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      06-12-2013, 10:13 PM   #1
wantm135i
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Can i buy a m135i from oversees and ship here -

Can i buy a m135i from oversees and ship here will the us allow it enter. if so how would i go about it. the deal knows nothing. can find anything about it on line. iam getting ready to buy a x1 35i m sport if i can but i really want the m135i please any help. thanks
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      06-12-2013, 10:39 PM   #2
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Nope. You can't buy things that are not certified, including things like alcantara seats on a 3er, much less an F20.
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      06-13-2013, 12:57 AM   #3
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Not sure exactly how it works but the safety and emission standards in the US are different so I would imagine quite a bit of retrofits would be needed. Also there is probably a customs fee.

But with enough money almost anything possible.
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      06-13-2013, 07:39 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread View Post
Nope. You can't buy things that are not certified, including things like alcantara seats on a 3er, much less an F20.
Sure you can, but it's going to cost you an arm and a leg. You have to go through a register importer, and post a bond 3-4.5 times the price of the car (depending no whether modifications are needed), which you get back less expenses if it eventually certifies.
That in addition to the registered importer's brokerage fees, freight, duty, and other stuff.

Unfortunately, many "street safe" modern cars need modifications to meet US standards. It could be something as simple as adding a seat belt for an unusable middle rear seat, disabling the rear foglight, or (for some French cars) changing the headlight color from yellow to white.
And adding a screw to the side mirror mounts, because unless things have changed, breakaway mirrors (to protect pedestrians) are required in the EU, but not approved in the US.

Or it might mean engine modifications to get it to reliably run on the lower grade fuel we have in the US. This is especially true for diesels, but gasoline engines may still need minor adjustments or new gaskets.

I think the "if equipped with a radio, it must be able to receive AM for traffic alerts" requirement is gone. But you might still want it replaced, given that the digital radio systems of Europe use the open DAB/DAB+/DMB standards instead of the proprietary Ubiquity FM HD Radio system we use here.
(European FM radios will work fine in the US for non-HD. The other way, it's worse - a typical US FM radio can receive less than half of European stations, due to the 0.2 spacing, where Europe uses 0.1 or even 0.05.)

Anyhow, yes, a costly thing to do. You have to really want the car to do that.

Last edited by Grovsnus; 06-13-2013 at 07:54 AM..
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      06-13-2013, 07:51 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xpander View Post
Not sure exactly how it works but the safety and emission standards in the US are different
Yes, but generally lower than the requirements in Europe.
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      06-13-2013, 08:42 AM   #6
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Not sure where you got that information, but it's absolutely false. You may not import a current production car that has not been federalized. As in 0% chance. Ask Bill Gates. A man of some means, who wanted a 959.

There is a provision to bring a car of a certain age (14 or 17 years after series production ends) that was produced in small enough number (I'm unsure of the cutoff) and then bring it to federal standards for the era, but you're still limited to some silly mileage limit around 200 miles per month, not exactly ideal for a commuter. This is what Bruce Canepa has been doing with 959's recently, by changing the lights, adding goofy bumperettes and doing some emissions work too. Nearly all of it can be reversed, but recently there was some noise that all of the coverted 959's were seized and no longer operate in the US.

A similar fate befell the R33 and R34 Skyline GT-R's that were supposedly legally converted, but they've since all been exported back out or crushed.

Hell, I'd just love an F31 335i with a manual, I'd even settle for a 328i, but there is no way to do that in this country, even if you did have a Bill Gates sized mountain of money.
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      06-13-2013, 08:52 AM   #7
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You might as well forget about importing it.

From the U.S. Customs dept. web site:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...-vehicle-parts

What are the requirements for importing a vehicle or vehicle parts?

Before you decide to import a vehicle or vehicle parts into the United States, you should ensure that they conform to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. These agencies have very detailed requirements that can make importing a vehicle and or its parts difficult, if not impossible, for some vehicles that were not originally manufactured for the U.S. market.

Nonconforming vehicles less than 25 years old entering the United States must be brought into compliance, exported, or destroyed.

Vehicles over 25 years old are exempt from EPA and DOT requirements, although you will still need to obtain and prepare EPA and DOT paperwork to provide to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer in order to clear your vehicle through CBP.
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      06-13-2013, 11:31 AM   #8
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2013 BMW X3  [5.66]
In general, if you have tons of cash lying around, it's possible to get the car you want imported.
If you have some extra cash, I don't mind if you buying me BMW
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      06-13-2013, 03:32 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grovsnus View Post

Anyhow, yes, a costly thing to do. You have to really want the car to do that.
add to that list marker lights, fuel filler neck, exhaust system, ecu, instruments(MPH instead of KPH)...this list goes on. At least that's the stuff an importer/dealer friend of mine would have to do on his gray market cars.
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      06-13-2013, 04:43 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread View Post
Not sure where you got that information, but it's absolutely false.
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/impo...ges/page6.html

Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread View Post
You may not import a current production car that has not been federalized. As in 0% chance. Ask Bill Gates. A man of some means, who wanted a 959.
That's because he's not a registered importer. A private person has to get a registered importer to do the application and approval work for him or her.
And that was back in '87, and the laws have changed a bit since then - in part because of Gates and Allen's 959s.
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      06-13-2013, 04:55 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grovsnus View Post
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/impo...ges/page6.html



That's because he's not a registered importer. A private person has to get a registered importer to do the application and approval work for him or her.
And that was back in '87, and the laws have changed a bit since then - in part because of Gates and Allen's 959s.
Those were both done by Bruce Canepa, who did them in the last five years. The simple fact remains that without a large amount of support for a particular car, the odds of getting one brought into the US and being able to legally use it as a regular car are nearly zero.

There are certainly work arounds, like Noble was able to use for a short period of time by selling the rolling chassis separate from the motor, but for getting a production car from a brand like BMW into the US, the chances are very slim. There was certainly a demand, albeit small, for the CSL and recent E92 M3 versions that weren't offered here, but those have all met with a notable lack of success.
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      06-13-2013, 09:28 PM   #12
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WOW!!!! DIDNT THINK OF ALL THAT OH WELL. it now eazyer to go ahead and buy the x1 35i m sport. thank you
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      06-13-2013, 10:05 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wantm135i
WOW!!!! DIDNT THINK OF ALL THAT OH WELL. it now eazyer to go ahead and buy the x1 35i m sport. thank you
Or move.
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      06-14-2013, 09:45 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread View Post
Those were both done by Bruce Canepa, who did them in the last five years.
After the cars had been sitting in customs for 13 years, Gates and Allen finally had to play ball, yes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread View Post
The simple fact remains that without a large amount of support for a particular car, the odds of getting one brought into the US and being able to legally use it as a regular car are nearly zero.
The list at http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/elig101012c.pdf shows that it's not that bleak. Slim pickings, yes, but far from nearly zero.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread View Post
There are certainly work arounds, like Noble was able to use for a short period of time by selling the rolling chassis separate from the motor, but for getting a production car from a brand like BMW into the US, the chances are very slim. There was certainly a demand, albeit small, for the CSL and recent E92 M3 versions that weren't offered here, but those have all met with a notable lack of success.
The M3 petition is still pending.
There are exceptions for around 40 BMW models (mostly older) which have received an import eligibility number. In addition, all passenger vehicles below a certain weight approved for the Canadian market are generally eligible, provided the retail importer can do the required modifications.

I think the import of a 135i M would have a fairly good chance of going through, given that it is "substantially similar" to already approved cars, which is a green flag criterion. But it would cost a boatload of money, and probably at least a couple of years to go through the machinery of bureaucracy.
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      06-14-2013, 09:54 AM   #15
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I'd always understood that if a car were similar to an existing Federalized car, that would actually make it more difficult, not easier to import. Example being an E61 M5, which would seem to be really easy, since the E60 M5 and the E61 were both available in the US, just not together.

Of course the short answer here is that the OP should consider an E84 or wait for the F22 M235i coupe.
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      06-14-2013, 02:14 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread View Post
I'd always understood that if a car were similar to an existing Federalized car, that would actually make it more difficult, not easier to import. Example being an E61 M5, which would seem to be really easy, since the E60 M5 and the E61 were both available in the US, just not together.

Of course the short answer here is that the OP should consider an E84 or wait for the F22 M235i coupe.
Or an 135is with a Dinan tune - if I didn't have dogs and equipment to lug around, that's what I would get.
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