Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Well hola out there to all of you Delica owners. I am but a humble citizen in the states below, Seattle to more specific. I have lived in BC on a student visa and after graduated have visited more times than one can count. In these travels I have come across numerous Delicas and, like all of you have just fallen completely in love with them.
There lies the question, is it at all possible to "import" (simply purchasing and driving over the boarder seems to easy) without fear they would take my beast away from me? I have been looking at the U.S. import laws and I see certain aspects but then I also read how there are ways around it. Does anyone have any solid info or tips as to where I should be pointed?

I do appreciate it, and hope to join the club not just with a screen name and a user account but with pictures of my new sweet ass Delica.

Cheers

welcome to the forum. use the search function to discover that you cannot import a delica into the US. sorry bud...

Short answer: you can't. There is a reason you don't see Delicas with Washington plates on them.

Long answer: you may be able to swing something. U.S. import law has many loopholes. We know Canadian vehicle import laws, but are not expert in the equivalent U.S. laws.

Addendum: if you come up with anything, please post it here. This question is asked a lot, but nobody ever posts any answers.

...laura

Duddly
I sent you a PM. I also posted an abbreviated version of the answer to this question on this string:
http://www.delica.ca/forum/usa-4x4-dies ... -3800.html

The reality is that yes, it is possible to drive what is for all intents and purposes a Delica in the US legally as a US citizen. It is not a straight import/export question however. It is a mechanical one. You have to have a Mitsubishi Vanwagon (87 - 90) and you have to know what you are getting into with it.

Read my post on the above string and you should be able to connect the dots. The Delica/Vanwagon connection is a bit tricky because they do have some key differences, but I've seen some amazing work in my days of building and restoring cars and I can tell you that virtually anything is possible if you have the right people helping you.

Good luck.

hi, i do have 1993 2wd delica in japan turbo diesel auto, mint shape direct fit for us model van. with 88 kms.
grade 4 & b, inside & outside in good condition.
if need it its available for sale,
cheers;
mardy

I too would like to know more about importing a Delica from Canada (BC) to the states. I am a Us citizen. living in BC.

i am not willing to accept no as an answer just yet, but i dont see myself doing the above 'reconstruction' with a mitsu wagon...

My lord do i want one of these...


Thanks, all!

goldieD wrote:I too would like to know more about importing a Delica from Canada (BC) to the states. I am a Us citizen. living in BC.

i am not willing to accept no as an answer just yet, but i dont see myself doing the above 'reconstruction' with a mitsu wagon...

My lord do i want one of these...


Thanks, all!

I believe that if you buy one while living here and are here with it for more than I year you can then take it back with you, not 100% on that, but I think it was mentioned before here.

About 10 years ago, I relocated to the US (temporarily) and brought my 71 VW Super Beetle. I did not think much of it until I went to license it... I was told that in order to get Ohio ownership papers to have it licensed I had to prove that it met US safety standards for the year in which it was manufactured. How do I do that I asked? I was told that I needed to take it to some US import place (can remember the exact name). I phoned them and asked what they do; they said they look for a DOT certification plate and if the car did not have one too bad!! I ended up just taking it in to some small town insurance agent who did not know I needed this inspection; so I lucked out. I also brought two cars back from the US and the process is similar; cars have to meet Canadian safety regulations; in this case there is some documentation for most cars that tells the necessary modifications; for my VW Passat no changes (obviously built for both US and Canadian markets); for my Honda it just needed day time running lights. Other more costly changes I saw in the documentation were seat belts systems and bumpber systems both of which could be very costly.

Details Monster wrote:About 10 years ago, I relocated to the US (temporarily) and brought my 71 VW Super Beetle. I did not think much of it until I went to license it... I was told that in order to get Ohio ownership papers to have it licensed I had to prove that it met US safety standards for the year in which it was manufactured. How do I do that I asked? I was told that I needed to take it to some US import place (can remember the exact name). I phoned them and asked what they do; they said they look for a DOT certification plate and if the car did not have one too bad!! I ended up just taking it in to some small town insurance agent who did not know I needed this inspection; so I lucked out. I also brought two cars back from the US and the process is similar; cars have to meet Canadian safety regulations; in this case there is some documentation for most cars that tells the necessary modifications; for my VW Passat no changes (obviously built for both US and Canadian markets); for my Honda it just needed day time running lights. Other more costly changes I saw in the documentation were seat belts systems and bumpber systems both of which could be very costly.

I could be wrong but it is very possible to be vastly different depending on the state. just a thought.