First of all - $36K??????? You can buy a brandy new one for far less than that.... But, how can they sell this car? It's completely illegal in the US for another 10 years under the current importation laws.
I think you can import them you just can't register them. they are not road legal. But I may be wrong.
Maybe the numbers match a long ago rusted away Mini. Aka fudged title. There are so many of those out & about.
I can't see a licensed dealer advertising a re-vin car, and it's listed as a 2000. There are no DOT/EPA clearances available for a 2000 model Mini. It's not legal, period. They would have to spend way more than the price it's advertised to get it legal, and I don't think even then it could be. But I would be happy to be proven wrong. And just like that 2000 that was destroyed in Jersey......chances are it will wind up in the crusher too - which is very sad.
There are lots of re-VIN Minis flitting about. There are ways to do it. There's nothing illegal about importing a rusted out mid 70's Leyland Mini, then buying a new Mark VII shell, and basically building what you want from scratch. My ONLY problem with classic Minis (legal or nod & wink style) is that I don't own one.
Yes, but this car does not purport to be a re-vin, it says it's a model year 2000.....not a "1971 rebuilt to 2000 specs" or something. It's a gorgeous car, I wish the gummint would change this stupid law once and for all......it might have made some sense 30 or 40 years ago, but today? Puhlease.....
Dave's absolutely right. I personally imported a 100% legal 1988 Classic Mini last year and even though my car was fully and exactly what it said it was (i.e. over 25 years old and perfectly okay to import), I still got the heebie-jeebies as my car went through Customs. This Mini is an incident waiting to happen, at least for the next 10 years. It's foolish to think that just because the car is on US soil and has a US title that the Feds can't come after it. They can. .
That 2000 Old Skool Mini should be legal in Canada. They only have a 15 year stipulation there. Being new here and coming from the world of Land Rovers, I am too familiar with gray market vehicles. Land Rover Defenders suffer a similar fate and we've seen nice ones get crushed in the ports due to VIN tampering. The CBP has eyes on the LR Defenders, Nissan Skylines, and others. Didn't realize Mini's too. Sadly, they themselves sometimes are clueless to the rules they enforce. Check this thread out if you have an hour or two to kill. Nice Mini though... what kind of engine is in that?
Mmmm. Skyline... I had a Skyline GT when I was stationed in Japan back in the early 70's. Couldn't afford one now though, even if they were legal.