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BMC
Brian Mc Cullough
Forest Lake, Minnesota, USA
(383 posts)

Registered:
10/30/2007 02:27AM

Main British Car:
1980 MGB '95 3.4L 'L32' SFI V6, GM V6T5 & 3.42 Limi

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Want to buy an MGRV8? National Petition: Change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years
Posted by: BMC
Date: November 17, 2011 03:17PM

I do Not want to politicize this issue but that of concern for the American right to purchase what we want.


Stop using Homeland Security funds to seize imported vehicles, and change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years:
[wwws.whitehouse.gov]



If you're into emissions concerns- the rest of the civilized world has caught up to or surpassed the US emissions standards.

If you're into safety- most vehicles are equal to and in some cases far surpass US safety standards.

If you work that these car are going to be driven daily- most cars that are worth spending $4,000 or more on average in shipping plus tax are going to be driven as anything more than an occasional special interest vehicle.

This Nanny State law was changed to the 25 year it is I believe back in the 1980s because Corporations including Mercedes-Benz helped change these laws to keep the American car market locked up from purchasing competing brands and Grey Market cars. This has shut down the opportunity to bring modern classics such as the MGF into the USA while our Canadian brothers and sisters are getting their supply up north, Americans can only wish we had that Freedom.





-BMC.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2011 04:25PM by BMC.


Moderator
Curtis Jacobson
Portland Oregon
(4576 posts)

Registered:
10/12/2007 02:16AM

Main British Car:
71 MGBGT, Buick 215

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Re: Want to buy an MGRV8? National Petition: Change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years
Posted by: Moderator
Date: November 17, 2011 04:33PM

There are two sides to every issue. Fifteen year old cars from England, western Europe and Japan are one thing. If those were the only cars at issue, I would support the change. Cars produced in third world countries are different. The old style VW bug was produced in Brazil into 1996 with carburetors on air-cooled engines right to the end. I could easily imagine tens of thousands of 1990s Brazilian VW bugs being trucked into USA. Yes, they'd probably wipe out the residual value of new Beetles. They'd also be the pollution spewing deathtraps they always were. It's just not true that the rest of the world had caught up to and/or surpassed us by the 1990s.


DiDueColpi
Fred Key
West coast - Canada
(1365 posts)

Registered:
05/14/2010 03:06AM

Main British Car:
I really thought that I'd be an action figure by now!

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Re: Want to buy an MGRV8? National Petition: Change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years
Posted by: DiDueColpi
Date: November 17, 2011 10:05PM

There is a myriad of views on this topic.
From my perspective, I don't think that they should be allowed in completely unfettered.
Safety is the biggest concern I think.
While some safety standards are much higher in other countries. They don't apply across the board.
For instance the Kei type trucks, the Suzuki Cappuchino or the Nissan Pao from Japan come to mind. Neat little vehicles and people buy them by the boatload. But they don't have to meet the same safety and crash standards that the larger vehicles do.
If I ran into your Subaru Sambar with my Range Rover.....I win....no matter what.
Emissions are another issue. A lot of these things still run carbs without cats and are exempt from any meaning full testing
Then we come to the reason that a lot of these vehicles are here in the first place. They are here dirt cheap because they can no longer pass the safety tests in their own countries.
Whether it's a failed MOT from Britain a turn away from Japans shaken program or another countries rejection, we welcome them in with open arms.
If they aren't any good there why are they good here?
There is also the right hand drive issue. Sure you can get used to it, but it's still dangerous in a left hand drive environment.
In B.C. you can buy a right hand car as your primary transportation. Jump into it with no training or guidance what so ever. And head directly onto the hwy at 100 to 120kmh to mingle with all the other drivers who really aren't paying attention anyway.
And talk about inconvenient. How are you going to pick up your triple patty bacon mushroom deep fried cheese burger from the drive through?
I won't get into the parts supply problems, but trust me, it's a nightmare.
I'm not against having these vehicles here. I just think that they need some form of restriction as to their use.
Something along the lines of our collector car policy. The vehicle can only be driven 6 days a month and never for work.
You must own and maintain another vehicle for primary transportation, etc
Anyway that's my two bits
Cheers
Fred


BMC
Brian Mc Cullough
Forest Lake, Minnesota, USA
(383 posts)

Registered:
10/30/2007 02:27AM

Main British Car:
1980 MGB '95 3.4L 'L32' SFI V6, GM V6T5 & 3.42 Limi

authors avatar
Re: Want to buy an MGRV8? National Petition: Change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years
Posted by: BMC
Date: November 17, 2011 11:05PM

To get ANY vehicle other than maybe a two wheeler here to Minnesota, its going to cost $3,000.

At that rate, how many VW Bugs or other vehicle like that do you think the Entire Country would bring in?

How many miles per year do you think it would be driven? 1% of the owners drive time or Less would be my guess.

RHD- I have driven Many RHD vehicles and find that they are just fine as Cassics- cars 15 years old or older that will not be driven as a regular driver. I believe you gentlemen may be looking in the wrong direction of how many black spewing carb cars with ill-equipped safety equipment would be placed on the road and to top this off, give it 5 more years and you will find that 2001 models in most countries will be even better.

As is, how many 25 year old cars are brought in for anything more than collector value and how many are purchased at $2,000 and shipped in for minimum of $3000? Rare! Most are $5,000 and up and then shipped in and if it is a dealer, they are most likely going to retail that car for $10K minimum.

Will a few get through? Sure! Maybe the law will someday limit the size of how big our engines are in all vehicles and force all cars to go through emissions as well. How about home sizes? No one requires more than 1,000 SF to live and X cubic feet of gas to heat with and... You get my drift- this is about limiting things because some people say that others should not have the right. This is well known about why MB and others wanted this.

Insurance companies would catch up to this as well starting to charge more for RHD or the law could be changed that no RHD could be brought in until it was X number of years old.

Last item: emissions laws are already in place for those that do qualify to get through and if they don't pass, they go back. I have more but I'll stop. Didn't mean to allow this to go this far. :)


I have my flame retardant on. Hope it doesn't get too hot in here.


DiDueColpi
Fred Key
West coast - Canada
(1365 posts)

Registered:
05/14/2010 03:06AM

Main British Car:
I really thought that I'd be an action figure by now!

authors avatar
Re: Want to buy an MGRV8? National Petition: Change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years
Posted by: DiDueColpi
Date: November 18, 2011 02:25AM

No thermal problems here Brian.
What I can tell you is what has happened here in B.C. with our 15 year limit.
Collectors and aficionados are not the people importing vehicles.
Because the cars are new enough and cheap enough they come in by the container load.
So suddenly shipping is a non issue.
There are so many of these vehicles here now that we have dealers that specialize in them exclusively.
Because they are so cheap they get purchased as primary transportation by people who really shouldn't own them.
You can go to any shopping mall and find ten or fifteen in the parking lot.
While not perfect, I think the 25 year limit makes more sense.
Older vehicles tend to appeal more to the collector and specialty crowd.
People who care for them properly and respect what they have.
I do agree with your vision, I just that the reality is a little different.
Cheers
Fred


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

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Re: Want to buy an MGRV8? National Petition: Change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: November 18, 2011 08:56AM

I have an old, rusty and tired Suzuki Samurai that I use like a golf cart here on the property and that hasn't been registered in years. I think the last year they were imported was around '87. But they are still made and sold new around the world, sort of like the Brazilian Bug. I've occasionally toyed with the idea of taking the VIN tags off it, going to Mexico, buying a new one, swapping the tags and driving it home with no one the wiser. I'm sure that's been done. Would I be any worse off driving that vehicle on the streets than if I registered the old Samurai? I can't see any way that would be possible. But undoubtedly I'd lose in any contest with a new car. No airbags, no energy absorbing bumpers, a rigid frame and probably no crumple zones. Safer than a motorcycle though, so we can take this argument any way you want to go with it. I think we have too many politicians spending all their spare time they have left over from chasing floozies trying to dream up new ways to bilk and control the public, and we could get rid of 90% or more of the laws and regulations that we have on the books and get along much better than we are now. But then that's just my political opinion and you sort of asked for it.

JB


Moderator
Curtis Jacobson
Portland Oregon
(4576 posts)

Registered:
10/12/2007 02:16AM

Main British Car:
71 MGBGT, Buick 215

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Re: Want to buy an MGRV8? National Petition: Change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years
Posted by: Moderator
Date: November 18, 2011 02:01PM

Quote:
To get ANY vehicle other than maybe a two wheeler here to Minnesota, its going to cost $3,000.

The situation is very different closer to the Rio Grande!


BMC
Brian Mc Cullough
Forest Lake, Minnesota, USA
(383 posts)

Registered:
10/30/2007 02:27AM

Main British Car:
1980 MGB '95 3.4L 'L32' SFI V6, GM V6T5 & 3.42 Limi

authors avatar
Re: Want to buy an MGRV8? National Petition: Change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years
Posted by: BMC
Date: November 19, 2011 04:01PM

True Curtis but who banned the US Population from deciding for ourselves? Politicians with the help of lobbyists from large companies.

I'm not saying we should bring in EVERYTHING we want but the question of law has always been: Where does it interfere with how I want to live or how you want to live?

If I have a car that is less safe than yours, thats my choke to drive. Stick a waring label on the title and the window for all I care!

Doesn't get good mileage? Well, People who live in mountainous regions get horrid mileage compared to those who live in Iowa. Ban people from poor economy roads and move them to the flatlands. :-)

Your house is giving to big of carbon footprint, don't stop at taxing them for the difference, make it illegal for that size home to be built.

I really didn't want to turn this into a debate. It's just another law that limits the market. If your okay with legalizing market limitations and we all are to a point, than I accept your responses. Just don't cry when our society limits one you enjoy.

Ready for an alternate thought- this limit probably boosts the Classic Restoration market. There are probably 100 more MGBs a year restored rather than MGRV8s and MGFs brought into the Country. How many other cars may have that same effect? Does this law keep our shop a little busier? It is possible. I can see some such as myself benefiting from this law too but would rather see this law dropped or relaxed.

I say this law should be changed. Yes, I see black and white that it should be removed from the books but it could be a grey area change- like many laws that allow specialty vehicles into the country under restrictions. Limited use, collector and other laws for XX number of years. Allow them in but leave limits on license and driven mileage.

-BMC.


Phillip G
Phillip Leonard
Kansas City
(395 posts)

Registered:
02/03/2008 04:12PM

Main British Car:
1992 MG RV8 Rover 3.5

Re: Want to buy an MGRV8? National Petition: Change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years
Posted by: Phillip G
Date: December 29, 2011 08:40PM

Brian,

It is just another law that governs our automobile society - as you said.

keep up the good fight.

keep them on the track,

phillip g


MGBV8
Carl Floyd
Kingsport, TN
(4511 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 11:32PM

Main British Car:
1979 MGB Buick 215

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Re: Want to buy an MGRV8?
Posted by: MGBV8
Date: January 01, 2012 09:42AM

"If I ran into your Subaru Sambar with my Range Rover.....I win....no matter what. "

Fred,

There are many cars legally on the road in this country that would meet the same fate.

The Feds have their rules (I don't like or agree with many of them), then the states have there own (same opinion). You would be amazed at what my state allows on the road.


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