Does anyone know how I can get my hands on a BBx from Japan. Can anybody tell me if there is a company in the US that imports cars from Japan?

 

You'll just have to search for a reputable importer. I know someone that has been working on getting an OpenDeck bB brought over. He's still waiting. Guess they have to dis'assemble it then ship and reassemble.

 

have fun with emissions and safety regs. it'll probably cost about 15 grand to make it street legal.

 

ok, i was just wondering. thanks.

 

True but. Only if you live where you need to have it tested

 

Also, it's a bB in Japan. The BBx was the USDM 'concept'

 

the street legal price isn't as bad as you think. My state gave me a ballpark of around $7k to have it conform to regulation if I pursued it. But hell, for being the ONLY person that could qualify in the Toyota class at your local show and prolly sweep it up as well, it might just be worth it.

 

You are allowed ONE import per lifetime that does not meet US standards.

 

It would probably be cheaper to convert an xB to a bB.

 

The importing of vehicles is NOT a state issue--it is a federal issue. You have to bring the car to DOT standards. Yes--you might also have to bring to your states emission standards as well. The 15 grand price agrees with an article I read in Import Tuner magazine awhile back. You have to have the right lights, the right bracing in the doors etc..etc..

In the article it discussed that some people bring cars in under an exclusion for race cars not to be drivin on the street.

 

You're basically throwing all your money away, I mean why would anybody want to buy a secondhand imported bB when there are so many street legal xBs to choose from? Besides, we get "RS" bucket seats, manual option, a spare tire, and all 1.5L, so in a sense we've got it better, if you discount all the crazy accessories they sell for the bB.

I know in Japan you can get "body in white" shells if you have the right connections, so how about somebody ordering an Open Deck frame and registering it as a rebuild of a totaled xB? Hmmmm.....

Isn't there a loophole if you are member of the military though? I mentioned finding a 5 speed Discovery for sale once and by brother said it was probably imported by someone stationed overseas.

 

you have to bring at least 3 iunless there are already some or 1 that is on the list as being here they crash 2 and let you keep one it was in super street once

 

Do you mean to register a complete imported bB? What about title and license a bB Open Deck frame as a rebuilt xB? You know, only the frame of the bB, it would still be LHD and US-spec front bumper as that could come from an xB.

 

Vehicles that have been determined eligible for importation are assigned a vehicle eligibility number. All eligibility numbers are for left-hand drive motor vehicles except where right-hand drive (RHD) is identified after the model. While there is no specific restriction on importing a right-hand drive vehicle, these may not be imported under eligibility decisions based on the existence of substantially similar U.S.-certified left-hand drive vehicles. Our experience has shown that the safety performance of right-hand drive vehicles is not necessarily the same as that of apparently similar left-hand drive vehicles offered for sale in this country. However, we will consider the vehicles "substantially similar" if the manufacturer advises us that the right-hand drive vehicle would perform the same as the U.S.-certified left-hand drive vehicle in dynamic crash tests. Absent such a showing, the RI would have to demonstrate (through a petition) that the vehicle, when modified, would comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards, including those for which dynamic crash testing is prescribed.

This was taken from the NHTSA website concering the importation of vehicles.

When it comes to the registration of said RHD vehicles, the individual state has vehicle inspection procedures to determine how to register the vehicle.

Pretty much what i have gathered so far from the 5 minutes it took to research the subject, The NHTSA requires you to have documentation from Toyota stating that the vehicle will perform in United States just as well as its LHD counterpart, then the importing agency will be allowed to legally ship the vehicle without any infractions whatsoever. Then it is up to you, the consumer to have the vehicle inspected and registered in your state.

That is all.

 

I imagine Toyota of America would not produce such a letter, there is no reason for them to, because unless they are retrofitting it they cannot guarantee the necessary modifications for US bumper standards are met.

What about importing a bB Open Deck frame? Not importing it as a complete vehicle, but as parts.

 

^ a few years back, my friend was telling me that her cousin was importing a DC5 Teg Type-R but in pieces not put together.

 

yeah, I think for all intnets and purposes, but the bB 'shell' and place is on a US-Spec chassis that will fit. And, it will prolly turn out to be the cheapest option too.

 

Well, the shell is the chassis is the frame because this is a unibody.

If you want a plain bB, just modify an xB with the necessary parts. It would still be street legal. Importing makes no sense.

If you want an Open Deck (I would), buy a rearended xB with a salvage title, import an Open Deck frame, and be ready for a lot of work, because it would be exorbitant to pay somebody else to do it for you. Eventually register the "xB Open Deck" with the VIN of the salvaged xB.

My Dad is rebuilding a '46 Chevy pickup from the frame up, and we've swapped engines in late models cars before, so I guess it is possible...would have to brush up on my Nihongo or get a translator to source a frame from Japan.

What are all the countries where the Open Deck is sold? Maybe someone stationed overseas in the nearby Army base could help with the import from a country besides Japan.

 

the bB open deck was only sold in Japan but some made their way to singapore and I've seen one for sale in Australia.