Importation: how?

[Northern RD]

well for the record 1968 was the first year that i know of manufactures starting to implament polution controll! well that's when california started because anything older then 1968 there was exempt from smog checks!for '68 and up they had to comply each new year with less N.O.X. to where they are today those # were shared between automanufacture's and gasoline manufacture's to make the engines burn cleaner and also they had to change the fuel so it would burn cleaner! remember when they reformulated gasoline they took the lead out? now they are doing the same with diesel taking the sulfer out! so for that 63 volvo i don't balieve there was any smog equipment on at all! and if the Fox was originally a diesel it would be no problem bringing it over the border!but since it sounds like it's a gas model that will be more difficult because it don't meet E.P.A. standards! well i hope i'm correct in my info on that? because thats what i remember from growing up in california! so please correct me if im wrong!!
 thanks Duane
P.S. not sure if it's '66 or '68 it's been along time

GM actually started using Thermactors(air pumps) on certain models as early as `65 as I recall,...

[VelocityConservation]

I guess I should tell my tale of trying to import a Canadian car.

Started in Jan. '06.  I have a '90 NA Jetta and wanted a TD.  Everywhere I asked (except US Customs) said that a Canadian car was easy.  VW, when asked would provide the appropriate letter of conformance.

So I bought a car in Toronto, took the pickup and a car hauler (from NC) and picked it up in May '06.

Getting the car into the states was easy.  Now trying to get a title was something different.

When I called VW North America (I called several times trying to get a different answer, tried a letter as well(no response to that)) they responded that they had a policy change.  They no longer provide statements of conformance to import Canadian cars into the US as of March 2006.

The US importation website says that without a statement of conformance all imported cars must be upgraded to the 1996 standard if manufactured before 1996.  This means: drivers side airbags, CAT (even on diesels), that terrible passive restraint system that VW US cars have during that time frame, US spec. bumpers and do an Emissions test (yes even diesels) on the engine.  And all the work must be done by a Registered Importer.  I contacted two RI's and they wanted $6000 for that work.

Bottom line, my Canadian car is a parts car now.

You may be able to find a way around the red tape, but I never did.

[zukgod1]

Do you think if you had gone through a Importer from the beginning things may have been different? I mean maybe they know of a couple tricks..

If it were me and I already had a car that I wanted to upgrade like a NA to a TD and was close enough to Canada to find something worth bringing back I may consider swapping titles/ VIN tags and parting the old car out..
Ending up with the car I imported with my old car paper work.
YES I know that could be considered to be a bit on the illegal side of the line but you wouldn’t be cheating anyone out of anything just loosing your old car..


dan

[jtanguay]

I guess I should tell my tale of trying to import a Canadian car.

Started in Jan. '06.  I have a '90 NA Jetta and wanted a TD.  Everywhere I asked (except US Customs) said that a Canadian car was easy.  VW, when asked would provide the appropriate letter of conformance.

So I bought a car in Toronto, took the pickup and a car hauler (from NC) and picked it up in May '06.

Getting the car into the states was easy.  Now trying to get a title was something different.

When I called VW North America (I called several times trying to get a different answer, tried a letter as well(no response to that)) they responded that they had a policy change.  They no longer provide statements of conformance to import Canadian cars into the US as of March 2006.

The US importation website says that without a statement of conformance all imported cars must be upgraded to the 1996 standard if manufactured before 1996.  This means: drivers side airbags, CAT (even on diesels), that terrible passive restraint system that VW US cars have during that time frame, US spec. bumpers and do an Emissions test (yes even diesels) on the engine.  And all the work must be done by a Registered Importer.  I contacted two RI's and they wanted $6000 for that work.

Bottom line, my Canadian car is a parts car now.

You may be able to find a way around the red tape, but I never did.

hmmm just need to find a rust free body and transplant