DaGip

Since I've been on line....

May 19th,2007 A drunk driver hit me and I flew off the highway. The driver was a 17 year old female that was heading back home from a grad party.

Here are the pics of the aftermath












What it used to look like....



I'm lucky as hell to be alive and this accident showed me just how fragile LIFE really is.

Its been a year since I've last gotten into a Honda, and I think its time to get back in one of em ASAP!


Now to my Question, I'm turning 20 this July and there is one gift I would like to buy for myself....

A 1998 Honda Type-R!

I've been looking around a few places to import one of them but I'm a lil scared of WHAT IF?

The car never makes it to the states? I Lose my money?

Here In St.Louis is a Shop called Adrenaline Motor Sports (http://www.adrenalinexxx.com/)

can do it for around 10-15K, I need to know how hard and how much does it typically cost to legalize them and get them registered?

I bought a 96 GSR shell in mint cond. for $400 which I will sell to my buddy Aaron for $8K once I swap in my ITR motor, Which then would leave me with my savings included around $16K

Also http://www.tradecarview.com/stock/ja...=1997&jid=2000

Has them for reasonable prices but I'm a little skeptic,


Any help would be appreciated,

-Alen.S

Spec R

16 grand is nice chunk of change.

have you ever driven the other options that 16k can get you?

sure, ITRs are bad ass cars, but they're obsolete and better options exist these days.

glad to see you made it out okay. that looked like a horrific crash.

TheOtherDave™

Good to see you made it through that horrific crash. :hs:
It's a testament to the strength of the DC's chassis.

If you have your heart set on a DC2 ITR, buy a USDM model.
Aside from RHD, the differences between USDM & JDM are IMO, trivial.

And as Spec R has noted, $16K will buy a hell of a lot more car these days.

FooD2000

Jesus man, glad you came out okay. That looks like a brutal crash.

I agree, i think 16g could better be allocated then an itr unless you just don't wanna put the time and effort into parts list + installtion of new parts (which i understand).

Spec R

on top of that, itr's get stolen like no tomorrow, and if yours does get stolen, you'll never get your 16g or close to it back.

jesusublime99

Alen, glad to see that your alive and kickin'...that was a super-nice Integra.

The few people I've met with RHD Type R's, were in the military overseas, bought the car in Japan, and had it shipped over with some kind of military shipping services. I don't know about registration though...here something I found on RB motoring, they used to import JDM vehicles:

RB Motoring is not longer a Registered Importer and is not importing any vehicles from Japan.

-Importing vehicles to the United States
How to import vehicles from Japan.

• Most Japanese market cars are right hand drive (RHD)
• Most vehicles sold in Japan do not meet United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)
• The Japanese vehicles do not meet US FMVSS as they were not built to meet these standards. This does not mean they are any less safe than a vehicle built for the US, it just means it was not built to meet US standards
• Japanese vehicles are not built to meet US emissions standards

Vehicle Importation Guidelines - US NHTSA

Vehicle legalization and registration
Most people can not grasp the difference between vehicle legalization and vehicle registration.

• Legalization a vehicle in compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and Environmental Protection Agency standards
• List of Non-conforming vehicles able to be brought into Federal Motor Vehicle Safety standards
• Registration - registration is the responsibility of the individual states and localities. Most states do not check to see wether a vehicle is federally legal. If they see the vehicle, and are paid the registration fees, they will give registration for the vehicle.
• Many people seem to get confused that if a vehicle is registered, that it is legal or "legalized". A registered vehicle is just a registered vehicle. Registration could still be revoked by the DOT, EPA, or customs service, if the vehicle was found to have entered into the country fraudentley.

Ways to import cars

Normally

• HS-7
• 3520-1 - http://www.epa.gov/otaq/imports/quikover.htm
• Customs approval

Abnormally

• As parts, a vehicle body with no engine and no driveline is not considered a vehicle by the NHTSA.
• In a container not declared as a motor vehicle
• As a Kit car. Kit cars are a very grey area. The Clean air act states if a vehicle is taken apart to avoid importation regulations, then that is a violation of the Clean air act. Mostly, if a body is imported, then the owner declares it a kit car, and reassembles it, its up to the states to register it.
• Driven across the border. US Customs at the border does not seem to check over most vehicles. Its not illegal to drive a Canadian vehicle in the US, so a vehicle that has been registered in Canada, would not get much scrutinty.

TheOtherDave™

Long story short, it's an absolute crapshoot trying to import a contemporary Japanese vehicle to the US.

Considering what $16K can buy over here, it simply isn't worth the risk of having U.S. Customs seize and destroy a JDM ITR.

Spec R

since no one has pointed it out...

driving an RHD car SUCKS in the US.

- drive thrus
- parking structure ticket dispensers and checkouts
- getting out on on the curbside with a lowered car = sometimes not even being able to get out
- making left turns against traffic = cant see oncoming traffic
- getting used to the turn signal stalk being on the right side
- overtaking trucks on 2 lane highways = head on collision

and this is on top of the added attention from thieves, law enforcement, and whatever else.

DaGip

Yea I'm surprised how sturdy the chassis really is, if it were to bend or twist just an inch more my head would have been cut off

Dude thanks on all the info, appreciate it a lot....

Yea the curb issue has been addressed by my mother earlier today as we were talking about it lol

I really would love to own A RHD Honda ITR but you guys all pointed out good things on why I shouldn't get one.

How bout this, for the $16K I get I do a RHD Conversion myself?

My Cousin and Uncle roughly have 30 years of experience when it comes to Honda's and building cars...

What do you guys think?

-Alen

DaGip

Since my uncle bought a 96 GSR back in 99 I've fallen in love with them, I'm a DC2 Fan at Heart and want to build a REPLICA of the Cookie Monster,

an S2K at the moment is out of my reach, I make roughly $400 A week and start school in the fall, so now you see why a DC2 is more suitable for me at the current state!

-Alen