Today 5/24/2021 I emailed Boeki a minitruck wholesaler in New Jersey asking if the mini trucks are street legal in NY. Their email response was: "Yes they are Street Legal in NY.", and to contact them. It was closing time so if I get a chance I will call them tomorrow. I also went to the NYS DMV web site to see if I could find anything. On the Register an Import page I found the following: https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/how-register-imported-vehicle "You must provide a certified English translation of any document printed in any language except English. The DMV will not register or title any Kei-class vehicle unless the applicant provides proof the wehicle has been brought into compliance with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission requirements." I might also call NYS DMV to see if I can get any more info. Anybody successfully register a mini truck in NY recently?
I recently registered three in NY. Three Carrys, and I have one more left to sell if anyone is interested! Trucks were fresh imports with no US title and all paperwork was in line. I did register them as historic, maybe that helped?
Hey Brian Thanks for the response, I called BoekiUSA in New Jersey today He said that as long as you have a US title, which he can get, and register them in NY as a Classic vehicle, they are then street legal. I really would like one with Air conditioning but most don't have ac. Does your Carry's have air conditioning? What motor vehicle office location did you go? I live in Long Island. Also does the Carry have a neutral position on the transfer case? I would possibly use it as a toad behind my motor home. Thanks Bryan
I don't know why I hadn't thought of going historic. I've got a '50 chevy truck to deal with sometime this summer so maybe that'd be a good chance to compare historic to passenger reg. The yearly registration is a down side to those of us not good with keeping up on inspections, though I did get to renew reg on a passenger car without inspection recently. Your milage may vary. I had a couple other friends both succeed and fail at the same. It never used to work to renew without inspection, which is why I let registration on my kei lapse 2yr ago.
I got a NYS inspection on all my trucks prior to registering too and included the inspection certificate in the package i submitted to the DMV for registration. I had luck with the Bethpage DMV (Long Island) and Yonkers DMV (Westchester) for registering the trucks.
What has been happening in NY is that the DMV says they won't register KEI class vehicles. They haven't been good at getting that message out to the DMV offices for whatever reason. Eventually the registration gets flagged and they ask for the title back. Usually happens when you go to re-register the vehicle. I imported mine two years ago and wasn't able to re-register online. Called DMV they said everything looked OK maybe it was my brower. Told them it wasn't. Called a few more times - they told me to make an appointment and do it in person. I called again and finally got hold of the title bureau and they said they wanted the title back - they didn't know why. Finally spoke to a supervisor in safety and he said NY won't register any KEI class vehicle unless you can prove it meets US model year safety and EPA regs. (they don't care about the federal exemption) I asked how to do that - he had no clue. He said I can sell it or drive it on my property. There was pending litigation against DMV for this but the case got dismissed because the person who initiated it was denied an initial title and never received one. I called his lawyer and said I have a good case because I was issued a title , had it for two years and now DMV wants it back. But of course I would have to pay for the lawyer and everything to bring a new suit. I'm not sure where Boeki got the info that it was legal to register with an out of state title. DMV says it is not. They just might not catch it right away. There are some people that had a title for 4 years and DMV wants them back. If anyone is in the same situation as I am and wants to chip in together for the lawyer let me know.
Given that I know many Alto's, and van's are in NY I think it's a truck thing that they figure out.. I would vermont the title to get any JDM registered at this point. If you want to put it into NY or whatever state your in, Add the max payload to the gross vehicle weight so that it looks heavier on paper and register it as a Pickup
A lot of the States have Statutes design to keep the “Off Highway Utility Vehicles” imported as left hand drive version and modified so they could not exceed 25-mph. They were imported from the late eighties to the early nineties, with the less than 25-mph mods so they didn’t have to meet emissions or safety standards. Now 25 years later we are importing the used vehicles form Japan, and they were designed ofr on highway use, and except for the specific statutory bans, would be licensable as collector/antique/classic vehicles, so long as teh were imported after the FHA’s 25-year restriction. So, you can roll into the DMV in the States that banned the minitrucks, and register the sister van with no issues, because the explicit definition of a minitruck, doesn’t apply to the vans.
Thanks for the info. I purchased a 1995 Suzuki Carry last week thinking I would be OK, after calling Boeki and seeing other mini truck owners successfully register their trucks in NY. I bought mine locally with a NY State Title. I have an appt Tuesday with DMV, keeping my fingers crossed. If I get denied then I would register it in Vermont.
Registered my 1995 Suzuki Carry today at NYS DMV, with Historical Plates and insurance. If the DMV cancels my registration, or asks for the plates and title back then I will try the Vermont Registration. I wouldn't mind supporting SuzyQCarry in her legal battle, but what I would be able to contribute wouldn't cover the lawyers lunch.
Well it didn't take long for NYS DMV to catch up with me. I registered the Suzuki on June 15, and received a letter yesterday June 24, only 9 days. The letter says: "It is the policy of NYS DMV to refuse to register or title any Japanese mini truck. The authority to make this determination is provided in 400-A of NYS Vehicle and traffic law. Unfortunately, a registration and license plates were issued on the vehicle and must be returned to the Motor Vehicle Office where the transaction was processed. Please be advised we have placed a prohibit on the Motor Vehicle record for the above referenced which will not allow you to renew your registration. In order for us to return your original proof of ownership, you must surrender the license plates to DMV office and obtain an FS-6T receipt. Once you obtain the FS-6T , please return it with a copy of this letter. Upon receipt of the FS-6T , we will adjust our records and return your original proof of ownership along with the proper form to apply for a refund." The letter doesn't say that I have to return the plates immediately, only that I can't renew the registration. so I guess I have up to a year with the current registration. I wonder if I will receive back the original NYS Title on the Suzuki, though they say they refuse to issue titles on Japanese Mini Trucks. I am mailing the paperwork for Vermont registration, hopefully there won't be any issues.
Fellow Long Islander here, was able to register and get plates for both my Honda Acty Street and Subaru Sambar. Both are vans, and the NY registration for the Sambar is listed as a van while the Acty Street was put in as a SUBN. I'm still waiting to receive my title for both. It's been a month since getting plates for the Sambar, and the Acty has only been plated for a week. I went to Bethpage for the Sambar and they were more well versed in the registration process compared to Garden City. Both transactions involved multiple discussions with the supervisors on duty. You mentioned that you purchased your Suzuki Carry from someone who had already been issued an NYS Title? If so, that's the first I've heard of plates being pulled from a second owner. Previously in this thread there was discussions about members having plates pulled before an NYS Title was issued and one after, but this is the first I've heard of plates being pulled once an NYS Title has been issued and sold to the next owner. If so, that's a bit concerning.
egoauto, I wish you luck. Hopefully the vans aren't an issue in NY. I thought there might be a chance that my registration would be flagged. I have submitted a registration to Vermont DMV. I turned in my NYS plates on June 30, and I only used the Truck 5 times out of the 15 days it was registered. I am interested in seeing what NYS DMV sends back as proof of ownership? Maybe the bill of sale that I submitted? I am assuming they won't return my NYS Title from the prior owner. I also don't have any import papers, as the prior owners said he submitted everything and did not make copies. So all I have currently is an expensive lawn ornament. Best of luck, and post the results here.
Hi All, I am happy to see some vehicles are getting registered and used on the road. I imported a 96 acty van this Spring from Japan. I have all the necessary paperwork and then some. I have now been to the DMV (Riverhead) 3 times only to get closer each time but ultimately rejected and given a number of a NYS supervisor in Albany. I would do anything to get this vehicle on the road, I have been reading this forum and taking all the advice(historic registration, Van not truck loop-hole) but still just getting angry DMV workers to tell me to come back when I have permission to register it from Albany, who also just tell me no. Do you all think it is worth going to Bethpage to try. If not can someone give me a quick intro to the process of registering and titling it in Vermont? I would greatly appreciate it!
I wish I could help you, I just received a letter from Vermont DMV. Quote: "These Micro trucks cannot be registered in the state of Vermont as they Do Not meet our inspection and Emission standards" Maybe my mistake was putting the body type as a pickup. I also was trying to register it in VT as an Antique, which I believe have no Inspections, so the inspection shouldn't been an issue. And I thought they were federally exempt from emissions due to their age. I tried calling Vermont DMV but the wait time was 128 minutes. Good luck and post the results here. I put the truck up for sale today, NYS took the Title and I have no import papers, only the bill of sale from the prior owner.
Why doesn't anyone listen? Final answer from someone who's been there and done that. NYS is not allowing mini trucks on the road. If you get denied, don't get mad about it. We told you. If you get lucky and fall through the cracks... good for you. They can still pull your registration down the road so you're possibly driving on borrowed time. You may get away with it. Good for you. Amir at Boeki is a nice guy... but he knows full well the mini trucks are not street legal in NY. He's just trying to make the sale. Again, nice guy, but he knows what's up. Vermont is not knowingly registering mini trucks either.
Going to different offices won't help. You may get lucky and get plates, but as soon as it gets to the titling office in Albany they will then deny you a title and make you surrender the plates. VT is not titling mini trucks anymore.
I guess I'm glad I didn't get under way with my drivetrain swap. I don't want to go through the effort of making it really street-worthy and then have my reg pulled. I've been lapsed on reg for 2 years... it's been titled for 4 years. I wonder if it would get caught or not, or when. And without a Vermont option...
Thanks for this info, could you share more about your experience in NYS? Saw in your signature that you have a Sambar - did NYS pull your title or refuse to title it? Did it matter that it was a van versus a mini truck? With all this talk in this thread, I'm trying to figure out if NYS DMV is only going after mini trucks or anything kei class in general. I have a Honda Acty inbound to the port and do not want to get stuck with NYS DMV taking all my documents, pulling my plates, and sending me back/leaving me with nothing.
Looks like Maine is pulling the same crap https://jalopnik.com/maine-is-cancelling-the-registrations-of-imported-jdm-c-1847362315
And there is no rhyme or reason to it either. Can anyone confirm what registering in VT and applying for antique plates is like as of this time? I see plenty of VT plates on cars I know are using the loophole, but have not heard of them pulling titles like NY and Maine has done.
Even though I do not have my Jimny anymore, Vermont sent me a renewal for registration. So I would say, if you can get them to title it, they won't pull it
I tried to register as Antique in July for the mini truck. They sent me a letter saying they don't register these "Micro trucks" as they Do not meet Vermont inspection or emissions standards. There was nowhere on the registration that stated the truck was Mini or Micro. I tried to call and get some clarification, but the wait times were over an hour. Last week after waiting over an hour I had 15 minutes left and then got disconnected. Maybe some are still getting registered, It is worth a try if you currently own a mini truck. If they deny you they will send everything back including the uncashed check, so there is nothing to lose by trying, but a stamp.
I'm in NJ, and curious. I currently only have the Bill of Sale on my '95 Carry. I was going to wait to go to the DMV (in NJ) till I got the title, which is still possibly 4-6 weeks out. Can I go to the DMV, with just my Bill of Sale & proof of insurance and register it as an antique vehicle, or do I have to wait till I get my title? If I could get it registered, that'd be awesome. Thanks in advance.
Hi there Day, I'm not sure about NJ, never looked at their web page, If the truck was registered in a state before, you should be able to just transfer like any other vehicle, but check NJ page first. Herb
Schedule an appointment – no walk-ins! Title (see information about titles) Driver’s license or other ID (See 6 Points of ID for more information). New Jersey insurance card or company name & policy number Completed Vehicle Registration Application Form (Form BA-49) Power of attorney if someone other than the purchaser is signing the documents Dealer reassignment documentation if applicable Lien holder information and financing statement if the vehicle is leased or financed. If transferred from another state, a completed Application for Certificate of Ownership Other documents you might need: If the purchaser is a company or business: Motor Vehicle Commission EIN (Entity Identification Number) If purchased at auction, and the vehicle is non-titled: Last previously issued registration document Notarized bill of sale Pencil tracing or photograph of the VIN plate If transferred from a state that issues titles, but the title has no NJ Dealer Tax Stamp: A purchase order. If transferred from a state that doesn’t issue titles: Pencil tracing or photo of the VIN Notarized statement from the seller that must include year manufactured, make, VIN, and selling price. Last vehicle registration card from the seller.
Thanks so much for that info. A little vague in a couple areas, but much more info than I realized would be available on their website. I got it from another guy that had it titled in New York City.
New to the site, I dont think there is any new news about sucess in registering a mini truck in NY but I figure I would ask. Thanks.
