Next year the R32 GTR is 25 years old

"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon) 10/01/2013 at 18:02 • Filed to: None

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The 1989 Skyline GTR will be legal to import to the United States next year.

So. How would one go about accomplishing this? Just to satisfy my own trivial curiosity.

http://www.goo-net-exchange.com/php/search/sum…

xxstich666xx > Chairman Kaga 10/01/2013 at 18:06

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contact these guys.

https://www.facebook.com/NostalgiaImpor…

Squid > Chairman Kaga 10/01/2013 at 18:11

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I'm willing to bet that the R32's will appreciate in value once they are able to be imported. I'll hold out for the R34 in hopes that one survives unmolested with relatively low milage. . . That's a pipe dream that won't happen though.

Ferrero1911 > Squid 10/01/2013 at 18:20

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Not a pipe dream at all. There are still plenty of nice clean R32 GTR's that pop up for sale in Japan at the dealers and the auctions. I'm sure some R34's will survive too.

I'm curious as to what will happen to the value of R32's. They're relatively cheap in Japan now, but expensive here in the US due to the rarity, and/or possible black market status of the car if it wasn't brought in legally.

I can see them going up in Japan, but I see them falling a lot here.

Another great option is an R34 GT-T. RB25DET, but still a very powerful beast. Cheaper than a GTR and easier to find a well cared for model too. I can imagine that will hold true in 15 years as well.

daender > Squid 10/01/2013 at 18:24

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One of my SCCA friends is Canadian by birth, he says R32 prices have quadrupled in the past few years because of next year. Although R33 and R34 prices have stayed high since day one.

Squid > Ferrero1911 10/01/2013 at 18:26

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Yeah, I know there will be well cared for ones out there as they are a huge cult status car. There are those who worship the GTR and it is safe to say car culture in Japan is much different in ways us in the states won't understand.

I guess I can count myself lucky as when I lived in SoCal I got to see a few R32's and R33's and two R34's out on the roads. I was more giddy than a school girl high on caffeine and ecstasy when I smelt that glorious odor of unburnt hydrocarbons emitting from the tailpipe of the R34 cruising down the 5 south. It was really hard to contain my excitement. . .

rabbitman > Chairman Kaga 10/01/2013 at 18:28

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why get that when these are all ready exempted. I really need to do a write up on this.

Nissan GTS & GTR (RHD) a.k.a. "Skyline" manufactured 1/96-6/98 R33

but that is sexy bitch and wouldn't take any conversion

Squid > daender 10/01/2013 at 18:35

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If I had the means to get an R32 I would purchase it now in another country and put it in storage in preparation for next year, the prices can only go up and according to this site there were only 5,026 R32's produced in '89, and another site claims 43,934 total R32's produced with only about 16,422 R33's and 11,310 R34's. So I guess it is find your R34 now and mothball it before there are only <5,000 left on the road. Who knows how many have survived still.

GhostZ > Chairman Kaga 10/01/2013 at 18:56

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I still bet that the police will crack down on them. It never really was an issue of it being younger than 25 years, but that the police forces / customs would specifically target that car and its grey-market importers. It wouldn't surprise me if they all suddenly jumped in price... and then crashed right afterward.

djmanila > Chairman Kaga 10/01/2013 at 18:57

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I have thought about this before. Here in Maryland a car needs to be 20 yrs old+ to get historic or hot rod plates. With these plates there is no inspection required.

What factors could prevent me from importing a GTR 20 yrs or older?

Bird > GhostZ 10/01/2013 at 20:11

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I don't think there will be any crackdown. There was only one grey market importer that has brought them in, Motorex. They were shut down due to illegal practices. If someone else wanted to bring them in as anything but Show or Display, they would need to independently develop the modifications needed to make it pass FMVSS, and then crash test cars to prove it. No one has tried since Motorex.

The NHTSA just recently released updated Approved/Disapproved lists for Show or Display, and while lots of Skylines made the disapproved list, they added the Nismo R32 and R34 V-Spec to the approved list.

I doubt they would have added them to the list if they had any intention of cracking down on them just because they're Skylines.

Bird > djmanila 10/01/2013 at 20:12

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The federal government. They can seize your car at the border if they catch it, or just show up at your door. However, anything 25 or more is legal. So congrats, you can register anything that's legal to bring in the country!

Bird > rabbitman 10/01/2013 at 20:15

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That's true and not true. Those are on a list that the government says can be modified to be legal. Problem is the one company that has the proprietary information on the required modifications was shut down due to illegal activity. If you want to bring them in you'll need to get a Registered Importer to do it, to prove to the government their mods make the car pass FMVSS, they'll need a couple extra to crash test. Besides that, most RI's wouldn't do it no matter how much you offered them due to the previous issues.

rabbitman > Bird 10/01/2013 at 20:35

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I knew that some one could explain this better, but yea this car is one that needs a lot of those modifications some on the list don't need as much. I think that's on purpose. I didn't know about that company going down. There goes that Idea, but if these have already been crashed shouldn't they be on record and just need the conversion's done?
Would think if you wanted to to do it right you would make this a complete business and do it right. Then make a killing on doing things right to get anyone just about anything but we can all dream that some one will take their automotive business, become a RI, and have the money for the 150% bond :)

Chairman Kaga > Bird 10/01/2013 at 23:59

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So it would take an intrepid businessperson with enough capital to import the required number of cars needed for crash testing, plus the funds to develop, manufacture and install the hardware and software that would bring the cars in-line with federal requirements, including all of the testing the government would require to approve the modifications.

I mean, it sounds like a business IF you followed the rules. See Motorex for an example of how that's not accomplished.

Bottom line, even with the 25 year exemption, you're still better off flying the stars and stripes and getting a C5 Z06.

Bird > Chairman Kaga 10/02/2013 at 00:30

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I'm not saying that's a good idea to do...I took GhostZ's comment to mean they would 'crack down' on 25 year exempt cars. I disagree with that. First they'd have to change the law, then any cars already here under the exemption wouldn't suddenly be illegal and have to be deported. All the grey-market cars that came in under less restriction in the 80's didn't get deported.

I was using the Motorex part as an example. It's not the car that they have a problem with. It's the illegal practices of the importers. There was also a company called Kaizo that brought in Skylines and S15 Silvias. This is were part of the Skylines are hated by the government myth might come from. In the Kaizo case, from what I can find, the government only seized the Skylines. If that really is the case, I'm guessing that was more of targeted enforcement. Using your resources to get the higher profile cars. There's a lot less information on what went down with Kaizo than there is with Motorex.

GhostZ > Chairman Kaga 10/02/2013 at 01:40

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But a C5 Z06 had less power, more weight, no 4WD, no 4-wheel steering, no rear seats, and no truly independent rear suspension. There was no in-car multimedia device, or the built-in telemetry software that the GT-R had.

Granted, I'd still take a C5 Z06 because of how cheap they are, but I'm not seeing it as a real alternative to someone considering a GT-R, unless you know something I don't.

Chairman Kaga > GhostZ 10/02/2013 at 10:40

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Again, from my understanding, even when the '89 car becomes legal to import, it still has to undergo rigorous testing, including crash testing, and the development and installation of parts and software to bring it in line with government regulations. Only once that process is completed can you legally register the car and drive it. So unless someone else is brave enough to go through that process, and considering the Motorex debacle it might be unlikely, and then share the results with other interested parties, you can figure $20,000 to buy and import each '89 GTR for crash testing, plus development costs for parts and software to bring it in compliance with federal regulations, plus the administrative and testing costs, plus the cost of filing as a registered importer, plus the car you'll eventually own and drive, plus the work to refit it to bring it into compliance, you're looking at about a quarter million. You could have the world's most badass Z06 for that kind of money.

Chairman Kaga > GhostZ 10/02/2013 at 10:52

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Actually, I might be wrong. It's hard to understand what the actual facts are...

I can't be sure, but it seems as though ANY car older than 25 years of age can be imported and registered without conforming to FMVSS.

More research will be required.

djmanila > Bird 10/02/2013 at 12:55

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so even if I could register it in my state it would still deem illegal?

Bird > djmanila 10/02/2013 at 13:10

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Yes