Date:         Thu, 13 May 1999 14:32:34 -0400
Reply-To:     Mike Ray <Mike.Ray@AMMOBILE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike Ray <Mike.Ray@AMMOBILE.COM>
Subject:      importing vehicles (was Mexican buses)
Comments: To: "KENWILFY@AOL.COM" <KENWILFY@AOL.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Ken wrote....
I thought about importing SA Vanagons too.
Two problems though:
1.  Doesn't meet safety standards for the years that I would want to import
it (92-99).


Assuming I have correct info, this can't be done anymore. I was stationed in
Germany and owned an `84 British spec Ford Capri. I talked to the customs
folks that handed me a bunch of literature. Figured "no prob", I can make it
meet emissions, US Spec doors, glass, bumpers, and lights are available
because the car was sold here as the Merc Capri from like 69-77.

What I was told.... The vehicle must have been sold in the US by the
manufacture of the vehicle for the given year of production. Apparently it
has to do with crash test data. Because Ford didn't sell it here in `84 I
couldn't bring it in. Had I known this in advance I may have been able to
"modify" the registration and claimed it to be a restored `75 or so. Then no
Prob

C'est la vie.

Mikey
Now parts may be a different story.

Oh, it gets worse, I was handed the small list of maybe 15 shops in the US
that are legally allowed to do spec conversions. I couldn't do it myself
legally. So my 5K$ car would have cost several K$ more to have converted.