Buy a german version ST, drive it in the US?

[TalkToTheFiST]

This question came up as i was thinking about how Ford has DC'd our gems. They still make them overseas though and it got me wondering, a country that drives on the right side has the steering on the left, is it legal/possible to buy one for use in the US? Not really wanting to do this but it was an interesting question. Is there anything in law or such that prevents us from doing this? If you found a car you wanted and shipping feels were doable, are we not allowed to do this?

 

[Fiestig]

Unfortunately no. There is a massive federal list as to reasons why the US sucks for car rules that need to be met.

Now with that said. The Pagani Huayra is about as illegal as it gets barely meeting any of the criteria, but yet over car week here there was a Pagani Huayra driving around that carried Montana plates. Most super/hyper cars that are illegal in the states will show up with Montana plates over car week.

So is it possible.. Sure. But it is temporary if anything at all and that will depend in the dollars you decide to throw at the situation

 

[rcnut14]

this was a big thing back in the early 2000's when the JDM thing exploded. the problem is not only do you have to import it, but then you have to bring it up to meet the USDOT standards. there were companies that did this, and they had long waiting lists and it could cost 100k+ for a car about the price of the FiST. Nowadays, it's probably even harder to do with import laws and the EPA being the EPA.

That is why most people wait till a car is old enough to be grandfathered in (AKA r34 GTRs as of last year)

 

[kevinatfms]

Unfortunately no. There is a massive federal list as to reasons why the US sucks for car rules that need to be met.

Now with that said. The Pagani Huayra is about as illegal as it gets barely meeting any of the criteria, but yet over car week here there was a Pagani Huayra driving around that carried Montana plates. Most super/hyper cars that are illegal in the states will show up with Montana plates over car week.

So is it possible.. Sure. But it is temporary if anything at all and that will depend in the dollars you decide to throw at the situation

Show and display law under FMVSS. It allows certain privately imported automobiles to be exempted, if the vehicle in question is deemed to meet a standard of "historical or technological significance".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_...le,"historical or technological significance"

A Pagani Huayra is on the list of exempt vehicles. A Fiesta ST would not be on that list.

 

[TalkToTheFiST]

Show and display law under FMVSS. It allows certain privately imported automobiles to be exempted, if the vehicle in question is deemed to meet a standard of "historical or technological significance".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_or_Display#:~:text=The "Show or Display" rule,"historical or technological significance"

A Pagani Huayra is on the list of exempt vehicles. A Fiesta ST would not be on that list.

Well we all know that's because those rich snobs have never driven one 🤣

 

[M-Sport fan]

this was a big thing back in the early 2000's when the JDM thing exploded. the problem is not only do you have to import it, but then you have to bring it up to meet the USDOT standards. there were companies that did this, and they had long waiting lists and it could cost 100k+ for a car about the price of the FiST. Nowadays, it's probably even harder to do with import laws and the EPA being the EPA.

That is why most people wait till a car is old enough to be grandfathered in (AKA r34 GTRs as of last year)

There was even a company in Colorado doing this sort of 'gray market' type thing for the Escort Cosworth RSes way back in the mid '90s.

But yeah, most likely it was over $100K when all was said and done.

Who knows if even that 'grandfather clause' will even go fully away in the 110% electric future though??

 

[jeffreylyon]

Who knows if even that 'grandfather clause' will even go fully away in the 110% electric future though??

Unless the world unifies safety standards there will always be an issue importing cars. Brits can't have the hot-rod Camero b/c the splitter is a danger to pedestrians. We can't have the Mk8 b/c the euro bumpers aren't stout enough. And so on...

 

[kevinatfms]

There was even a company in Colorado doing this sort of 'gray market' type thing for the Escort Cosworth RSes way back in the mid '90s.

But yeah, most likely it was over $100K when all was said and done.

Who knows if even that 'grandfather clause' will even go fully away in the 110% electric future though??

The 25 year import rule is still in effect. After 25 years you are free to import any vehicle you like without requiring to update it to FMVSS. Under that 25 year rule and the company importing them is required to bring it to FMVSS code which is beyond difficult let along requiring to prove crash test ratings exceed the FMVSS requirements.

My dad imported a rare 1985 Mercedes 500SE SWB back in the mid 80's during the "grey" market period. That timeframe of importing grey market cars lead to the eventual 25 year rule. Still one of the coolest cars my dad has ever owned.