Hi all. We found this forum on an internet search. My wife is from the Bacolod City Negros Occidental Philippines and has an Autozam Carry Van. She bought it in 2011 but we had to leave it behind when she came to the US. We were talking and I was wondering about the challenges of bringing it here. Import requirements, costs, pitfalls, etc. Also I was wondering how challenging it would be to get parts. The van runs pretty well but most problems are electrical in nature. It is fun to even talk about and I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.
Might be less costly to just sell it and find something to buy already in the states. Not sure what you would have to do to get it exported from here but the Philippine Government is a nightmare to deal with in any way and may require quite a bit of "greasing of the palms" along the way to get anything to happen. I live in Iloilo City next Island over from Negros and across the strait from Bacolod City. I have been trying for the last 2 years to get some property legally transferred and it has been nothing but a headache every step of the way and is not done yet. Fred
I'm guessing you will run into all sorts of problems. 1) Your vehicle has to be tested to meet US emission standards. If it meets the standards, there is a decal on the air cleaner or valve cover that states it. It could be rejected by Customs and returned if the decal is not there. 2) If you did get it here in the States, it is only legal in PA as a Low Speed Vehicle or off road. The problem is you cannot bring a regular street vehicle into the Country and then decide to change it to an LSV. IMHO
Thank you for the responses. PA is one of the few states (I think 4 states?) that does not have LSV registration--or at least did not have it when I was still inspecting cars. It is the easiest to take a vehicle that is at least 25 years old and title it as an antique. All emissions, etc are then waived. While I realize it is expensive to transport a vehicle from the Philippines, I was curious to hear from someone who did it, what it cost, and how they did it. It was something we joked about and this will add to our conversations. Again, thanks for the responses.
