Date:         Sun, 28 Jan 2007 17:18:56 -0500
Reply-To:     Karl Mullendore <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Karl Mullendore <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
Subject:      Re: FS nice Dehler Profi on Samba

All six Dehler's were 1984 models, total DOT- and EPA-approval was done on
these vans.

My Syncro-16 was a German tourist vehicle that was brought in for personal
use by the original owner, and subsequently sold to a Maryland citizen. The
fact that Maryland DMV titled and approved the van for use on the roads in
the US makes it no less legal that any other T3 roaming the streets.

The main reason a RI will laugh is because they want you to believe the
'only' way is to spend lots of $$$$ with them, when in fact there is little
to actually be done.

Karl

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 11:12:17 -0500, The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM> wrote:

>Okay, let me rephrase that. On a practical basis, it cannot be AFFORDABLY
>and LEGALLY imported under current regulations. This has been covered on the
>list before. The only Vanagons approved by the U.S. government for import
>from Europe - even via a registered importer - are the 1988-90 Transporter.
>And even then, paying a registered importer to modify it to meet the
>standards and get it approved is extremely expensive; more than anyone is
>likely to pay. The feds are picky, so the model has to be exact; i.e. even
>if a 1988 Transporter is on the list they will reject a 1987 Transporter, or
>a 1988 Transporter Syncro, unless it is deemed "substantially similar" - a
>designation that can require the auto manufacturer's cooperation (which as a
>private indiviual you will not get). A registered importer can get other
>years/models added to the approved list, but it is lengthy and hideously
>expensive process. Once you get it approved by the NHTSA, you then have to
>get it through the EPA, which has similarly stringent requirements for
>emissions standards. The end result is that it costs many thousands of
>dollars, plus the cost of actually transporting it, if you are successful at
>all. That is pocket change if you're importing a $200k Lambroghini, or ten
>identical vehicles where the exemption to one can be applied to all of them.
>But if you're importing a single Vanagon worth maybe $10k to begin with, it
>is simply not economically feasible if you follow the law.
>
>So without the use of a registered importer and the model and year being
>specifically approved by the DOT, there is no LEGAL way to bring the vehicle
>in unless it is 25+ years old. Of course there are plenty of of utterly
>ILLEGAL ways, like switching VIN numbers, etc.
>
>Once the vehicle is 25 years old, however, it is exempt from all import
>restrictions, so anything goes.
>
>See http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/
>
>This has been covered ad nauseum on the list so there's plenty of info in
>the archives (and also on the vanagon.com f.a.q.'s). Yes, there are a
>handful vehicles that have slipped through under unique conditions, or at
>times when the law was different (and others that slipped through because
>the importer skirted the law - basically akin to smuggling). But the bottom
>line is, there is a good reason why people don't do this all the time.
>Don't believe me? Call one of the registered importers and ask about
>importing a year/model not specifically on the government's approved list.
>Be prepared for sticker shock and/or laughter on the other and of the phone
>line.
>