bringing a syncro van from the UK to the USA

[tim andres]

I'm considering purchasing a '90 Syncro in the UK and shipping it home to California. Does anyone have any idea about costs and do ability for mechanical changes to comply with the smog regulations here? And any thoughts on converting UK 240V electric hook up to USA 110V? Thanks, Tim Andres

[ajdenette]

esiest thing for smog if it doesnt get anything special would be to get a cali spec vanagon fi harness and swap the fi stuff over to the 90 version.

[canterburyfour]

You are asking a lot. Most non USA spec VW's have a shorter VIN that sends out a red flag to both customs and DMV. You are better of finding a Canadian Vanagon(not a Germany to Canada import). It is a lot easier as the VIN is similar to the USA.
The other option is bringing it in as parts and finding a US registered Syncro as a dono and swapping everything overr.
There is a loop hole that says you can import any vehicle over 25 ears old. I do not know the details.

[wildthings]

Just import it and spend the next five years fixing it up the way you want it. After that you should be home free with the feds, not sure what extra hoops California might throw your way.

You really need to check with your states smog board and DMV.