Importing an LC from central america

[EdisonE85]

Hi everyone,

Im looking into exporting a land cruiser to either washington or oregon state, its a 25 year old car so is DOT and EPA exempt, i dunno if its state exempt, although i doubt they have rules like california.

My question is, since the EPA form 3520-1 states that the car must be stock, does that mean paint color aswell? What if the car had a paint job that matches the colour of the legal paperwork?

I appreciate ya'lls help

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Pretty sure it doesn't have to be stock in color. I had a Canadian import that was not stock color, and there was no problem with it. But, shouldn't the paperwork reflect the current color?

 

[SNLC]

In 2012 I brought in a truck that was definitely/obviously not stock. It came from Australia. The engine was heavily built and the truck served as my shipping crate as well as for spare parts. It had no hood on it so no way they couldn't tell it was not stock. I gutted the truck once the motor showed up, kept what I wanted and recycled the rest.

No problems at all importing it and it came into Long Beach. They did charge me an arm and a leg though for X-rays, unloading the crate, ect ect.

Cheers

 

[EdisonE85]

thanks guys, I would be importing through tacome wa, so hopefully is less restrictive and annoying than california. I read EPA doesnt allow you to make any modficiations (I gues its only the engine since its enviornmental stuff) to the truck unless it has been modified with a new up to date EPA standards. what this means is Im stuck with the bj40´s b engine instead of bringing it with a 2H of 14B engine not happy, but hey nothing in this world is perfect.

 

[EdisonE85]

In 2012 I brought in a truck that was definitely/obviously not stock. It came from Australia. The engine was heavily built and the truck served as my shipping crate as well as for spare parts. It had no hood on it so no way they couldn't tell it was not stock. I gutted the truck once the motor showed up, kept what I wanted and recycled the rest.

No problems at all importing it and it came into Long Beach. They did charge me an arm and a leg though for X-rays, unloading the crate, ect ect.

Cheers

how much did you pay for taxes, customs and other importing costs? I heard its somewhere in the 1500 to 2500 range... is it true?

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Duty fee depends on the price you paid for the vehicle. There are registered importers (RI's) in your area that could crunch the numbers and handle the process for you.

 

[SNLC]

how much did you pay for taxes, customs and other importing costs? I heard its somewhere in the 1500 to 2500 range... is it true?

Taxes was not all that much, maybe 5%, I think we had the truck valued at $2500 or something. IIRC, customs duties was $300-500. Where they really got me was on the X-ray @ $650. On top of that these days thanks to HLS only licensed trucking companies can go into the port. HLS also does not allow unloading of containers in the port. So I had to hire a company with this license to go into the port, yank my container, take it out of the port, unload it and return the container to the port. That alone was like $800. I also paid an arm and a leg for my container but that shipped from Brisbane to Long Beach, different than what you are doing.

Honestly, if I was bringing in any truck from Panama-north. I would just drive it up here. Cost way less and it is a fun trip.

Cheers

 

[Officer Friendly]

Driving is great until they car jack you in mexico, take everything you own and decide if they are going to kill you, hold you hostage, or just let you go. In my case they took the truck all my id's cash, tools, shoes and left me for dead in the middle of the desert. Pay to have it shipped, mexico is NOT safe anymore.

 

[EdisonE85]

hi officer! yep, im from panama i know whats up, i wasnt going to reply to his email, but yeah i wouldnt go through mexico, all is cool until you get to guatemala, guate is as dangerous if not more. ive driven from panama to el salvador. Let me tell you, God protected us! anyways, thanks nonetheless!

 

[Shahram]

Driving is great until they car jack you in mexico, take everything you own and decide if they are going to kill you, hold you hostage, or just let you go. In my case they took the truck all my id's cash, tools, shoes and left me for dead in the middle of the desert. Pay to have it shipped, mexico is NOT safe anymore.

Hold on....we're gonna need to hear the details on this. Story?

hi officer! yep, im from panama i know whats up, i wasnt going to reply to his email, but yeah i wouldnt go through mexico, all is cool until you get to guatemala, guate is as dangerous if not more. ive driven from panama to el salvador. Let me tell you, God protected us! anyways, thanks nonetheless!

Someone needs to tell the thousands of tourists every year about this imminent, certain and unavoidable danger. Seems like every time I'm in Mexico, I see leagues of Germans and other Europeans driving their Cruisers and Unimogs up and down Central America, not to mention the ******* Canadians who seem to galavant around like they own the place. I recently met a Canadian couple in their mid-60's who were driving back to Canada from a road trip to Panama in their new-ish Mercedes E-class. They had the time of their lives. The rumors of crime against tourists has been greatly exaggerated. I'd venture you're less safe in Miami-Dade County than in all of Guatemala, and yet people still go to Florida.

I'll make anyone a deal....you give me $2,000 cash + expenses, I'll fxxxing fly down to Panama and drive your s*** back within two weeks. Unharmed. Except for a little layer of surf wax on bits of it.

 

[tag3]

Shotgun!!!

 

[EdisonE85]

Hold on....we're gonna need to hear the details on this. Story?



Someone needs to tell the thousands of tourists every year about this imminent, certain and unavoidable danger. Seems like every time I'm in Mexico, I see leagues of Germans and other Europeans driving their Cruisers and Unimogs up and down Central America, not to mention the ******* Canadians who seem to galavant around like they own the place. I recently met a Canadian couple in their mid-60's who were driving back to Canada from a road trip to Panama in their new-ish Mercedes E-class. They had the time of their lives. The rumors of crime against tourists has been greatly exaggerated. I'd venture you're less safe in Miami-Dade County than in all of Guatemala, and yet people still go to Florida.

I'll make anyone a deal....you give me $2,000 cash + expenses, I'll ****ing fly down to Panama and drive your **** back within two weeks. Unharmed. Except for a little layer of surf wax on bits of it.

omgosh, i rather pay u a ticket to hawaii, and make u drop pipe when its breaking 2nd reef... my point is not everyone wants to risk driving a restored bj40 through latinamerica. I dont feel super uncomfortable driving through mexico, im sure ill stick out less than a white person, plus i speak the language, etc.... i have a question, why the attitude and the cursing? does it make u feel more like a man?

 

[Shahram]

omgosh, i rather pay u a ticket to hawaii, and make u drop pipe when its breaking 2nd reef...

That I would definitely do. I might die, but....oh the story.

my point is not everyone wants to risk driving a restored bj40 through latinamerica. I dont feel super uncomfortable driving through mexico, im sure ill stick out less than a white person, plus i speak the language, etc....

I've driven all over Mexico. I've done it in my own vehicles and I've done it in others' vehicles. I've never felt at risk of violence any more than at home. Accidents? Fxxx yeah. I've seen gnarly accidents. Hell, I've seen two fatality accidents happen right in front of me in Mexico. I've almost been in some hellacious accidents. I've even had the proverbial black cow on a dark road at night thing happen to me. And the truck drivers? Forget about it. But never violence. Not any more than in Canoga Park, anyway. I don't know if that says more about me, Mexico, or Canoga Park, but whatever.

i have a question, why the attitude and the cursing? does it make u feel more like a man?

It's kinda my thing. It doesn't make me feel more like a man, though. You know what does make me feel more like a man? Pashmina.

 

[Officer Friendly]

I went to Mexico city for work I drove there in a 2012 F-350 Lariat, I made it to the city in like 20hours or so coming from San Antonio TX. I was there on business for a week, mind you I speak pretty good Spanish. On my Trip back I was headed toward Monterrey it was like 8:30pm when got a flat tire. So I changed it and went on my way when I stopped for diesel that when I get jumped at gun point after I filled up my truck full of fuel. They put a gun to my head made me drive to some dirt road and did there thing took my s*** and left me 5 miles from the highway in the middle of the night.
I have go to Mexico city and never had a problem never seen anything other then the Fed checkpoint and the afore mentioned cow in the highway. I guess I was in the right place and the right time. Will go back more then likely will it be in an older vehicle that not desirable. For all I know it was because I had Tx plates, no clue but I'll say that when someone is talking to his buddy about what to do with your body 15' away from you it makes you think about how safe is this place.
I was a cop on the border on TX for many years and last time I went back to EL paso I herd a lot of automatic gun fire and saw a woman pushed off a bridge with a noose around her neck in mexico from Hudspath County Jail. So I'm glad you think that mexico is such a safe place and that you can just gallivant about while your there, to that I say HAVE FUN

 

[Shahram]

I was a cop on the border on TX for many years and last time I went back to EL paso I herd a lot of automatic gun fire and saw a woman pushed off a bridge with a noose around her neck in mexico from Hudspath County Jail. So I'm glad you think that mexico is such a safe place and that you can just gallivant about while your there, to that I say HAVE FUN

Not all of Mexico is like Juarez was four years ago.

 

[Officer Friendly]

Just the zeta controlled area IE north Mexico

 

[Devils Paw 80]

.. but yeah i wouldnt go through mexico, all is cool until you get to guatemala, guate is as dangerous if not more...!

That's what a friend of mine has said, and he's a Guatemalan citizen. He's sick of the hassles and will not drive back and forth anymore.

 

[SNLC]

Driving is great until they car jack you in mexico, take everything you own and decide if they are going to kill you, hold you hostage, or just let you go. In my case they took the truck all my id's cash, tools, shoes and left me for dead in the middle of the desert. Pay to have it shipped, mexico is NOT safe anymore.

Well that sucks man, if it really happened to you sorry to hear that.

I drove a 2004 Taco I had $45k into across Mexico 4x. By myself. Spent a month camping alone out of it in Baja and about a month driving/camping my way down the Mex200. Zero issues other than some cops robbing me. I was new at it all so played the part of the sucker a few times until I wised up. When I want to knock down Mexico, I drive the Gulf Coast. I can drive across the entire country in 1.5-2 days. It is a hell of a push driving to do that but can be easily done.

I think I spent about 80 days in Mexico in my Taco. Probably about 60 days of that camping. Zero issues. Only had one or two sketchy encounters and the sketchyness could have easily just been my perception on it all.

I would have zero issues jumping in my Cruiser tomorrow and driving across Mexico. But hey I have done it a few times and know the routes, without using GPS.

Cheers

 

[SNLC]

I went to Mexico city for work I drove there in a 2012 F-350 Lariat, I made it to the city in like 20hours or so coming from San Antonio TX. I was there on business for a week, mind you I speak pretty good Spanish. On my Trip back I was headed toward Monterrey it was like 8:30pm when got a flat tire. So I changed it and went on my way when I stopped for diesel that when I get jumped at gun point after I filled up my truck full of fuel. They put a gun to my head made me drive to some dirt road and did there thing took my **** and left me 5 miles from the highway in the middle of the night.

Bummer. But Monterry is known to be a bad spot right now. IMHO, being a responsible traveler and traveling safely involves knowing where you are going, what the hot spots are for potential problems and avoiding those areas.

Having said that, I usually do about 100mph for the first 200 miles or so around the borders. Never been pulled over doing it as it is fairly deserted close to the borders, outside border towns. Once you get 200-500 miles from the border, things mellow out a lot.

I did see once on the Gulf Coast 3-4 shot up and burned up and flipped over new SUV's in and on the side of the road. Looked to be about a 24hr old incident. I barely slowed down!

Oh and by the way, I have driven all the way to Panama City and back twice. Spent time living out of my truck in all of Central America. Even got rear ended by a hot chica in San Salvador, El Salvador. Sat around one night drinking beers with MS13 gangsters, didn't realize they were gangsters until later. I absolutely love Guatemala & El Salvador, the people are extremely nice in those countries.

Zero issues.

Cheers

 

[3jvj]

Hold on....we're gonna need to hear the details on this. Story?



Someone needs to tell the thousands of tourists every year about this imminent, certain and unavoidable danger. Seems like every time I'm in Mexico, I see leagues of Germans and other Europeans driving their Cruisers and Unimogs up and down Central America, not to mention the ******* Canadians who seem to galavant around like they own the place. I recently met a Canadian couple in their mid-60's who were driving back to Canada from a road trip to Panama in their new-ish Mercedes E-class. They had the time of their lives. The rumors of crime against tourists has been greatly exaggerated. I'd venture you're less safe in Miami-Dade County than in all of Guatemala, and yet people still go to Florida.

I'll make anyone a deal....you give me $2,000 cash + expenses, I'll ****ing fly down to Panama and drive your **** back within two weeks. Unharmed. Except for a little layer of surf wax on bits of it.

Shotgun

I'll need cash up front, cuz sha will get profiled at the gate; I'll need the money to bail him out.