Australia's 25-Year Import Law Is WAY Worse Than America's

In the United States, citizens are restricted from importing any nonconforming vehicle (never sold stateside) that is newer than 25 years old. The law is known as the Imported Vehicle SafetyCompliance Act, and it is the reason why wecan't go outand buy an R34 Skyline legally. American enthusiasts hate this law, and pray that it gets repealed or modified. In Canada the limit is just 15 years or older. Well, as it turns out the Australians have a law that is even worse than what's on the books over here.

In 1989, Australia's Motor Vehicle Standards Act prevented the importation of any vehicle that was manufactured after January 1, 1989. Unlike the US law, this date was fixed and would not allow citizens to ever import cars after this date. Now that Holden, Ford of Australia, and Toyotawill ceaseproduction in the country, the government is realizing that changes need to be made to such a ridiculous rule. The law will be changed to be more like the US equivalent that creates a rolling 25-yearadmission rule. These reforms have yet to be presented to Australian parliament and would not take effect until at least one year after parliament passes them. It is good to know that someone's import laws are worse than ours.