Originally posted by Ostrich
honestly you can bring them over and get them legalized quite easily.
it just takes money.
It takes ALOT of $$$.
Figure this:
Cost of 2 S15's for Crash Testing = $35,000
Cost of Crash Testing = $50,000 approx
Cost of RI Petitioning = $1,000
Cost of initial RI Conversion and Compliance = $12,000
Cost of ICI testing = $4,000
Cost of EPA Conversion = UNKNOWN
Cost of Bonds/Taxes/Duties/etc = ???
After all that (and seeing that the everything works out smoothly the first time)....and about 1 year waiting for petitions to be published, disputed, and finally approved, you can than import your first road worthy S15 for conversion. Cost of conversion? About $8-$12,000 per vehicle.
So, add it up. About $120,000 to get the first car legalized.
Why can you register it in Florida without the DOT/EPA/NHSTA requirements? Becuase the state of Florida ASSUMES that you have complied with the FEDERAL REGULATIONS. When they find out you haven't, your screwed.
And as far as insurance companies are concerned. Once you are in an accident, The claims adjuster will look for any reason to deny your claim. Once they find out that your vehicle does not meet US SAFETY STANDARDS, they will deny any and all claims. Just becuase you give them a VIN number and they insure that car, they too ASSUME it is here legally and meets regulations.
The BIG UNKNOWN is EPA conversion to OBD2 and OBD2 V2. The SR20DET is NOT equipped with all the sensors to comply with this regulation, and the ECU is not designed to support it. So basically, you would need to create your own modified "ECU", Harness, and Sensors and add them and program them to comply as nothing similar exists. This would be the same reason R33(obd2 versions)/R34 Skylines are no longer legally allowed in the USA, as they are not OBD2 compliant, and until Motorex complies, they will not allow any more.
This help a little bit?
Charles