Mainly a question for people who brought cars in under this exemption. If I've got a 1990 car, is that eligible in 2015 or in 2016?
I assume that you still have to comply to the basic stuff that makes a safe to drive road car, but are there any restrictions on the usage or is it a case of "fill yer boots?".
I'm toying with the idea of storing a potential purchase until it's old enough and then import it to the US (assuming that we finally got my Green Card sorted out by then, obviously).
No restrictions at all. Once it's in, it's a normal car.
The exemption is from the NHTSA so it only applies to safety regulations like airbags and seatbelts. It may still have to meet emissions and any mechanical decrepitude checks that are required in your area. Basically, it gets treated like any other 25 year old car at this point.
I'm pretty sure the 25 years is from the date of manufacture. And you don't need a green card to do it 
If it already has a U.S. title, even easier. I think I registered my Innocenti quicker than the CRX.
Is it reasonable to import the car as an "off road" vehicle now, and when it has passed the date just register it? That way you could keep it local and play with it - trailer to a track event or two...
I know people have brought race cars in this way without too much hassle but never cared to street them at any point so it wasn't a concern. Not sure if I could by a car and wait over half a decade to play with it.
Keith wrote: The exemption is from the NHTSA so it only applies to safety regulations like airbags and seatbelts. It may still have to meet emissions and any mechanical decrepitude checks that are required in your area. Basically, it gets treated like any other 25 year old car at this point.
OK, that would rule out at least some of the Integrales but the one I'm looking at has at least some emissions equipment on it (cat).
Keith wrote: I'm pretty sure the 25 years is from the date of manufacture. And you don't need a green card to do it
Well yes, but why would I willingly park my toys 6000 miles away unless I got to visit them often enough? 
David S. Wallens wrote: If it already has a U.S. title, even easier. I think I registered my Innocenti quicker than the CRX.
No US title for this car - it's in the UK, about 100 miles from where I'm sitting.
The 25 exemption is what get the US title. Once it has one, it's a US citizen Think of the 25 year cutoff as a green card lottery that everybody wins!
You can certainly bring the car in early under some other rule. In the case of both 25-year cars I brought in, I actually drove them across the border. One of them stayed on Canadian plates for a year or two before I bothered with the paperwork.
if it is being imported as an offroad vehicle, how would you claim it? That sounds like a really cool idea. maybe I could make a Honda City Turbo track car...sounds slow...but fun.
hmmm.. wonder if you could import a car a couple of years before it hits 25 and just spend the time working on and modifying it and then title and register?
When I moved from Ontario to Michigan 10 years ago I brought my 1996 Chev Astro with me. It didn't meet US regulations ,so I had to get a EPA exemption which allowed me to import it, but never sell it. Once it's 25 years old I don't know if I could officially finalize importing it , not that I'm attached to it. I just wonder if that would be an end run that only us immigrants could use, bring a less than 25 car with you and just hold on to it as it ages.
I believe if you bring the car in before the 25 year exemption for "off-road" use, you have to make a case for that. Some cars like the skyline will be denied do to a lot of past history of shenanigans. You can also get short term exemptions that last no longer than a year for cars younger than 25 years, but that is also a case by case basis. Having brought in a car that qualified for the 25 year exemption, I must say it was surprisingly easy. Drove to the border(car on trailer), had my paperwork in order, wrote the check for what they said and moved along my merry way. They didn't even look over the car, or even in it to see if I might be smuggling anybody(or thing) in to the country. Best bet is to speak with someone in customs where you plan to bring the car in. Give them the straight truth, and they'll give you the straight answers.
DeadSkunk wrote: When I moved from Ontario to Michigan 10 years ago I brought my 1996 Chev Astro with me. It didn't meet US regulations ,so I had to get a EPA exemption which allowed me to import it, but never sell it. Once it's 25 years old I don't know if I could officially finalize importing it , not that I'm attached to it. I just wonder if that would be an end run that only us immigrants could use, bring a less than 25 car with you and just hold on to it as it ages.
There's a special set of rules for Canadian-market cars coming in to the US. Note that it's only for Canadian-market cars, not cars built for another market that have been imported into Canada.
The Rules: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CARS/RULES/IMPORT/
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