Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

I test drove one a few years ago.... it was a car. Moved at a reasonably pace when you pushed the gas. Slowed down when you pushed the brake. Traveled in the direction you pointed the wheel. Nothing really to complain about.

But then, the 1996 Sebring I was trading in was all of those things, at a tiny fraction of the cost.
 
I know the general age for import is 25 year, but do you guys think it would be possible to get a C6 RS6 Avant here before 2033?

I was looking around the internet when I found this petition to import the 2003 RS6 in the Federal Register.

In the petition, it states that:

Under 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(A), a motor vehicle that was not originally manufactured to conform to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards shall be refused admission into the United States unless NHTSA has decided that the motor vehicle is substantially similar to a motor vehicle originally manufactured for importation into and sale in the United States, certified under 49 U.S.C. 30115, and of the same model year as the model of the motor vehicle to be compared, and is capable of being readily altered to conform to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards.
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One could totally make the argument that the RS6 is substantially similar to the A6/S6, and I'm sure it could pass Federal safety standards.
That petition also goes on to make a detailed case for the C5 RS6, so why not C6? Is it really that different that it wouldn't be able to pass?
 
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Part of the issue is that someone is going to have to pony up for between 1-3 of the vehicles to demonstrate to the Feds that it is, in fact, substantially similar, or get a letter from the manufacturer stating such and giving the reasoning. You won't be getting the cars back, plus you will have to pay for all the fees and testing.

This is why there actually is an exception on the list for certain Series III XJ12s - someone demonstrated that they were pretty much the same thing as the XJS of the same year and got assistance from Jaguar in pointing out the similarities, etc. Still, I understand that bit of work took more than $75K back in the 90s, and if memory serves the company doing this actually went broke first instead of being able to import XJ12s wholesale as they had planned.

Keep in mind that the Feds have some interesting ideas about what's substantially similar and what's not. For example, an R33 is 'substantially similar' to an S14 240SX, thanks to some expensive work... but the actual JDM version of the S14 240SX, the Silvia, isn't, and therefore cannot be imported (unless someone got through the rigamarole and got them on the list when I wasn't looking.)

As for who's to blame? Mercedes Benz.
 
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So my options are to either work for the Feds or for VAG to get an RS6 Avant :lol:? Also, I'm sure the RS6 was tested for the German T?V, and Euro NCAP, so can't that data be used to analyze the car's safety and compare it to the US market A6 Avant? I mean if the cars have the same crash test results under one system, ideally they'll have the same results under another.

Why is Mercedes to blame?

Also, a different scenario. Would I be able to import a Swedish market T5-R Estate seeing as how its the same car as the US-market one? The only difference I can think of off the top of my head is the guages. And those can be switched easily. And maybe the exhaust/emmisions system (which also can be easily swapped for a US-spec one)
 
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DOT and NHTSA does not recognize any but their own tests. This is why the XJ220 is not allowed in.

Mercedes is to blame because they are responsible for ramming through the law that ended personal importation in the US, in the name of safety. What they were really pissed off about was all the Americans importing the desirable Merc models that they couldn't be bothered to import over here, or buying the same model in Germany for half the price as they were asking in the US. They didn't want to see their profits go poof, so they ginned up some bogus grassroots safety organizations and lobbying outfits and got their law rammed through.

And theoretically, yes, you would only have to get an importer to install the US bumpers and such over. However, you will need to check with an importer as there are many 'gotchas' in the law.
 
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CrazyRussian540 said:
Why is Mercedes to blame?
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People from the US imported cheaper Mercs from Europe during the 80s(I think). This cut Mercedes' profits in the USA and they went to the government to demonstrate that cars made for the European market are significantly different that those for the US one(not that true though) and that the imported cars shouldn't be legal to drive.
 
It wasn't just cheaper Mercs, it was better Mercs, or Mercs with options that M-B couldn't be arsed to offer at any price over here. There was also an artificially induced waiting list for many US models because Merc wanted to drive the prices up (while unsold production was just sitting around the factories in Europe).

The final straw was when people started importing Gelandewagens en masse. That's what finally got Mercedes to trip over into rage.


Edit: Here are some earlier posts and threads on the subject, which contain citations and the like.
http://forums.finalgear.com/general...utomotive-edition-30047/page-467/#post1178909
http://forums.finalgear.com/general-automotive/i-can-import-what-now-22473/page-2/#post550910
http://forums.finalgear.com/general-automotive/import-european-car-to-usa-37037/page-2/#post1026388
 
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Interesting thought; my uni has close connections to Jaguar/Land Rover, and as a result there is a carpark which always has a pair of identical cars (for the past week they've been XFs :p). Today however there was a Tata Nano EV (with a UK numberplate - EV62 something - but that makes its release for September 2012) being shot for photo adverts.

It was clearly a 2nd generation, and I know it was an EV because it had EV written on the back.
 
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Spectre said:
Mercedes is to blame because they are responsible for ramming through the law that ended personal importation in the US, in the name of safety. What they were really pissed off about was all the Americans importing the desirable Merc models that they couldn't be bothered to import over here, or buying the same model in Germany for half the price as they were asking in the US. They didn't want to see their profits go poof, so they ginned up some bogus grassroots safety organizations and lobbying outfits and got their law rammed through.
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Sounds more like the US government is to blame for being idiots and bending over for the lobby efforts of one single company. :p
 
During my snowy morning commute, I saw a Saab 9-3 Viggen, a 335i on Blizzaks, and an E39 M5 also on Blizzaks. Hats off to you for driving your performance cars year-round!
https://pic.armedcats.net/l/la/labcoatguy/2011/02/01/M5.JPG


Meanwhile, people on Spyderchat moan about keeping their little roadsters in the garage all winter long because they don't want to expose their rare little snowflakes to the elements. :roll: If these guys can take even rarer cars into the snow, they have no excuse.
 
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Good luck getting home. I skidded on a highway exit and went home. No way I would ever be able to get back at 4 at this rate of snow, and it's not supposed to slow down until 7 PM.
 
Speedtouch said:
Interesting thought; my uni has close connections to Jaguar/Land Rover, and as a result there is a carpark which always has a pair of identical cars (for the past week they've been XFs :p). Today however there was a Tata Nano EV (with a UK numberplate - EV62 something - but that makes its release for September 2012) being shot for photo adverts.

It was clearly a 2nd generation, and I know it was an EV because it had EV written on the back.
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They are mules for the next X-Type. :p
 
CrazyRussian540 said:
Also, a different scenario. Would I be able to import a Swedish market T5-R Estate seeing as how its the same car as the US-market one?
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Not a problem. Euro-spec 850 can be registered without a problem in the US. I know a person who is now trying to find an S70R to import.
 
Labcoatguy said:
I saw a Saab 9-3 Viggen
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There is a yellow 9-3 Viggen hatchback on the classic 3 spoke Saab wheels in my neighborhood. It looks amazing! Weirdly, it is driven by a 50+ old lady.

Just realized there are fewer than 350 of these in the United States. Wow!
 
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_HighVoltage_ said:
Not a problem. Euro-spec 850 can be registered without a problem in the US. I know a person who is now trying to find an S70R to import.
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EDIT:
http://www.nettiauto.com/volvo/850/3319431

OH DEAR GOD I WANT THAT.
Yeah it has 230k miles, and it costs $5500USD, and it will probably cost me an arm and a leg to import it and register it........ But its a manual!!!

https://pic.armedcats.net/c/cr/crazyrussian540/2011/02/01/Untitled-1.jpg


EDIT: Its only about $800 to ship a car from Europe to the US! Sweeeeet. I thought it was more around $3000-4000.
I have a feeling may I have to go though with this after I graduate (provided that I'll have a job after graduating).
 
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See dguy, you could be that awesome. :p
 
Fun day coming home from school today. This is a view of my driveway from the street. If you look closely, you'll notice that the level of snow between the two wheel marks is significantly smaller than the amount of snow outside the wheel marks. When I hit it, I came up onto the hood.

5408765640_55c866904b_b.jpg


Here's another view of the stuff.

5408765944_6b6e963b9e_b.jpg


However, thanks to some good snow tires, and maintaining forward momentum, I made it all the way to the top of my driveway!

5408157383_1e358e8c02_z.jpg
 
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