Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 23:09:28 -0800
Reply-To: BenT <syncro@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: BenT <syncro@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Turbo diesel 5-speed DOKA Made Legal
In-Reply-To: <6693BB40-3214-11D9-B066-000A95D4810A@mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
On Tue, 9 Nov 2004 00:58:38 -0500, Kim Brennan <kimbrennan@mac.com> wrote:
> Hell, folks, I'm ready to buy this thing for parts, just to end this
> whole thread...
>
> Oh, wait, I'm a bit light headed at the moment.
>
--
Hey Kim,
I'm with you on that. I tried very hard to stay out of this on the
list but it is just not going away.
The Seller is Vic Ahmed. He owns Vanamania and ZSimports in Las Vegas.
Vic has also been a longtime Vanagon List member. As a matter of fact,
I have had dealings with Vic on more than one occasion.
He is obviously in the business to make money. He selected the Vanagon
or T3 as his primary vehicle of choice for his business. For that we
should all applaud him. Now this does not mean I agree with his
auction description. I do believe folks who have an interest in these
vehicles can read between the lines. There should have been a
disclaimer for those who do not understand the process. To that end,
the auction description is lacking and even going off the beaten path.
I talked to Vic about it this morning.
IMHO, Jeff is right about the legal ramifications of buying such a
vehicle uninformed. It was right to discuss the matter openly.
However, some of the legalities should be left for the courts to
determine. We are not lawyers or judges (ok maybe some of you). That
is assuming the folks charged with enforcing the law brings about a
case to begin with. That goes back to the reason why so many folks
getaway via methods mentioned in this thread. Law enforcement clearly
does not consider this matter a high priority issue.
OK so noone is likely to go after you. That does not make it right.
Summary: 1) Auction was a bit deceptive. 2) I know the guy in person.
He's always been fair to me. 3) It is not legal to import a vehicle
w/o paying import duties. 4) You can import a vehicle as a parts car
and pay duty on that basis. Vic must have done that to get the
container cleared. 5) You can certainly certify the vehicle in
question for road use by completing the necessary work and legal
documentation. Cost may surprise you.
BenT
just my two centavos
http://members.aol.com/bentbtstr8/myhomepage/index.html