Importing Euro Rangers to the States

[adsm08]

And, if he had the money to disassemble the truck & ship it over, he could ship the engine, cab & the bed over & just slap 'em on a US model frame. All of the Ranger SC pictures I've seen show the longer cab with the sawed-off bed.

Meaning that the frame is probably different. Most truck frames move up after the back of the cab.

I imagine the frame of this truck is probably more similar to a Sport Trac frame.

 

[ranger_mclaren]

I didn't read through this whole thread but there is a guy on the foucs that has a Focus RS. He lives in both mexico and here. Here most of the time he bought the car in mexico and drove it here. I'll see if I can find the thread for it. The car resides in Chicago with mexican tags.

Here is the story
http://jalopnik.com/5535150/2010-ford-focus-rs-first-us-drive

 

[straycat]

Or you could do it the legal way and it might make it over.

You can pay enough to make it happen.

If I remember correctly, in one of my Motor Trend magazine emails to the Editor about 1- 1 /2 years ago I read about a guy who was in the military asked about bringing home a 4x4 vehicle from Finland. It was a Toyota with massive fender flares and huge tall wide off road tires and a neat roof rack. Neat little truck/SUV. I can't remember what it was called. Motor Trend said they checked the laws and they also mentioned about the 4 door Rangers overseas only vehicals and this Toyota and said they will never be allowed in the states.
The editor said thet maybe some really rich collector would be able to bring it in and it would be for show and tell only or show exhibits but it would not ever be titled to run on any road.....but I wonder if it would be ok for off road use only??? Is there a way to do this I wonder?

 

[straycat]

I didn't read through this whole thread but there is a guy on the foucs that has a Focus RS. He lives in both mexico and here. Here most of the time he bought the car in mexico and drove it here. I'll see if I can find the thread for it. The car resides in Chicago with mexican tags.

Here is the story
http://jalopnik.com/5535150/2010-ford-focus-rs-first-us-drive

I tried 5 times to buy a new VW bug in Mexico (made from the original VW chassis and body and motor). I was stationed in San Diego (Coronado) back in the 80's. I went across the border and I rented a few bugs and drove them for a log time ad really liked them. I tried so hard to bring one back to the states (just across the border). I was refused several times and once the Mexican Government sent an official to meet me at the border to tell me and others who were trying as well to bring a car back into the states.

At that same time frame I had a beautiful '65 bug that my dad bought new in '65. My dad gave me that bug when I started the 10th grade. I sold it back in 1998. It was on it's second paint job and I had modified it with larger tires, upgraded 120 hp Impi motor with custom header and I changed the red interior to black that I did myself and it came out beautiful. I sold it back in '85 when I had to go for a 1 year deployment and my dad said I had too many cars sitting in his garages and car ports. I sold three of my cars and still miss them today. That bug never broke down and had no rust.

 

[adsm08]

.but I wonder if it would be ok for off road use only??? Is there a way to do this I wonder?

Absolutely. Keep your bill of sale, and get a custom title. Title it as an off-road or recreational vehicle. Even non-street-legal dirt bikes and ATV's have titles.

If you go through the right channels you may even be able to get a custom on-road title depending on your state's laws. My auto prof has a custom built vehicle title for is 72 Mustang. He put a 4.6 and 4R70W in it and refurbed the interior after the car was burnt out. He removed the VIN tag to clean under it and got caught when he went to title the car. Had to have the car re-vined and a custom title generated for it because of that.

Since you were in Cali with your bike, I find that possibility to have been unlikely for you. Montana may have let you do it.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

The Euro-Thai/Mazda based Ranger isnt that great, trust me. its bumpy as hell, and well, its an Asian Mazda, its made for the little folks in Asia.
looks nice and interesting, but its a plain Asian truck once the looks are settled.

Yes it has a diesel engine, but its slow as a snail, even the turbo ones.

Now the Argentinian made Ranger on the other hand
thats a true US Ranger cousin, it has the looks and structure of the US Ranger and a Real engine, worth having the Ranger body.
2 turbo diesel International engines. both power stroke, a 2.8 and a 3.0.
They both can beat a 4.0 V6 on a 1/4 mile run and beat one of the fastest Asian diesel trucks, the toyota hilux 3.0

 

[ZMan]

NO, NO and more of that!! You will not be able bring this vehicle back. I have been all over the world in the Military and I wanted to bring something back as well. I was in Japan, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Africa, etc. etc. I know several people who wanted to buy a neat car or a truck and they were not allowed to. Some people could buy a car that was allowed into America that the regulations stated they could be imported to America. Here is something that happened to me once:

I bought a very neat bike in Japan. It was an 85 Yamaha RZV 500R. It was a V4 (4 cyl) 2 stroke water cooled, aluminum framed light weight beast. I bought it in Japan in late 1985. It was new and the shop owner had it hidden in the shop under tarps. I just saw it and thought what exotic is this with the aluminum frame? I lifted the tarp and I saw it and my buddies and I were wooed by it since we all rode 2 strokes and loved road racing. I tried to buy it that day and the shop owner told me I can't take it out of Japan. He told me an my buddies 'No go to America. No go to America!! It stay here only, no America'. Well, I told him I was stationed on the base here and he said to come pick it up tomorrow. I got the cash and paid him that day. I had it crated up and got it to the base and then had it delivered to the ship and put it on the ship by my crew.
I brought it back to California and I got it set up and running. I had it titled in Arizona and rode it for about 6 weeks and then 6 of us got on our wicked bikes and rode to Laguna Seca (Monterey) for a weekend of GP Road Racing and a vintage HRA racer meet. People there were so stoked about my RZVR and could not believe that I was riding one around in America. On the way back from Laguna Seca I got pulled over by a CHP. He wanted to know how I got the bike to America. He said this bike is illegal here and it was not to be imported to America. Of course I would ride on the day that trooper boy the motor cycle head would be on duty, lol. He was going to call for a flat bed to confiscate my bike. He then noticed my military decal and asked my if I was active and I said I was. He then let me go but had me report to a motorcycle shop in Oakland. The shop owner knew the CHP (brother-in-law). He gave me some cash and I got a really neat Ducati 1000 Cafe' Racer that I really wanted. The RZV500R would only be used for road racing purposes from now on he said. Nobody had this bike in America before. So, I was one of a kind then..lol

My Girlfriends Grandfather had a similar story, one of his friends brought an RZ500 down from Canada, and after a couple months he sold it, about a week after he sold it he had feds knocking on his door asking where the bike was, said he sold it, has no idea what ever happened to the bike. It was right about the same time, mid-late 80s.

 

[Tonka]

My Girlfriends Grandfather had a similar story, one of his friends brought an RZ500 down from Canada, and after a couple months he sold it, about a week after he sold it he had feds knocking on his door asking where the bike was, said he sold it, has no idea what ever happened to the bike. It was right about the same time, mid-late 80s.

Just goes to show the federal government has WAY too much budget if they've got the funds to send their goons hunting down a motorcycle just because it was imported without meeting our stupid EPA or DOT regulations.

 

[bobbywalter]

seperate engine and chassis.


ship as parts


custom title as custom build manufactured by you. bill of sales for items as described by you.


set up in south dakota if you have too.


all are correct when its said it will never be allowed in the us....and it wont as titled from its actual original manufacturer.

****ing duh....you live in america, land of the free willing idiot electorate....use the fawking loopholes, they are there for a reason.

you put in the time and effort, you get close to what you desire....pursuit.

 

[straycat]

My Girlfriends Grandfather had a similar story, one of his friends brought an RZ500 down from Canada, and after a couple months he sold it, about a week after he sold it he had feds knocking on his door asking where the bike was, said he sold it, has no idea what ever happened to the bike. It was right about the same time, mid-late 80s.

I had the Yamaha RZ500. That was a metal framed 2 stroke. That you could buy here in America. I also had the RG500 two stroke Gamma (Suzuki). That you could buy here in America as well. The RZV500R I brought back from Japan was the race version. It was an all aluminum framed small beast that had an aluminum gas tank and a dry clutch set up and had over 135 hp. That was a beat to ride and I do miss it!!!

 

[straycat]

Some photos of the RG500 two stroke I was building back in 96-98. I had all kinds of two strokes for years. Eye candy for two stroke overs:

Suzuki RG 500 Gamma being put back together:

Stray’s garage and parts:

RG500 new body work and spare frame and my 74 Superlube Kawasaki hybrid (97 Suzuki GXR750 wheels and suspension mounted)

 

[bobbywalter]

Some photos of the RG500 two stroke I was building back in 96-98. I had all kinds of two strokes for years. Eye candy for two stroke overs:

Suzuki RG 500 Gamma being put back together:

Stray’s garage and parts:

RG500 new body work and spare frame and my 74 Superlube Kawasaki hybrid (97 Suzuki GXR750 wheels and suspension mounted)

niiiice