I’m currently stationed in Tokyo with the, and I’m planning to PCS back to the States in April 2027. I own a 2002 Nissan 350Z (JDM Fairlady Z) that I really want to bring back with me.
The issue is my 350Z was manufactured in July 2002, so it won’t quite be 25 years old by the time I leave. I know that under the 25-Year Import Rule, I can’t bring the car in legally unless it hits that age milestone, and importing it before then sounds like a nightmare (Registered Importer, compliance mods, tons of $$).
Has anyone in the military (or otherwise) been in a similar situation? Do I have any options?
by thewarintokyo
2 Comments
Best option is to rent a storage unit in Japan and keep it until 27.
You won’t be legally importing it before the month of manufacture at 25 years so you can either sell it there or find a storage yard that will keep it until you can export it. It’s not hard finding storage spots if you’re OK with it sitting outside, find a company that does exports and they will be able to help when the time comes.
I’ve had cars sitting in Japan for 8 plus months before without any issues and storage was around 80 USD a month outside. Be ready to jump it after it arrives though.