New Delica owner...from the US!

[jpk503]

Certainly not the first Delica owner from the US but just picked up a 1987 Deli. It took me 9 months of searching various global classifieds before finding this one in New Zealand. Most down there are campervans that change hands quite a bit and are in rough shape. To make things more difficult, it had to be a 1988 or older - wanted to keep it legal. I got a 1987, TD with 160k. Paid $3K USD if you're interested and more than that for shipping/customs. It can be done but it's tough.

Picked it up at the port in Seattle and took it right to the coast for some surfing/camping for the first 2 nights. It was a bit risky not knowing how it would run but after connecting the battery and adding fuel, it started right up so I didn't have any hesitation to christen it with a surf.

Lots of mods planned as it'll see it's fair share of surf trips to Baja and beyond. I'll know doubt be relying on the community for some direction and will be sure to post my projects as well.

Hit me up if anyone ever heads through Oregon!

[nxski]

I love seeing more Delica's popping up in the states. Nice ride!

[konadog]

Rock and Roll man! Slider windows too - nice.
Welcome to the club :)

[delichris]

Great to see me Delica owners popping up in the US. I'll probably be down in Hood River/the Oregon coast this summer.

-Chris

[nvanadm]

Sweet ride. So glad to finally see them going to the States. Why did you purchase from New Zealand and not just BC or somewhere in Canada?

Did you have much trouble with insurance and registration? My wife is American and we may move to the U.S. some day (maybe). We have a '93. Not sure how much work it would be to get it there once it's eligible.

Enjoy the new ride!

[jbsocdelica]

Way to go! We're new deli owners / surfers as well.

http://www.delica.ca/forum/hello-from-v ... 14787.html


Ok, that should be a phrase: NewDeli complete with a green sticker)[/colour]

Really dig those racks and I too would love slider windows!

We're coming up from California in the next while on the way up to BC in our newly acquired machine. We hope to surf Oregon and Washington.

Be great to have two surfing delica's in the same spot, South of Canada. Stay in touch.

Peace and congratulations!

New Deli

[thedjjack]

Nice love the old square headlights (I have a 1989)

Do not forget to do the timing belts, oil seals, tensioners, and check the cooling system...

Warm it up nice and slow and cool it down nice and slow....and enjoy

[DartmouthBrian]

Nice!!! US owner here too! Live up in Seattle. What part of Oregon are you in? Would love to hear about your importing experience! PM me if you can.

[mikethemotorbike]

Sweet another Deli owner that surfs. I too just aquired a Deli last week and have been making surf trips to Washington and Oregon for years. Would be cool to link up and make and official Deli surf trip up the coast.

[jpk503]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Sweet ride. So glad to finally see them going to the States. Why did you purchase from New Zealand and not just BC or somewhere in Canada?

Did you have much trouble with insurance and registration? My wife is American and we may move to the U.S. some day (maybe). We have a '93. Not sure how much work it would be to get it there once it's eligible.

Enjoy the new ride!

I looked everywhere. Seriously. Well except for India and the Middle East since translation was an issue. Canada didn't have many pre-1988 or any that I could find on the market - the whole 15yr. v. 25yr thing. You'll have issues getting a '93 into the US, has to be 25yrs + to do it legally.

Nice love the old square headlights (I have a 1989)

Do not forget to do the timing belts, oil seals, tensioners, and check the cooling system...

Warm it up nice and slow and cool it down nice and slow....and enjoy

Thanks for the feedback. Luckily all the difficult/expensive engine work was all done less than 6 months ago - I got the receipts from the mechanic. Timing belts, seals, water pump, etc.

Sweet another Deli owner that surfs. I too just aquired a Deli last week and have been making surf trips to Washington and Oregon for years. Would be cool to link up and make and official Deli surf trip up the coast.

That sounds great. I'll be in Neah Bay (just across the strait) for a Warm Current Makah kids surf camp in mid-July. I'll send you the details.

Cheers,
John

[nvanadm]

Not sure how much work it would be to get it there once it's eligible.

Ya, I understand it need to be 25 years old for U.S import. I was just wondering how much work it would be once it's eligible.
Did you have a hard time with insurance and registration?

[Mr. Flibble]

Not sure how much work it would be to get it there once it's eligible.

Ya, I understand it need to be 25 years old for U.S import. I was just wondering how much work it would be once it's eligible.
Did you have a hard time with insurance and registration?

Yep, 25 years is the requirement for NHTSA - the federal crash testing certification. The EPA has a lower requirement, but it is the NHTSA crash testing cert that gets you.

It is the same thing that prevented Bill Gates from bringing his famous brand new Porsche into the US.

If you have all the paperwork, what you need to do (if you are bringing it in from Canada) is show proof of purchase and proof of the age of the vehicle and VIN. You also need a temp license plate from Canada.

Once you have that, you will have some paperwork from the Border Police, that they will stamp. Once you have this paperwork DO NOT LOSE IT! Apparently you cannot get another copy.

Take the paper you were given by border patrol, and bring it to licensing - you might have to work to find the right person who understands what to do with it, but they should issue you a "new" VIN. This is a VIN designed to tie your vehicle into the systems in the US as the Japanese VIN won't register.

You may then be required to run the vehicle by your Local State Highway Patrol for an inspection (to ensure Speedometer Compliance etc).

Once you have all this, you should be good to go.

The most difficult part of the whole process is getting that stamped bit of paper from the border services.

[mikethemotorbike]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Sweet ride. So glad to finally see them going to the States. Why did you purchase from New Zealand and not just BC or somewhere in Canada?

Did you have much trouble with insurance and registration? My wife is American and we may move to the U.S. some day (maybe). We have a '93. Not sure how much work it would be to get it there once it's eligible.

Enjoy the new ride!

I looked everywhere. Seriously. Well except for India and the Middle East since translation was an issue. Canada didn't have many pre-1988 or any that I could find on the market - the whole 15yr. v. 25yr thing. You'll have issues getting a '93 into the US, has to be 25yrs + to do it legally.

Nice love the old square headlights (I have a 1989)

Do not forget to do the timing belts, oil seals, tensioners, and check the cooling system...

Warm it up nice and slow and cool it down nice and slow....and enjoy

Thanks for the feedback. Luckily all the difficult/expensive engine work was all done less than 6 months ago - I got the receipts from the mechanic. Timing belts, seals, water pump, etc.

Sweet another Deli owner that surfs. I too just aquired a Deli last week and have been making surf trips to Washington and Oregon for years. Would be cool to link up and make and official Deli surf trip up the coast.

That sounds great. I'll be in Neah Bay (just across the strait) for a Warm Current Makah kids surf camp in mid-July. I'll send you the details.

Cheers,
John

Sounds good. Let me know and ill see what I can do to swing that way.

[mikethemotorbike]

Hey John, just wondering if you're still headed to Neah Bay. I have some time off starting on the 12th and will be looking to catch a couple waves and take the Deli on its first road trip. Let me know your plans and maybe we can meet up somewhere. Cheers.

Mike

[josh]

Great colour... or would that be color? since it is now an American Delica.

josh.