“Old Japanese cars, about 400 in danger of “”destruction””? GT-R or Supra to be destroyed? ‘Fraudulent imports’ are a big problem in the U.S.! Stolen “”VIN numbers”” released!
Distributed on Thursday, March 31, 9:10 a.m.
400 “”Fraudulent Imports”” Uncovered in Florida, U.S.A.!
There was an incident in which 400 old Japanese cars were illegally imported in Florida, USA.
How did it happen and what will be done with the 400 cars?
Image] This is terrible…! Look at the list of stolen “”VIN numbers””! (26 pictures)
Cars illegally imported into the U.S. may be “”destroyed”” in the future (images shown).
In the U.S., there is a system that allows vehicles that have been manufactured in the U.S. for 25 years to be imported into the U.S., even if they do not comply with the FMVSS, the U.S. security standard.
This is commonly known as the “”25-year rule”” for importation. This rule was originally enacted in 1988 as a law to regulate the importation of German cars, such as Mercedes-Benz, into the U.S. as parallel imports (new cars) for sale.
The rule was later relaxed in 1998 because it was deemed too strict, and was revised to allow importation into the U.S. even if the vehicle has not conformed to FMVSS as long as 25 years have passed since its manufacture.
This is the current “”25-year rule. However, in some states, even though importation into the U.S. is allowed under the 25-year rule, some vehicles cannot be sold or registered.
The number of slightly older Japanese cars brought into the U.S. under this rule began to increase around 2010, but particularly explosive growth occurred around 2014, when the Nissan “”Skyline GT-R (BNR32 model)”” released in 1989 marked 25 years since its manufacture.
The “”illegal importation”” of approximately 400 old Japanese cars discovered in Florida this time is also related to this “”25-year rule.
Simply put, “”Florida importers and dealers falsified documents and other information on Japanese cars that were not subject to the 25-year rule, imported them from Japan, and sold them to general users residing in the United States.
These 400 vehicles were stripped of their titles and all were contraband (prohibited goods).
The company was to be handled as a
What will be the future treatment of these 400 cars? In similar incidents in the past, many of them have been confiscated and “”destroyed”” for violating the law.
I don’t want to think about these precious old Japanese cars being destroyed, but what is really going to happen to these 400 cars?
We asked Rob Stumpf, a reporter for the American automotive media “”THE DRIVE”” who is covering the case.
–what is the status of the 400 cars now?
It is believed that the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and others are still investigating dealers not named in the report so far.
All 400 vehicles named in the report have had their registrations canceled, their titles revoked so they cannot legally travel on U.S. roads, and they are uninsured.
–Is there a possibility of destruction?
In the past, the U.S. has taken measures such as impounding and destroying these types of vehicles.
However, at this time, no agency has announced that they are actively seizing the 400 vehicles.
There is no guarantee that they will be destroyed (crushed) after being seized, but it is hard to say.
–Is it still under investigation at this time?
It appears so. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) would not answer questions about the ongoing investigation.
However, the FHP and the Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle Administration (HSMV) have the same communications agency and can provide some information.
Old domestic cars, about 400 in danger of being “”destroyed””? GT-R or Supra to be destroyed? ‘Fraudulent imports’ are a big problem in the U.S.! Theft “”VIN”” numbers released!
What types of vehicles were illegally imported and by what means?
Rumors of a particularly high rate of fraudulent imports in Florida have been pointed out since around 2012 by the rightful importers.
Between 2014 and 2021, each vehicle was investigated individually, and to date, approximately 400 vehicles have been detected.
The unauthorized importers were arrested, and in March 2022, a list of about 350 of these vehicles (including a few German cars) was released with their names, VIN numbers, and dates of purchase. There is also information that a significant number of unauthorized imports have taken place in Florida.
Part of the “”VIN list”” of illegally imported cars (image has been processed)
The letters in the list in the image mean “”VIN”” (VIN number in Japan), “”SALE DATE”” (the date the vendor sold the car to the general owner in the U.S.), and “”TRANSFER DATE”” (the date the title was transferred to the owner).
According to the author’s (Kumiko Kato) research, the most common car models are as follows.
Nissan “”Skyline GT-R”” (BNR32/BCNR33/BNR34) and 88 other cars in total
Nissan “”Silvia (S15)”” 30 units
Toyota “”Supra (JZA80)”” 28 units
Honda “”Integra (DC2/DC5)”” 23 units
Honda “”Civic Type R”” 14 units
Mazda RX-7 (FD3S model): 7 units
Many of these cars are popular sports cars in the U.S., such as the following. Some of these models are very rare, and many of them are priced at 10 million yen or more.
So how were these approximately 400 illegally imported cars imported? Before we begin, let us review the main methods of bringing parallel imported cars into the U.S.
1. The car has been manufactured for more than 25 years. (25 year rule)
2. Even if the car is less than 25 years old, it must meet FMVSS safety standards, etc.
3. Even if the vehicle is less than 25 years old, it must meet the “”Show or Display”” method (when a specific model is imported as a display vehicle. There are various restrictions on driving, including a limit of 5,000 km or less per year).
In addition to these three methods, automobile manufacturers and automobile-related industries are also allowed to enter for research, investigation, and testing purposes.
The simplest of these methods is to apply the 25-year rule (1), while the second method requires destructive testing on actual vehicles and is considerably more expensive.
The third method is limited to certain types of vehicles, such as those with historical or technical value, or those produced in small numbers.
The 400 cars that were caught in this case were illegally imported by the following methods.
Falsifying stamps on customs clearance certificates and other false declarations for registration.
Creating false proof of sale (e.g., false address or name)
Prepared false documents that made it look like they complied with FMVSS standards.
Falsified documents to make them look 25 years old when they were manufactured less than 25 years ago.
Sold to customers by showing them a false vehicle inspection certificate (or similar document) that appeared to have been issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation to reassure them that the vehicle was safe.
These methods have been reported.
There is no possibility that any of the 350 vehicles on the list include cars stolen in Japan around 2012-2020.
The list includes all car models, so we recommend that you check the VIN numbers if you know of any.
If you do not have the VIN number and do not know the VIN number, you can check the automobile insurance and liability insurance that you had at the time, maintenance records, and records of dealers and other dealerships.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)”
