Skylines are "Contraband" ??!?!??!

[Genji-Sama]

Skinny: If you own a skyline and it's not a 96-98 R33 GTS/GTR, you'd better hide your car or the gov't will steal it
http://autoholics.com/2011/03/02/U-S--Government-Turns-Up-the-Heat-on-Skyline-Owners-508206

[msanch24]

Should be fairly simple for a skyline owner:

1) Get in your skyline
2) Drive away and watch the blues try to keep up

No, but seriously, thats total shit. I hope this doesn't pick up steam.

[RL...]

as long as the skyline has proper wheel fitment then the government doesnt care

[JessAlba452]

Hmm...guess they're really getting serious now. :/

[-S Double C-]

theres a few around here that might come up msising then lol

[uho]

damn man that would blow if its true

[NENE]

That's BS we pay Money to get the cars here for what?.... to see them take it away thats just Bull, Underground Garage Sounds like a must XD

[rmeyer114]

i heard about this same exact thing happening like 7 months ago.. i think its a load of shit.i dont know why they just didnt produce this car in US in the first place..itd be fuckin baller to have the 3 sickest cars in the US ..imo the supra skyline and FD rx7

[RBS]

thats dumb, stupid government. so does this mean all r32's and r34's are banned? because in the link it clearly shows a r33 being taken away... if thats the case, Krappy better hide that beauty of his :no:

[alpine_aw11]

I've always been curious about why the R33 is the only Skyline that's legal to import/register. Even if I had the money I don't think I would ever buy a R34, it's one of my top 5 favorite cars ever but the risk of having it taken away with zero compensation is a horrible thing to think about.

[Nerdsrock22]

I've always been curious about why the R33 is the only Skyline that's legal to import/register. Even if I had the money I don't think I would ever buy a R34, it's one of my top 5 favorite cars ever but the risk of having it taken away with zero compensation is a horrible thing to think about.

Because that's the only one that Motorex went through the processing of getting approved. And it's only the R33's that Motorex sold (as they made the necessary modifications). I could be way off base, but that's how I understand it.

[RL...]

This news is like 8 years old....

[redmanhart]

Everyone bitches about it, but bottom line is the cars are not legal to operate on our roadways. Regardless of how much money you spent to get it, it's still illegal in one way or another. If the government decides to confiscate your illegal car, then it sucks to be you and you have now flushed countless thousands of dollars down the drain. Congratulations.

[Echonova]

Because that's the only one that Motorex went through the processing of getting approved. And it's only the R33's that Motorex sold (as they made the necessary modifications). I could be way off base, but that's how I understand it.A little off. MotorRex sold R32's R33's and R34's...


One would think since Motorex imported R32’s, R33’s and R34’s years ago that they’d be legal as well, that is where things get sticky. When Motorex originally petitioned to the NHTSA to obtain approval to import Skylines they jumped through all the hoops the government required except one, crash testing. Most people did not learn of what Motorex did until the following of their shut down by the government and one would have to ask the question, WHY? Where Motorex screwed the pooch was the crash testing of Skylines to obtain a stamp of approval from the NHTSA on it’s safety compliance package to meet FMVSS. The law requires non-conforming vehicles not approved for import to be crash tested and have the subsequent data approved by the NHTSA before the vehicles can be cleared for import, sounds easy right? Motorex did in fact hire a company to conduct crash testing, however, they only crash tested one car, a R33, and the submitted data was then approved. All good and well? Not so much. The approval that Motorex pushed through the NHTSA was that R32’s, 33’s and 34’s were to be imported and the crash testing data from the R33 was used for all 3 models under a “substantially similar” clause that was later challenged in 2006 when the VCP-17 approval of Skyline imports for R32’s, 33’s and 34’s was reconsidered by the NHTSA. It was decided that the 3 models were far too different and the fact that there was no crash test data to support the R32’s and R34’s sealed their fate and got them removed from the non-conforming approval list at the NHTSA. The approval for import was later redesignated VCP-32 and only covered 1996-1998 R33’s both GTS and GTR varients.

[TIGERJC]

Because that's the only one that Motorex went through the processing of getting approved. And it's only the R33's that Motorex sold (as they made the necessary modifications). I could be way off base, but that's how I understand it.

The first part is correct. Motorex also sold r32 and r34 and claimed they were legal but they never did any of the testing on them to meet epa and safety standards like the r33 they did. Also most of the r33's they sold never went though any modifications to bring them up to epa and safety standards which was mandatory in order to sell the r33 over here under their bond from the government.

Ever since Motorex the government has been actively going after shops that claim they can legally import skylines in to this country for use on public roads. I believe 2 years ago they shut down the shop that imported Paul Walker's skyline

[Genji-Sama]

Everyone bitches about it, but bottom line is the cars are not legal to operate on our roadways. Regardless of how much money you spent to get it, it's still illegal in one way or another. If the government decides to confiscate your illegal car, then it sucks to be you and you have now flushed countless thousands of dollars down the drain. Congratulations.

The problem is not that it's illegal, it's the fact that people purchased the car thinking it was a legal purchase and it being confiscated with their tax dollars. Whether it's legal or not it's still stupid as hell. What if it was all of a sudden illegal to own Nismo350z, now ur shyts towed, sucks to be you. Same idea. And even so there are plenty of more things I'd rather the gov't be exporting from the country with my tax dollars, not cars that can only do as much harm as the drivers allow them, which they could do with any car

[TIGERJC]

99% of owners of skylines know the risk and those same people dont think they will ever see the consequences of their actions. LOL at ICE for going at the forum owner to send a message to the skyline community, because members on that board go around claiming that people can import skylines without fear of forfeiture. We had one of those members on this board about 3 years ago preaching that bs.

Those people trying to get around the law I feel no remorse because you're playing with fire and you better be a legal expert or have a lawyer on retainer playing around with federal laws

[RBS]

Because that's the only one that Motorex went through the processing of getting approved. And it's only the R33's that Motorex sold (as they made the necessary modifications). I could be way off base, but that's how I understand it.

years ago i read the main reason R33's were legal was because of the fact they use the same exact chassis as our USDM 240SX. again, i read this years ago so that article could of been wrong too LOL

[redmanhart]

The problem is not that it's illegal, it's the fact that people purchased the car thinking it was a legal purchase and it being confiscated with their tax dollars. Whether it's legal or not it's still stupid as hell. What if it was all of a sudden illegal to own Nismo350z, now ur shyts towed, sucks to be you. Same idea. And even so there are plenty of more things I'd rather the gov't be exporting from the country with my tax dollars, not cars that can only do as much harm as the drivers allow them, which they could do with any car

That's the thing, my car was legally sold here in the states, so I have no fear of that happening to my car. Like Tiger said, virtually all owners of imported Skylines know the risk beforehand. If you want to spend that kind of money knowing that the outcome could be that your car could eventually be confiscated because you decided to bring it into the states illegally, then you are retarded. Just my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I like Skylines, but when you know the risks of owning one in the states illegally, you have no right to bitch when the Feds decide to take it.

[Elbow]

WHO CARES? It's a car, move if you want one, although in GA none of this holds anything, I know three R32s state registered and insured as a Skyline.

Hell outside of Athens down a dirt road there is a kid with an R32 GTR sitting in his back yard under some grass just chilling.

[allout13]

WHO CARES? It's a car, move if you want one, although in GA none of this holds anything, I know three R32s state registered and insured as a Skyline.

Hell outside of Athens down a dirt road there is a kid with an R32 GTR sitting in his back yard under some grass just chilling.

feds can come to GA and seize skylines just as easily as they can anywhere else.

federal law>state law

[TIGERJC]

feds can come to GA and seize skylines just as easily as they can anywhere else.

federal law>state law
Troof!

Federal law always trumps state law unless the feds allow states to make the decision. Thats why if California made weed legal it would mean nothing because the DEA can still bust you for breaking federal law even though state law allows it.

[Jonathan12uiz]

That's the thing, my car was legally sold here in the states, so I have no fear of that happening to my car. Like Tiger said, virtually all owners of imported Skylines know the risk beforehand. If you want to spend that kind of money knowing that the outcome could be that your car could eventually be confiscated because you decided to bring it into the states illegally, then you are retarded. Just my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I like Skylines, but when you know the risks of owning one in the states illegally, you have no right to bitch when the Feds decide to take it.

OK I thought I would chime in because word does have to get out.

What you are missing here man is not the fact that the skyline is deemed illegal, but the fact of why and what is happening to them. The reason for them being deemed contraband is total bs, BUT the real thing to worry about is the large sum of money the government is spending investigating, confiscating, exporting, etc. on not just skylines but other cars too.

You may not think this pertains to you, but it does. It does to everyone on this forum. Car modifications like jdm engine swaps (even honda swaps) fall under the same damn category as a skyline. "contraband" that means they could take that too.

What we have to do here is push to make a change in vehicle/parts importing laws to get what we all want... freedom. freedom to drive and do what we want to OUR cars.

It would actually help this cause if you look into it and work towards helping the cause.

Your saying you have no right to bitch when the feds are taking our skylines, but you should bitch when you know how much of YOUR money they spent just to take someone else car. They spent more money than they made on the car from taxes.

[Jonathan12uiz]

99% of owners of skylines know the risk and those same people dont think they will ever see the consequences of their actions. LOL at ICE for going at the forum owner to send a message to the skyline community, because members on that board go around claiming that people can import skylines without fear of forfeiture. We had one of those members on this board about 3 years ago preaching that bs.

Those people trying to get around the law I feel no remorse because you're playing with fire and you better be a legal expert or have a lawyer on retainer playing around with federal laws

were you registered on skyline forums. NO ONE is going around claiming we are above the law and that you can import without fear or consequences. the forum was made to EDUCATE current and future owners on all aspects of owning a skyline.

We are already working on legal action for not just the forum creator but of all tuners and vehicle collectors.

Its not funny that the creator got his crap taken, he was accused for illegally importing several JDM vehicles for people and selling contraband (which he did not do) if you read the article he let them take the skyline because he was about 50/50 in trusting the paperwork that came with his skyline. it was deemed illegal so he sold it.

now that he has nothing more to lose, he is the frontman in fighting to get the laws changed.

You should help... instead of poke fun, because like I said in my last post, its not just skylines that they can take and it's not about the skyline itself, its about why it's illegal and how much the govt is wasting on these cases.

[CaTcH22]

^^ Same concept as "Cuban" cigars. This is OLD news. The feds can take ANYTHING from you that is not U.S. legal, the skyline just happened to get the hit this time...

[Jonathan12uiz]

^^ Same concept as "Cuban" cigars. This is OLD news. The feds can take ANYTHING from you that is not U.S. legal, the skyline just happened to get the hit this time...

yes very old news. what we are trying to do is at least change the vehicle/part importation laws to let people get what they want & to STOP the govt. from spending large amounts of money just to take them.

MAIN THING IS TO EXPOSE AND STOP THE GOVT. FROM WASTING OUR MONEY ON DUMB SHIT LIKE THIS.

[TIGERJC]

were you registered on skyline forums. NO ONE is going around claiming we are above the law and that you can import without fear or consequences. the forum was made to EDUCATE current and future owners on all aspects of owning a skyline.

We are already working on legal action for not just the forum creator but of all tuners and vehicle collectors.

Its not funny that the creator got his crap taken, he was accused for illegally importing several JDM vehicles for people and selling contraband (which he did not do) if you read the article he let them take the skyline because he was about 50/50 in trusting the paperwork that came with his skyline. it was deemed illegal so he sold it.

now that he has nothing more to lose, he is the frontman in fighting to get the laws changed.
There is no reason for me to even browse that forum as I have no intentions of owning a skyline. But I have come across members on that board on different forums I frequent.
I want to hear what legal action you think you guys can take. Basically throwing money down the drain to even try and fight it.

You should help... instead of poke fun, because like I said in my last post, its not just skylines that they can take and it's not about the skyline itself, its about why it's illegal and how much the govt is wasting on these cases.
You can make that argument " You're Next, so please support us". All the other people in this thread cars were legally imported and sold in the states so you can't compare the two. The gov't can go after illegal imported and modded cars (not feasible), but skylines are that wow factor that grab headlines and since the first fast and furious the Feds have been actively going after the illegal importers of that car and others. Ever since the big bust of Motorex I have not understand why you guys keep pushing your luck. All it takes is a DOT officer to spot your car on the highway and know what it is and its over even though it has a state tag.

[Jonathan12uiz]

There is no reason for me to even browse that forum as I have no intentions of owning a skyline. But I have come across members on that board on different forums I frequent.
I want to hear what legal action you think you guys can take. Basically throwing money down the drain to even try and fight it.

You can make that argument " You're Next, so please support us". All the other people in this thread cars were legally imported and sold in the states so you can't compare the two. The gov't can go after illegal imported and modded cars (not feasible), but skylines are that wow factor that grab headlines and since the first fast and furious the Feds have been actively going after the illegal importers of that car and others. Ever since the big bust of Motorex I have not understand why you guys keep pushing your luck. All it takes is a DOT officer to spot your car on the highway and know what it is and its over even though it has a state tag.

The only reason our skylines are being taken vs a jdm swapped honda is because we have designated vins... you can easily find us in the system. The swapped honda will not state next to the vin that the car has been modified. Basically we are just easy targets.

The fact of the matter is @ least we are trying to change things. The reason it failed in the past is because there was no frontman willing to take all the heat and no financial backing.

This time we have both.

I'm not telling you to help so that we won't lose our skylines, I'm telling you help stop the wasting of our money for the government to do this kind of thing. There is NO justification behind the vehicle/parts importation laws right now that should warrant the use of tax dollars, in an already in debt country, for taking property from individual.

If your going to help, it would be appreciated. But saying that no one should care is the wrong idea.

I'm not telling you this because I'm 'scared' they will take my car. I knew what i was getting into and I have all the documentation I need. if they deem it contraband then so be it. I got what I wanted... whats fucked up is that the govt. is taking it with no justification... and they used our money to do it.

As for what legal action is being taken right now, that is on Steve. He is the head for this and there are several plans that are underway that we will reveal as the time comes, we are all laying low and concentrating on the task at hand. If we get this done though, you'll be thanking the handful of people that got shit done for the rest of you. While you ridiculed us.

[redmanhart]

You keep bringing up the argument that we should be angry at the government for spending money on confiscating ILLEGAL property, but the fact of the matter still remains that if people were not bringing the vehicles into the country ILLEGALLY, then the money spent on confiscating them could be used for other, more useful things. Like I said earlier, you know the risks. If you play with fire, you may get burned.

[TIGERJC]

Your best bet is to do the epa and safety tests and then make modifications to meet U.S. standards instead of just pouting because the law was around before you ever even considered a skyline. Its going to cost prolly close to a million to do that but go ahead and try that weak attempt you mentioned earlier. Better yet have all skyline owners sign a petition with their names and addresses to show the Feds yall mean business, I bet they will listen.

[Jonathan12uiz]

You keep bringing up the argument that we should be angry at the government for spending money on confiscating ILLEGAL property, but the fact of the matter still remains that if people were not bringing the vehicles into the country ILLEGALLY, then the money spent on confiscating them could be used for other, more useful things. Like I said earlier, you know the risks. If you play with fire, you may get burned.

See the problem is also that even vehicles that were imported legally are having issues. Cars with proper documentation and such. We are trying to get the laws change so that the whole tuner community can benefit. Like i said, your help could be appreciated.
You have to think on why the govt. deem JDM engines, cars, etc. illegal... why when we should have a choice. Either way thats all I'm trying to point out to you guys. If we actually get more support we might accomplish things faster. And i'm not asking you to donate money or anything. Several people have given us good contacts and such to aide in the process. help is help. What I don't understand is the fact that so many people don't care even though they dip their hands in it more than they know.

[Jonathan12uiz]

Your best bet is to do the epa and safety tests and then make modifications to meet U.S. standards instead of just pouting because the law was around before you ever even considered a skyline. Its going to cost prolly close to a million to do that but go ahead and try that weak attempt you mentioned earlier. Better yet have all skyline owners sign a petition with their names and addresses to show the Feds yall mean business, I bet they will listen.

what weak attempt are you referring to? I did not and will not leak any information about our process publicly. Because if we are going to change something or do something different, we don't want any hic ups. as of right now the budget is 20K a month. Its going towards paying some of the actions required. All I'm saying is if we get more supporters... we can get stuff done, or at least give it one hell of a shot. If it works then EVERYONE benefits.

[TIGERJC]

Basically giving a lawyer money to just whine in a court is what I was referring to, and nothing will change. If you guys collectively bought 3 of each skyline you wanted to be legal here and did all the testing and then made the necessary modifications to your personal skylines to meet the standards that would be better use of the money then just making a weak attempt in court.

[Jonathan12uiz]

Basically giving a lawyer money to just whine in a court is what I was referring to, and nothing will change. If you guys collectively bought 3 of each skyline you wanted to be legal here and did all the testing and then made the necessary modifications to your personal skylines to meet the standards that would be better use of the money then just making a weak attempt in court.

who said we are doing that? we are not basing everything on a single court case. we not just using money for only lawyers. it seems like your assumption of skyline owners is a bunch of meatheads that think they are hot shit and don't know anything. There is a lot of information out that that we are looking into, don't just think that we think we are elite and everyone else is crap. All the skyline owners I associate with are good guys.

[Bacon]

No court will rule against the government; plain and simple. Anyones best bet is to find a few rich people that are willing to help the cause, ask them to buy several Skylines, wreck them for testing purposes, propose ideas to modify it to meet Federal guidelines to where the government is satisfied, and go from there. Anything else is just a perfect waste of money. It sucks for the Skyline owners here in America that want to cherish a "legendary Japanese sports car" but face the facts. The government will do what they please and nobody can stop them. Sell the Skyline to someone and buy something that they don't care to take or buy something that you won't lose your ass on.

Just my two cents but something tells me what I just said has already been said. I haven't slept in a while so excuse me if that's the case.

[Jonathan12uiz]

No court will rule against the government; plain and simple. Anyones best bet is to find a few rich people that are willing to help the cause, ask them to buy several Skylines, wreck them for testing purposes, propose ideas to modify it to meet Federal guidelines to where the government is satisfied, and go from there. Anything else is just a perfect waste of money. It sucks for the Skyline owners here in America that want to cherish a "legendary Japanese sports car" but face the facts. The government will do what they please and nobody can stop them. Sell the Skyline to someone and buy something that they don't care to take or buy something that you won't lose your ass on.

Just my two cents but something tells me what I just said has already been said. I haven't slept in a while so excuse me if that's the case.

once again... this whole operation is not a court case ruling. Just letting you guys know so maybe we can find more help, but I'm done with trying to explain things... if you would like to help PM me. any is appreciated.

[01CDMLUDER]

Yeah I've heard and seen an article about Cali going after jdm swapped engines now... It's not just skylines..they're even going after honda's with swaps..which I don't get?

The problem with skylines is that the r33 was the only one really tested and has dual airbags.. I don't see how some other company hasn't tried to legalize them except for the fact that it would cost a lot to just crash one..

Other countries have them and they aren't as expensive..

There's really no reason why it's illegal.. I see dune buggies driving around

We should all email Paul Walker and tell him to crash test the R32 and R34..since we know he has the money and he is the reason a lot of people want one lol

Someone said they have the same chasis as the 240... Then couldn't you break one down and send it here as parts? Maybe from Canada?

They really are wasting time and resources on something that not that important.. Is it more dangerous for someone to drive a skyline, pinto, or modded old muscle cars that don't get crash tested?

[Genji-Sama]

You keep bringing up the argument that we should be angry at the government for spending money on confiscating ILLEGAL property, but the fact of the matter still remains that if people were not bringing the vehicles into the country ILLEGALLY, then the money spent on confiscating them could be used for other, more useful things. Like I said earlier, you know the risks. If you play with fire, you may get burned.

:headslap::headslap: (logic fail)
1) while we're at it, why don't we ask bank robbers to stop robbing* banks so that the cops can get a day off
2)then, ask yourself why are skylines illegal in the states? That's the case i think a lot of ppl are attempting to make. The feds are wasting a lot of money exporting a product that poses no immediate threat to anyone. And a lot of ppl who bought these cars through Motorex, thought they were doing so legally. So why should they have their investment seized?!? They didn't go into anything assuming a risk.

[nreggie454]

:headslap::headslap: (logic fail)
1) while we're at it, why don't we ask bank robbers to stop asking banks so that the cops can get a day off
2)then, ask yourself why are skylines illegal in the states? That's the case i think a lot of ppl are attempting to make. The feds are wasting a lot of money exporting a product that poses no immediate threat to anyone. And a lot of ppl who bought these cars through Motorex, thought they were doing so legally. So why should they have their investment seized?!? They didn't go into anything assuming a risk.
Double fail. I would definitely say that stopping bank robbers falls under "other, more useful things" police can do.
Skylines have been seized pretty regularly for the past few years so there really is a known risk unless you are completely oblivious to not-so-current events or gullible with shady salespeople. To get them legalized would take way too much money and time for the fight to be worth it.

[Genji-Sama]

Double fail. I would definitely say that stopping bank robbers falls under "other, more useful things" police can do.
Skylines have been seized pretty regularly for the past few years so there really is a known risk unless you are completely oblivious to not-so-current events or gullible with shady salespeople. To get them legalized would take way too much money and time for the fight to be worth it.

I guess it was partially due to my typo, but I was saying that the likelihood of ppl just ceasing the import of skylines is about as likely as a bankrobber not robbing a bank b/c u asked him to. Not that stopping bankrobberies is less important than exporting illegal cars