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Nsx seized at US border

Joined
8 May 2002
Messages
2,313
Location
In a Iglo
I was crossing into the US from Canada at the Ambassador bridge a few days ago and got pulled over right away. They started checking the vin number and running the plates. Then three guys come out and start ripping the car apart, one of them asks me were did you get the car? Who did you buy it from?
What is the sales guys name etc.. They get out the book that tells them were all the vins are and start going to work. 1 Hour later they just let me go.
After 911 that type of search is no big deal to me.

The next day I cross again and get the same treament, this time I am there for 45 minnutes.
It happened again today I was there for an hour so I asked the guy why do you keep stoping me like this?
He said two weeks ago someone brought a red 91 nsx across and they had to impound it. Did you find some drugs in it?
No one of our officers was at the Mcdonalds and saw the guy changing his plates from Ontario to Michigan .

When he crossed the border they ask him do you have any goods to declair? He said no. They pulled him over and charged him with smuggling and avoiding to pay taxes and duty.
I asked what happens to the car? He said they now own it and it will go up for auction. They guy was a dealer in Michigan.
 
I'm thankful I don't have to deal with border crossings. Kinda puts a damper on driving your car, I'd imagine.

prov4re, when those guys start "ripping your car apart," are they respectful of your car? I'd be supremely pissed off if they repeatedly destroyed door panels, seats, etc, after checking me EVERY PREVIOUS DAY!

Obviously you are more accepting of this than I am, prov4re. Best of luck!
 
Wow - I've taken my NSX across the border to Vancouver several times and have never had a problem. I hope they don't get that way around here.
 
Way back when, I used to import high-end german cars. I had a friend pick up a MB500 at the factory for me and had him drive it for a while so it could come in as a used car. No sense in shipping an empty container, so we filled it up with other items. He packed a cystal light fixture in the trunk of the car, and forgot to mention it on the customs declaration. They tried to sieze the car for smuggling.

Next trip, the boat ran into a storm, and they cut loose the containers, letting them fall into the sea, to make the ship lighter. A fairly common prctice, I was told. Well, that car was a complete wash.
 
Are you telling me it's common practice to let a Benz500 fall to the bottom of the sea? Am I reading you correctly?
There was a ship that was loaded with a huge load of European luxury cars headed for the states which lost the load about a year ago.
 
From what I understand, the ships that carry containers overseas have the containers stacked three or more high over the top length of the ship. When a bad storm is encountered, the ship is too top heavy, and the containers are cut loose and allowed to fall into the sea. Along with the car (another used MB500), there were $50K worth of gingerbread houses in the other half of the container. The baker that rented half the conatiner was slick and declared a low value for duty purposes, only to have it backfire on him when it came time to report the loss to the insurance company.
 
MAJOR STONER said:
Way back when, I used to import high-end german cars. I had a friend pick up a MB500 at the factory for me and had him drive it for a while so it could come in as a used car. No sense in shipping an empty container, so we filled it up with other items. He packed a cystal light fixture in the trunk of the car, and forgot to mention it on the customs declaration. They tried to sieze the car for smuggling.

Next trip, the boat ran into a storm, and they cut loose the containers, letting them fall into the sea, to make the ship lighter. A fairly common prctice, I was told. Well, that car was a complete wash.

Hey, MAJOR STONER, so you are not doing the importing biz any more? I am thinking of start doing it. Would you mind to talk with me sometimes? I need some advise from people who has already done it before. If that's cool. let me know how to contact you ok?
 
MAJOR STONER said:
From what I understand, the ships that carry containers overseas have the containers stacked three or more high over the top length of the ship. When a bad storm is encountered, the ship is too top heavy, and the containers are cut loose and allowed to fall into the sea.
I do know that insurance premiums for sea freight of for oil and gas processing equipment is ridiculously expensive ... often as much as 10% of the replacement value. That suggests a huge claims rate.
 
I was never in the import business. Back in the mid-eighties, when the exchange rate was almost five deutschmarks to the dollar, the governmant had a law that allowed you to bring in one car per-person per-lifetime and not do the smog changes. I collected all the social security numbers from friends and relatives and brought cars in to the country for everyone, and sold off a few. I had a firm in Deleware handle all the customs paperwork for me, but I know for a fact that they went bust after the boom. Nowadays, I think most of the car makers offer a package where you can pick-up the car in Europe, drive it, and then drop it off for shipping to the states.
 
Let me clarify further...

Over at the port nearest you, are import/export companies that will help you through the process of getting the container, shipping, and customs. I'm sure the entire process has changed with the advent of computers/FedEx. Then there are other companies that will help you get the car to pass DOT. Now that most cars have smog and universal crash standards, that may not be much of a concern.
 
MAJOR STONER said:
... Back in the mid-eighties, when the exchange rate was almost five deutschmarks to the dollar, the governmant had a law that allowed you to bring in one car per-person per-lifetime and not do the smog changes...

In the mid-Eighties, my buddy bought a sweet 6-year old 911, modified by Ruf, for a paltry $15K, which I believe included the shipping from Germany to Charlotte. So many Americans were taking advantage of the exchange rate that there was a shortage of used luxury cars of all styles (MB, BMW, Porsche, etc).

Actually, the dollar hit a high of about 3.40 DM at that time, not 5. And, if I remember correctly, to avoid the smog and safety retrofits, the car had to be at least 5 or 6 years old.

George
 
I hated those grey-market cars....I was working as a parts guy at a NY Mercedes Dealer at the time. We would get at least 4-5 cars a week that were grey market cars. Most of the time the owner didn't even know it (or lied to us) and then acted all pissed off and confused when their parts arrived and they were wrong. It created such a huge problem for us, we had to get VINs on every single parts purchase no matter how small because we were getting hammered by returns so much. Some people even tried to get parts for the Gelaendewagen, meanwhile the truck was never realeased here (until now as G500).
 
Great so when Im crossing back into the US from up in canada eh? The are gona start ripping the viper apart?
I'll bring some parts i.e. 5 points and some other basic stuff exhaust etc... so you think they charge free installation:D

But back on topic... That really just seems like they caught the Maryland cop syndrom and are just dicks really
 
MAJOR STONER
I was never in the import business.

LOL! With a name like that I find that quote funny as hell! :D

I did the grey-market imports in 86 as well. We brought over a dozen 308s in four years until we ran out of epa exemptions. The funny part was we bought them for about 25.000 to 30.000 us and they are still selling for that.

The containers are becoming a big problem for ships, they tend to float just under the water line and cant be seen until its to late. They are talking about installing vents on all containers so it would sink. But they feel that it would encourage the illegal to stowaways that much more.
Topic Review (Newest First)


Kroger

The Detroit border now has a portable x ray machine that moves over you car and 2 car lifts and air tools.
All they need is a dyno. :D
 
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I thought the exchange rate peaked at 4.2 or 4.8, but maybe I'm wrong.

After the reunification, there were millions of men from the former East Germany that could suddenly buy a nice car. Hence, you couldn't find a used car in the West Germany, they all went east for top-top money. I was staying in Bonn, which had become a mecca for Eastern women looking for a westerner. I rented a car, even the rental companies had sold off thier old fleets, and wound up with a brand new 7-series with 46 km on the clock. Went for a drive over on the eastern side.

Finding gas was hard enough, but on a Sunday, it was near impossible. Then came another problem. No street signs. It seems that when the russians invaded at the end of WWII, the germans took down all the street signs to confuse them, and slow their progress. Well, the russians never bothered to put them back up after the war ended to punish the germans. Worse yet, nobody owned a car, so stopping to ask for directions was pointless, as the average person on the street didn't know how to get anywhere, and distrusted westerners.

Found a luxury hotel in Leipzig and settled in for dinner. Capitalism was a new concept, and the hotel staff was very rude. These people had never even eaten pasta under the soviets, and had a lot of catching up to do. In the middle of dinner, the hotel and surrounding streets became the scene of a riot, when the local soccer team lost an important match. They went around town busting store windows and burning cars. The police just followed them in VW vanwagons taping them with video cameras. Found the BMW upside down and burnt out the next morning and had to have a friend fly in with his private plane and pick me up.
 
Okay..I am going to Canada soon and will be taking the '94 NSX that I just bought, but this story is scaring me..what did they do to your car exactly? You said they ripped it apart....what should I know if I am taking my NSX....please let me know..thank you.
 
well, i think if my vehicle ever passes through the nearby mexican border, it will be because it was stolen, and is on it's way to becoming the chief of police's personal vehicle in Nogales.
 
Meeyatch1
They took apart my trunk carpets tools amp changer all taken out.
Then they pealed back the carpets in the car.
Took out the spare tire and got out the book that tells them were all the vin numbers are and took there sweet time locating everyone.
Then they let me go and didnt put anything back.
 
canadian cars retagged

the reason, ithnk, u got stopped at the border was this big car smuggling ring that got busted a few yrs ago. i know about it because a friend of mine bought one of the cars. cars were stolen in canada and retagged with someone elses vin #. i think the had a connect at canadian dmv that whould issues a lost title to the thieves. anyway now there are 2 car s same vin. cars were coming into the us pretty much legit. the buyer would give a down payment recieve canadian title register w the car in his name would get plates and registration. and would arrange shipping of the car. so the buyer ended up with a clean title in his name , plates everything was legal except the car, that why your vin #s were checked. the higher end cars draw attention and shady characters get basically cavity searched (if your're lucky)
 
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