- Year
- 1999
- Vehicle Model
- 70 Series
- Mileage
- 12345
Looking to buy a 1999-2001 HZJ78 LHD with a/c.
Wanted Looking to buy a 1999-2000 HZJ78 LHD with a/c. (1 Viewer)
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- Thread starter
- #2
I've got a 2004 HZJ78 that i would trade as well (does nothing for someone in the states)
- Thread starter
- #3
Guess my unicorn is not out there 
ATL Cruiser
GOLD Star
Are you in Costa Rica or the states. In the states, that vehicle will not be legal until just now, 2024. I doubt many have been imported.
- Thread starter
- #5
I'm in Costa Rica but from the States and want to build a rig to go back and forth as well as anywhere else in the world. I screwed up with 2004, I knew i couldn't permanently import but thought since I live in Costa Rica now I could drive it temporarily in the States like a tourist. Not the case. So now I am scouring the globe for the right one lol. Has to be LHD to drive it in Costa Rica or I would have already flown to Australia and snagged one. I'll just be patient until i find one.
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2004
- Threads
- 186
- Messages
- 11,061
- Location
- Boise - Idaho
- Website
- www.snlandcruisers.com
Buy a new one in CR.
You absolutely can drive it back and forth from CR to the USA.
Cheers
You absolutely can drive it back and forth from CR to the USA.
Cheers
- Thread starter
- #7
Are you sure? i would LOVE if I am wrong, I was told by EPA in the states (as well as Google for what that's worth) that if it did not meet the 25-year exemption ( well EPA is 21 years and safety standards is 25 years) that it can only enter as a repair exemption if granted and can not be driven what so ever. So shipped to port then flatbed to shop to have work done, then flatbed back to port and out of the country. I did clarify that I only wanted to temporarily drive it in the country to see family and NOT import it. They said if i was a foreigner (non-US passport holder) then i could get a 1-year temporary import no matter what the car was. They said it didn't matter that i live in Costa Rica (which i can obviously prove)
If anyone has contradicting information or a work around you would be my HERO!!!
- Thread starter
- #8
But then i read stuff like this that i can temporarily drive in the States with a non-conforming car as a US citizen living abroad. So I don't know what to think. I just don't want to have issues crossing the border or driving in the states for that matter. So i don't know why the EPA official i spoke to said that even though i live in Costa Rica as a US passport holder i could NOT drive a non-conforming car in the States regardless that it was temporary.
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- Sep 9, 2004
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- 11,061
- Location
- Boise - Idaho
- Website
- www.snlandcruisers.com
Yet, millions of illegals.
I personally wouldn’t worry about it in the slightest. Have you crossed the southern US border?
There was another guy from CR on the forum who brought his new(ish) Troopy up here to build it out. I have seen Mexican plated Hilux all the way up here in Idaho.
Cheers
I personally wouldn’t worry about it in the slightest. Have you crossed the southern US border?
There was another guy from CR on the forum who brought his new(ish) Troopy up here to build it out. I have seen Mexican plated Hilux all the way up here in Idaho.
Cheers
- Thread starter
- #10
Crossed the southern border a lot just always in a US car. the EPA guy has me worried. He said it's different for me because I am a US citizen, he literally told me i have fewer rights (in terms of this conversation) than a non-US citizen.. Go figure. Guess I could always just drive across any of the numerous non-guarded openings along the Mexico/US border.
- Thread starter
- #11
Well i finally talked to the right people at CBP. @SNLC they said EPA had their head up there *%$ with the info they told me that i couldn't bring it in temporarily. Thank you for saying I can which pressed me to look further into it. I appreciate it!! No need to find the unicorn I was looking for, my 2004 HZJ78 will work. Now time to start emptying my wallet lol.
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2004
- Threads
- 186
- Messages
- 11,061
- Location
- Boise - Idaho
- Website
- www.snlandcruisers.com
Ya, it’s not a big deal. You will never be asked anything crossing our southern border about the Cruiser.
Just put insurance on it when it’s in the USA and carry your CR documents.
Cheers
You have to be non-resident from another country with a different passport to be able to drive your car into the states..
As long as you are a Costa Rican national, you can legally drive your car here in the states for a year.
If you are a US citizen only then you have no right to bring in an international car into the states and drive it with different plates..
- Thread starter
- #14
Are you sure? Asking because I am getting so many conflicting answers. Would hate to get turned around at the border.
I have to admit that every time I crossed the border from Mexico into USA , the customs officers never asked for my car registration. They only ask for passports. The US customs dont care about car documents all that much for them to ask for it.. Most of the time they pass you through but you never know if an a****** customs person will start asking wrong questions..
Only EPA and Dot care for s*** like this.. US customs agent only cares for your entry visa and passport..
For example @SNLC mentioned that there is many Hiluxs here in the states, Its true, but most folks who are driving them are duels Mexican/American nationals or they could be just Mexicans.. They drive for one year and they must exit the border and try to come back in again for another year..
There is a chance that you might cross the border with no issues. The system just sucks man.. If the US resident who lives abroad can bring their cars over for one year then maybe you can try it and enter the country.. I am sure you will have all your documentation from Costa Rica proving that you live there and that you are going back to Costa Rica.
Keep us updated with your trip..
Best of luck..
- Thread starter
- #16
In terms of you crossing the border and not being asked are you in a foreign plated car with a US passport?
Many times with American plates and once with Mexican plates because we used a driver from the south to take us out of Mexico.
gilmorneau
SILVER Star
This is true.
You have to be a non-resident of the USA, but NHTSA form HS-7 doesn't specify that you need to have a foreign passport. The screenshot above is from the NHTSA's own website and specifically says that US citizens living abroad are allowed to bring in non-conforming cars for up to a year just like foreign citizens can.
The requirements are:
A. Be a nonresident of the United States and the vehicle is registered in a country other than the
United States
b. Be temporarily importing the vehicle for personal use for a period not to exceed 1 year, and you will
not sell it during that time
c. You will export it not later than the end of 1 year after entry, and you'll provide your passport
number and country of issue
The tricky bit might be residency in another country. Every country has procedures for establishing residency, including Costa Rica. "Residency" doesn't just mean you hang out there a lot, or that you know a guy there who lets you use his address. It means you've gone through the process of obtaining residency from the host government. In the case of Costa Rica, a US citizen with CR residency will have a Residency Permit issued by the government of CR.
It seems to me that the OP meets all the requirements for the temporary import of a car into the US. @Crtroopy would be wise to have a copy of his CR residency permit with him at the border, along with vehicle registration in his name. Wouldn't hurt to have access to the NHTSA website captured above, too. Seems like a slam dunk to me. There's a decent chance that no one will ask about the car anyway, but better to have the documentation and not need it than to not have it and need it.
Yeah, kinda.
Edit: I surmised that @SNLC had contributed to this thread, but had to sign out to see what he said 'cause he's blocked me
He's a little short on specifics, but has arrived at the right conclusion.
Last edited:
I agree, There's a decent chance that no one will ask about the car anyway, but better to have the documentation and not need it than to not have it and need it.
Have you made the trip yet? Following cause I have a similar idea for sourcing a LHD HZJ78 or 76 for the PanAm.
