My quest for a proper Delica here in the USA!!

[FalcoColumbarius]

Although I was born and brought up in Canada, I learned to drive in London, England (lived there for eight years). When I moved back to Canada it took me two or three weeks to master shifting with my right hand (nothing like stalling out in a major junction on a sunny day with your windscreen wipers on).

When I first took my wagon for the test drive, it was the first time I'd driven a RHD since leaving the UK ~ yet shifting came so easily, like I'd never left the UK. My wagon is an automatic but the use of the other hand after twenty-five years was still comfortable. Within the year I got to try a manual Delica and it was still comfortable. Odd thing is, I'd remembered shifting in England as first gear was top right, but after actually shifting the manual Delica my hand's memory was definitely top left. Odd that.

Falco.

P.S.: In any RHD vehicle that I drove in the UK, the indicator wand was on the right or door side of the steering column.

[Mazdax605]

I was wondering if there is anyone in the area of Coombs county auto that could check out the 87 Delica that I am intersted in for me. I would love to fly out, and have a look at it myslef, but I am not sure if I can do that now. I may just go on Coombs word, and another set of eyes while having a importer bring it over the border for me so it can be shipped cross-country. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Mazdax605]

Anyone available to help me out with the inspection of the Delica? Also anyone interested in transporting the van from Coombs to Seattle if I get the paperwork sorted out? I will pay you for your time.

[DR1665]

Seeing this reminds me I to take a deep breath, relax, and know I've got a couple years to go.

Oh yes, I'll have my facelifted crystal roof darling. Together we will explore the American southwest in style.

Good luck, mate. The dream is still alive.

[Mazdax605]

Anyone able to help me out? I really want the van, but need advice or help in getting it down to Seattle for shipment across the USA to me.

Chris

[Mr. Flibble]

Anyone able to help me out? I really want the van, but need advice or help in getting it down to Seattle for shipment across the USA to me.

Chris

It is going to be EXTREMELY difficult for someone other than yourself to bring it across the border. It would be better to have it crated and shipped to Quebec so you could go and get it (with BC plates - you can't insure it in Quebec) and then drive it to NY/Vermont and then home.

[Mazdax605]

Anyone in the Surrey, BC area that can look at a van for me? I think the shipping to QC, or ON is a great idea, and will make my life a lot easier. Thanks for the input.

[DR1665]

Bump!

I contacted a registered importer here in Arizona. No response.
I contacted a registered importer in New Jersey. Said it would cost US$10k+ on top of the Delica.
Finally broke down and called the guys I should have called in the first place - RightDrive in Toronto.

Very excited. Still a year out - I want a 90+ - but I'm on the path. Very excited to be moving on this dream, however slowly at this point. :)

[Mr. Flibble]

Bump!

I contacted a registered importer here in Arizona. No response.
I contacted a registered importer in New Jersey. Said it would cost US$10k+ on top of the Delica.
Finally broke down and called the guys I should have called in the first place - RightDrive in Toronto.

Very excited. Still a year out - I want a 90+ - but I'm on the path. Very excited to be moving on this dream, however slowly at this point. :)

You know it is not that expensive to hop on a plane to Vancouver. I used to travel on flights out of YVR all the time when I was a consultant. As long as you have a passport it should only set you back about $400 for a one-way fare.

Then you could just drive the deli home.

[DR1665]

You know it is not that expensive to hop on a plane to Vancouver. I used to travel on flights out of YVR all the time when I was a consultant. As long as you have a passport it should only set you back about $400 for a one-way fare.

Then you could just drive the deli home.

This is true, but my biggest concern is 100% US federal legality. Seen far too many videos in recent years of Homeland Security "protecting us from terror" by seizing grey market vehicles and crushing them. As long as I've been wanting one of these, I'm not about to risk pissing all that money away by not having a 100% bullet-proof, air-tight title.

Ideally, I want a facelifted model, which being 1991 (right?) means I have to wait until 2016, but maybe there's a way around it. Importing via Toronto would mean I could drive past Niagara Falls (never been) in it on my way to the DSM/Evo/GTR Shootout in Norwalk, Ohio, on the way home, which would be epic.

[Mr. Flibble]

You know it is not that expensive to hop on a plane to Vancouver. I used to travel on flights out of YVR all the time when I was a consultant. As long as you have a passport it should only set you back about $400 for a one-way fare.

Then you could just drive the deli home.

This is true, but my biggest concern is 100% US federal legality. Seen far too many videos in recent years of Homeland Security "protecting us from terror" by seizing grey market vehicles and crushing them. As long as I've been wanting one of these, I'm not about to risk pissing all that money away by not having a 100% bullet-proof, air-tight title.

Ideally, I want a facelifted model, which being 1991 (right?) means I have to wait until 2016, but maybe there's a way around it. Importing via Toronto would mean I could drive past Niagara Falls (never been) in it on my way to the DSM/Evo/GTR Shootout in Norwalk, Ohio, on the way home, which would be epic.

There is no way around the VIN number.

There are 2 things that the feds care about.

1) The VIN build date - the vehicle must be 25 years old from date of manufacture to be exempt import issues.
2) The EPA regulations on the engine. The engine must be over 21 years old from date of manufacture to be exempt.

If you meet those two criteria, you may import the vehicle. If you fail to do so, it will be denied entry. The vehicle will only be crushed if you continue to seek entry with it - which would be illegal.

If you buy in Vancouver, and cross at Blane, the worst that will happen is that you have to return the van to the dealer. If you buy in Vancouver and try to cross at Niagra, you will be stuck in Ontario with a van you can't import!

In your favour - the people in Blane are quite familiar with Delica's. They have allowed the import of a few. The people in Niagra have not. Oh, and Gas/Diesel is cheaper in the US, so if you plan on driving across the continent, it is cheaper to do so in the US.

[jpk503]

Hire a broker. They are worth the $500. They know the deal and sometimes even the agents (who can be subjective about imports). I can't recommend a broker by land since I brought mine in via boat. There should be plenty of freight companies you could call that import stuff all the time. You'll just need to have the title and such lined up. A good broker will be able to walk you through the process. US Customs was a breeze for me (I used MainFreight) - signed a few papers, gave them a few scans and before I knew it, my Deli was sitting at the port in Seattle.

[DR1665]

There is no way around the VIN number.

There are 2 things that the feds care about.

1) The VIN build date - the vehicle must be 25 years old from date of manufacture to be exempt import issues.
2) The EPA regulations on the engine. The engine must be over 21 years old from date of manufacture to be exempt.

If you meet those two criteria, you may import the vehicle. If you fail to do so, it will be denied entry. The vehicle will only be crushed if you continue to seek entry with it - which would be illegal.

Agreed. No way around the VIN. Thus my preparations for purchasing a 1990 Super Exceed sometime in 2015.

I'm sure there are ways to "sneak" one in early, and it's entirely probable that some people manage to register them at the state level, but I'm doing this 100% legit. No grey area. No doubt.

If you buy in Vancouver, and cross at Blane, the worst that will happen is that you have to return the van to the dealer. If you buy in Vancouver and try to cross at Niagra, you will be stuck in Ontario with a van you can't import!

In your favour - the people in Blane are quite familiar with Delica's. They have allowed the import of a few. The people in Niagra have not. Oh, and Gas/Diesel is cheaper in the US, so if you plan on driving across the continent, it is cheaper to do so in the US.

I'm going to use RightDrive.ca for this purchase. They come highly recommended by a good friend who used to be the editor of Sympatico's Autos (now autofocus.ca) and now works for RM Auctions. They're located in Toronto, so I suspect any unlikely issues with importation would be less than an hour's drive back to RightDrive HQ.

My dream - if I have the patience to wait so long - is to pick the truck up there, slip between the lakes via Niagara Falls (never been), then follow the Erie coastline west through Cleveland (where I'm originally from) pick up my wife and daughter, en route to the Buschur Racing DSM/Evo/GTR Shootout in Norwalk to show off to all my DSM/Evo buddies before driving the rest of the way home to Phoenix. Of course, if the Delica arrives before then, I'll probably just have it delivered to Phoenix.

Hire a broker. They are worth the $500. They know the deal and sometimes even the agents (who can be subjective about imports). I can't recommend a broker by land since I brought mine in via boat. There should be plenty of freight companies you could call that import stuff all the time. You'll just need to have the title and such lined up. A good broker will be able to walk you through the process. US Customs was a breeze for me (I used MainFreight) - signed a few papers, gave them a few scans and before I knew it, my Deli was sitting at the port in Seattle.

This. As I mentioned above, I've been emailing back and forth with Michael, General Manager at RightDrive, and he's been very helpful. I've got no worries whatsoever. I'll buy the van in Japan, it will be insured for transit across the pond, then RightDrive will clean it up, tune it up, and give it a thorough once-over before getting it titled in my name and on a truck to Phoenix.

In some ways, this is almost easier than buying a used Toyota from a local dealership. Very excited.

[glenn]

Just curious, why ship it all the to Toronto when it will arrive on the west coast from Japan en route to Arizona? It can't be cheap to send it all that way by rail. Most of the qualified importers are here in BC.

[DR1665]

Just curious, why ship it all the to Toronto when it will arrive on the west coast from Japan en route to Arizona? It can't be cheap to send it all that way by rail. Most of the qualified importers are here in BC.

Good point, mate. Definitely something I'll ask Michael about. I've got rally friends who live in Long Beach and I'm fairly handy with a metric socket set, so if the van could sit in quarantine for a week while paperwork is finalized and shipped to me, I suppose I could pick it up at the port, scoot it 10 minutes up the road to a garage with tools, and tune it up myself.

Still, there's something nice about knowing professionals will handle everything for me and deliver a clean, ready-to-run Delica right to my door in another country.