wish to have a look at this and this. If this one does have the 22R engine I'd pass on it personally. The 77 is just underpowered with the 4 banger.
For what it is worth, if it is in a Middle East country other than KSA I'd recommend spending the 1500 USD or so for a round trip ticket to have a look at the thing in person. I'd suggest that will be money well spent.
I'd also say that if making money is the intent, that's not going to work out most likely. My own experience is that it is more or less a wash if I get a decent price here in the UAE and then take it to the US. I do it because I really like these old trucks and it is a hoot to be driving them in the US.
For what it is worth, if it is in a Middle East country other than KSA I'd recommend spending the 1500 USD or so for a round trip ticket to have a look at the thing in person. I'd suggest that will be money well spent.
I'd also say that if making money is the intent, that's not going to work out most likely. My own experience is that it is more or less a wash if I get a decent price here in the UAE and then take it to the US. I do it because I really like these old trucks and it is a hoot to be driving them in the US.
Agreed. Pass on a 22R. We have John's truck in the museum. We are happy to have it and it is very nice looking. I did drive it to and from our detail shop and it is painfully slow.
Think overloaded-1978-Hilux-on-a-hill slow.
Agreed. Pass on a 22R. We have John's truck in the museum. We are happy to have it and it is very nice looking. I did drive it to and from our detail shop and it is painfully slow.
Think overloaded-1978-Hilux-on-a-hill slow.
LOLOL! Yep. I'm still amazed that the big rigs showed no annoyance with us on our long trip across the country.
When it is time for Biscuit to come home in a few years I'm thinking R2.8 Cummins transplant or an electric conversion if the electric powerplant packages are mature by then. On the Cummins, I found this video very compelling particularly when you consider that the 77 is probably a couple of hundred kilos lighter than a model 80.
For me here in Dubai, I look at dubizzle (used vehicle listings--like craigslist) and Emirates Auction.
I'd expect this to go into the high 20's by the time the auction is over. That's 8K USD or thereabouts. This one looks complete but a bit rough, like you might expect. It's carburated though. If I were going to buy this one I would be thinking about an engine swap but retaining the original manual transmission.
The listing says it is a six cylinder, but I would not depend on that. The listing might be suggesting it has a 2006 engine in it, but who knows without checking. I whatsapped the guy and will see what he says. Cute truck. I swore I was not going to buy any more Land Cruisers but this is kind of a cute little truck!
If it does have a different engine that's potentially an issue when importing to the US.
An engine swap would not be importable. The vehicle must have the original engine.
Yes my old GF had an 84 Hilux Surf with 22R, we were in the habit of turning of the aircon for the extra half hp , you could actually feel it go "faster".
So once you have it back home, can you install a engine of your choice as long as it doesnt contravene local laws such as those in California?
Correct.
gilmorneau
SILVER Star
Just to be clear, this is not strictly speaking true, if I've read the law correctly. The same law (it's buried in the Clean Air Act) that prevents you importing a foreign-market car with a swapped engine also prevents you swapping the engine once you get it here in the USA. How to explain?....The reason you're allowed to own a foreign-market car over 25 years old is because NHTSA, EPA, and other government regulations don't apply to them, i.e. they have an exemption. But the exemption is based on the car being in it's "original configuration". When you swap the motor (the car is no longer as "originally configured"), you lose the exemption, and the car then needs to comply with all applicable Federal government requirements. So, it's not just a law relevant to importing, it's a law relevant to owning a car in the USA.
That said, this is all Federal regulatory stuff, but most motor vehicle regulations are State governed, i.e. the licensing and inspections (if any) are not done by Federal authorities, but rather by States. If your motor swap is in compliance with your local laws and regulations (which may differ wildly from Federal law), you probably won't have any trouble. The chances of the Federal government coming after you once you've legally imported the car, then swapped the motor are next to nil (but not zero). The more likely possibility is that moving forward States will tighten regulations to more closely track the Federal example. This has already started in Colorado, where Counties on the Front Range (roughly Ft. Collins to Pueblo) now require vehicle inspections on foreign-market diesel vehicles to confirm that they are in compliance with Federal law (not modified). So, for example, I have my completely stock BJ75 registered here in Boulder, but if I wanted to swap my 3B for a 13B-T, I would not be able to register the vehicle here, where I live, because it would no longer be in it's "original configuration". For the time being, I could register it in most rural Counties in Colorado, where there are no inspection requirements, but I'd still be in violation of the "tampering" part of the Federal Clean Air Act. For what that's worth.
Disclaimer: Although I did attend Law School (University of Colorado), I am not a practicing attorney, so take my legal advice....uh....lightly.
