How can right hand drive cars be legal in the country?
JDM cars are gray market cars, or cars that were never available to purchase or drive in the country. The law states that any gray market car must meet Department of Transportation (DOT) safety regulations, must meet EPA emissions regulations, and be approved for import by the US Customs and Border Protection by meeting all safety, bumper, and theft prevention standards. You may notice how unappealing and wide vehicle bumpers were through the 1990’s and 2000’s. When you compare the same cars from other countries they have very sleek and thin bumper. This is due to the 5mph crash standards and large metal reinforcements required for US registration. So in fact, right hand drive (or left hand drive from Europe) gray market vehicles are illegal for import unless they are 25 years old or more. Enter the 25-year exemption.
What is the 25-year rule, or waiver for importing gray market cars?
Once a vehicle hits that 25 year mark it is now exempt from all regulations previously mentioned. All the standards and rules go out the window. At 25 years, these vehicles are now considered “classics” or “antiques” according to the government. You can read the full Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988. You can thank President Reagan for this. Now all individuals could now import vehicles and not just registered importers.
Are JDM cars safe?
While it’s true safety standards are probably lower that similar vehicles in the US, airbags may have been introduced a few years later, and crash bars are probably non-existent. The legality and crash testing is above our area of expertise. You can pay registered importers $10,000 or more to bring a JDM car into emissions and safety compliance if you so please. If you are doing this though you might as well import something newer. If you’ve ever driven a “vintage” vehicle older than the 1990’s one could argue Japanese cars of the 1990’s are probable a bit safer and more civilized.
I want to buy a JDM car
Send us an email at taninjdm@gmail.com. We know the process and we know the costs involved. We will give you all-inclusive pricing. This eliminates all the hidden fees and add-on fees that you can get hit with.