Would You EVER Import An Oddball Car That Was NEVER Sold To The U.S. Market?

That depends on the Purpose of the Car

IF I were rich enough to be a car collector - who did not really DRIVE the cars - importing special cars (And there are lots of collectible cars that never were brought here) would not be a problem. ANd lots of OLD antique cars can be directly imported without a problem - because they are more than 25 years old - OR they are meant for collecting - not driving.

Then - there are cars from current manufacturers whose sheer numbers means that parts will be available - even if I have to ship them from Europe - that would also be possibilities. However - if they are less than 25 years old - they would have to be brought into compliance with US crash and emissions standards (Unless they are from Canada and are substantially similar to an American car - but then WHY buy it from there?)

However -as a daily driver - an TRUE ODDBALL - that is not even supported well in Europe would NOT be something I would car to spend my money on. And remember -I have rebuilt cars and made parts that are no longer available for many cars. I cannot imagine the cost and problems importing such cars would be worth the trouble - especially if the car is NOT 25 years old and you would need to bring it into compliance with US emission and crash regulations - which would be VERY VERY Expensive - before the expense of transporting it.

Yes. One Car. Moonstone Blue 1987 Sierra Cosworth.

There ya go!

People love those things! Kind of like the Lancia Delta Integrale...

Would I? I have.

The TVR?

Several TVRs and several Jensens. It really isn't as difficult as people act like it is.

There's a few cars from European luxury aftermarket shops like Alpina or Brabus that I'd definitely import. Post-WWII Daimlers. Maybe something obscure from India.

I still love the original MINI Cooper - that little car is still so amazing to me.

...1 or 2 Kei cars from Japan.

A Trabant of course! ;)

I thought that the Z1's were sold in the U.S?

I thought that the Z1's were sold in the U.S?

Nope, Z1s were never imported into the U.S. because of our DOT regulations, in particular those doors. There were roughly 8,000 Z1s made for the rest of the World. Although that's a relatively high number of units, they're beginning to inch up in value.

For sure, I don't think the Alpina e31s were ever sold here. I would import one of those if I was looking to spend a lot on a collectors car. I'm not totally sure the 3.0 CSLs were ever originally sold here either, but I would import one of those as well. Both of those cars have many parts in common with cars that were sold here so perhaps the cost of maintaining and operating one of those would not be excessive. Europe has a lot of other interesting cars, especially some of the rally models like the Sierra Cosworth mentioned above, but most I probably would not import.

I would love to import a mid-engine Renualt Alpine GTA from the 1990's.

I would also love to import a 1990's BMW 3-series E30 (325i) estate wagon.