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R56 order a right-drive MINI in US?

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Old 02-20-2011, 04:02 AM
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order a right-drive MINI in US?

does anyone know that what if i can order a right-drive MINI in US from dealer? and an Irvin dealer guy tole me "At this time there are no allocations anywhere for the JCW so you will not be able to order one. " is that true that there's a allocation limits for JCW? thank you guys. PLEASE anyone knows?
 

Last edited by wandrur; 02-20-2011 at 11:18 PM.
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Old 02-20-2011, 05:03 AM
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Call another dealer. That sounds like he just didn't want to deal with you.

OBTW all Mini's in the USA are left hand drive...
 
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Old 02-20-2011, 05:09 AM
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^^^^^What he said^^^^^^^^^

Find another dealer that won't BS you. The only right hand drives in the US are imported (individualy), specialty, or very old models.

Good luck.
 
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Old 02-20-2011, 04:44 PM
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thx bros, oh ye, actually i wanna say the "right-hand-drive"
 
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Old 02-20-2011, 04:59 PM
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http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/impo...nchor-11-10144 :

As previously indicated, an import eligibility decision can be based on the substantial similarity of a non-U.S. certified vehicle to a vehicle manufactured for importation and sale in the United States, and so certified by its original manufacturer. If the vehicle you are seeking to import is a RHD, even if there were a U.S.-certified left-hand version of that vehicle, it might not be considered "substantially similar" for import eligibility purposes. Our experience has shown that the safety performance of RHD vehicles is not necessarily the same as that of apparently similar left-hand drive vehicles offered for sale in this country. However, NHTSA will consider the vehicles "substantially similar" if the manufacturer advises the agency in writing, on the manufacturer’s letterhead (and not that of an authorized dealership or other such entity affiliated with the manufacturer) that the RHD vehicle would perform the same as the U.S.-certified left-hand drive vehicle in crash tests. Absent such evidence, the petitioning RI would have to demonstrate that the vehicle, when modified, would comply. In this case, you might want to contact one or more of the RIs listed on our website to obtain their opinion on the feasibility of conforming the RHD vehicle to the FMVSS, and the costs involved in conforming the vehicle and petitioning NHTSA for a determination as to whether the vehicle is eligible for importation.

{google: import right hand drive cars}
 

Last edited by Capt_bj; 02-20-2011 at 05:34 PM.
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Old 02-20-2011, 05:14 PM
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I asked both the St. Louis and Des Moines dealers. STL said absolutely not. Des Moines said all you have to do is get a US inspection on it. I assume that means you could call through to MINIUSA and just have it sent to the nearest dealer.
 
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Old 02-20-2011, 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Jaque_Mate
I asked both the St. Louis and Des Moines dealers. STL said absolutely not. Des Moines said all you have to do is get a US inspection on it. I assume that means you could call through to MINIUSA and just have it sent to the nearest dealer.
I don't think that the "inspection" they're talking about is something as simple as a dealer's pre-delivery inspection or a typical annual state inspection - think more along the lines of tens of thousands of dollars in testing fees and the possibility that you might have to buy two cars (one to sacrifice to the destructive testing and then one to actually drive.)

You might be able to import one as a "static display/show car", but I think you're very limited on where, when and how many miles per year you can drive.
 
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Old 02-20-2011, 11:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Capt_bj
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/impo...nchor-11-10144 :

As previously indicated, an import eligibility decision can be based on the substantial similarity of a non-U.S. certified vehicle to a vehicle manufactured for importation and sale in the United States, and so certified by its original manufacturer. If the vehicle you are seeking to import is a RHD, even if there were a U.S.-certified left-hand version of that vehicle, it might not be considered "substantially similar" for import eligibility purposes. Our experience has shown that the safety performance of RHD vehicles is not necessarily the same as that of apparently similar left-hand drive vehicles offered for sale in this country. However, NHTSA will consider the vehicles "substantially similar" if the manufacturer advises the agency in writing, on the manufacturer’s letterhead (and not that of an authorized dealership or other such entity affiliated with the manufacturer) that the RHD vehicle would perform the same as the U.S.-certified left-hand drive vehicle in crash tests. Absent such evidence, the petitioning RI would have to demonstrate that the vehicle, when modified, would comply. In this case, you might want to contact one or more of the RIs listed on our website to obtain their opinion on the feasibility of conforming the RHD vehicle to the FMVSS, and the costs involved in conforming the vehicle and petitioning NHTSA for a determination as to whether the vehicle is eligible for importation.

{google: import right hand drive cars}
a good news is i found there's a record that i suppose to import a right-hand-drive MINI into US, but the bad news is showed below:

Manufacturer: Mini
Model Type(s): Cooper (European market)
Body: Convertible
Model Year(s): 2005
Import Eligibility Number: VSP: 482
Docket Number:
NHTSA-Year: NHTSA-2006 NHTSA-2006
Simple Search: 24310 25071
 
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