We all know that most of the world drives in the right lane rather than the left.
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| How to Buy Right-Hand-Drive Cars in the USA |
We Americans and most Europeans make fun of the UK for driving on the "wrong" side of the road, but do you know how many people in the world drive on the left?
- UK, obviously... Japan... maybe Australia, Singapore.
- 74 countries. 74 creepy countries drive on the left side of the road.
Is right-hand driving legal in the United States?
The simple answer: Yes, with a few caveats. More on that later. Many cars are available and perfectly legal, including coupes and sedans.
After all, almost all postal vehicles are right-hand drive, and we can buy them once they've been taken out of service. If you drive a car with a sideways driving position opposite the side of the road, it's a good idea to understand some of the dangers and how you can avoid them. This video gives a good overview:
But why would you want to?
First, some cars are only available in RHD, like the Nissan Skyline above for example, and to get one in the U.S. we have to import it gray market style. This happens more often than you might think.
Finally, some people need it to be RHD for business reasons. I guess that's pretty legitimate.
So how do I get an RHD car?
You basically have two choices:
- Conversion
- DIY
Taking a US-built LHD car and converting it is a fairly popular option.
You can go the cheap route and buy a conversion kit for a few hundred dollars and do it yourself.
You can do a proper conversion - buy all the necessary parts second hand, disassemble the car and convert it the time-consuming method. This will give it at least a decent look.
But during the process, your car will probably look like this for weeks or even months:
A proper DIY conversion is probably your best option, if you have the skills and parts/tools available. But keep in mind that it's very easy to mess up if you don't know what you're doing and you could kill yourself or another driver.
Professional Conversion
There are many companies that can do the conversion for you, if you have the money. It will be much safer and carry a warranty, but it is expensive.
A quick look at the US World Direct Facebook page suggests that an LHD to RHD conversion of a 2013 Chevy Camaro base model costs $25,000, while a regular C5 or C6 Corvette (excluding the ZR1) will cost you $38,500. That doesn't include shipping costs, and they will only convert certain cars.
Needless to say, not many tuners who spent $5,000 on their cars will go that route.
Importing it
This is a very good option, with a few important points.
First, you have to remember that the US EPA and NHTSA have very strict emission and safety standards. Generally much more than in other countries, which is why you see so many more models available in Europe than in the US. Automakers just don't want to spend the millions it takes to get an EPA certified car unless they know it will be a big seller.
And to do so legally, it will either have to be considered a demonstration vehicle and not driven on public roads, or it will already meet all NHTSA standards. That means it will have to be a car that is already sold here in the United States with LHD.
You see, foreign automakers make their cars the best they can, then they modify them a little bit to comply with U.S. standards, and that's what we get - usually. Usually, it's 10 to 20 horsepower weaker, but a cleaner, safer car to drive.
Without going into detail, since every car is different, you'll need to make sure your import is road legal.
Well, now how do I import the damn thing?
Easier than you think, actually.
The first step, of course, is to find a RHD car that you want. If you're serious about that, you've already done it. Your best bet is to buy a car in the UK or Japan - if it's European, shoot for the UK, if it's Japanese, go to Japan. As a rule, it will be cheaper if it hasn't already been shipped halfway around the world. After all, look at how much it costs British customers to buy American cars:
Don't be too cocky; European cars are much cheaper for them than for us.
Just look at the local classifieds for the country in question and you're good to go. There are also websites set up for Americans who want to do just that (so you don't look at eBay Motors in Japanese.)
Once you have found your car, make sure you will not have any problems with customs (this is a whole article for itself and differs for each car.) Then find a shipping company that you like and ask them to pick up your car and ship it. .
Some car dealerships already work with exporters, or you can arrange it yourself by searching - there are hundreds of companies that will ship a car for you, so you'll have to get quotes and search. Expect it to cost anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 or more depending on the value of the car and the company.
That's it?
There are a lot of little details and laws that vary by state and car that could be an issue for you, so be sure to do your own research.
This article is not a complete guide - it's a general overview that is meant to be a generic guide for all vehicles to help you get started. Be sure to research details and ask for help on forums from people who have done it before.