$74000 D90?!

[rmuller]

Victor; I just noticed the ebay guy posted a response to your question:

Q: Will the vehicle be supplied with the DOT importation sticker required for registration in the US and Canada? Answered on Oct-14-04
A: No it will be supplied with a title like any other used vehicle

 

[vabiro]

<ROBOT LIKE VOICE> Danger Will Rogers, Danger!</ROBOT LIKE VOICE>

Sounds like a great way to flush some money down the toilet.

Victor

 

[Eric N.]

I have to agree with Eric on the US not bringing their vehicles up to civi code. Look at the humv.. Does it have air bags and all that other saftey crap? I don't believe that it does. I also don't think that you can get a mil spec humv either.. I'm pretty sure that they crush them when they are done with them and don't sell them off to john q public. So bringing a test vehicle in and then selling it to the public when there are done testing it sounds like a load of horse sh_t to me. Vin swapped or not the truck is still not supposed to be here and if you buy it you could have it taken away from you.


Plus, for 74K you could get a used US D-90 and have ECR hook it up with ever thing you could ever want and it would still probably be under 74K. The best part about that is tailor made and totally legal.

 

[utahdog2003]

I have to agree with Eric on the US not bringing their vehicles up to civi code. Look at the humv.. Does it have air bags and all that other saftey crap? I don't believe that it does. I also don't think that you can get a mil spec humv either.. I'm pretty sure that they crush them when they are done with them and don't sell them off to john q public. So bringing a test vehicle in and then selling it to the public when there are done testing it sounds like a load of horse sh_t to me. Vin swapped or not the truck is still not supposed to be here and if you buy it you could have it taken away from you.


Plus, for 74K you could get a used US D-90 and have ECR hook it up with ever thing you could ever want and it would still probably be under 74K. The best part about that is tailor made and totally legal.

you can buy surplus Mil-Spec Hummers

that D90 will be a Schlitz can in 3 months.

 

[Eric N.]

You may be able to get a HMMWV but, like that D-90 you may not be able to keep it.. It's still a big grey area that I would stay away from.. But, you are right, you can get one if you really want one.. You can get a tank too but, that doesn't mean that you can drive it down the street..

http://www.olive-drab.com/od_mvg_hmmwv_howtobuy.php3

 

[utahdog2003]

I guess you can buy it, you can keep it, you just cant tag it? I've seen surplus Hummers on the trails, but I wasn't thinking to look for plates or airbags. That D-90 on the other hand, looks to be a total black market money pit (the term Grey Market only applies after a third party has federalized the thing). The biggest dif is, one is just illegal to drive on the street, the other is just illegal.

*disclaimer* I aint no pro at this, so If you print my posts and try to use them to federalize anything bigger than a toaster, you are a total chucklehead.

 

[flippedrover]

The Hummers don't need airbags due the the vehichle class they are in.

 

[EricSiepmann]

Thanks for the link to the ECR page. That was an excellent primer on the topic, and it didn't support your premise that this is not a Federalized vehicle, it merely said that it is difficult, and must be done by one of the "Registered Importers" listed.

Of all the things that would cause me alarm, the VIN issue is the last. I would be more concerned about the eBay account the vendor is using hasn't had a transaction since March, and never as a seller only buyer. Further he only has 5 feedbacks, not suffincient for me to send >$30,000 to.

Having said that it remains to be seen wether the vehicle does or doesn't have a DOT certificate. It is completely possable that he has petitioned for a "VCP" or "VSP" certification as outlined on the NHTSA Site here.

In the interest of making an informed comment on wether this is DOT certified I have sent an e-mail to the vendor asking:

"Dear sailingrovers,

Will the vehicle be supplied with the DOT importation sticker required for registration in the US and Canada?"

I'll post the response, if any.

In any case, obtaining the necessary DOT certification would probably have been done by the Military if it was to be driven on the street. I would think Land Rover Special Vehicles would happily add the necessary components if a deal with the US military were in the balance. What may not be cost effective for a few hundred civilian sales, may make a lot of sense for the scale and profile that a US military sale would represent. Adding air bags, cats and couple of other items would be small potatoes when compared for some of the things Land Rover have done.

Victor

1. It must comply with MY 2002 enacted requirements. Means it must have ABS and an Airbag. So no, it's not federalized.

2. One can't assume that because the vehicle will be driven on US highways that it is compliant with DOT regulations. I have seen several HMMV's on the open road. They don't have airbags or ABS and hence aren't technically DOT COmpliant. They don't even have keys. See the posts above. I am no expert on the subject of the DOD being compliant with the DOT/NHTSA, but commone sense says that a good portion of the military fleet does not meet regulation for good reason. They're combat vehicles or vehicles subject to combat service.. As such, it's only an assumption on your part to assume that the US military federalizes it's entire motor pool.

Land Rover has said for years that it is nearly impossible to retrofit airbags into a Defender, which is why they stopped importing them in 97. Given that, LR wouldn't have fitted airbags. ABS is a possibility given it's a current option. I highly doubt the US has purchased the volume of vehicles needed to make the costs justifyable to LR. I would assume the entire US LR fleet is miniscule and is not subject to grow anytime soon. The HMMV was the platform developed by the military for the military to meet it's futre needs after using the Jeep. Why would the US introduce a large fleet of LRs when they have HMMVs across the board and negate any commonality among it's forces?
Common sense.

No DOT certificate which means it's not federalized and hence illegal to own inthe US.

So no.