UPDATED: How To Import An Old Car Yourself

"RPM esq." (rpm3)
02/28/2020 at 13:22 • Filed to: good ideas, import

This post has been updated to reflect additional information required to register and title the car in the U.S. ...see “UPDATE” section below.

I !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , under the so-called 25-year rule, a Japanese-market 1993 Mercedes-Benz 300TE. The car was in Canada, having been previously imported under Canada’s analogous 15-year rule. I handled the importation myself, doing all the paperwork and driving it, rather than shipping it, across the border. The purpose of this post is to tell you how to do the same, and to encourage you to do so, because I want to live in a world with as many interesting cars on the road as possible. Below, I address each step of legally importing and registering a car under the 25-year rule, especially from Canada (or Mexico/Central America, presumably), where you can drive it across the border yourself.

What is the 25-year rule?

The “25-year rule” for import purposes is really a combination of two regulations, or exceptions to regulations, one concerning EPA’s emissions requirements and one concerning NHTSA’s safety requirements. Vehicles on American roads must be certified to meet certain emissions standards. Although many states impose additional requirements (such as by adopting California’s standards), for importation purposes we’re just concerned with the overarching federal requirements. But EPA standards don’t apply to vehicles 21 years old or older at the time of importation. Meanwhile, NHTSA has 14 different categories under which a vehicle can be eligible for importation. The key is the one that says vehicles manufactured more than 25 years ago need not meet federal safety requirements. Thus, any vehicle 25 years old or older can be imported easily under these two exceptions.

What paperwork do you need for CBP?

I found the car I eventually bought on auction site Bring A Trailer. I actually wasn’t the winning bidder, but the “winner”—a loser, in my book—backed out, and BaT put me—the second-highest bidder—in touch with the seller and we worked out a deal. I flew to Canada to pick up the car with the purchase price in cash in my pocket. One note if you do this: remember that you have to cross two borders on the trip, and deal with two border agencies and two sets of rules. One of those rules says that you have to declare any amount of cash over $10,000 Canadian when you enter Canada.

I arrived at the U.S. border with no license plates on the car, but a trip permit (a temporary 3-day registration issued by my state, Washington, to transport an otherwise unregistered vehicle) taped to the rear window. The border agent asked me to provide my registration, so I told him about the trip permit and announced that I was importing the car for personal use. He slapped an orange tag on my windshield and directed me to the secondary screening area. Once there, I was directed inside to do the paperwork with a CBP agent. Here are the documents I needed to import the car:

1. my passport (duh) and driver’s license (for my address),

2. bill of sale,

3. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , with Code E marked (vehicle over 21 years old), and

4. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , with box 1 checked and date of manufacture filled out (vehicle over 25 years old).

One note on the HS-7: not all of the world uses VIN plates with the date of manufacture on them, so decode your VIN or contact the manufacturer to get that date before you show up at the border. Model year alone isn’t sufficient. A note on the 3520-1: the engine must be original to the car. I called ahead to verify that this was the correct paperwork to bring, and the (friendly, helpful) agent I spoke to referred to these forms as “those EPA and NHTSA forms nobody cares about but you have to have.” When I told the (pleasant, efficient) agent handling my paperwork the model year of the car, he was relieved and joked “yeah, there’s basically no standards for an old P.O.S. like that.”

The CBP agent works through this paperwork, calculates the import duty owed, and fills out a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which is the official report of entry/importation. You pay the duty and get the 7501 stamped, the agent signs off on the orange tag, and you’re legal. You hop back in the car, hand over your orange tag to the agent at the gate, and you’re on your way. A note on import duty: they look up the KBB value of the car, rather than using the purchase price. This calculation is likely to favor an enthusiast importing an interesting old car, because a particularly clean or modified example is likely to be worth more than whatever KBB thinks a normal one is worth.

What paperwork do you need to register the car?

This is going to vary from state to state. In some states, you may have to pass an emissions test or safety inspection, but I doubt this will be a significant impediment in most cases because 25-year-old cars are often either exempted from these standards or subject to very lax ones. California might be an exception to this. At any rate, I live in Washington, and here’s what I needed:

1. my driver’s license,

2. bill of sale,

3. stamped Customs form 7501, and

4. prior registration/title.

5. also: signed/notarized release of interest.

The Department of Licensing agent looked at the prior British Columbia registration I provided and made a copy , but I don’t think he actually needed it because the bill of sale had all the information he needed ( update: see below ) . I would get a copy just in case, though . Also, until the end of this year, certain counties in Washington require emissions testing, including the one I live in. However, vehicles over 25 years are not required to pass an emissions test.

Unfortunately, Washington charges sales/use tax on the purchase price, not the KBB value of the car, so I had to pay that. On the other hand, the registration fee was based on some opaque value calculation other than the sales tax, and wasn’t so bad. And now I have license plates and can drive my imported car legally wherever I want in the U.S. and Canada.

One further note: I got insurance through Hagerty, which was much more reasonable for an older car that won’t get a ton of miles than adding it to my normal insurance.

Update: more paperwork!

It turns out that the paperwork above was sufficient to get me license plates, but was insufficient to get me a title. See where it says the DoL agent didn’t think he needed the prior registration and made a copy just in case? Wrong answer, buddy. I got a letter from the state a month later saying that they couldn’t issue a title until I provided the original of the prior BC registration and the Washington “release of ownership” form (because BC doesn’t offer a title you can sign over, I’m guessing ) signed and notarized by the seller. The bill of sale or a similar Canadian form were not sufficient. The prior registration was easy since I tried to give it to them in the first place and still had it, but I had to call the seller and ask him to fill out the release of interest form, find a notary, and mail it to me. Thankfully, he was great about this. When I took those papers back in to the DoL , the agent was able to clear whatever roadblock the system threw up and told me I’d get a title in a few weeks. Of course, they said the same thing the first time, too, but this time I think it will actually work. Anyway, what I learned is that the prior registration is definitely required, and if you’re importing a car from a jurisdiction that doesn’t use the same type of proof of ownership as the one you’re importing it to— i.e. , a paper title—you’re going to need the seller to sign your state’s release of interest or transfer paperwork, even if in theory a bill of sale should be sufficient.

DISCUSSION (37)

M.T. Blake > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 18:29

I really want to do this, but I’m in CA and that opens up a whole other can of worms.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 18:32

How to import an old car: pay RPM to do it, then buy it from him.

RPM esq. > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
12/13/2019 at 18:46

If the car is cool enough, my billable rates for this service will be very low.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 18:47

[strokes beard strokingly]

You may regret the offer...

SiennaMan > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 18:48

I'll have to remember that Hagerty part since I would like to bring one (or more) JDM vehicles to Ohio..

ranwhenparked > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 18:51

Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Sovande > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 19:11

I’ d have a hard time not putting a lot of miles on that car.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 19:13

Thanks for writing this up, BTW! It’s a wealth of helpful information.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 19:14

Careful what doors you leave open a crack... you might find a bunch of guys bursting through it!

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > M.T. Blake
12/13/2019 at 19:14

With “MT” in your username, I think you know the answer...

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 19:16

Anyone who needed a local rep, I could assist no problem!

RPM esq. > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
12/13/2019 at 19:21

To clarify, I mean low relative to my billable rates at my day job, which are not low.

RPM esq. > Sovande
12/13/2019 at 19:25

I’ve got other cars that need driving too!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
12/13/2019 at 19:27

Put that on a coffee mug

M.T. Blake > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
12/13/2019 at 19:32

Circumvent the law by registering it under a LLC in Montana!!! Genus! I wonder if anyone has ever thought of it before? :D

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 19:50

Two Words:

Pro Bono

RPM esq. > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
12/13/2019 at 19:54

Sliding scale depending on how cool the car is.

SmugAardvark > M.T. Blake
12/13/2019 at 19:58

My (somewhat vague) understanding of it is that, yes, the rules are a little different in California. To register it in-state, you can’t just take it to any smog check station. You need a state Air Resource Board referee to validate it before it can be legally driven.

While the process isn’t incredibly difficult, it can be costly. Depending on the year/make/model, it can cost upwards of $5,000-$10,000 from what I have heard.

As a side note, I have also heard that there can be an exemption made for someone who legally resides in another state with that vehicle legally registered there for a time of more than one year.

I think we used to have someone here on Oppo that worked for CARB as either a direct employee or a contractor. Hopefully he sees it and can chime in.

M.T. Blake > SmugAardvark
12/13/2019 at 20:36

You’re not wrong. That’s what I’ve read too. As much as I want one, I’d end up buying an already legal one instead of self navigating. Sounds like a lot of money held up on the hopes of getting it right. Knowing my luck I’d get the one car that couldn’t be registered.

SmugAardvark > M.T. Blake
12/13/2019 at 20:42

I’ve also heard (but never verified) that you can bypass that huge cost if another car of the same make, model, year, and trim level has been previously imported and registered.

AestheticsInMotion > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 20:46

Wagon porn. So when are you showing that beauty off?

fintail > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 21:05

Hagerty is definitely the way forward for a non-DD older car. I think the fintail costs me about $10/month.

I’m glad I don’t have extra garage space, or I’d be going after something like this, and I really don’t need it.

DipodomysDeserti > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 21:29

BaT is such a fucking joke. Inflated prices and scammers winning bids. It’s set up for people with cash who can’t negotiate (aka losers).

What’s your Hagerty insurance pricing? I pay around $30 per month for full coverage on my old bikes and trucks. Hagerty was pretty pricey when I priced them out.

RPM esq. > DipodomysDeserti
12/13/2019 at 21:45

In this case I can’t complain too much because that’s where the car was listed, and the price didn’t end up too high, but the seller definitely experienced some angst over the winner backing out. Hopefully he (that bidder) gets banned.

Hagerty worked out to just under $30/month . My usual insurance (where I have my other cars and home ) wanted roughly double that just to add this car . Madness.

RPM esq. > fintail
12/13/2019 at 21:46

I really didn’t need it either. But I like it.

RPM esq. > AestheticsInMotion
12/13/2019 at 21:48

Sunday at the Lake Washington C&C, probably.... or whenever the next PNW oppo meet is, unless it calls for something fast or off-road capable.

fintail > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 23:38

You chose wisely.

Jim Spanfeller > RPM esq.
12/13/2019 at 23:38

Ah, Hagerty! T hey seem like a pretty good company. I get insurance for my Thunderbird from them. I especially like that they send you magazines every now and then.

Tripper > RPM esq.
02/28/2020 at 13:30

Hey what up very similar story to mine. I was also the high bidder on my 75 BMW 1502 on BaT. It was in the Netherlands so I shipped it, obviously. I used a broker and shipper once it reached the US which I would not do again.

nerd_racing > RPM esq.
02/28/2020 at 13:34

Oh really? can you shoot me some contact info to neymanaj@yahoo.com. I may need some assistance on “cool” vehicles from Japan.

nerd_racing > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
02/28/2020 at 13:35

I did the same thing +1 mustache edge twist.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > RPM esq.
02/28/2020 at 13:36

Wow, very cool. Had no idea you were doing this - congrats, such a beauty!

Looks so fresh too, makes sense given that it spent most of its life in Japan. More pictures, please!

Also what made you want this car specifically?

nerd_racing > Jim Spanfeller
02/28/2020 at 13:36

I use them to insure my AZ-1 as well.

RPM esq. > nerd_racing
02/28/2020 at 13:46

Emailed. Don’t you already have an Autozam, the absolute prototypical cool car from Japan?

nerd_racing > RPM esq.
02/28/2020 at 13:48

I do! I actually drove it across country after my buddy in Oregon helped me import it. I have some odder, but still cool ideas.

RPM esq. > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
02/28/2020 at 13:53

I really like ‘80s and ‘90s German cars. I’ve been curious about the 25-year rule process and wanted to try it out myself. Canada’s 15-year rule makes it a potentially fertile source of interesting JDM vehicles without having to deal with shipping. The condition and price of this example made it both desirable and attainable, and not a terribly risky investment as it may well be worth more now that it’s legally imported and titled in the U.S. It’s not exactly my dream car, but t he particularly Japanese combination of modifications match my particular taste. I believe it was rather less fresh when it got off the boat a couple years ago —particularly the interior—but the previous Canadian owner did some very nice restoration work to make it shine.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > RPM esq.
02/28/2020 at 15:31

Sounds like a pretty great experience overall and a super cool car. Glad to have your experience documented, being down in Portland not too much farther from the border to maybe consider it someday on my end too.