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Hey guys,
So real talk here, I am thinking about importing a 2000 Skyline R34 into Canada and I need some advice from anyone who has ever imported a car from Japan (be it into Canada or the United States).

I have already spoken to a clearance agency and they can clear customs for about $600. I was wondering if there were any other exceptional fees you need to pay once the car docks? And by that I mean hidden fees that the government will impose on such a car that can only be found in fine print.

What I'm really afraid of is if in the end it will cost some obscene amount of money that I didn't know about and risk of the car being seized, etc.
Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated!

Are you looking to make it a street car or a race car?

I don't know how Canada handles grey imports, but what scared me away in the US is that even when you can get it past customs, you might have trouble getting it both federally approved and state registered. After all that, because of how iconic the GTR is, you will undoubtedly attract unwanted attention. There's also the debate about RHD in LHD countries, but that's a separate discussion.

All that said, you might want to talk to JKaiba. Not sure if he imported his own, but he is an owner.

This post has been edited by Kiroshino on Mar 24 2015, 08:44 AM

Paging JKaiba, I repeat, paging JKaiba to the import questions thread.

u should ask on gtr forums or genki forums, as they have lots more ppl with experience (evo forums might work too)

dont for get to check those import dealers out, some are shady as fuck, while some might mess u up (some dude on my local forum bought a regular s15R, but when they ship him the car it turn out to be a spec R aero lol)

im from vancouver, we have quite a lot of these import dealers around

This post has been edited by N643 on Mar 24 2015, 10:35 AM

I am not a licensed broker for Canada but I do sales for freight forwarding services including brokerage, import and export to the United States and interstate trucking so here's what I know. I know the cars that get to Canada are eligible for an equivalent NHTSA/DOT exemption after 15 years. Here in the US it is 25. Please note I am speaking only from a US import perspective from now on:

To do a customs clear for the vehicle in the US, as long as it fits the 25 year exemption which means the engine is in its unmodified condition, you will then fill out an HS7 and 3520 -1 (if you google HS7 short form and 3520-1 EPA form there will be plenty of pdfs for you to look at) and check the appropriate box and fill the appropriate fields that states this vehicle is DOT and EPA exempt.

The customs officials will run the VIN and if it comes up OK then your car will get a bond release. Note that most customs brokerages will charge between 100-250 bucks for the purchase of a single bond custom's release plus a filing fee and hopefully that will be all. You will pay a maybe 2-3% duty after all is said and done on the commercial value of your vehicle (make sure you discuss declared value and your duty rate with your broker) and hopefully that will be the end of it.

Customs will usually be more wary of single bonds and first time imports. Now comes the fees that you cannot prevent if you are unlucky- Because of the nature of the non domestic cars and the recent string of high profile Land Rover VIN swapping cases and other asshattery, customs may be more likely to do an inspection on your vehicle. If the customs official is unsatisfied with what they saw when they ran your VIN they may request additional documentation to prove the vehicle's age and the veracity of its legal export which is why I recommend that any consignee here make sure they get me a copy of the deregistration papers and export declaration (Japan will not reissue your export dec so you have no idea how important it is to keep a file copy). A car that had no date of manufacture on the dataplate I had someone who had to get a letter from Nissan in English and Japanese, notarized by a translator to get through (less of a problem on newer cars). The inspection can range in severity from being run through an x ray scanner to a complete devanning at a custom's bonded warehouse. THIS IS AT COST TO YOU if you are handling your own shipping. If you paid for a full container it can be thousands of dollars to pay for that inspection, if you are shipping lose freight it is calculated based on the amount of your volumetric useage of the container based on CBM (Cubic Metres). If you paid the premium to RORO (roll on roll of your vehicle) or somehow managed to get enough $$$ to air the car over you will be less likely to be inspected since it's cargo that's out in the open but there's still a chance. Make sure your vehicle being imported is as close to 'stock' as possible. Aero and exhaust is not as important though I'd try not to buy cars with crazy aero and giant titanium exhausts because it makes them want to inspect the engine more. If they pop your hood and the engine's got lots of shiny or a turbo/air filter config that's clearly not OEM, they can make you pay to send the car back. Once the car is cleared through customs. Hold on to your Entry summary and bond release. You will need them to prove now and forevermore that your car is federally approved for your ownership and typically- federally, that's the end of it. The federal government should not seize your car after that.

Thanks for the input!
It would just be a street car or I would call it a project of mine, definitely not for racing and it isn't a GTR (certainly can't afford a GTR and it would be a nightmare to try to import as a first-time)!
I don't think RHD would be an issue as I have seen a few R32s & R33s around my local area with RHD.
Federal approval and state registration was precisely what I was most worried about.

Have your brokerage done a proper quote for you or is that a number that they just spit out? I can look it over and see if there's anything off because saying they'll clear it for $600 doesn't tell me a lot about your terms or what that's paying for.

This post has been edited by JKaiba on Mar 24 2015, 10:55 AM

I'm sorry to change the topic to me, but it's relevant, if I have a RI (Red Top Auto Sales) listed directly on the NHTSA's website in the area, could I leave everything to them?

(I live in the US.)

Hey Kaiba thanks for the input.
I'll be sending you a PM very shortly with the details.
I do greatly appreciate your guidance thus far.

America, land of the free.

It depends. PM me your details and I'll help get you squared.

@Irninjah- no problem. for you and anyone else inquiring, I'm not going to try and sell you any services from my company because I never want this forum to become a tool for me to market. I'm only here now because I was summoned. I would rather refer you out if you aren't someone I can visit in person. I just want to make sure you're all making informed decisions because this process really is purposely confusing. Remember this is all free advice and not legally binding in any way but it does come from someone with some experience in this matter.

@ Kyonpalm- This here's a free country boy... BUT WITH THOUSANDS OF RULES AND REGULATIONS!!! https://youtu.be/eKxLTJvQHag?t=159

This post has been edited by JKaiba on Mar 24 2015, 11:21 AM

I just sent you my details!
I respect this a lot. I expected to find answers on here but never could have imagined this kind of quality and swiftness in replies.
I suppose it is made purposely confusing to dissuade this type of transaction haha. I'm sure local government would rather you purchase vehicles produced within the country, or at least increase the chance of it. The customs agent I spoke to said that importing a car from the US to Canada is actually more difficult than important a car from Japan.

And this is exactly why I summoned JKaiba here. The guy knows his stuff and on top of it all is an absolute top gentleman.

Jkaiba -- do you still kick it with Ganesh?

We are still friends and business acquaintances. Both of us live busy lives but we see each other 2-3 times a year.

The website I was looking at is www.picknbuy24.com and they seem pretty legitimate and somewhat reputable.
Man, I wish I lived in Vancouver because this whole process would probably be a lot easier haha. I have a ton of family who live there, I love the city and it was one of the first places I played IDV3 at CHQ.
I remember back in the day seeing a bunch of Skylines in the city and thinking Wow, I never get to see these in Ottawa!.

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If anyone wants to talk about the conversational detour that has been pruned from this thread to recirc more, please take it to PM or make a new thread. Any further discussion on it will be met with a warn.

This Jalopnik article showed up on Yahoo. In the comments section was a link to a series of articles on how the author imported a GT-R into the US. Figured some might be interested.

http://jalopnik.com/i-imported-a-nissan-sk...iles-1698000720
http://www.dougdemuro.com/automotive-columns/importing/

Go to International Vehicle Importers http://www.importavehicle.com/ for more proper info. Doug's articles have been wrong quite a few times on this matter. Doug says things like it doesn't matter what configuration of engine you want to import if it's 25 years or older- in reality your car is contingent on being in original configuration on import to qualify for the DOT EPA exemption. There are other mistakes but I can't remember off the top what they were.

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R34s are still ridiculously priced.

R34 GTR landed here is still pushing the 50k mark.

Also, www.tradecarview.com

Close friend of mine uses that website to buy his cars.

Sorry I don't remember a time when R32 GT-Rs were ever worth that much here. 40 yes. 100 no.

So tempting, but insurance would want everything I own and will own, at the age I am now.