5 Tips for Importing a Collector Car

There’s nothing quite like automotive forbidden fruit. Automakers spend tremendous effort deciding which cars—and which versions of those cars—are earmarked for each market across the globe. Consumers in Japan have long favored plush luxury sedans or quirky, high-personality compacts. Those in Europe like buttoned-down sports cars, often with a practical edge. And the wide-open spaces of Australia are perfect for big off-roaders with huge fuel tanks.

We always want what we can’t have, which is why it can be highly appealing to import a vehicle from another country. For most enthusiasts, shopping for a car thousands of miles away is just a fantasy, but importing a car is becoming an increasingly popular option. Do your homework and shop carefully, however, and you, too, can turn that dream into reality.

The exact process of exporting a car out of any non-U.S. market varies considerably. Not only are you shopping for a car that you may not lay eyes on until it has traveled halfway across the world, but you will also inevitably deal with layers of bureaucracy in at least two countries. And since only a small sliver of Earth’s inhabitants speak native English, you’ll likely have to engage a translator. In some places, like the European Union, you’ll usually get enough paperwork to make titling the vehicle in the U.S. relatively straightforward, but even that is only half the battle. Legally registering the car for road use will depend on a wide range of factors, many of which you should determine before you agree to buy it.

While the many nuances of vehicle importation may require you to solicit the advice of a professional, preparing yourself with some basic best practices can set up your import plans for success.

Be Absolutely Certain You Can Legally Import the Car

The U.S. is very restrictive about what cars can be legally imported for use on our roads. According to the U.S. government, the restrictions are about compliance with our safety and emissions regulations, which are among the world’s most stringent. Historically, the restrictions have also helped protect automakers from the flood of so-called gray-market vehicles that largely came in from Europe in the mid-1980s when currencies like the West German Deutsche Mark suffered in the face of a strong U.S. dollar. Back then, dozens of importers homologated—that is, made minor compliance tweaks—to undercut hefty prices charged by brands like BMW and, especially, Mercedes-Benz.

Whether or not we want to admit that 1988 is now ancient history, it’s when President Ronald Reagan signed the act prohibiting the importation of most sub-25-year-old cars into law. Suffice it to say that you should probably rule out any car that was built less than 25 years ago. That is, of course, unless you never plan to drive it, and it’s on the list of vehicles under the Show-or-Display exemption carved out in 1999. (The backstory of the origins of that rule is fascinating and involves Bill Gates’ Porsche 959 and this Jaguar XJ220.) The U.S. government maintains a list of exempt cars, though it’s worth noting that many of these are now over 25 years old and are thus legal for importation—with some asterisks we’ll discuss shortly.

A piece of advice: if there’s even a small risk that the car has yet to turn 25 (note that the regulation goes by date of production, not model year), don’t trust the seller or any online VIN decoder about when the car was built. Generally, the car will have a sticker or a plaque affixed to it stating when it was built. Even then, it may make sense to check with the automaker’s heritage department to confirm its actual date of assembly.

Even then, not all cars that have already celebrated their 25th birthday will technically qualify for importation—they must be emissions-compliant as well. Federal law is somewhat vague about modified cars, for instance. The EPA maintains a hotline (734-214-4100) designed to help potential importers determine a vehicle’s eligibility. Generally, the EPA will veto a vehicle that has had major emissions equipment removed or altered—and that’s doubly important if you plan to register the vehicle in a jurisdiction where emissions testing is required. Many states require both visual and instrumented emissions tests for cars that are over 25 years old; an engine swap or an aftermarket exhaust may not pass muster.

It’s also not safe to assume that just because a vehicle passed emissions in the European Union or Japan it will be legal in the U.S. Testing standards vary across the globe.

Once you’re certain that the car’s physical condition is sufficient for legal importation, you’ll also want to make sure that its documentation is accurate. The seller should not balk at providing you with detailed images of the vehicle’s various VIN plates as well as any of its documentation. Look carefully to ensure that everything matches up. A typo made in Germany—even one as innocuous as the letter “O” in place of a zero—will be essentially impossible to fix once the car is sitting at a port in the U.S. For this part of the process, it can be valuable to hire someone certified by the American Translators Association to help you review the documentation. A certified translator can’t provide you with legal advice, however.

Get the Most Thorough Inspection Possible

A pre-purchase inspection by a qualified mechanic is always a good idea. It’s invaluable if the car is thousands of miles away.

Finding a pro in a foreign country can be tricky, though. Many countries have some form of general automobile club roughly equivalent, at least in its barest form, to the American Automobile Association (AAA). Contacting the club that represents the country where the car is located is a good start. They may be able to put you in touch with a nearby mechanic who speaks English. And if that mechanic isn’t well-versed on the specific make or model you’re after, they may be able to find you the right person.

Classic-Analytics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hagerty, is another resource for cars residing in much of Continental Europe. The company has a network of more than 1,000 appraisers who can be hired to perform pre-purchase inspections for a variety of cars.

You may also want to look for market-specific enthusiast groups, which aren’t too tricky to find for most countries and most manufacturers on Facebook. Don’t assume that BMW fans in Bulgaria or Porsche enthusiasts in Portugal will speak English; use an online translator like Google Translate to introduce yourself.

Another critical component to the inspection is the opportunity for the inspector to further verify the car’s documentation and its VIN tags.

3. Hire Someone to Translate Everything

Remember the American Translators Association we mentioned earlier? You’re going to get to know your translator fairly well by the time your car finally arrives here.

German, French, and Italian, among other languages, are so widely spoken that you may even be able to find a translator who is proficient in the somewhat universal language of cars, too.

4. Find an Importer

A novice probably shouldn’t attempt to undertake the importation of a car by themselves. There are simply too many logistics hurdles. The car needs to travel from the seller to a nearby port, where it will sit and wait for a vessel. Then it will be loaded on that ship and transported across an ocean to a U.S. port. Once on U.S. soil, its paperwork needs to be double-checked and it may be subject to random inspections by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Then the car, which is not yet titled and registered for use on U.S. roads, needs to make it from the port to you. And, since ports are secure facilities, whoever collects the vehicle needs to reserve a DHS-cleared escort to access the car.

The last paragraph didn’t need to scare you off.

The easiest and smartest way to get your car is to leave everything to a professional. Many major logistics firms are experienced in importing vehicles, and they can find the most cost- and time-efficient maritime route to get the car from one port to another, and then an overland route to your driveway.

Most will also handle some (but not all) of the importation paperwork for you. Generally, the importer will take care of two of the most critical forms: EPA Form 3520-1 and Department of Transportation (DoT) Form HS-7. An importer can also pay customs duties (typically 2.5% of its declared value) on your behalf.

5. Work With Your State to Ensure You Have the Necessary Paperwork

Importing the car is one thing, but to be able to drive it, you’ll need to title and register it.

Every state’s motor vehicle department has handled an imported vehicle at some point. Some may even have a dedicated department, or at least a single person, who can help you ensure you have the right paperwork ahead of time.

Nearly every state will require at least the following documents, which will need a certified translation if they are not in English.

• EPA Form 3520-1
• DoT Form HS-7
• The car’s foreign title
• A bill of sale from the person listed on the foreign title to you
• A state-specific VIN inspection form

Many areas also require emissions testing for cars of a certain age. If this applies to you, it’s worth reaching out to the government agency that administers testing to see if they have a checklist of emissions-related equipment such as a catalytic converter that needs to be present on the vehicle. The state may require a visual inspection before performing the actual emissions test. And, as the recent rise in popularity of kei trucks has shown, some states have gotten particular about certain types of vehicles and whether they are welcome on public roads, so be sure to brush up on whether your state has made any recent changes to its regulations.

This may all seem like a lot of work, but there’s no need to despair. The feeling of accomplishment you’ll get when you screw a U.S. license plate onto the back of a car that was last driven in Japan is an automotive milestone few will ever experience.