**Official Petition**Change Auto Import law from 25 to 15yrs

[skunk.werkz]

http://wh.gov/b6q

This is a legitimate online petition for the whitehouse.gov website. the government is spending unnecessary funds hunting down people who own and operate imported vehicles newer than 25 years. these laws were completely orchestrated and enacted by special interest groups at Mercedes Benz because they were upset about people importing MB's into the United States from Europe and the like.

If the petition reaches 25,000 electronic signatures before December 9th the whole thing will be brought up officially to discuss a possible change in laws.

Please, if you support the automotive enthusiasts and their rights to own cars that are legal in every other country but the United States and if you are against the United States spending frivolous amounts of money on completely irrelevant issues, take 5 mins of your time and sign up. You won't be spammed, this is an official whitehouse.gov petition

Thanks

-Andrew Kaminskas

[vintage AE]

That's some crazy shit that happens in the States. I am a Toyota enthusiast and wouldn't own any other make. I'd be pissed if the Canadian government seized my trucks.

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

No worries. Help is on the way!(no, not the Rise Against song)

[youtube]zUA2rDVrmNg[/youtube]


EDIT: BTW I saw there was a Hitler video about this, but I couldn't click on it for fear I'd piss my pants...

TRIPLE-DOG EDIT: Sorry for the slight breach of etiquette by skipping the "Double, Double-dog and triple" edits, but I couldn't help myself and I hit the Hitler youtube vid about this. At one point he says "My brain don't work so good." and I now have to change my pants...

[Charlie don't surf]

http://wh.gov/b6q

This is a legitimate online petition for the whitehouse.gov website. the government is spending unnecessary funds hunting down people who own and operate imported vehicles newer than 25 years. these laws were completely orchestrated and enacted by special interest groups at Mercedes Benz because they were upset about people importing MB's into the United States from Europe and the like.

If the petition reaches 25,000 electronic signatures before December 9th the whole thing will be brought up officially to discuss a possible change in laws.

Please, if you support the automotive enthusiasts and their rights to own cars that are legal in every other country but the United States and if you are against the United States spending frivolous amounts of money on completely irrelevant issues, tapke 5 mins of your time and sign up. You won't be spammed, this is an official whitehouse.gov petition

Thanks

-Andrew Kaminskas

This is about grey market cars?

[skunk.werkz]

Yes Reggie, this petition is to try and change the importation laws of 'grey' market vehicles in the United States. Currently the cap is set legal at 25 years or older and you can import a vehicle, but the laws would hope to mimic how Canada has setup their system of 15 years or older.

The I.C.E has gone to great lengths to reposes many Nissans, Mazdas, Toyotas etc and the like because its easy targets for them and fills their greedy coffers going after the quiet, niche market, of the automotive enthusiasts. They claim these cars are unsafe but many models are identical to US counterparts or makes and models. The harsh truth is the US government doesn't care about old cars and in reality wants them all off the road and crushed so you can buy a new Prius that doesn't get any better gas mileage than a 1985 carb'd honda CRX.

[skunk.werkz]

Not to sidetrack the message of this thread but...

[youtube]BhDhDRvHaGs[/youtube]

Rick Perry is a joke and his presidential campaign is over with

RON PAUL 2012!!!!

[Lowgear]

I don't know much about this subject but here a car becomes an antique, classic, early American, etc... Whatever term you want to use after 25 years. For one thing it renders the vehicle emissions exempt. Maybe the law for importing these vehicles is meant to coincide with this?


On the topic of presidents I support whichever one supports Net Neutrality.

[skunk.werkz]

The laws are completely arbitrary and have no 'real' reason to coincide with emissions rules. Mercedes Benz is 100% at fault for lobbying to special interest groups for their own monetary gain. Their practice, in all actuality, consisted of releasing a lower model MB in the united states while allowing the other higher models to be sold in other countries. People began importing these classier, more hp models into the states at a fraction of the cost of a new Benz. Mercedes didn't want to have anything cutting into their profit margins so they crusaded a 100 million dollar campaign to put these grey market laws into order to prevent this.

Yes, in the states a 25 year old car classifies as a 'Classic' car and is exempt from all 50 states emissions testing. These grey market cars would still have to adhere to a safety inspection as all cars do whether exempt or not. Emissions control is usually up to the discretion of the states. Some states only have safety, others have both emissions and safety, while others are merely visual inspections of emissions and or safety.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_import_vehicle

The more disturbing, underlying problem is that our I.C.E (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is going around seizing these cars. More specifically Nissans like Skylines and such since they are one of the most popular 'illegally' imported car in the states. Politicians could really care less about what we drive but the I.C.E has somehow got it into their head that these cars pose a threat to national security somehow or another rather than a safety/emissions issue.

[EvolutionRevolution]

Why is there a cap in the first place?

AFAIK around this side of the pond there is no cap, just a lot of paperwork and mechanical checks.

[Lowgear]

I didn't mean 25 years solely due to emissions exemption. What I was trying to say is since after 25 years automobile regulations in America become so lax that I thought maybe thats why they made it so you couldn't import vehicles until then for that reason. They had to come up with the 25 years from some place, and it seems quite the coincidence.

I see what you're saying though. I researched this matter a little bit a few years ago when I was looking at cars for sale in other countries. There were some models that were incredibly cool and I was wondering about being able to ship them here. Not that I was considering it, I was just curious about the process. What peaked my interest was due to a topic on here about something similar.

[skunk.werkz]

I get what you are saying/thinking now. I can't say i'm the most well versed person to discuss at length the in's and out's of all these legalities but what I do know is that, yes, in the US after 25 years you can either opt into 'Classic' car status which (i think) grants you no emissions inspection but also limits you to 5,000 miles a year and you need classic car insurance as well. You can still drive your 'classic' as a regular titled car but must go through regular inspection process.

The whole problem is that the Government is tracking down people with imported vehicles from canada/overseas and impounding them, sending in SWAT teams to your house, fining the owner thousands of dollars in fees and legal costs, and probably putting you on a terrorist watch list (just being sarcastic on that one)

There is a clear separation of state and country when it comes to these laws. States can make their own rules regarding certain things but Federal laws will out trump these state level things. Many people have been succesful in registering and insuring imported cars in their state but thats all it is. These vehicles are only 'state' legal and not a Federally bonded car.

In summary, its a big uneccesary, ridiculous mess

I hope this helps you understand a little better

[flipwils11]

I didn't realize the manhunt/carhunt was going on by the Feds, but I know a bit about this greymarket and importation subject as well. I own a 1980 BMW M535i which was brought into the US in '85 as a greymarket car, before things were locked down. For the most part it's been ok for me to register it, first in IL and now in MN, but would definitely be hard in some other states as I've heard (CA obviously, MD too, and others that really have a quest to get rid of all old cars).

I would support this (and will sign the petition) on the 15 year rule because I've envied Canada's system with 15 years. Although as the years have rolled by, a lot of cars I've liked from the 80's are already past 25 years or getting very very close.