Nope. They are imported under the federal law that states the vehicles are exempt (so legal to import/own). Hell, you don't even have to modify the headlights for LHD here (which is pretty stupid IMO).
That's insane. Each import has to go through a thorough OOP inspection with LHD headlights, etc... prior to even registering it. Licensing is after. Importers get the manufacture cert from Mitsubishi in Japan. North American Mitsu dealers won't have access to that.
I assume the manufacturer cert states what it does have/meet (at least in relation to Japanese/sold markets); and the importers then have to make whatever changes are required to add to that, in order to meet Canadian requirements (LHD headlights, DRL, etc).
At least people have the option to register in other states and legally drive in their home state. We don't have that luxury. That's a good loophole for many. Too bad for Maine. That's lost revenue for them.
Well, Maine (and most states) also require vehicles to be registered in-state if you are a legal resident (1yr residency for Maine). Many states require you to register a vehicle with them even if not a permanent resident (e.g. in Tennessee longer than 30 days). Most of the work arounds aren't technically legal...
Of course this is wrong as well... the federal law does not apply to 25+yr old vehicles (but it's still their choice to apply it if they want).
It sounds like they may have gotten together to provide cohesive messaging. My reply from the media contact for the BMV was similar, despite it being from a different person. The logic seems to be this:
TBH, I think the 25yr import waiver is a bit too lax; especially if the vehicle is registered in a state that has zero (or near zero) safety inspection requirements. How many are driving with original RHD headlights (which are terrible and cannot be adjusted correctly)?
Yeah, that does suck hard...
The trigger was one MDOC member trying to get an inspection done, I believe at a shop they hadn't used before. The shop didn't understand the vehicle or VIN or something, so they called the Maine State Police to come tell them how to proceed. The LEO who arrived told the shop that the vehicle wasn't legal and not to inspect. About a week later, the owner got his Letter. And I think it was 4-5 weeks after that we started getting ours. (Story might not be 100% accurate but is a summation of the details I remember seeing.) That's how the police got involved and why they are part of my FOAA request from the state. And I believe someone (the officer) who was not qualified to make a determination for the BMV kicked off a decision path that they are scrambling to justify, probably because of pride, hubris and arrogance. My opinion there.
There will probably be a bunch of vehicles not able to get their annual inspections renewed...
And both would be safer than an L300...
www.autoblog.com
Good, the more exposure the better.FYI we brought this to the attention of Autoblog, and they also have looked into this with similar results and nearly identical answers to what I heard.
Maine is actively deregistering imported Mitsubishi Delicas — but why?
Some Maine residents imported Mitsubishi Delicas into the U.S. and now the state of Maine is deregistering those vehicles and making them illegal to drive.
