For Sale on ebay: Seized Nissan Skyline GT-R

Seized R33 GT-R for sale in PA

Here is another seized Nissan Skyline GT-R R33, listed for sale in Pennsylvania. The seller purchased it at a government auction, and from the sounds of it, wanted to keep it in the US. However, US customs will not let you do that. So its for sale, and has to go outside the contiguous country outside North America. No Canada, no Mexico. These seized cars probably happen more often than we hear about. Although there are also a lot of vehicles that are illegally imported, and never get seized. The cars get titles, and they just fly under the radar. Know the risks when you are dealing with imported cars. Ask the question - Is my imported car legal?

This car needs to be sold to someone in a Non-Contiguous country outside North America. This means the car can be sold to anyone outside the USA, Mexico, or Canada. You can be from those country's and purchase the car, it just cannot be shipped to any of those places.Car is located in New Stanton, PA. USA. Clean US title in hand.  

I purchased this vehicle @ a US government auction. Terms and conditions state this vehicle MUST be exported to a non-contiguous country out side the USA. There are no exceptions, or loop holes I have come across which will allow me or any one within the US to keep this vehicle on north American Soil (otherwise I would keep the car). And trust me... I have done my homework. Once someone decides to purchased this Skyline from me, we will need to fill out a CBP-7512 form which confirms to US customs this vehicle is leaving the county. Click here to see CBP form> http://forms.cbp.gov/pdf/CBP_Form_7512.pdf . I would suggest hiring a customs broker to help you move the car, so you do not run into any issues with customs. If you know of a way to keep this car in the US please feel free to bid but at your own risk. I have set the reserve low for a quick and easy sale. I am more than happy to help you ship this car to your port of choice. Us customs has made this very easy for me to sell to someone outside the US, but unfortunately just the opposite for someone wanting to purchase the car and keep it within the North American territory. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. You are more than welcome to see the car in person, I just need a heads up, and we can set an appointment. 

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That Is It. It Is Done. Big Bird Is Crushed

Big Bird at Pikes Peak in 1999

Well that is it. It is over. Gave it a run but was not successful at stopping the ignorant DA, judge, and DMV inspector in Depere Wisconsin. The report I had said the cars were crushed yesterday morning(5/30/12) at 8 am. They wanted to get it over and done, not give us a chance to do what was right and export the cars.

 Rather than trying to put some money back into their states coffers, they take the dumb way out to try and break Justin down. It's a shame. The guy put a ton of time and effort into the cars, and they forced him into crushing them. I feel defeated, but I also feel I want to do something more.  25 Years is coming soon for the 1989 R32 GT-R. Over 25 years is DOT exempt. Over 21 years is EPA exempt. However, we are still going to need to educate some of these hicks in law enforcement. Remember, law enforcement, DA's, and judges never make mistakes. Cowboys, saving the world from a car...

After the first Fast and Furious movie. In front of the MotoRex office on Western Ave

Some of the Hows and Why's related to this car. It was imported temporarily by Motorex, but it was never permanently imported.

Sport Compact Car Cover 2002

Drag Racing at IDRC

Thanks Shane.

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Can Anyone Make Sense of These Emails? More Skyline?

Not the actual car.Just one from Florida

I get an email earlier in the month from this guy  to my STILLEN account. There can be only drama associated with these cars. I guess its the way it goes. Something on the edges of the law. Something people want, but the government tells them they can't have.

From: peter moser [mailto:blackying_yang@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 10:40 PM
To: seanm@stillen.com
Subject: skylineSent: Friday, May 11, 2012 10:40 PMTo: seanm@stillen.comSubject: skyline how do i tell a legit import from a grey market import. because i don't want to buy a skyline that didn't go throu the proper channels to be road worthy in the us and i've read that your the guy to talk to for advise on the subject. Is there a vin registery for skylines that can tell me if a skyline is legal to be daily driven and what do to make legal if it isn't. also is there a way to get the papers for it if it but the owner lost them so i can recieve them is there any shops dealership, etc. on the east coast that know what to look for.   

So I respond back with:

om: peter moser [mailto:blackying_yang@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 1:48 PM
To: Sean Morris
Subject: Re: skyline

Peter,

You can give me the chassis number, and I can check it with what I have. Or you want you can call the DOT at 202 366 5291 and give them the chassis number, they can send you a copy of the bond release.

There were a couple of more emails, but for some reason, they didn't show up. The guy said he called the DOT, and then a few weeks later, they showed up and seized the car. That is pretty odd.  The DOT doesn't do much seizing.  If anything its ICE that does any seizing, and in the grand scheme of things, the DOT really doesn't care much about what you have, or even ask if you have it in your possession. You give them a chassis number, it either is or isn't in the database.

From: peter moser [mailto:blackying_yang@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 2:18 PM
To: Sean Morris
Subject: Re: skyline

from what dot told me was that it one that you did while at motorex. now i know that this can't be fix. but what i'm told they have it as a spec-v. when i registered it two months ago, i had alot of trouble with doing that. so what i did was called a friend who knows how to identify what model a skyline is. he sat there and basically told me that it's a spec-v n1. now from what i'm told the days when you were at motorex were hell. i know exactly what is being implied here, to a tee. the problem is not what that is a n1 but that it was had been a presented as a spec-v to dot and department of importation as well. which btw isn't agreeable with me personally. lucky the guy i was on the with from department of importation. told me of the process that will allow me to keep the car, in situations like this.

I am not sure why he is going on about it being a Spec-V N1. In the R34, Nissan did call it a Vspec. N1 was a base for a race car. Only 45 total cars made. I was involved with a couple of the race car N1's, but they were imported as permanent race cars. I asked him if it were a Nur. It is a possibility. Nurs had N1 blocks.

---

From: peter moser [mailto:blackying_yang@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 4:02 PM

To: Sean Morris
Subject: Re: skyline

i remember having alot of problem test fitting my do-luck front bumper. the way it shifted was extremely weird due to the fact that the clutch was stock and shifted like it had a nismo twin plate in it, actually the guy that i bought it off of said it's had that for as long remember it. and he's supposedly has owned since 2007  

What exactly does a bumper and a clutch have to do it being a Nur? Not sure, but I am not dealing with Albert Einstein it seems. So now it all sounds really odd, so I go back at him hard.

Peter,

Did this car come though Canada, or Vermont?  

Any of this information make sense? 

If it was the special Nur color, and an N1, then it sounds like someone forged my information on paperwork.

http://www.gtrusablog.com/2012/03/sentence-handed-down-over-illegally.html

I DEMAND to know more information about this.  If someone is illegally using my name to illegally import cars, I MUST know. What is your phone number? 

This morning I get the following responses from "Peter Moser". I was having a little bit of a hard time reading it, but it more or less came back as threats.

no straight thru motorex. i'm not bullshitting you. i've seen enough of the john lee cars to know. the differentance, next you get pissy with me. i'll fly out to cali and  go toe to toe with you bra. don't demand shit me i aint any of these punk pussy bitches that bow down to you on a daily basis. BTW  a john lee imported rx-7 type-r is the reason that i was in a coma for 3 months and two beeps from a flat line. so don't try me i'm very familiar with his work. it's because of his bullshit that i have to live a piece of my carbon fiber hood in my shoulder for the rest of my life. so don't throw his name out to me like that. i one of the few people that survived a wreck in a grey market car and lived to tell the tale. i already told you what the papers say. i've work with enough of these cars to tell a grey market from a legit import. all i have to do is drive the damn thing you of all should know that. then again when i am near a fax machine i'll fax it over to stillen for that sound good. i'm the driver of the rx-7 that wreck out in Nashville, Tn back in 2006. need any more info on my ass. i've seen your paperwork in the past. btw john lee made more money off grey-market hondas, acuras, and mazdas then he did with the skylines. my title i bought it it new york. i've heard rumors of a guy forging your name and department of importation believing that it's you doing the work to it. man word on the east coast is your starting get sloppy with your work. all due to this guy doing his bullshit, by forging your good name. 

He says he got his title in New York. Says he has heard of someone forging my name. Does any of this make sense? Am I far off base?

nor am i threatening you just telling you how i handle shit. i am willing to drop a name if your interested. i've worked on knight seven cars, kayzo, motorex, private r.i.(other then you), evo motorsports, and kept my mouth shut for the past seven years about it cause i couldn't find a way to get ahold of a car that you r.i.'d. hell i'll be the first to tell where the guy that's forging your name is. believe me i don't like the situation i'm in nor the bullshit that's going on. if guys like us had our way the regulation would allow for their to be a daily driven r34 that is a legit import, and not have motorex paperwork at that. trust me i'd love to see someone go against d.o.t., customs, department of importation, and nhtsa just for jdm gold to be legal again. i mean that. i do applogize for some the things that i said in the last e-mail i also meant it as well. your just a regular guy in my eyes. you can't change the past but you can learn from it. the more i think about it. the more it seems that there was more shit that happen with motorex then people say actually did. look i'm in a pickle here. the whole reason i bought it was because it was my understanding that your name couldn't be argued as grey market. i read about big bird. it seems that they(government) think that a skyline is a p.o.s. yet they fail to realize that some of the first non-grey market r32's are still on the road today. i'm guessing big bird was used by some hot headed street racer. that's my guess why it's possibly going to the crusher. 

So he says he will come out here and go toe to toe, but he isn't threatening me? This guy can't string a coherent sentence together to save his life. My response back was not a nice one. I more or less told him it probably would have been better if he died in that illegal car. More profanity, and less I want to be your friend.

So anyone know this guy?  Know what he is on about?  I remember seeing some pictures of a couple R34's that came though New York. Is this guy saying that this car came though Motorex, and he has papers with my name on them?  They don't exist.  I signed off on the compliance packages, but everything else was signed off by Hiro. Any bond release or any paperwork from the DOT will only have the DOT/NHTSA signatures on it.

Is this Pete Moser?

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Contact Information For Wisconsin and My Letter

Doing my best right now. Getting as much information into peoples hands as possible on the case.

I wrote a letter and faxed and sent them by FedEx to the DA, Judge, Mayor, and the Governor.  Their contact information is at the bottom of this post.


DA Case No: 2010BR008283
Agency Case No: WSP10001744
Court Case No: 2011CF000849

I am writing in regards to Justin Beno’s court case as referenced above. I read in the Green Bay Press Gazette that these two vehicles are to be crushed.  If you could please take a moment to read this, I know there is a solution that would help the community. Reviewing the information, I have learned that there are potentially some errors regarding imported vehicles and VIN/Chassis numbers.
I am highly knowledgeable with vehicle importation and have worked with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with these types of vehicles. There is a solution, that I do not think was explored. The cars can be sold at auction for export only. Vehicles that are seized by customs and other agencies are sold at auction every day.  Manheim Auctions offers government sales, more information about them can be found at the following website link:  http://www.manheimgovservices.com . The money can be used toward positive things that will benefit the community.
According to the Code of Federal Regulations Part 565.  Vehicles imported into the United States under 49 CFR 591.5(f), other than by the corporation responsible for the assembly of that vehicle or a subsidiary of such a corporation, are excluded from requirements of §§565.13(b), 565.13(c), 565.13(g), 565.13(h), 565.14 and §565.15.
(r) VIN means a series of Arabic numbers and Roman letters that is assigned to a motor vehicle for identification purposes.
§ 565.14   Motor vehicles imported into the United States.
(a) Importers shall utilize the VIN assigned by the original manufacturer of the motor vehicle.
A Nissan Skyline does not have a 17 digit VIN number, as assigned in the US. It was built to Japanese standards, which do not require a 17 digit VIN, however they do have a chassis code that is stamped into the firewall.  It is my understanding that this chassis code was not tampered with. This is the VIN as prescribed in the Code of Federal Regulations part 565.
The yellow Nissan Skyline has been a huge part of a lot of people’s lives growing up. I have contacted several people that were involved with the Fast and Furious movie that the car appeared in, and they are shocked that this is happening. This vehicle was also raced at Pikes Peak in 1999, and set a showroom stock record. By crushing this car, you are crushing a piece of Nissan Skyline history.  
Save the children, sell the car. Feed the hungry, sell the car. Give back to the community, sell the car at auction rather than just trying to prove a point by crushing some vehicles.

Governor- Scott Walker


Office of Governor Scott Walker
115 East Capitol
Madison, WI 53702
govgeneral@wisconsin.gov
(608) 266-1212 Phone
http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/Contact-Us

Mayor of Green Bay - James J. Schmitt

City Hall, 100 North Jefferson Street, Room 200,
Green Bay, Wi 54301-5026.
920.448.3081 Fax
http://www.ci.green-bay.wi.us/mayor/AbouttheMayor.html


Judge - Donald Zuidmulder


The Honorable Donald Zuidmulder
Circuit Court Judge, Branch I
Brown County Courthouse
P.O. Box 23600
Green Bay, WI 54305-3600


Prosecuting DA -Dana J. Johnson

Dep. D.A.

300 E Walnut St
PO Box 23600
Green Bay, WI 54301
Brown County
(920) 448-4190 phone

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A VIN Number and Chassis Number Education

Nissan chassis identifier plate held on with plastic rivets

A lesson in VIN numbers, chassis numbers, or vehicle importation. Please forward this to anyone that needs some guidance

PART 565—VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) REQUIREMENTS

VIN numbers are a unique US requirement for motor vehicles, as set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 565. 

(a) Each vehicle manufactured in one stage shall have a VIN that is assigned by the manufacturer. Each vehicle manufactured in more than one stage shall have a VIN assigned by the incomplete vehicle manufacturer. Vehicle alterers, as specified in 49 CFR 567.7, shall utilize the VIN assigned by the original manufacturer of the vehicle.

Each VIN is assigned by the manufacturer. Ok makes sense

(b) Each VIN shall consist of seventeen (17) characters.

17 digits. Ok that makes sense. However, you have to realize when this was published, and also where it was published. This is a United States FMVSS(Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) requirement, not a world wide requirement.

(c) A check digit shall be part of each VIN. The check digit shall appear in position nine (9) of the VIN, on the vehicle and on any transfer documents containing the VIN prepared by the manufacturer to be given to the first owner for purposes other than resale.

Just tells you some information about the numbers

(d) The VINs of any two vehicles subject to the Federal motor vehicle safety standards and manufactured within a 60-year period beginning with the 1980 model year shall not be identical.

Beginning in 1980, no cars within 60 years should have the same VIN.

(e) The VIN of each vehicle shall appear clearly and indelibly upon either a part of the vehicle, other than the glazing, that is not designed to be removed except for repair or upon a separate plate or label that is permanently affixed to such a part.

The VIN number can be on anything except for the glass. It doesn't mention how many times, just that it needs to appear on the car.

(f) The VIN for passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, low speed vehicles, and trucks of 4536 kg or less GVWR shall be located inside the passenger compartment. It shall be readable, without moving any part of the vehicle, through the vehicle glazing under daylight lighting conditions by an observer having 20/20 vision (Snellen) whose eye-point is located outside the vehicle adjacent to the left windshield pillar. Each character in the VIN subject to this paragraph shall have a minimum height of 4 mm.

VIN number visible though glass, located in the passenger compartment

VIN number for cars built for the US, after 1980, shall be located in the passenger compartment, and visible though the glass.

(g) Each character in each VIN shall be one of the letters in the set: [ABCDEFGHJKLMNPRSTUVWXYZ] or a numeral in the set: [0123456789] assigned according to the method given in §565.15.
(h) All spaces provided for in the VIN must be occupied by a character specified in paragraph (g) of this section.
(i) The type face utilized for each VIN shall consist of capital, sanserif characters.

Now it all changes. Imported cars.  There is a specific section for imported cars CFR 565.14 and 565.24. It says how VIN's should be treated.

From the Green Bay Press Gazzette.

Import vehicles must have 17-digit manufacturer identification numbers affixed to the firewall and stamped on it. ID numbers with fewer than 17 digits aren’t deemed street legal in the US, and removal of the tag is illegal.

“If you don’t have a (vehicle identification number) on the vehicle and you purchase it with a title, how do you know it’s the right vehicle?” said Andrea O’Brien, a supervisor with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Division of Motor Vehicles.

VIN number stamped into the firewall of Nissan/Infiniti

§ 565.14   Motor vehicles imported into the United States.

 top(a) Importers shall utilize the VIN assigned by the original manufacturer of the motor vehicle.

The VIN number of a Nissan Skyline is the chassis number. It is located on the firewall of the car.

(b) All passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, low speed vehicles and trucks of 4536 kg or less GVWR certified by a Registered Importer under 49 CFR part 592 whose VINs do not comply with part 565.13 and 565.14 shall have a plate or label that contains the following statement, in characters that have a minimum height of 4 mm and the identification number assigned by the vehicle's original manufacturer inserted in the blank: SUBSTITUTE FOR U.S. VIN: _____ SEE 49 CFR PART 565. The plate or label shall conform to §565.13 (h) and (i). The plate or label shall be permanently affixed inside the passenger compartment. The plate or label shall be readable, without moving any part of the vehicle, through the vehicle glazing under daylight conditions by an observer having 20/20 vision (Snellen) whose eye-point is located outside the vehicle adjacent to the left windshield pillar. It shall be located in such a manner as not to cover, obscure, or overlay any part of any identification number affixed by the original manufacturer. Motor vehicles conforming to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 115 are exempt from this paragraph.

There should be a label affixed to the car that is visible, and should not block the original ID number.   In the case of the Nissan Skyline, the original chassis number is stamped on the firewall. They are saying he altered the VIN of the car, but the VIN number is still on the chassis.

VIN number on a door

565.24   Motor vehicles imported into the United States.

 top(a) Importers shall utilize the VIN assigned by the original manufacturer of the motor vehicle.
(b) A passenger car certified by a Registered Importer under 49 CFR part 592 shall have a plate or label that contains the following statement, in characters with a minimum height of 4 mm, with the identification number assigned by the original manufacturer provided in the blank: SUBSTITUTE FOR U.S. VIN:___SEE PART 565. The plate or label shall conform to §565.23 (h) and (i). The plate or label shall be permanently affixed inside the passenger compartment. The plate or label shall be readable, without moving any part of the vehicle, through the vehicle glazing under daylight lighting conditions by an observer having 20/20 vision (Snellen) whose eye-point is located outside the vehicle adjacent to the left windshield pillar. It shall be located in such a manner as not to cover, obscure, or overlay any part of any identification number affixed by the original manufacturer. Passenger cars conforming to Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 115 are exempt from this paragraph.

This is no reason to crush a car, there is a clear VIN/chassis number on the car, its stamped on the firewall.  Every Nissan/Infiniti vehicle sold in the US has this same layout.   This is merely a minor label issue that they are trying to turn into a problem to make him an example. There are lots of parts in a modern car with VIN numbers on them.  Just because the US has 17 digit VIN's does not mean the rest of the world does. If you are shown something that is not 17 digits, it doesn't mean its illegal, it doesn't mean that its wrong, just that different parts of the world have different requirements. Nothing more, nothing less.

The VIN of each vehicle shall appear clearly and indelibly upon either a part of the vehicle, other than the glazing, that is not designed to be removed except for repair or upon a separate plate or label that is permanently affixed to such a part.

VIN number on a fender

Source: Code of Federal Regulations

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More BS with the Skyline GT-R : Wisconsin and Big Bird

More bullshit from local governments, and the Nissan Skyline GT-R.  Justin Beno had a couple of R33 GT-R's that he literally built up from nothing.  There is a lot to the full stories, and the stories will be eventually told, but here is what is currently happening with the cars.

Two cars, one purple, and one "Big Bird" were seized in 2010 by his local authorities in Wisconsin.  According to this article in the Green Bay Press Gazzette his cars are scheduled to be crushed.

A De Pere man has avoided a possible prison sentence by agreeing to the destruction of his two rare Japanese muscle cars, one of which appeared in the movie "The Fast and the Furious."

Authorities seized Justin Beno's two Nissan Skylines in 2010 and intend to crush them this week after giving Beno a brief chance to collect a few personal belongings from them. The two cars together cost Beno about $75,000 and have a sales value of about $100,000, he said.

Beno, 32, faced several felony counts relating to conspiracy to commit fraud and possessing vehicles without vehicle identification numbers. In a plea deal, he accepted responsibility for three misdemeanor counts in exchange for giving up his cars.

"There's no doubt I broke some laws," said Beno, who claimed it's all due to a misunderstanding. "I have no problem accepting consequences on the charges that were fair … but this was taken to a degree that is just absurd."

Crushing the cars is going to do a lot of good for everyone.  At least if they had 1/2 a brain in their head, they would sell them at government auction for export only.  However, as with most typical government employees, they couldn't work in the private sector, because they could never figure out how to do anything that made any sense.


Give

But he, like many other Skyline enthusiasts, remained convinced there were legal ways to do it. He sought advice from the state Department of Transportation and eventually got a state trooper to inspect the purple car and issue him a title for it.

That success led him to go through the same process in acquiring, restoring and registering the yellow car, but that's when his luck turned. In January 2010, he learned that the state erred in issuing a title to the purple car, that the title was being rescinded and that neither it nor Big Bird would ever be deemed street legal.

He also learned that the cars' firewall identification number tags had been removed illegally, and that it was against the law even to possess vehicles without those ID tags.

States handle titles. The Federal government handles importing. In the case of these cars, the blue identifier plate was not attached to the car, but the chassis number was still stamped into the firewall. The blue plate has information on the car color, the engine, the transmission, the options, and is held in place by plastic rivets. It is closer to a build sheet, or door label than the VIN number.  The actual VIN number/Chassis number of a GTR is stamped into the firewall.  It is called a chassis number, because they do not have VIN's in Japan. We are not allowed to assign VIN's to cars, because that would be illegal according to the DOT. We use the chassis number.

Justin got himself in trouble, when he offered them for sale, and an investigator called him to get information.

Beno crossed the line when he put the cars up for sale, Johnson said. A DOT investigator spotted the purple car on eBay and contacted Beno by email pretending to be an interested buyer from Milwaukee.

"He asks Beno if he has a title, can it be titled, could I get a (vehicle identification number)," Johnson said. "We'd expect Beno to say no, it can't be titled. He's got a letter, he's been told. But he responds that upon sale and payment, you can receive a Florida title and then go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and get a title transfer from Wisconsin. He's trying to circumvent, to get around the law."

However, the cars were still actually correct, having the chassis number still stamped into the firewall.  Justin even still had the data plates, he just never reattached them to the cars.

This other article, goes into information on 17 digit VIN's for cars. However, they don't seem to know, that cars prior to 1980 did not have 17 digit VIN's.  Just because all cars sold in the US since 1980 have them, it doesn't mean every car ever built has them.   They also say that import cars have to have 17 digit VIN's, which simply isn't true.

Import vehicles must have 17-digit manufacturer identification numbers affixed to the firewall and stamped on it. ID numbers with fewer than 17 digits aren’t deemed street legal in the US, and removal of the tag is illegal.

“If you don’t have a (vehicle identification number) on the vehicle and you purchase it with a title, how do you know it’s the right vehicle?” said Andrea O’Brien, a supervisor with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Division of Motor Vehicles.

The state sometimes issues its own vehicle identification numbers, but only in cases where the vehicle has been rebuilt or changed in such a manner that the manufacturer’s ID number no longer properly describes the vehicle attached to it, O’Brien said.

Here is the actual section from the Code of Federal Regulations, part 565 which speaks about the specific case of VIN assignment.

§ 565.14 Motor vehicles imported into the United States.
top
(a) Importers shall utilize the VIN assigned by the original manufacturer of the motor vehicle.
(b) All passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, low speed vehicles and trucks of 4536 kg or less GVWR certified by a Registered Importer under 49 CFR part 592 whose VINs do not comply with part 565.13 and 565.14 shall have a plate or label that contains the following statement, in characters that have a minimum height of 4 mm and the identification number assigned by the vehicle's original manufacturer inserted in the blank: SUBSTITUTE FOR U.S. VIN: _____ SEE 49 CFR PART 565. The plate or label shall conform to §565.13 (h) and (i). The plate or label shall be permanently affixed inside the passenger compartment. The plate or label shall be readable, without moving any part of the vehicle, through the vehicle glazing under daylight conditions by an observer having 20/20 vision (Snellen) whose eye-point is located outside the vehicle adjacent to the left windshield pillar. It shall be located in such a manner as not to cover, obscure, or overlay any part of any identification number affixed by the original manufacturer. Motor vehicles conforming to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 115 are exempt from this paragraph. 

 Its a damn shame. Bullshit, because people can not figure out anything slightly outside the very narrow box they live in.  Welcome to big government. Welcome to your tax payer dollars hard at work.

http://www.ci.green-bay.wi.us/mayor/AbouttheMayor.html

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Sentence Handed Down Over Illegally Imported Cars

Correction: I was informed that Pride Performance is and has not been associated with LM24 for several years. Originally Pride worked out of LM24.  Another email from the person named in the incident said that he did not have to snitch on anyone, and was a little concerned by this post. And, the picture of the GT-R's in New York, the photographer told me that I was not allowed to use it, and to cease and desist using it.  Ok no problem.

I didn't even know that people actually lived in Vermont. However, it appears they do, and they will catch you illegally importing in cars from Canada.  I know the guy they are talking about, and I know some of the cars he illegally imported. Its a shame because he also owned a MotoRex imported R33 GT-R.

He got sentenced for failing to pay taxes on the imported cars. Not for the actual importation, not for not meeting EPA or DOT standards as part of his plea agreement. Like the Kaizo incident, its hardly ever on the import, its some  other requirement that someone fails to meet. I have told people for years, that even if you think you are correct, you need to be fully aware of all the laws.   This is actually the reason that the Nissan Skyline GT-R is illegal in the US. The best bet is to wait until cars are over 25 years old, and I will help you import them to the US legally with a minimum amount of hassles.

I wonder if any of the cars above were wrapped up in this?  The customers may have had no idea the cars were illegally imported. Most guys say "I have a title", but sooner or later this kind of thing catches up to them. Cars have a VIN or chassis number, they have titles, they have license plates.

If you have a state titled car, I would suggest that you keep looking over your shoulder. There are more ramifications coming from this conviction. Someone was calling me the snitch.... so anyone that had any dealings with  LM24 should be a bit concerned right about now.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped charges that he smuggled merchandise was dropped and he escaped the maximum jail time of one year.

N.Y. man sentenced after bringing Japanese sports car over Vermont border

A New York City man caught transporting a Japanese sports car over the Canadian border into Vermont has been sentenced for failing to report income he made off of 10 such cars.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Burlington, Gar Loon Lee, 35, was sentenced to 30 months probation, a fine of $25,000 and must pay outstanding taxes and penalties following his conviction for failing to file a tax return.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said Lee brought 10 Japanese-made sports cars, which had steering wheels on the right-hand side and didn’t conform to national highway safety or environmental regulations, into the U.S. He was caught by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers bringing an 11th car over the border in Highgate Springs on Sept. 24, 2009. Authorities said Lee did not report income he earned from selling the sports cars.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped charges that he smuggled merchandise was dropped and he escaped the maximum jail time of one year.

The prosecutor was Assistant United States Attorney Timothy C. Doherty Jr. Lee was represented by defense attorney Lisa Shelkrot of the Burlington law firm Langrock Sperry & Wool.

Source: Burlington Free Press

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Play with Fire : Seized Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R in Florida

If you play with fire, you get burned, and here is a perfect example. It looks like Florida might finally be seizing the flood of illegally imported cars that come though their state. That is good, its only taken them about 12 years. I guess they might have been more concerned with illegal things like cocaine more than a couple of illegal S15's, GTI-R's, and Nissan Skylines being imported.  Florida DMV is a joke, and they will let anyone register about anything. Just pay them the money they ask for.

Lots of people assume they are not doing anything wrong, however ignorance of the laws is not an excuse.  An exporter will ship any car to you, the same thing, its not illegal for them to ship it to you, however ICE in the US may have other ideas.  Just because someone else has the same car, or did the same thing, or has a friends, buddys uncles stepson that did it, does not make it legal. 

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Update to Seized Skylines: Seven More Seized on the East Coast

Rumors are seven more Skylines were seized on the East Coast recently. More information to follow I wonder what the link is ? UPDATE: From UK GTR Forums.

"1) I think it came from japan according to the export certificate.
2) Dont know who imported it, i think the guys name was Andre or Franz or something.
3) Somone in florida registered it originally in the US for the guy i bought it from in Georgia. So the title went from florida to georgia.
4) Florida. i have a copy of the first title given to the car.

Well, the agents did say i am not the only one. They said they are seizing a lot of them."

Franz is Andre. Same guy. He had some more cars seized earlier in the year. R34's and S15. The Florida title guy ... have to wait and see. I probably know who it is.

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