On Tue, 17 Jan 1995, elfking wrote: > i was recently informed by someone i do not know that when importing a car > into the us it must meet us safety standards for its manufacture year. is > this true. if so would customs inspect a brazilian bus as a 1995 or a a 1975 > (if those are the specs they are made to). > > -avery >
To import an automobile into the US, it must meet the US standards as of the date the automobile was manufactured, not designed. Alas, the Brazilian busses are not importable, without *major* mods. Some will be impossible. Finding "DOT" lenses for the lights might be possible if they really did reuse the mid-70's fixtures, but installing 1995 site impact protection (and certifying it by crashing a couple of vans) and getting an airbag system installed would drive the cost *way* beyond reality. I looked into this back a bit when I lusted after an East German "Carboard Car". Even getting a cerifiable manufacture date proved impossible. If you want a car that was manufactured outside the US and it was not on the road by Jan 1, 1968, and the owner does not have good records, you are setting yourself up for major heartbreak. Even with all the record, it will still cost a minimum of ~$1500 for certification through one of the few DOT licensed importers. H Steven Dolan dworkin@netcom.com
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