Quote:
Originally Posted by Helgeson
I bet nobody would stop you from buying a 130i in Germany and bring it to the States. I guess the problem arises when you want to stick CA plates to it, just like mentioned above.
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US Customs will stop you. The car will be stopped at the dock and it will sit in customs until one of the three things happens:
1) A Registered Importer puts down a bond equal to 150% of the price of the car -- in order to take the car, modify it, and get it on the list of cars approved for import. (You have to be a Registered Importer to do this.)
2) The vehicle is put back on a shipping container for confirmed exportation from the US.
3) The vehicle is dismantled and destroyed by an approved dismantling company.
Until one of these things happens, it will just sit in customs.
IF somehow it gets into the US by lying to Customs (Tijuana?), the vehicle will always be subject to impound. Even if you manage to legally license it in some state, it will always be subject to impound. A state licensing agency can't superceed the federal regulations on imports.