The US has a 25-year rule, which means that cars not previously meant for the US market can be imported after 25 years. Well, it's 2021, which means that we can now import cars from 1996. So, we got out a little bit of everything - a little bit of JDM flair, European cars, and Australia. We've put together a list of the most exciting cars that you are able to import.

Today, I'm James, and this is The D-List. Before we get into the list, I just want to say that importing a car is always gonna be very complicated. It's a messy process, and each state has their own regulations that can make registration that much more difficult. The easiest way to do it is to find a broker that you can trust. I'm gonna put the link to a couple of guys who helped us make this episode down in the description below.

Also, 1996 was the first year that OBD2 was required in US vehicles, which can make passing emissions even harder. Okay, so with that out of the way - let's get into it.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV is one of the cars on our list. The Evo has always been a tuner darling and a favorite among enthusiasts. We didn't get them in the states until 2003 with the Evo 8. So, the older non-US spec models just had that little sprinkle of fairy dust that made them just a little bit more special. Forbidden fruit tastes that much more delicious.

Mitsubishi gave the fourth-gen Evo an updated aeropack with sick, huge old big old rally fog lights in the front bumper and also got a brand new, bigger turbo which means a MOPOwA BABEH! First one of the year. This was also the first Evo to have something called active yaw control that controls torque to each individual wheel.

The Evo IV was also the first of the breed to really lock in some W's on the world rally stage. So, racing heritage, the first three Evos are already old enough to import, and we did a bumper-to-bumper on one a while back.

Next up is the Toyota Starlet - or as it's actually called, the Glanza. The Glanza V, to be more specific, and it's a bad-ass version of one of my favorite cars, Toyota's compact city car, the Starlet, one of the best names ever. The Glanza came out in January of 1996, so you can get one today.

It checked every box that you'd want to check if you're looking for a fun little hatchback - it's got turbo, it's got an LSD, it's got a really fun body kit. It's like a smaller, hotter hatchier version of an old Civic. The chassis of this car did come to the US in 1997 but didn't have a turbo and was called the Toyota Echo.

You may remember him - it's the total opposite of a hot hatchback, it's a cold hunchback. Next up is a mouthful of Vegemite - the HSV VS GTS-R, again, bunch of letters, bunch of numbers, it means it's gonna be sick. And it's an even more jacked-up version of the Holden Commodore V6 and was only made for one year.

This thing, it's like ugly hot. Under the hood is a beefy 5.7-liter LS1 that the Australians call, The Stroker. (whistling) And it came with a huge rear wing and some seriously period-correct three-spoke wheels. Most importantly, you could only get it in yellow, more specifically, XU-3 Yellow! Holden only made 85 of these buff joeys, so if you're gonna import one, you're looking at close to a $200,000 price tag.

All of a sudden doesn't really seem worth it for a 1996 car with an LS1. For that price, I think you buy 10 catfish Camaros and still have enough money for 30 more Camaros.

In 1996, TVR made a beautiful VA-powered sports car called the Cerbera. This was the very first car that TVR put their own V8 engine into. But even though you can import a Cerasta starting this year, it's not the car in this list because they're actually talking about a bizarre Swedish copycat literally called the Jösse Car Indigo 3000.

So there you have it - our list of cars that you can import from the US. We've got everything from hot hatchbacks to supercars, so there's something for everyone.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- The US has the thingcalled the 25 year rulewhich means that cars thatweren't previously meantfor the US market can beimported after 25 years.Well, it's 2021, which meansthat we can now import cars from 1996.So we got out a little bit of everything,a little bit of JDM flair,European cars, Australia.We've put together a listof the most exciting carsthat you are able to import, today.I'm James, and this is the D-List.Before we get into the list,I just want to say that importing a caris always gonna be very, very complicated.It's a messy process,and each state has their own regulationsthat can make registrationthat much more difficult.The easiest way to doit is to find a brokerthat you can trust.I'm gonna put the link to a couple of guyswho helped us make this episodedown in the description below.Also, 1996 was the first year that OBD2was required in US vehicleswhich can make passingemissions even harder.Okay, so with that out of the way.- Let's get into it.Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV.- The Evo has always been a tuner darlingand a favorite among enthusiasts.We didn't get them in the statesuntil 2003 with the Evo 8.So the older non US spec modelsjust had that littlesprinkle of fairy dustthat made them just alittle bit more special.Forbidden fruit tastesthat much more delicious.Mitsubishi gave the fourth genEvo an updated aero packagewith sick, huge old,big old rally fog lightsin the front bumper and alsogot a brand new, bigger turbowhich means a MO POwA BABEH!First one of the year.This was also the first Evoto have something calledactive yaw controlthat controls torque toeach individual wheel.The Evo IV was also the first of the breedto really lock in some W'son the world rally stage.So racing heritage, the first three Evosare already old enough to import,and we did a bumper tobumper on one a while ago.But now it's the Evo IV's turn startingin August of this year.But James, it's 2021.I want my Evo now!It's been 25 years!Well, you got to slow your roll, boss.Let me explain somethingabout the 25 year import rule.It's not as simple as you think.That's just how laws work.It's why you have to havea degree to be a lawyer.This particular law says that the VINactually has to be 25 yearsold, not just the model year.So even though the caris technically a 1996,each individual car has to be 25 years oldbefore you can bring it in.And the Evo IV didn't start getting builtuntil August of '96.So if you have a car from November of '96,you can't bring it overhere 'till November.- Nissan Stagea.- In September of '96,Nissan introduced the Stageato compete with the Subaru Legacy.It's kind of like an R33Skyline station wagon,which is tight AF.Subaru came out with the SCI,so Nissan gave us the Stagea RS Four.The RS Four was a performanceversion of this wagon.And this thing is practicallya full-on blastoid, okay.We're talking all wheel drive.We're talking turbo.We're talking RB25.This is starting to soundlike the sickest wagon ever,except it's not, becausethere's an even sicker Stageacalled the Autech 260RS.It's got numbers and lettersin it, which means it's sick.And it came with the RB26DETT,the same engine from the Nissan GT-R!It's like Godzilla with a backpack!- Renault Sport Spider.- The Renault Sport Spideris everything you want from a sports car.And by that, no features at all.It's got no power steering,no radio, no AC, no trunk.It doesn't even come with a fricking roof.The Sport Spider was directly inspiredby Renault's Alpine A110 sports carfrom the sixties and seventiesand was a track ready road car.January of '96 was the firstyear that the Sport Spiderwas made, and it's actually the only yearthat this car came witha (beeping) windshield.It's got butterfly doors,just like a McLaren Senna.Also, just like a Senna theSport Spider starts with an S.It only has 150 horsepower,but it also weighs only 2000 pounds.So just make sure thatyou measure your legsbefore you order one of these,because it looks very small,and there's nothing worsethan ordering a pair ofpants that don't fit,except for ordering acar that doesn't fit.Next up we have one of thegrosser names of any car ever.The Toyota--- That's not gross.- Starlet--- That one actually sounds pretty cool.- Glanza.That's right, this caris named the Glanza.The Glaza V to be more specific,and it's a bad-ass versionof one of my favorite cars,Toyota's compact city car, the Starlet,one of the best names ever.The Glanza came out in January of '96,so you can get one today.And it checked every boxthat you'd want to checkif you're looking fora fun little hatchback.It's got turbo.It's got an LSD.It's got a really fun body kit.It's like a smaller,hotter hatchier versionof an old Civic.The chassis of this cardid come to the US in 1997,but it didn't have a turbo,and it was called the Toyota Echo.You may remember him.It's the total oppositeof a hot hatchback.It's a cold hunchback.The next car is a mouthful of Vegemite.The HSV VS GTS-R, again, bunchof letters, bunch of numbers,it means it's gonna be sick.And it's an even more jacked up versionof the Holden Commodore V6,and it was only made for year.This thing, it's like ugly hot.Under the hood is a beefy 5.7 liter LS1that the Australians call,The Stroker. (whistling)And it came with a huge rear wingand some seriously period-correct,three-spoke wheels.And most importantly, youcould only get it in yellow,more specifically, XU-3 Yellah!Holden only made 85 of these buff joeys,so if you're gonna import one,you're looking at closeto a $200,000 price tag.All of a sudden doesn'treally seem worth itfor a 1996 car with an LS1.For that price, I thinkyou buy 10 catfish Camarosand still have enoughmoney for 30 more Camaros.In 1996, TVR made a beautifulVA powered sports carcalled, the Cerbera.This was the very first carthat TVR put their own V8 engine into.But, even though you can import a Cerberastarting this year, it'snot the car in this list,'cause they're actually talking abouta bizarre Swedish copycatliterally called theJösse Car Indigo 3000.So basically, there's thisdude, let's call him Jösse,and he looked at whatTVR was doing and said,"Ya, that's what I want to do!"So Jösse basically wentdown the Swedish car aislein the parts supermarketand grabbed all of his favorite bits.He got a 6-cylinder, 24 valveVolvo engine, Volvo seats,Volvo rear suspension, Volvo transmission,and a gas tank from (drumming) Saab.This thing looks like the sports carfor The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.And starting in March, mybirthday's in March, by the way,you can snag one of only44 of these bad boysthat were ever built.So if you could find oneand afford it, get me it...for my birthday.(soft music) I wreally,wreally want it. (fake crying)What do you think was themost expensive Japanese carthat was made in 1996?Dead wrong!It was a huge, fourcylinder, diesel powered,military inspired SUV thatat the time was $100,000.It's basically a Hummer H1for the Japanese military,and it's called, (electricguitar solo) the Mega Cruiser!It's got six seats,which is two more thana wimpy ass Hummer H1.It's got full-time four wheeldrive and four wheel steering.But even though it's aboutas bare bones as it gets,you're gonna have todrop some serious kwanif you want one today,like $100,000 worth of kwan.Toyota technically startedmaking them in 1995for the military butdidn't start selling themto the public until 1996.And they only made 133 for civilians.And you're gonna have to wait 'til Octoberto bring one here.I've seen one in person, they're nuts.- The Lotus Elise.- The Lotus Elise has beenon sale in the US since 2005,but we never got the first versionthat came out in August of 1996.This teeny tiny, wittle baby car redefinewhat a sports car could be.It was the epitome of the Lotus mentalityof simplify and add lightness.The Elise was designed tobe a four-wheeled versionof the Ducati sport bikes of the day.It's 25 centimeters shorterthan a Miyata, but it's wider,which made this car oneof the best handling carsin the world.This is another one thatyou're gonna want to make sureto make sure to take buttmeasurements before buying,because it's a small boy.In general, you should justknow how wide your butt isin case you have to escape.- Mitsubishi Legnum VR-4.- This one has a gross name too.I don't get it, Legnum.But this is another awesomeJDM party dad wagon.And it's a bit of part spin special,so station wagon version of the Galant.It shares the same allwheel drive platformthat's in the Evo thatI mentioned earlier,and it's got the twinturbo V6 from the 3000 GT.Yeah, you can start buyingthese bad boys in June,just in time for summer and surprisingly,it's one of the cheaper cars on this list.There's a guy in Canadathat imported his for like eight grand.And just for your info, Canadadoesn't have a 25 year rule.They have a 15 year rule- But ofcourse, the Toyota Classic.- I know what you're saying.This thing isn't 25 years old!It's like a hundred years old!Dead wrong, muchacho, Toyotamade the classic in 1996to celebrate the 60th anniversaryof its first passenger car, the AA.It is, it is, it is, it isin essence a luxury Toyotabuilt on the chassis of a Tacoma.(gasping)Only 100 of these cars were built,and the original sale pricefor the car was $75,000,which seems really expensive for a joke.And somehow they can be foundfor around $30,000 today.I don't know.The biggest benefit ofbuying one of these thingsis that no one will bedriving what you're driving,except maybe in my favoriteshow, Downtown Abbey,where the, which is about a guywho has a guy dress him three times a day,so he can eat food with his daughters.(chuckling)You know, me, you know, I love me a Golf,great sport, great car, and tocelebrate all of us dubbers,those wacky Germanites cameout with a celebratory modelfor their most celebrated car.I'm talking about the20th anniversary GTI.The anniversary specialcame with red accents,inherited inspired designelements like red seat belts,red and gray checkered upholstery,bigger 16 inch BBS wheelsand a two liter 16 valve, four banger,also a little red button on the e-brakethat looks exactly like a dog's peepee.(laughing)It's a little confusing because the USalso got a 20th anniversary versionof the Mark 4 GTI in 2003,but that was to celebrate 20 yearsof being in the US market.The one I'm talking about todayis a Mark 3, the best gen,and it was made to celebratethe original 1976 GTIthat wasn't sold in America.It's very confusing.Them is German cars for you, boy.Never seen so manyplastic screws in my life.We have reached the end of the list,and we've got a realbanger for you babies.It's a Nissan, it's a Skyline.It's a GTR, aka is thebest man in my wedding,Larry, the cable guy,calls it, the gitter done!But on top of that, it'sa very, very special onethat was only produced in May of 1996.- The NissanSkyline R33 GT-R LM Limited.- In 1996, Nissan entered the GT1 classat the 24 Hours of Le Manswith the bad-ass wide body, R33 race car.It wasn't able to competewith the Ferrari F40sand McLaren F1s, so Nissanwithdrew from the season.But to celebrate the fact that they triedat Le Mans, Nissan built188 LM Limited GTRsfor the public that were directly inspiredby the Le Mans race cars.They had a vented hood,upgraded front lip,carbon fiber wing with that gurney flap.And they only came in championship blue,even though they quit.And if you're one of those hatersthat says the R33 isjust the fat middle childof the Skyline family,I've got news for you, pal!The fat middle child is the best child.They're funnier, andthey're more reliable,because they learn from theirbig brothers and sisters.They're wider, whichmakes them more stableand better to handle, andbecause of their shape,they're more aerodynamic,and I think they're better looking,all of which is true in the R33.I love an R33 Skyline.I would love one!I want to give a huge thanksto Jamie Orr and Sean Morrisfor really helping us inthe research of this video.We couldn't have done it without you guys.I'm gonna put the linkto both of their websitesin the description below.Both of them are great.I actually got my Golf from Orchid Euro.To find out more about cars we never got,check out this episode of the D-list.I love you!