Why does the US have a 25-year import rule?

The 25-Year Import Rule This also meant that any car that was 24 years or younger was illegal to import to the United States. This allowed car collectors to keep the old cars they had and continue importing if they desired. As tastes shifted, 25 years become too long to wait to keep car enthusiasts happy.

Why do JDM cars have to be 25 years old?

In America, JDM vehicles over 25 years old are easy to import and register. They are also exempt from all expensive safety, emissions and other import standards. Other advantages to importing older vehicles: Old cars are more pleasurable to drive.

Who really benefits from the 25-year import rule?

The Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act, commonly known as the 25-year import rule. It prevents individuals from importing new foreign-market vehicles without undertaking a lengthy—and costly—testing and federalization process. Proponents of the legislation claim the IVSCA keeps American drivers safe.

Is the 25-year import law still in effect?

The rolling 25-year rule replaces the previous pre-1989 rule (that allowed vehicles built before 1989 to be imported), only now you can bring in younger cars on a rolling 25-year basis. In 2019, the 25-year rule will include cars built in 1994, and so on.

How old does a car have to be to be imported to the US?

25 years old
As a general rule, motor vehicles less than 25 years old must comply with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) in order to be imported permanently into the United States.

Why is the Nissan Skyline GTR R34 so expensive?

A reason why the R34 might be rising in value is that its predecessors are dropping in price. For a time, the R32 was also pretty expensive, but that changed when it became import-legal for the U.S. and prices dropped. The R33 likewise is seeing shifts now that it’s more available.

Does the 25-year rule apply to motorcycles?

Yes, it does apply. I imported three motorcycles into the US under this exemption.

Why are R33 so expensive?

To recap, there are several key reasons why Skyline prices have been soaring: They were not particularly cheap cars when new to begin with (read our guides here to the R33 GT-R cost new and the R34 GT-R cost new for more information). Demand is shrinking due to the increasing age of the Skyline “fleet”.