How The Hell Did This BMW 1 Series Get Past US Border Control?

It's illegal to simply import non-approved cars to the US, but somehow this BMW 116i has been living a normal life in Florida for years - until the current owner has tried to sell it on...

Matt Kimberley

22 Aug 2016

How The Hell Did This BMW 1 Series Get Past US Border Control?

Someone, somewhere, has apparently managed to get around the USA’s notoriously stupid import laws and register a British BMW 1 Series in Florida.

The details of how it actually got past customs are a bit sketchy, but Jalopnik has picked up on media coverage of this 2007 116i as the current owner is trying to sell. The low-output normally-aspirated four-pot under the bonnet is nothing special and the car wouldn’t get a second glance in the UK, but it’s a complete one-off in the US. If it’s legal.

It’s not old enough to qualify for import under America’s draconian import regs, but the original owner allegedly had the right-hand-drive fish-outta-water shipped over in one piece from Scotland before, almost straight away, selling it to someone in Florida who went through the motions of obtaining a ‘bonded title’ and then ultimately a ‘clean title’, which the seller claims makes it completely legit and road-legal. It still has the British V5C certificate, too.

Naturally it hasn’t escaped being lowered and fitted with wheels from a 135i. There looks to be plenty of wear and tear, too, but with bidding having reached just over $4,500, it could be a bargain for someone looking for a one-off project.

With a pretty basic spec and 78,000 miles on the clock, it has been used as a daily by the seller, but judging by some of his comments he’s having a bit of trouble getting rid of it. If he’s “posted this car for sale many places before, without any issues,” we can only assume that his main issue is that no one actually wants it.

Plenty of commenters on the original ad would like to see it crushed, despite it being insured and registered with the Florida authorities. There have even been threats of bringing the law down on the seller.

Is it too big a risk or a temptingly unique way into rear-drive, manual gearbox giggles? Let us know what you think.

Comments

No car deserves the crusher. Unless they are so unfit for road use. This seems about as unfit for road use as Jimmy Carr is for comedy.

Uhhhhh the multipla and the prius DO deserve the crusher

Insert Pontiac Aztec here

Implies that the BMW is fully fit for road use as Jimmy Carr is fit for comedy

“Plenty of commenters on the original ad would like to see it crushed, despite it being insured and registered with the Florida authorities.”

What the F is wrong with these people???

They’re probably from Florida

“Oh look, here’s a completely normal BMW 1-series with a normal engine, relatively low emissions and very good handling/braking properties, let’s ban it for no good reason”

-‘Murica 2016

It’s gonna happen one way or another. It may be registered but it’s still illegal. Even when it’s 25 years old he can’t LEGALLY title or register it without exporting it and importing it again LEGALLY. Florida has private owned places where you can register a car instead of going to the DMV and that’s why a lot of (illegal) imports are there.

Florida mate, just type “Florida” in the news section of Google search, we have people down there shooting each other, people getting eaten by crocodiles, eating each others faces, and f**ng up every single election

Theyre just jealous they cant get their r34’s yet

I had no idea that they weren’t sold in the US. Any particular reason why they aren’t?

It’s RHD from a different country, whereas the US uses LHD. They sell 1 series in the US, just not RHD. That’s the only complication with it. US import laws are brutal.