My first car in Japan that I intended to take back to the States when I left Japan for the first time, not knowing how long (or little in my case) that I'd stay in the US.
I was told that because it was a car sold in the US, it was eligible for import. And, I never really questioned it because it seemed like a logical answer. Come to find, that information was given to me by someone without a clue about the
Nonconforming Motor Vehicles That are Eligible for Importation list provided by the NHTSA.
So, I bought the car for about $4000, got a custom paint job, and a lot of extras put on it... topping about a total price of $15,000. I did all this because I thought it could be imported to the US without issue. Because it was a right-hand drive, it would've immediately made the $15,000 worth $20,000 in a private sale in an immediate flip, if I ever needed to dump it, and well over $50,000 today if I just kept it in storage.
Come to find out, because I didn't do due diligence and make sure it could be imported, it wasn't eligible for an import without shipping at my own expense. Shipping it on my own would have also included shipping the car body separate from the motor, a $10,000+ price tag alone.
As I needed to de-register the car before leaving Japan, I had to sell it for about $1500. A huge loss. To both my bank account and pride.
Worst purchase ever and lesson learned.
