Does anyone have any experience with the 25 year rule on kei trucks? I can import a Nissan Skyline, a vehicle that was never designed for the American market, and under the 25 year rule it can be titled, registered, insured, and driven on the road just like any other car. Same applies for any other vehicle you could import from Japan. There are existing laws for kei trucks restricting their use on public roads. Everyone knows that right? Would they still apply to a kei truck that was imported the same way you would a Nissan Skyline? As in not imported as farm equipment, imported as a road vehicle. In my mind those laws shouldn't apply since those laws are in place for vehicles that weren't imported for road use. You should be able to drive it anywhere you want. I have one in Japan about to get on a boat and be shipped over here. I'm doing the same paperwork that was done for my friends Skyline GT-R... My state doesn't really have any mini truck laws, but they known not to be allowed on the street. But I'm going to give it a shot, if it doesn't work out I can always sell it to someone else for off road use I guess?
Depends on state Im in Indiana and last month when I titled my 89 Acty truck (imported as a passenger vehicle, duties paid) I called the main bmv office and asked this question. "if my truck is dot and epa exempt, why would I have to title it as a mini truck and not be able to go on the interstate?" I have a 1972 Honda N600 that is street/interstate legal, what is the difference in a 32hp 1,100lb car and a 34hp 1500lb truck? she basically said if it was imported as a car, it can be titled as a regular passenger vehicle (similar to a ford ranger). so all I had to do was VIN inspection and bring the paperwork in and that's it. In 10 days I had my plate/title Ill be doing the process again tomorrow on my 91 Acty Street Van
Awesome. That makes me feel better. So they are exempt from mini truck laws if titled as a passenger vehicle like I thought then. I was looking for laws and Indiana had some very specific rules for mini trucks. I expect to get pulled over a lot until the cops learn that it's legal....
yea, Indiana is pretty technical on a lot of things. and its funny, all the specs are weird. it says no less than 1600lb or something like that. most are less. it says no less than 660cc, mine was 550. it says top speed no more than 60, I have GPS confirmed 70mph. so the rules didn't really fit anyway which state are you in?
I am in Kentucky. Eastern part of the state so I expect getting a title with the Japanese title and bill of sale is going to be fun.
Here in P.R. I registered mine under the 25 year law. I paid taxes for it, went to the DMV with a special supplemental paperwork that I was given and they registered it as a regular pickup truck. I can drive it anywhere I dare to. I am doing my next one in about a week. I was told I had the first and only one legally done on the island. PIA but it was well worth it. BTW, I read somewhere that you can register it online thru the state of Oregon and get plates for it, then you could get the title a lot easier in any other state.
Not sure how I missed this response. That should not be hard. It's legal to do so. Mine took about 45 min at the bmv. The export certificate from Japan acts as the "title". So it's basically like a out of state title transfer that they have to manually enter everything in.
mine is currently on a ship in the gulf of mexico. I will update you in a 2-3 weeks when I take possession of it
I live in Oregon and they are very specific about mini trucks. No legal way to drive in on the road except as farm equipment to anther part of the farm. Only title you might get in Oregon is as an off-road vehicle like a side by side.
The same applies here in KY but if you have the papers it's not classified as a mini truck anymore it's a passenger vehicle. Mine passed through customs as a road legal passenger vehicle, it's going to come with all the papers to have it registered for road use. All I gotta do is go pick it up later this week and do the normal vehicle registration process. In my mind that should apply to any state except California.
I received my truck, picked it up in Baltimore and registered it. Nobody faught me over it, it all went pretty smooth. I paid a customs broker to do my paperwork and that made the process very easy. I now own a federally street legal Suzuki carry. I drove it a town yesterday quite a bit, it's a lot of fun. The highway isn't too bad long as aren't trying to do 60.
Wow Nice rides! I am a proud owner of a 91 Cary myself! And now I am thinking of finding a 96 VW T4 transporter (TDI Pick up)! What all did the fees cost? (if you don't mind me asking)
I don't remember exactly what the fees were, with what I paid the customs broker plus all the import costs it was $500-600 state side to get it into the country. The actual fees vary depending on the vehicle and is value, it also depends on the port and what ship it comes in on. I can't comment on a 96 VW as its not legal under the 25 year rule. That's a whole other ballgame I know nothing about.
The 25 year rule is something that has been very confusing because what could be accepted in one state could be totally different in another state. This is question that we've had to deal with as we handle lots of people asking us, "Will I be able to drive this in Oregon?" and such questions. Although I have heard of people use a few twists to get their vehicle registered and drive them road legal, I think sometimes it is good to know of these restrictions. There is an article that we posted a while back and updated it recently containing states and what restrictions apply. Check it out here Mini Trucks Restrictions in various states Hope it helps someone clear things out.
From the way I understand it those "restrictions" are for off-road use mini trucks. If you import it under the 25 year rule legally its not a mini truck, it's a passenger vehicle. My Kentucky state title says it's a passenger vehicle so it's no different than any other vehicle on the road.
Didn't know that they can be classified or registered as "passenger vehicles" and don't know if that applies to every state. Will dig deep and find out more on this as well. Yea I have heard many cases where they are registered as pickups and I also think that the 25 year rule isn't as tough as most of us take it.
Im starting my search now for a 96 VW T4 transporter TDI! I own several VW Diesels and the idea of a VW TDI pick up really has my attention!
2021 seems like a long time to wait to bring in your Transporter. I think I'd wait a couple years to start that search!
^^^^^ exactly correct. The importers importing newer than 25 yr have screwed the people that want to play by the book and import for road use. Now The name "mini truck" to government screams illegal. Which is silly because I can import a van that is literally the same thing, just missing some metal, and nobody has a problem. Same thing with a kei car. It's not the speed or the engine size or even vehicle size that's "illegal". It's the fact that these trucks had been imported under a loophole and are completely and 100% illegal to drive on the streets BECAUSE the import paperwork didn't claim it, nor pay duty on the fact that it's a passenger vehicle. Because it is. But if you call it a 4 wheeler (it's not much bigger) then you could import a 2010, but it is NOT legal per the dot AND epa. Over 25 it's exempt as long as the paperwork was correctly filed. It's that simple.
The 1996 T4 Transporter was the first year of the TDI 1.9 turbo diesel! So that's only 4 years! Im starting my search now! It took 2 years to get a legal Mini truck! Do you know of anyone importing from Germany?
