OkiCelsior

This may be a long shot, but has anyone out there ever shipped a car from Okinawa, Japan to the States (specifically Florida)? We have a 91 Celsior (LS 400) and a 94 Aristo (GS 300). Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks.

beez43

iTrader: (6)

i think the ls400 is cool and ok to go but right hand drive? im not so sure.. and i highly doubt the aristo will be able to pass either.. man i wish the US werent so stupid with these regulations.. which makes JDM rides so much more valuable and drooled over..

OkiCelsior

It is unfortunate that we have gotten so rigid with regard to bringing certain cars back. I'm going to do some more research just to be sure because I'd really like to avoid having to buy two new cars when we return. Just planning ahead.

Thanks for your input.

jucee187

In canada we are allowed to drive right hand drive cars.. just as long as it passes the emission and safety regulations..

I thought the US was the same?..

749009

I'm in Canada as well and many years ago I purchased a used RHD manual trans Volvo that had been imported from Sweden before they switched over to left hand drive.
I purchased the car for 2 reasons;
1- the price on the car was much lower because it was a RHD in a left hand drive country. At that time, legal requirements simply stipulated that the car display a prominent RHD emblem or sticker on the trunklid.
2- I thought it would be a unique experience to drive such a vehicle, especially given that I had to learn to shift with my left hand and a variety of other coping skills.

I kept the car for about 8 months and then re sold it to someone else who bought it for likely the same reasons that I did. The novelty and challenge wear off fairly quickly however, but, the day to day pain in the *** of coping with a RHD in a LHD country don't. Try to imagine what it's like driving by yourself and trying to pass a big truck on a 2 lane highway. Unless your Celsior and Aristo have something extremely special about them (much faster even after having to modify them to meet US EPA standards, extremely unique options not available in the US market, extremely different looking, but, even so after having to modify the car to meet US safety standards, etc.), I think the resale value will be lower than you are estimating and I think you'll find the novelty factor can give way to everyday nuisance factor. I've seen a few JDM cars (ie: Nissan Skyline) with RHD advertised in my local market in Canada, but, the sellers seem to start asking a very high price and then eventually drop their prices rather dramatically when the buyers don't come flooding in.
Before you get a heart attack from the costs you'll be quoted to ship and modify the car to meet US standards, you might want to try and locate a LHD vehicle in your current area, see if you can rent it for a week or so and see how you feel about driving an opposite steering wheel car in everyday traffic situations. If you still think the fun outweighs the negatives, and the costs and potential hit on resale in the US don't concern you, then you can join that rather small group of people who have gone through the process to make it happen. Knowing some of what you're going to be facing, I'd give you an "A" for determination if you see it through. Good luck.

p.s. I should have added that I assume you are a member of the US armed forces and I am aware that you are given some special privileges that others don't enjoy in terms of bringing vehicles back into the US from overseas. I believe, and you should check into this carefully, that as a member of that group your ability to dispose or sell the vehicle in the US is significantly restricted as well.