1st photo: Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R by Jean-Jacques MARCHAND
2nd photo: R32 Skyline Interior by Taylor Robinson
Update: Found a very informative Facebook group where people share their experiences with Japanese importers.
Introduction – Is It Really That Easy?
So you want a R32 or R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R/GTS-T that’s legally registered in California that will turn heads every where you go, make hot girls talk to you, all without having to worry about any hassles from the cops? Yea, me too. The good news is you can do it. The bad news is, you can do it all night long (that’s a stupid way of saying that it’s complicated).
If you live in California, there are 3 steps to owning a completely legal right-hand-drive Skyline:
- Find a dealer/importer who probably won’t rip you off and buy a Skyline or have them find one in Japan for you. Or buy private party from a Skyline owner who’s already done all this, skipping step 2 and 3 below.
- Take the car to G&K Automotive to have them get the car to pass CARB testing so you can get the stickers that prove it.
- Take all import forms and export certificate to the DMV and get it registered (much more difficult than a regular private party sale which I’ll talk about below)
In any other state besides California (and Hawaii I think) you can skip step 2 which makes it way easier.
The 25-Year Rule
I’m not going to explain the 25-year rule here because a lot of other websites do. Basically, you can only legally import R32s or R33s for now. You can import R34s starting in 2024 but you need to be super rich to buy one so if you’re that rich you’re probably smarter than me and already know all this stuff.
1. Buying the car
Easiest option – Buy directly from a current Skyline owner in CA
You could skip steps 2 and step 3 by buying a Skyline from someone who has already gone through this whole process, then the sale would be pretty much like any other normal private party sale. You’d wanna make sure the seller still has all the necessary documents proving the car was imported legally: I go over the documents in detail in step 3 below. Facebook Skyline owners groups are a good to place to look for cars being sold.
Kind of easy option – Buy from a dealer in the USA
You can also buy from a dealer in the USA that already has the car you want. This makes it a little easier than buying a car that’s still in Japan because the car’s already here and you can inspect in person. Here’s a great article with references on what to look for when inspecting a Nissan Skyline R32. Top Rank in Cypress, California seems to have a good reputation.
Hardest option – Buy a car that’s still in Japan
You can work with an importer/dealer/individual to buy a car that’s still in Japan and have it shipped over. You have to be careful here because it’s easy to get sold a car that looks good in photos but is a piece of junk, or the people you’re working with might just run off with your money. Lots of horror stories so make sure you know what you’re doing. Garage Defend and Pacific Coast Auto Imports seem to have a good reputation.
Note! Make sure you have all the right forms (documents) however you buy the car
There are at least 5 forms (that I know of right now) you’ll need to get the car registered (unless you do the easiest option and buy from a current owner who’s already done this). See step 3 below for the forms.
If you’re buying from a dealer/importer they should definitely have these forms — you don’t have to fill these out yourself — I just go a little in-depth into each form so you know kind of what’s going on as a buyer.
2. G&K Automotive Conversion – CARB Compliance Testing
So if you live in California you have to do step 2 to pass CARB compliance testing. Basically, you have to pay a shop called G&K Automotive Conversion about $10,000 to modify your exhaust and have it tested by CARB. After it passes they put a few stickers on your car which you need to register it legally. G&K is the only place in California that is allowed to do this. This is not a smog test: you’ll still need to do smog test every 2 years.
Car has to be 100% stock to start with before you take it to G&K Automotive Conversion. Not only do you have to remove all aftermarket parts, but you may have to replace or repair current stock parts that aren’t working right.
I found a great video on YouTube by a guy named Mike that explains what this process may look like and how much you might spend to do this.
Just to get the car ready to go to G&K he says he spent around $3,000-$4,000. Now remember, this is all BEFORE the $10,000 you need to pay to G&K for them to work on the emissions equipment so the car can pass CARB inspection and be legally registered in California. So about $13-$14,000 Mike would have spent total to have a completely legal and registered right-hand-drive Skyline GT-R in California, NOT INCLUDING the price of the car, which he said was around $25,000 (back in 2019 roughly).
Here are two Reddit threads that talk more about the process:
How to title my R32 GT-R in California?
by u/meowterspace42 in SkyLine
Purchasing skyline r32 GTR (California)
by u/Practical-Nature-926 in SkyLine
3. Register your Nissan Skyline R32/R33 at the California DMV
Ok so this part is tough. You’re going to have to take all these forms below to the DMV and get the car inspected and hopefully get an employee who understands the process of registering an imported car in the USA. Most likely they won’t. Here’s a great article that goes in depth on what to expect when dealing with the DMV when trying to register a Nissan Skyline GT-R in California.
Forms (documents) you will need to register at the DMV:
A. Export Certificate
B. Form HS-7
C. Form 3520-1
D. Form 7501
E. Form 3461
A. Export Certificate (aka De-registration Certificate)
This is an official document from the Japanese government saying the car is legally ok to be exported out of the country. It is not the Japanese version of the car’s title. This guy does a great job of explaining the difference.
You need to get it translated into English and have the English version stamped with an official seal or stamp showing it was translated by a certified translator, not your otaku hentai addicted roommate.
B. Form HS-7
From: National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Form Title: Declaration – Importation of Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Equipment Subject to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety, Bumper and Theft Prevention Standards
It’s a form that needs to be given to customs when you import a car to the US. It’s important because it’s the form the importer uses to check a box that says the car is older than 25 years old and that makes it legal to import into the US. Basically, it means since the car you’re bringing in is at least 25 years old, it doesn’t have to meet safety/crash standards.
C. Form 3520-1
From: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Form Title: Declaration Form – Importation of Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Engines Subject to Federal Air Pollution Regulations
Another form that needs to be given to customs when you import a car to the US. This form is important because this is where the importer will check Code E saying the car is older than 21 years and that makes it legal to import into the US. Basically, it means since the car that’s being brought in is at least 21 years old, it doesn’t have to meet federal emissions standards. But if you live in California, you still need to meet the states emissions standards as I’ll talk about later.
So why is one rule 25 years and the other 21 years? I dunno. If I get more OCD on this article I’ll find that later.
D. Form 7501
From: Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Form Title: Entry Summary
This is basically a detailed form listing exactly what items you’re bring in to the country, and the duties (taxes) you’re going to pay. It should have an official stamp from US Customs.
E. Form 3461
From: Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Form Title: Entry/Immediate Delivery
So Form 3461 is like a short summary of the more detailed Form 7501. The importer/dealer should have both of these forms. I’m not sure if 3461 will be stamped by US Customs. I found a good summary of both forms and the differences explained here.
Ok this might be a little confusing. So I think you only need to have 1 of either the 7501 and 3461 forms to show to the DMV when you go to register your car, but the dealer should have copies of both forms because the importer needed to give both of those forms to US Customs when they imported a car. So ideally get copies of both.
And that’s about it
So after you convince the DMV that your car can be legally registered in California you’ll get your tags and plates and be free to drive wherever you please. I tried to give all the best info I could in this article but didn’t include everything so it wouldn’t be too intimidating to read. But using this page and the links I included should give you a good idea of how to go about the process. Good luck and if you have any questions please comment!
References
http://www.23gt.net/2015/05/buying-your-own-jdm-car-part-35-where.html
https://wittymelon.wordpress.com/portfolio/importing-vehicles-into-the-u-s/#Formal_Entry
2 comments
Hey Daniel,
Nice to see you writing again. Have you thought about getting/importing one?
Hey Scott! Yea it’s been fun looking at Japanese auctions and dreaming of what could be. But the price of GT-Rs, even R32s, has been getting out of control. That with the extra hoops you have to jump through in CA to register an imported car are tempering my JDM fantasies for now.