Importing a Type R to the USA - Info

[4DoorITR]

I wanted to create this thread for people interested in importing foreign-market type R's (focusing on ITRs from Japan). Prices of USDM and landed JDM examples are exorbitant, while JDM examples are still relatively affordable.

What is legal to import?
The general rule is that the vehicle must be 25 years old based off of date of production OR date of first registration, whichever is older. JDM Integra Type Rs do not have build dates to the best of my knowledge, rather they have a "build range" based off of chassis number. Below is info I copied from ClassicRegister:

"1996 Spec R cars:

DC2-110 or DB8-110 – built from October 1995 - August 1996.
DC2-120 or DB8-120 – built from September 1996 - December 1997.

1998 Spec R cars:

DC2-130 or DB8-130 – built from January 1998 - June 1999.
DC2-140 or DB8-140 – Built from July 1999 – July 2001 (including Rx).

Note, Rx cars can be identified by their “DC2-140” chassis number, along with their uniquely numbered plaque located under the handbrake in the centre console. No other JDM Type R’s had a numbered plaque."

For example, my R has chassis number prefix DB8-120 which means it is a late 96 or 97 build vehicle. My export certificate shows date of first registration in January of 1997 although some paperwork shows it as a 1996 vehicle. My car landed in January of 2022 to be safe.

How do I find a car?
From the Facebook group "I got screwed by shady JDM Importers":
Exporters:
Pacific Coast Auto Pacific Coast Auto
VK Drive
VK Drive - Car Export out of Japan
Midoriworks Japan MidoriWorks Japan
Zap Auto Export Zap Auto Export
Auto-Portal www.autoportal.co.jp
RT JDM Performance Moacir Tanoue
Stacked Exports, Inc.

You can contact one of these exporters (I used MidoriWorks) and they will be able to find/purchase/ship the vehicle to you. You can also use a site like Goo-Net to find a vehicle and forward that to the exporter. For a fee, exporters will travel to dealerships/auctions and inspect vehicles if desired. Be sure to ask for auction sheets and maintenance records.

Show me the CarFax!
Japan uses Car-VX instead of CarFax. They can provide you with a history report which includes registration, maintenance/accident history, and auction history. For a small fee (worth it!), they will translate any auction sheets in the report. Auction grades have gotten less reliable over the past few years, so it is worth it to pay your exporter for an inspection.

I found the car I want and inspection determined it is good! How do I buy it?
This may vary from exporter to exporter, but Midoriworks asked me for a $2000 deposit before securing the vehicle from a dealership. Once the vehicle is secured, you wire/ACH transfer the rest of the funds. I used Wise.com to perform an ACH transfer as this is more secure IMHO. There will be some fees incurred by the money transfer service, but nothing exorbitant.

How does my car get to me?
You will communicate with the exporter to set up a shipping date/location. My car was exported ASAP to the Port of Baltimore. Your cost of shipping may or may not be rolled into one big bill the exporter gives you. I have no idea how much shipping was because I paid "CIF" (cost, insurance, freight) versus "FOB" (free on board). Basically, CIF price includes the vehicle and all shipping costs from Japan to the port.

The exporter will forward you all necessary documents such as export certificate, invoice, shipping information, etc. DO NOT LOSE THESE DOCUMENTS. I retain hard copies and virtual copies of all of the documents myself. I HIGHLY recommend getting in touch with a customs broker at the port of your choice to get your car off the boat and cleared by Customs. The broker will need all of the paperwork that the exporter sends to you. The cost for the customs broker and port landing fees will be a few hundred dollars, maybe $1000 if you import a very nice example. Again, well worth it to pay the broker (~$250 ) to handle all of the paperwork. Your agent will contact you when your car clears customs.

To access the port, you will need a TWIC card or Common Access Card (government/military) ID card. Other options include paying a TWIC escort to take you to the vehicle or simply paying a shipping service to retrieve the car for you. The customs broker will have more information regarding this. If you are picking the vehicle up yourself, bring a trailer (duh), jump pack (ESSENTIAL), some plywood shoring for the trailer ramps, general toolset, and fluids. At the Port of Baltimore, the cars are sitting with the keys in them and the batteries drained. Take the car home!

How do I register and insure the vehicle?
Your state of residence should have a guide for registering imported vehicles on their DOT website. Pennsylvania requires a form MV-1 which is normally reserved for car dealers. Your tag office/DMV will fill this paperwork out. Other than that, registering the vehicle is exactly the same as any other car you'd purchase in the USA. Provide them with all of the necessary paperwork and convert the JPY car price to USD for tax purposes. Modern US vehicles have 17 digit VINs while JDM vehicles have 10 digit chassis numbers. The state will issue you a new vin. For example, my chassis number is DB8-1200887 and my VIN issued by Pennsylvania is 0000000DB81200887.

I would highly recommend insuring your import through a collector insurance company such as Grundy, Hagerty, or American Collectors. I went with American Collectors as I was not old enough to be insured by Grundy at the time and Hagerty was very pricey. Regular insurance companies will insure your vehicle (Progressive, USAA, etc) but might not be as helpful in the event of a total loss/etc.

(This is a living document, I'll continue soon!)