# Skyline shipping



## SlowMopar (Jun 1, 2004)

My parents live in Japan right now and my mom will find me a Skyline if I want it and help me get it stateside. Does anyone know how I would ship it. I think if I can't ship it in one peice I could ship the motor and body seperately as "parts" but I don't know for sure. I'm positive people in here would know more about it. 
Thanks, Ian


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## Token Moron (Mar 28, 2003)

an average joe like u cannot just import a skyline....the process is long and difficult and must be dealt with by a company such as motorex..sure u can ship the skyline, but it wont leave the dock


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## SlowMopar (Jun 1, 2004)

OK but could I ship it in 2 different crates as parts? The motor/tranny in one crate (that one I know I can do) and the body in another? Just spare parts for all they know.
-Ian


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## Token Moron (Mar 28, 2003)

u will never be able to get it on the streets without the help of motorex


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## SlowMopar (Jun 1, 2004)

They charge out the ying-yang though don't they?
-Ian


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

SlowMopar said:


> They charge out the ying-yang though don't they?
> -Ian


0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 yeah! Figure you can about get a Ferrari f355 for the cost of an R34 V Spec II.


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## Token Moron (Mar 28, 2003)

SlowMopar said:


> They charge out the ying-yang though don't they?
> -Ian



i would assume......having never inquired about a skyline, i cant tell u pricing, there is no way around this procedure, motorex has to do things to the skyline to make it meet US specs for emissions and safety.


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## SlowMopar (Jun 1, 2004)

Holy smokes! $25K just to get the car I already bought converted??? I'd rather just swap the vin plate. I live in MS that has no emissions and jokes for registrations. I could swap the vin with a late model 240 and they would never know.
-Ian


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

have a look at costs. be sure you are sitting down. 

Check the chart, 95 grand for a new Vspc II.


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## Token Moron (Mar 28, 2003)

SlowMopar said:


> I could swap the vin with a late model 240 and they would never know.



yea they would


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## SlowMopar (Jun 1, 2004)

They never look at the cars you are registering in MS. You walk in with a title and tell them you just bought the car and they send you a title in 6-8 weeks. You don't even have to have the car up there.


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## silviaS13honey (Jun 1, 2004)

SlowMopar said:


> They never look at the cars you are registering in MS. You walk in with a title and tell them you just bought the car and they send you a title in 6-8 weeks. You don't even have to have the car up there.


wouldnt that be fraud? ppl like you need to go to jail, because if they find out that skyline is part of a fraud, there's goes the skyline, confiscated, and they may even destroy it. and you should get the needle for it.


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## SlowMopar (Jun 1, 2004)

Sure thing there boss. So it would hurt your feelings to tell you I've already smuggled a super rare euro-spec Suzuki RG-500 Gamma into the states too right? It's been living here happily since 1991. It being a motorcycle it was a bit easier to ship than a car. I took the whole think apart, put it in lots and lots of boxes and then put it back together when I got back.


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## silviaS13honey (Jun 1, 2004)

SlowMopar said:


> Sure thing there boss. So it would hurt your feelings to tell you I've already smuggled a super rare euro-spec Suzuki RG-500 Gamma into the states too right? It's been living here happily since 1991. It being a motorcycle it was a bit easier to ship than a car. I took the whole think apart, put it in lots and lots of boxes and then put it back together when I got back.


hahahahaha do that for the skyline, take it apart and put it in boxes. and put it together like a puzzle.


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## SlowMopar (Jun 1, 2004)

Yeah that could get interesting but I'm a ASE lisenced mechanic and went to school for paint/bodywork soooo....if it really, really came down to it.


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## RB26Maxima (Dec 6, 2003)

brotehr the process wouldnt be worth because your going to stand out like a poor man at a republican convention.....you would eventually get caught since youd be one of the few who actually own a skyline meaning the cops would be more investigative if they so happen to pull you over


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## SkylineR33gts (May 24, 2004)

I didnt read any of the comments, maybe i should, but i am getting a Skyline and I am an "average Joe." I did not go through anyone but myself and the guy selling it. I had to pay $2000 and that covered CUSTOMS cost and the shipping from Japan to Baltimore Harbor, Maryland (that is East Coast). So, that is all i can tell ya....if that doesnt help send email or AIM maybe i can do more for ya! Though, I have yet to receive it (mid-late JUNE it be here)


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## asleepz (Feb 24, 2004)

you can ship it here and have no problems but if the US ever sees that bitch on the streets your screwed. Lookin at jail time more than likely for smuggling, emissions laws and shit, incorrect insurance, no legal licence on it.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

SKD_Tech said:


> you can ship it here and have no problems but if the US ever sees that bitch on the streets your screwed. Lookin at jail time more than likely for smuggling, emissions laws and shit, incorrect insurance, no legal licence on it.


umm. damn. you might as well smuggle in a driver with the skyline. not like you could get in much more trouble.


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## GTES-t (Jan 2, 2004)

SkylineR33gts said:


> I didnt read any of the comments, maybe i should, but i am getting a Skyline and I am an "average Joe." I did not go through anyone but myself and the guy selling it. I had to pay $2000 and that covered CUSTOMS cost and the shipping from Japan to Baltimore Harbor, Maryland (that is East Coast). So, that is all i can tell ya....if that doesnt help send email or AIM maybe i can do more for ya! Though, I have yet to receive it (mid-late JUNE it be here)


I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But I'll warn you now so it's not a surprise later. But your Skyline will not be seeing the streets until it gets picked up by an RI (Registered Importer) and converted to US specs. The Customs costs you have paid are the standard processing fees that are charged. Once they start to process the Skyline, they will know that it's not a US Spec and that it has to be picked up by an RI. So, the car will not be released to anyone but an RI that presents the EPA and DOT Bonds for the conversion.

There have been many other people who found out that anyone can buy a Skyline and ship it to the US just to find out they can't get it until it's legalized, which only Motorex can do so far.

Here's the non-US spec vehicle import guidelines, have a look:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import/graymarket_RI_list01132004.html

Again, I hate to be the bearer of bad news...


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## SkylineR33gts (May 24, 2004)

wait how about the guy that siad he had no problems since his state has no emissions law? WHERE ARE YOU? CUZ YOU CAN HELP ME OUT SINCE MINE HAS NO LAW EITHER


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## GTES-t (Jan 2, 2004)

Well, unfortunately these threads are full of people who think importing a car is just getting it to the US, pick it up, then deal with state requirements to get it on the streets. Getting the car registered with the state is the easy part. However, it doesn't matter what state emission laws are, strict or not, because part of the customs processing is to verify the vehicle meets or has been altered (by an RI) to meet US EPA emission requirements. There are only a few people on these forums who actually know the importation process let alone actually dealt with one. 

In fact, here's a link to a US Customs seized vehicle auction that includes a Skyline (for export only) that is one of many I've seen/heard of someone shipping it in not knowing that it needs to go through an RI or think they could get it through illegally (vin swap/etc), just to get it seized and auctioned off or crushed.

http://www.ustreas.gov/auctions/customs/la.html


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

^with all the research i have done, the only way is to get motorex to legalize your car.. i found skylines for pretty cheap and shipping was only a few thousand dollar, but then u really get hit hard on the legalize.. its not as easy as most people think it is...


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## SkylineR33gts (May 24, 2004)

I guess I will see how f***ed over I get when it gets here, huh?


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

^i really hope you dont, i wanna see this car at nopi, but thats my feeling dude..


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## SkylineR33gts (May 24, 2004)

i just wanna see the damn thing


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## GTES-t (Jan 2, 2004)

I hope you do get ahold of it somehow, I wish they could easily be brought into the US. Like many other countries, that actually have tougher emission requirements. 

But, the US Government has done a great job of making it tough to get foreign cars imported. Which, it just so happens, helps keep imports out and/or expensive if they do come in so US car manufactures don't have to worry about truly competing with foreign car manufactures on an even playing field.


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## Jasper (Apr 2, 2004)

you could be like the guy on powertechimports.com ...and build the Skymera lol. took a Nissan Primera and rebuilt the body with skyline parts. the thing actually looks really good. i mean, its no skyline, most of us cant afford skylines...but this dude built this for like 1/4 the price









i dunno...that looks pretty badass. i'd buy it!


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## Token Moron (Mar 28, 2003)

^that looks fuckin badass


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

with all the money, he prolly could have imported a real skyline


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## Token Moron (Mar 28, 2003)

i wonder how much the insurance rates on a skyline would be


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## SkylineR33gts (May 24, 2004)

well being 18/male/3tickets/single

liability on a 94 Line 33gts is cheap cuz the insurance place didnt ask many questions even though i provided them with all the necessary info to say "no" they actually said "yes"


1600 every 6 months for liability


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## Estis Fatuus (Jul 17, 2003)

Maybe you could sell them on an R32 being a havily modified Sentra... It still sems like it'd be hard to pull of. I can imagine shipping for a motor cycle would be quite a bit less expensive then shipping a car in parts. just my two cents...


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

SkylineR33gts said:


> well being 18/male/3tickets/single
> 
> liability on a 94 Line 33gts is cheap cuz the insurance place didnt ask many questions even though i provided them with all the necessary info to say "no" they actually said "yes"
> 
> ...


$1600 every 6 months, I'd say yes too...lol


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## gumby (May 25, 2004)

GTES-t said:


> I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But I'll warn you now so it's not a surprise later. But your Skyline will not be seeing the streets until it gets picked up by an RI (Registered Importer) and converted to US specs. The Customs costs you have paid are the standard processing fees that are charged. Once they start to process the Skyline, they will know that it's not a US Spec and that it has to be picked up by an RI. So, the car will not be released to anyone but an RI that presents the EPA and DOT Bonds for the conversion.
> 
> There have been many other people who found out that anyone can buy a Skyline and ship it to the US just to find out they can't get it until it's legalized, which only Motorex can do so far.
> 
> ...


just curious, but could someone make a damn bolded neon flashing sticky about importing skylines. im kinda sick of seeing the same questions, in a new thread, every couple days. plus, they could just read it and be done. just a thought.


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## danifilth (May 14, 2003)

check every other thread in here they are all about importing Skylines.Search Motorex in here and youll have damn near every thread.The best you can do to get a Skyline or simile here in the US is to swap a RB26DETT into an S14 and get a R34 bodykit,order up the lights(front and back)mold them in and voila sure its not a GTR or a Skyline but its looks like one and has the motor to back it up.XAT Racing had one but they sold it.Drive to a Honda owner and they probably wouldnt have known the difference.


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## Jasper (Apr 2, 2004)

im not 100% sure on this, but cant you just register it as a kit car? buy it in japan, ship it in 100 little boxes, have someone in japan write you up a reciept for a "kit car" that you bought from them, and go from there. my friends father has a (wannabe) 59 Jaguar, not a real jag, just a jag engine and chassis, with aftermarket fiberglass body panels and new glass. sure, it aint 100% authentic, but it'd be worth a try. he had this imported from europe, same basic story. the engine "isnt US spec" so it supposedly wouldnt pass emissions or anything else, someone quoted him like $15k to make it US street ready


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## Jasper (Apr 2, 2004)

psulemon said:


> with all the money, he prolly could have imported a real skyline


no, he couldnt have. LOOK at his site, he says right on there, even with all the i.c.e. , he still only paid about half of what an r34 would have cost him (so he spent ~$25k grand total-ish?)


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## danifilth (May 14, 2003)

ahem.......R32s go for $25,000


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## GTES-t (Jan 2, 2004)

Jasper said:


> im not 100% sure on this, but cant you just register it as a kit car? buy it in japan, ship it in 100 little boxes, have someone in japan write you up a reciept for a "kit car" that you bought from them, and go from there. my friends father has a (wannabe) 59 Jaguar, not a real jag, just a jag engine and chassis, with aftermarket fiberglass body panels and new glass. sure, it aint 100% authentic, but it'd be worth a try. he had this imported from europe, same basic story. the engine "isnt US spec" so it supposedly wouldnt pass emissions or anything else, someone quoted him like $15k to make it US street ready


The problem is, if you look at DOT rules for Kit Cars, there are a few rules that make the Skyline ineligible. The major one being that it is a production car, which customs will know because you cannot just forge documents in Japan. 
Also, the $15K you mention is really close to the $16K required by motorex for '96 and newer Skylines to be converted.


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## sliverstar (Feb 20, 2003)

Hey, I don't really know alot about this subject. But, I do know that a pal of mine from des moines. has a jdm type-r civic. What he did was seperate the engine and body during shipping. Apon, the body arriving he knows a dealer very well and he put in for a dealer salvage title. They sent out a guy to check the car and got salvage title with vin, as a custom. Motor came had title, and gets it insured for apparised amount, like a custom hot rod.


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## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

^is his car rhd.. secondly, since there is an equivalent car over here, its gonna be easier than the skyline since there isn't an equivalent.. i hate to tell most of you people but unless you got some doe, don't even ask about importing a skyline... you need to legalize it.. and if you dont, i hope you get caught by the cops, and collect some major fines


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## Flying Vv (Apr 10, 2003)

psulemon said:


> ^is his car rhd.. secondly, since there is an equivalent car over here, its gonna be easier than the skyline since there isn't an equivalent.. i hate to tell most of you people but unless you got some doe, don't even ask about importing a skyline... you need to legalize it.. and if you dont, i hope you get caught by the cops, and collect some major fines


 my sentiments exactly. do it right, dont do stupid shit that is illegal and will get the car junked. thats just foolish. Dont even talk about importing one unless you are willing to go through all the BS and red tape in order to get one. hell, i can say that i want to get a skyline too. But im just bullshitting because i'd rather have a Ferrari F355 for the same price as a VSpec-II. 

anyone could say they want a skyline, but they arent willing to pay or much less do anything to get it


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