Buy It There, Drive It Here - Fouroneone

Get past the DOT with no U.S. equivalent
Since the Silvia comes with the SR20DET engine, which is unavailable in the U.S., there is no equivalent with which to compare. So, after the cars are dismantled and the proposals are drawn up on how to make the Silvia as pollution-free and safe as a 240SX, a crash test must take place. For every car that has no U.S. equivalent, it must pass crash test standards. Morris recommends purchasing and bringing at least five cars for testing purposes: one to dismantle, one for emissions testing, at least two for crash testing (frontal and side impact results) and one spare just in case. If the government wants to see rear impact results, you don't want to have to source another Silvia and wait for it to come over; with a spare, you're ready to rock.

EPA certification
If the Silvia passes and flies by the DOT, then the EPA is your next roadblock. The car will need to be brought to an independent commercial importer, or ICI, and modified in order to pass the Federal Test Procedure, or FTP. The FTP is an approximately 11-mile dyno run that begins with a cold startup and is designed to simulate a whole assortment of driving loads and conditions. It measures emissions the whole way through. For California, the car must also pass an IM240 emissions test for a certification sticker. If the Silvia got EPA clearance, DOT certification and made it on to the NHTSA list, then start cranking them out. The groundwork has been laid and the car can be imported and modified to be fully 50-state legal.

The hard truth
Downsides? Shu told us the conversion process for a single car can take up to a year, and you can expect to pay at least $10,000 on top of the price of the imported vehicle. Waiting a year for a $28,000 Silvia makes engine swaps look that much more attractive. These figures don't even take into consideration the cost of the crashed cars and all the labor hours it takes if you are the pioneer who decides to lay the groundwork for certification. Morris has more hands-on importing experience than probably anybody else you'll ever know, but he still finds troubles at every step. It doesn't matter how many cars you've certified before and how thorough your petitions are, the federal government has nothing to gain by allowing you to import a Silvia. If you want a car brought in, it is up to you to hound the powers that be.

Here at 2NR, we're just as interested in getting the hottest things from Japan as you are, but we don't want our readers' rides taken away by the cops just because an importer didn't do his job. It keeps us up at night, honestly. Our suggestion to you is to look up the list of registered importers and consult with one of them about which car you want to bring into the United States. Don't do it yourself, and especially, don't go ask your friend's brother's "guy." Find somebody who can do it right the first time. Ask them about the time and money it takes; quiz them about how they will go about obtaining certification from the DOT and EPA in order for you to register it legally; check if they will be taking care of all of the paperwork and labor required; make sure your importer knows what he's doing, because you will be on to him if he doesn't. Knowledge is power, and now you've got both. Do your homework and nobody can cheat you out of your JDM-spec purchase. Class dismissed.