If you live in Canada, you most certainly can. However, the car must enter the country at the same time as you do and can only stay there for a year.
If the car is imported concurrently with the owner’s arrival, nonresidents may import it duty-free for up to (1) one year. Vehicles imported in accordance with this clause that do not meet U.S. safety and pollution regulations must be exported within a year and are prohibited from being sold in the country. The export regulations are neither exempted or extended.
The R34 Nissan Skyline cannot be imported by crossing the border from Canada until it reaches the age of 25 since it was never made available for sale in the United States and was not subject to our safety and pollution rules.
This restriction would not apply if you attempted to import a vehicle that was initially sold in both the United States and Canada; you may do so by federalizing the vehicle in any way necessary, even if it had less than 25 years on it.
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The initial account claims that this specific Nissan Skyline was imported from Canada, originally owned in Washington, and is currently being crushed there. Cars can be imported into Canada if they are 15 years old or older, however in the US, the age limit is 10 years higher. Thus, R34 Nissan Skylines are now permissible to purchase in Canada as of 2014.
We believe that importing Skylines from Canada into the United States was a bad decision. When you buy something from someone who is technically prohibited, you take a chance, just like with all imports that even have a remote possibility of legality difficulties. To the right people, getting caught is only a matter of time.
Unfortunately, this owner learned this lesson the hard way when an R34 was brought in and “registered” despite the fact that it wasn’t technically possible. In line with Rivsu Imports, “Workers at the wrecking yard aren’t to blame; they’re only performing their jobs. You may blame the fool who attempted to drive the car into a country where they weren’t allowed to.”
The temptation to drive something unusual, exotic, or illegal will always be present, and for some, the satisfaction of being crowned king of the car meet outweighs the possibility of having their vehicle destroyed. Unfortunately, this won’t be the last of these kinds of movies to appear online.
Top 5 imports are now allowed in Canada under the 15-year rule.
Canada keeps inciting envy and resentment among its motorhead neighbors to the south of the border. The equivalent of a Chihuahua’s lifespan is all it takes for Canadians to purchase the non-compliant car of their dreams, while Americans must wait a torturous 25 years to import vehicles that weren’t first sold in the North American market.
Here are five vehicles that are 15 years old, freshly legal, and eminently desirable:
2002 the Mazda MX-5 SP According to conventional wisdom, nothing about the Mazda MX-5 (Miata) has ever been wrong that more power couldn’t fix. The aftermarket Monster Miata, powered by a small-block Ford, was a contemporary Sunbeam Tiger, but Mazda’s Australian division took a more tasteful approach. The second-generation (or “NB”) MX-5 now has a healthy 211 horsepower thanks to turbocharging, which also improves the car’s power-to-weight ratio and 0-100 kph acceleration time. They are uncommon and all right-hand drive because they come from the Australian market.
2002 TVR T350: TVR was arguably the most mourned defunct specialist vehicle manufacturer in Britain. Furthermore, no one has really seen the newly revived TVR, which is currently taking deposits for a brand-new sports car. Whatever the case, we may enjoy some of the best TVRs built in the former Blackpool, England, facility here in Canada. One of the last evolutionary phases leading to the Sagaris, the most recent new TVR to date, was the T350. The T350, which was slower than that vehicle but still had a 350 horsepower TVR Speed-Six engine, had a top speed of nearly 240 kph, which is not unexpected given that it had an incredible 304 horsepower per ton of weight.
2002 Daihatsu Copen — Kei-class Japanese vehicles (under 660 cc), such as the Honda Beat, are more prevalent among urban drivers in cities like Toronto and Vancouver. They are undoubtedly more fashionable than Smart vehicles. Now that it is permitted to import the Daihatsu Copen, it is most likely to grow in popularity. The Copen is one of the few Kei cars capable of 160 kph with a reasonable 63 horsepower from its four-valve three-cylinder engine, and it accelerates from 0 to 100 kph in a solid 11.3 seconds. It’s a bit of an oddball, similar to a half-scale first-generation Audi TT, like most Kei vehicles.
Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R Nur from 2002 The most sought-after of the vehicles now on the market thanks to the 15-year rule is probably the 2002 Skyline GT-R. It serves as the final Skyline of the fifth generation. It is seductive (and now legal) to devoted video gamers and those who grew up with the “Fast and Furious” franchise, with over 340 horsepower (which owners may easily enhance to 450+ horsepower). The Skyline GT-R Nur, which is named after the renowned Nurburgring race track where every manufacturer strives for a sub-eight-minute lap time, is available for those who must have the best. Over 1,000 were constructed.
Alfa Romeo 147 GTA from 2002 Every garage should have a hot hatch, and for those who are sick of the standard Golf GTI, the Walter de Silva-designed Alfa Romeo 147 GTA is now admissible to Canada. The 147 might be the most coveted hot hatch in history. The design is considerably more abrasive in GTA trim thanks to the flared wheel arches, bigger tires, and lower stance. The car’s 247 horsepower and top speed of well over 240 kilometers per hour are more than enough to keep it upright during Vancouver’s Supercar Week.
Why did Nissan choose not to fund the testing?
It just wasn’t cost-effective for Nissan to do so because testing may sometimes be very expensive and requires considerable changes to the vehicle’s design and chassis to pass inspection.
The likelihood of it becoming lucrative once it had been redesigned for the US market was limited given that they had previously produced such a wonderful car, which was already legal in Japan and accepted in the majority of countries across the world.
Not to mention that doing so can make the automobile worse, similar to what happened with the Nissan Silvia 240SX, which was given the SR20DET while the rest of the globe received the Nissan Silvia 240SX.
There were still difficulties with changing the automobile to left-hand drive because the turbochargers and plumbing were in the same area that they would need to use for the steering column, even though it probably could have passed the far less rigorous testing back in the 1990s.
Simply told, it would have taken a lot of work, and Nissan determined that it wasn’t worth the time and effort because the Skyline didn’t appeal to the mass market.
Although we are confident that this is accurate, we find the argument that it would almost certainly fail emissions testing humorous when compared to some of the absurd vehicles that are allowed on US roads.
What makes the Nissan Skyline prohibited?
In summary, the Nissan Skyline GT-R is prohibited from being imported into the US since it does not adhere to the 1988 Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act. The Skyline was not designed with the necessary safety elements to abide by the applicable traffic safety regulations.
A vehicle is exempt from these rules once it reaches the age of 25, at which point it is allowed to be imported and used on American roads.
With California being likely the most noteworthy exception in terms of particular states where you would have difficulties importing due to tougher emissions control legislation, this means that vehicles like the R32 GTR (the original “Godzilla”) can be imported into the USA.
By 2024, you should be able to start importing the R34 GTR. The oldest versions of the R33 GTR are also starting to become legal for import and compliance (provided there are no additional changes to legislation by then, or further tightening of emissions and environmental rules which is always a risk in the current climate).
To be on the safe side, there are no laws that prevent you from importing a Nissan Skyline as a “show piece” that isn’t allowed to be driven on the road but instead sits in your garage. However, we have heard stories of people looking to buy and store Nissan Skylines with a view to registering and complying them once they turn 25 years old in the hopes of increasing value. While it is likely not a bad idea, there is always a chance that the government could modify import regulations, leaving you with a depreciating burden rather than an asset that depreciates over time. Although it’s unlikely, it’s nevertheless important to remark.
We would be interested in hearing from you if you are aware of any other legitimate ways to buy a Skyline GTR in the United States. Please comment down below!
Does the Nissan Skyline remain prohibited?
The NHTSA gave import automobiles older than 25 years of age amnesty in 1998. So even though it doesn’t comply with requirements, you can now import any Nissan Skyline that was manufactured in 1995 or earlier. California is the only state where you can encounter difficulties.
The Skyline GTR is it forbidden in Canada?
No, there is currently a 15-year-old regulation that applies to all imports from nations other than the US. However, the Nissan Skyline R32 and R33 are authorized.
A GTR is it a Skyline?
Simply said, the GTR and Skyline are from separate automobile segments. Nissan’s Pre-R35 cars are referred to as Skyline. Despite the fact that both the Skyline and R35 models use the GTR suffix, the Nissan R35 GT-R is a member of a distinct series than the Skyline GTR. Additionally, they are very dissimilar in terms of configuration. The primary distinctions between GTR and Skyline are shown below.
The R35 is not a Skyline, why?
One of the most renowned Japanese performance cars of all time is the Nissan Skyline GT-R.
The “Godzilla” (see here why the Skyline GT-R is called as Godzilla) has come to represent strength and performance throughout the course of several different generations.
The Nissan Skyline GT-R has become one of the most coveted names in Japanese performance driving despite being illegal in the United States at the time (see our article on why Nissan Skylines are illegal in the United States).
You probably already know that Nissan stopped producing the R34 Skyline generation in 2002 (for more information, see our buying guide for the R34 GT-R).
The skyline actually kept going after that and is still going today, but it is now what is known as the “New Generation Skyline,” which is very different from the past skylines. The new Skyline is more well-known in America as a line of Infiniti vehicles, including the Infiniti G35:
This New Generation Skyline was mainly focused on giving a premium touring car experience and never included a GT-R variant.
Due to the overwhelming demand from auto enthusiasts, the R35 GT-R was debuted in 2007 and is still in production today.
Indeed, the R34 GT-R was the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, to give an example.
What makes the Nissan GT-R of today the Nissan Skyline GT-R R35? After all, any car sporting those distinctive taillights must be a Skyline!
The reason the R35 GT-R is not a Skyline is rather straightforward, in case you’re wondering.
Earlier GT-Rs (such as the R32, R33, and R34) were built on the Skyline platform of that generation.
Consider the R32 GT-R, which was offered in a variety of trim levels and engine/gearbox combinations, including as a sedan.
Nissan used that generation’s Skyline base to build the R32 GT-R (the original “Godzilla”), turning everything up to 11.
There is no platform overlap with the existing Skyline (known in America as the Infiniti Q50). The R35 GT-R is a “standalone” vehicle, as opposed to the previous generations of GT-Rs, which were all the pinnacle of the applicable Skyline platform.
Although the R35 GT-R is essentially the spiritual successor to previous Skyline GT-Rs, Nissan opted not to utilize the Skyline brand due to the distinctive platform.