Back in the spring, President Trump sent the American import community into a panic when he announced 25 percent tariffs on car imports and imported car parts. These tariffs, in combination with the government’s global reciprocal tariffs, had enthusiasts worrying that their dream imports would become 10 to 25 percent more expensive. It’s taken forever, but we now have word from an organization affiliated with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the outlook isn’t good. Your dream imported car is exempt from the car tariffs, but it’s not exempt from the global reciprocal tariffs. Here’s what that means and why it might get so much worse come August 1.
I first reported on this issue back in March and then in early April, and it was a rollercoaster of woe. In late March, the White House published “ADJUSTING IMPORTS OF AUTOMOBILES AND AUTOMOBILE PARTS INTO THE UNITED STATES” on its Presidential Actions page. The President’s desired car industry tariffs, as they were written, implied that all cars entering the country, regardless of their age, would be hit with this tariff. However, the wording was also vague enough that some thought that maybe cars that were at least 25 years old were exempt.
Let’s Jump Right In
Here’s the original proclamation that alarmed the car importation community, emphasis mine:
On February 17, 2019, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) transmitted to me a report on his investigation into the effects of imports of passenger vehicles (sedans, sport utility vehicles, crossover utility vehicles, minivans, and cargo vans) and light trucks (collectively, automobiles) and certain automobile parts (engines and engine parts, transmissions and powertrain parts, and electrical components) (collectively, automobile parts) on the national security of the United States under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (section 232). Based on the facts considered in that investigation, the Secretary found and advised me of his opinion that automobiles and certain automobile parts are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States.
[…]
Except as otherwise provided in this proclamation, all imports of articles specified in Annex I to this proclamation or in any subsequent annex to this proclamation, as set out in a subsequent notice in the Federal Register, shall be subject to a 25 percent tariff with respect to goods entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 3, 2025, for automobiles, and on the date specified in the Federal Register for automobile parts, but no later than May 3, 2025, and shall continue in effect, unless such actions are expressly reduced, modified, or terminated. The above ad valorem tariff is in addition to any other duties, fees, exactions, and charges applicable to such imported automobiles and certain automobile parts articles.
The White House then published a Fact Sheet, which only confused matters:
The 25% tariff will be applied to imported passenger vehicles (sedans, SUVs, crossovers, minivans, cargo vans) and light trucks, as well as key automobile parts (engines, transmissions, powertrain parts, and electrical components), with processes to expand tariffs on additional parts if necessary.
These tariffs add to existing duties. Passenger vehicles were already subject to a 2.5 percent duty and thus would be slapped with a 27.5 percent duty after the 25 percent tariff is layered on.
Things looked especially bad for imported trucks, which were already subject to the 25 percent Chicken Tax. Layer on the auto tariff, and that’s a whopping 50 percent. Truth be told, 50 percent isn’t all that much when you’re importing something like a Japanese Kei truck, which you might have paid less than $500 for in a Japanese auction. But it would make a big difference if you imported something like an Isuzu Elf, a Nissan Atlas, or another kind of bigger, more expensive truck like the one pictured above.
It did seem like enthusiasts got a reprieve when the rule was published in the Federal Register, making it official. Click here to read the boring legalese, but the important part for enthusiasts was Heading 9903.94.04, which stated:
Heading 9903.94.04 applies to all entries of passenger vehicles (sedans, sport utility vehicles, crossover utility vehicles, minivans, and cargo vans) and light trucks from all countries classifiable in the headings or subheadings enumerated in subdivision (b) of this note that were manufactured in a year at least 25 years prior to the year of the date of entry.
Heading 9903.94.01 says:
Except for 9903.94.02, 9903.94.03, and 9903.94.04, effective withrespect to entries on or after April 3, 2025, passenger vehicles (sedans, sport utility vehicles, crossover utility vehicles, minivans, and cargo vans) and light trucks, as specified in note 33 to this subchapter, as provided for in subdivision (b) of U.S. note 33 to this subchapter.
But Trump threw a curveball on April 2 with the announcement of different global reciprocal tariffs. From the White House:
- Using his IEEPA authority, President Trump will impose a 10% tariff on all countries.
- This will take effect April 5, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. EDT.
- President Trump will impose an individualized reciprocal higher tariff on the countries with which the United States has the largest trade deficits. All other countries will continue to be subject to the original 10% tariff baseline.
- This will take effect April 9, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. EDT.
In essence, the President created a layer cake of tariffs. All imported goods were subjected to a baseline additional reciprocal tariff of 10 percent, unless the good was covered by another tariff category. This did not resolve any confusion whatsoever.
Everyone Got Confused
In reality, this created two camps within the car importing community. Several importers and import brokers concluded that, due to the text above, imported cars that were at least 25 years of age were exempt from both sets of tariffs. The logic was that, based on the text, your car shouldn’t be hit by a reciprocal tariff because it falls under a category covered by the auto tariff. However, because of the age exemption in the car tariff, you don’t get hit with the 25 percent. Thus, your duty should be 2.5 percent because you are not eligible for either tariff.
However, other importers and brokers came to a different conclusion. Their reading of the text above was that, yes, cars at least 25 years old are exempt from the auto tariff. That’s something everyone agrees on. However, the disagreement comes from the reciprocal tariff, as many importers and brokers believe that not being hit by the auto tariff means that you are then hit by the reciprocal tariff. In other words, the government is going to get extra money from you one way or another.
In May, I explained that my 1997 Honda Life had been hit by the 10 percent reciprocal tariff upon entry, leading me to pay a total duty of 12.5 percent. The problem was that nobody could give a definitive answer on whether getting hit by the reciprocal tariff was proper or not.
My Honda rode to America aboard the MOL Clover Ace roll-on roll-off ship in May, or after the tariff grace period had been expired for over a month. Here’s the wild twist: My importer contacts had hundreds of cars on the same ship and some of them even unloaded their cars at the same port on the same day. My little Honda basically kept their cars company during the long voyage.
Yet, some of these importers paid the reciprocal tariff and some did not. This was no help in solving the confusion. My Customs broker, All Ways International Shipping (AWIS), charged me a Customs duty of $32.25, or 12.5 percent of my car’s $258 purchase price. I expected to pay $6.45, or 2.5 percent. AWIS charged me the 12.5 percent based on its reading of the tariffs. It was a difference of just $25, so I didn’t really care in the end. But I still wondered: “Was that right?”
For much of May and June, the advice in the importing world was to choose a Harmonized Tariff Schedule code in your import paperwork that would correspond with you paying only 2.5 percent, not 12.5 percent. From my story:
The belief is that HTS 9903.01.33 should be the code chosen, which states:
Articles of iron or steel, derivative articles of iron or steel, articles of aluminum, derivative articles of aluminum, passenger vehicles (sedans, sport utility vehicles, crossover utility vehicles, minivans, and cargo vans) and light trucks and parts of passenger vehicles (sedans, sport utility vehicles, crossover utility vehicles, minivans, and cargo vans) and light trucks, of any country, as provided in subdivision (v)(vi) through (v)(xi) of note 2 to this subchapter.
Since 25-year-old cars are exempt from the 25 percent tariff, that would mean the normal 2.5 percent. People getting hit with the 10 percent tariff are seeing HTS 9903.01.25, which says:
Articles the product of any country, except for products described in headings 9903.01.26–9903.01.33, and except as provided for in heading 9903.01.34, as provided for in subdivision (v) of U.S. note 2 to this subchapter.
So that was it, right? The problem was just that importers filling out their entry paperwork were just punching in the wrong codes? Several trusted importers in the American JDM community were saying just that.
Your Dream Car Got More Expensive
Easy ISF, a company specializing in helping importers fill and file their documents with Customs, reached out to Customs’ Automotive & Aerospace Center of Excellence and Expertise. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a Center of Excellence and Expertise is run by experts in 10 selected industries as a connection point between CBP and importers:
Centers of Excellence and Expertise (Centers) are industry-focused and account-based operational organizations processing post-release trade activities on behalf of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Centers are aligned by 10 key industry sectors in strategic locations at Ports of Entry across the U.S. and are the strategic point of connectivity between the trade community and CBP operations. The Centers increase uniformity of practices across the Ports of Entry, facilitate the timely resolution of trade compliance issues nationwide and strengthen CBP’s ability to protect the U.S. economy.
According to CBP, a Center of Excellence and Expertise may handle, among other things, Entry Summaries, Petitions, Post-Summary Corrections, Revenue Collection, Temporary Importations under Bonds, Liquidations, and more. Customs also uses these centers to answer questions importers and companies might have regarding compliance.
Judy Staudt, Acting Center Director, Automotive & Aerospace Center of Excellence and Expertise, sent Easy ISF this saddening message:
Staudt’s interpretation of the rule agrees with the importers who believe that not being subject to the auto tariff means that you are still subject to the reciprocal tariff. Thus, me being charged 12.5 percent was proper.
So, what about those importers who are still paying 2.5 percent? Easy ISF warns that there is a non-zero chance that those people might receive a bill in the future:
We have received direct confirmation from the acting director in charge of all auto imports at CBP that these duties are required. Despite this, we have also seen many cars clearing customs only the 2.5% duty, and we have lost a significant number of importers to brokers who are not charging the tariff.
The thing to keep in mind is that the initial release is generally just to make sure the vehicle doesn’t have contraband or anything inadmissible. The actual, full entry review by CBP can take up to 314 days. Some people might get away with not having paid the duty, but many won’t. I guarantee we will see a lot of angry posts in the next few months of people getting hit with the missed duty.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to know for sure since this situation seems to change by the minute. Easy ISF is correct that CBP may take up to 314 days to process your entry, or long after you’ve picked up your goods from the port. Do everything right and CBP liquidates your entry, noting no change to the duty amount. The concern is if, during processing, CBP determines that you did not pay enough.
This is why Easy ISF believes that car import groups are bound to see some folks angry about getting hit with a bill months after they’ve imported their car.
This means that if you or your broker fill out your import paperwork correctly, your dream car is automatically 10 percent more expensive. While this won’t amount to much for a cheap Japanese Kei car, it will make a measurable difference on something pricy. It’s also notable that the 10 percent duty is a global one, unless there’s an even higher tariff slapped on the country that you’re importing from. I’ve used images of cars from Japan in this piece, but a car from Europe would also be hit with the duty.
But Wait, There’s More!
Sadly, I have more bad news for you to process. The President had previously delayed the rollout of his targeted reciprocal tariffs. You might remember that, back in the spring, President Trump had selected a 24 percent reciprocal tariff against all products from Japan. Thankfully, that tariff didn’t come.
On July 7, that changed when Trump got onto Truth Social to fire off a strongly worded letter to Japan, warning of a 25 percent reciprocal tariff that Trump says will go live on August 1. If Trump follows through with this, your dream cars from Japan will get 25 percent more expensive.
I’ll use myself as an unfortunate example here. The 1998 MGF that I purchased in June has a value of $2,435. Under the old 2.5 percent duty, that amounts to paying the government just $60.87. Under the current reciprocal tariff, which adds to the existing 2.5 percent duty, would have me paying 12.5 percent, or $304.37. If Trump’s threat against Japan goes live, my duty would jump to a total of 27.5 percent, or $669.62. As you can see, duties escalate quickly with tariffs.
If you have a car on a boat right now, like I do, there may or may not be a reprieve. Posts written on Truth Social are not law, so we have no idea what the official proclamation will look like. In April, CBP clarified that goods loaded onto a ship before April 5 (the launch of the 10 percent reciprocal tariff) would not be hit by the reciprocal tariff. Thus, there were cars that came to America after April 5 that did not get slapped with the 10 percent tariff.
Will CBP do the same for the Japan tariffs that were just announced? At this time, that is not clear. If that is the case, then when my MGF arrives on August 4 or August 6 it might just be hit by the current 12.5 percent duty, not the whopper of 27.5 percent.
Either way, this whole thing has been a mess and at times, it has felt nearly impossible to get anything resembling clear information. The message from the Automotive & Aerospace Center of Excellence and Expertise is the only thing remotely official that we’ve seen for months on whether your dream car should be dramatically more expensive or not. Sadly, this message seems to have put the debate to bed. If you want a cool car from another country, you will get caught up in the trade war. I’m sorry. At the very least, I still cannot wait for my MGF to show up early next month!
Update: We accidentally embedded the wrong letter from the White House. That has been corrected.
Sooooo…. reading between the lines, it seems like motorcycles are exempt and so are wheels.
But according to Trump, MG Rover will simply lower the price of an MGF by a equivalent amount and you will be home free.
“Your Imported Dream Car Just Got More Expensive, And It’s Probably Going To Get Worse”
Actually everything is getting worse. For almost everybody.
So much winning! We’re all winners! I’m feeling like a winner, aren’t you?
I can’t win for losing.
President Pedophile certainly is mucking things up for the rest of us.
Hey now, according to the DoJ there is (conveniently) no Epstein File after all. And if Pam Bondi says it, you know it’s true!
Who would even want to import a car when you can already buy a car with a Jatco Xtronic CVT at your local Nissan dealer?
But when will we be able to import a car with one of these legendary transmissions? They are what, 15 years old at most at this point?
Gotta love it when the president takes very careful aim at one’s small business with intent to destroy it utterly so we can buy more, what? Fords? Clown shoes top to bottom.
Recent Yale report says that we can expect 37% higher shoe prices because of tariffs. Stock up on your favorite clown shoes now!
Or with everything being so costly you save a fortune by not buying any more cars for awhile. That would save you thousands
Every tire, brake pad, spark plug, wiper, chemical will now cost a fortune. Will cost you thousands.
That could have easily been the case on any given day in the before times. The now times are basically a can of alphabet soup in a paint shaker.
I’ve wanted to import a Brasília for quite awhile, but I’m thinking a better bet might be to just go ahead and get a nice little place near the beach over in Maricá before the current administration manages to tank the dollar, then buy the Brasília and keep it there as part of my future plans to escape midwestern winters.
That seems like a sound plan to me.
If it weren’t for having to take care of my mom, I’d likely be out of here, just rent my place out and live cheaply and more sanely somewhere else. My kid and I can each afford to fly to see each other.
So that $3,000 Sambar with the failed paint on FB marketplace is becoming a better and better deal every day.
It’s an ok price. You can still get one all in for that from Japan yourself as of today.
I’m still looking at the import options but the import broker I’ve been talking with has said it is has been running about $3k on top of the auction price by the time the truck is here and all the DMV paperwork is settled these days.
“On February 17, 2019, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) transmitted to me”. Wow! The Biden Administration knew Trump was going to slap tariffs on cars!
Is the Trump tax based on where the car was made or the last country it was in? If I buy a Peugeot in Panama and drive it to El Paso, where am I importing it from?
If you buy a Peugeot in Panama, and it survives that journey and crosses the bridge from Juarez… I feel like you should be given an award, not taxation.
If Peugeot was good enough for Lt. Columbo and K in Blade Runner 2049, surely it’s good enough for Hugh.
All good points
If you don’t end up kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel and ransomed for tens of dollars the exchange rate is pretty good, but they keep the Peugeot as a transport vehicle
Peugeot’s are surprisingly resilient, or at least my 206 was.
Ordinarily tariffs are based on the country of origin – not always precisely where the car is made, but close enough.
However, the most recent stuff about Vietnam included a “trans-shipment” tariff for goods shipped from but not originating in Vietnam, and I have literally no clue how that’s supposed to work – and I get paid to know how it’s supposed to work.
Basically the current administration has turned the US customs code into free association poetry.
Which sucks because before now it was so clear and logical
It was a disaster before, but at least it was possible to find the answer. These days you may as well consult a magic 8 ball.
Creating a stack of new policies while eliminating the people who can implement them isn’t a recipe for efficiency. It is, however, a good method to sew chaos that distracts from the vast amount of criminal behavior being perpetrated.
And if Peter the passenger packed pecks of peppers he picked in Peru does that pass for produce or is he in a pickle and have to pay the piper if he has a Polish passport?
Asking for a friend.
I’d postulate your pal is perched in a perniciously precarious predicament, particularly providing for present peculiarities.
A long time ago, in a saner time… About 20 years ago, I imported a car from Canada to the USA. The fact that the car was built in Belvedere, Illinois meant that no duty/tax/tariff was due. The product’s country of origin mattered at that time. Today? Who knows, with all the wack-ass proclamations from the Fascist in Chief.
Man… the lengths they go through to create distractions from their distractions, and claiming that their previous distractions don’t exist or warrant any further investigations.
…but then Elon strikes again!
So much winning!
To be honest, I’m kinda getting tired of it already.
Paperwork may or may not exist on Pam’s desk. The missing Schrödinger file.
Your
Imported Dream CarEverything Just Got More Expensive, And It’sProbablyGoing To Get WorseFixed that for ya’
Winning sure is expensive.
And I tired of all the winning?
Yes I am.
Sorry I’m paying less money on just about everything
What is this everything and what kind of money?
I know the prices of some assets are down, like who wants to buy a house with in all this craziness, but I certainly haven’t noticed the price of anything going down if you are paying in dollars. I suppose if I were paying in gold, Swedish Crowns, or Kuwaiti Dinars, prices would be down.
Kuwaiti Dinars are hilarious because they operate on London logic: damn the exchange rate, charge the same numerical value as it would cost in the States.
(Source: damn near had a heart attack reading the PF Chang’s menu prices over there.)
The construction projects I have seen have shown a 25% increase in bids this year over late last year. The contractor on the one currently in progress said he is losing his shirt due to increased labor costs. Two concrete crews were disappeared by ICE (if that is who they were), and even their families don’t know where they are. So the contractor poured the concrete themselves, and it was so bad they needed to rip it out, which delayed the project by a month. The time penalty for the contractor means they might go out of business. Add to that the fact that the FFE (Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment) is largely imported. Plus, everyone is starting to add a 10-20% “WTF” factor on all their bids because they don’t know what is going to happen next
Add to that the fact that there will be crops rotting in the fields, and/or the price of food is going to go up.
None of the above has yet to impact consumers, but it most certainly will.
Same. We have projects where the bids came in last year, and the Contractors will all have to revise their numbers. Owners don’t have a choice, they have long relationships with these guys and do not want to bankrupt someone they want to work with in the future.
Very true. This project is in Texas, and our insurance provider also told us that because we have a project in Texas, our yearly rate is going up by $8k a year, and the deductible is increasing by $10k, due to the “regulatory environment.” That translates to “They don’t enforce any building regulations so there is a higher chance of shit falling down.” On our invoice to the Texas client, we itemized the cost as the “Texas Regulatory Surcharge.”
Here in NYC, many co-ops and smaller buildings cannot get loans to do repairs that are required by the city; now they’re stuck accumulating fines to the tune of $5-10K per month and are getting ever farther away from being able to resolve their problems. The shit is definitely approaching the fan.
This is the thing that’s so insane about the stock market right now. The shit has already hit the fan, it just hasn’t landed on most people yet so the market is all “it’s fine.”
The stock market cares little about anything beyond this minute. If it were a rational market, Tesla would be worth a fraction of its current value. It is basically gambling at musical chairs at this point.
Cold Rolled Steel Sheet and Strip is up 23.5% since January
Add almost 25% to raw material prices and finished goods will go up in price. Manufacturers will also lay off workers to save costs.
Yup, plus, if the raw materials cost that much more, it eliminates the incentive to move jobs to the U.S. Might as well just make it elsewhere and make the consumer pay the tariff after you make your profit. The tariffs are just the economic manifestation of the xenophobia and racism inherent in the current administration and its supporters.
Which is what happened when Bush did metal tariffs in his first term and Trump did THE EXACT SAME THING in his 1st term. In both causes the number of US manufacturing jobs declined.
I can’t speak for other companies but for my employer the current state of tariffs has made manufacturing in Mexico more advantageous not less. We only pay a 25% tariff on the portion of the vehicle that is not USMCA compliant. On the other hand metal tariffs have increased raw material costs in the USA, auto parts tariffs of 25% + whatever additional country based tariff has pushed up parts cost. Labor is 7x cheaper in Mexico.
I highlight the text above because it is like groundhog’s day with the GOP. They add metal tariffs and it kills US jobs, they do it again, and it kill US jobs, then they do it again….. Same thing with saying tax cuts pay for themselves – they don’t, never have.
100% accurate.
It is Groundhog Day because they foment a group of supporters that is so vehemently anti-learning and fundamentally racist that the same idiotic messages work over and over. Start with a racist telling of “American Exceptionalism” and then ensure nobody can ever be informed of how wrong that idea is.
(x) doubt
I laughed!
Hey as long as the line goes up we are winning right? (Seems to have been that way since COVID)
Cheeseburgers, a bullet, or Section 25 action, I don’t care which, but this nonsense needs to f’ing end.
Ahhh… the hamberder from heaven.
I’m not sure I want an answer to the question I’m going to ask, but…
Is it possible that Trump’s chaotic stupidity is hampering the attempts at actual, organized villainy that his enablers are attempting to engage in? It certainly seems to make the rest of them less efficient at whatever dumb things they’re talking about. Sure, he’s a terrible person. But he’s also an idiot. Vance is just as terrible, but much less of an idiot.
I go back and forth on this, but I think that his performative idiocy and chaos serve to distract us from the behind-the-scenes fuckery as opposed to distracting his handlers from actually enacting it.
Sadly, I think you are right this time around.
ALL OF THIS is performative fuckery.
The only thing that mattered was $3 trillion in permanent tax cuts for the rich and corporations. The only thing that mattered before that, was that winning the presidency gave him a get out of jail free card.
Everything else was the dog and pony show to keep the 99% distracted and outraged about one thing or another.
Do you think Trump actually cares about deporting immigrants? NO! For decades he hired them, documented or not, at his resorts to save on labor costs!
Do you think Trump actually cares about being anti-abortion? For decades he was a Democrat and was pro-choice!
Do you think Trump actually cares about illegal drugs? He certainly didn’t give a rat’s ass how coked up everyone was at Studio 54 when he was partying with models in New York!
Probably, but not nearly as much as the first go-round.
I will take Vance’s likely more organized approach than this chaos. He is far less likely to plunge the world into a depression than Trump, or get us into another war. And I think he is FAR less of a racist and misogynist than Trump, even if he’s a right-wing nutjob to the core. At a minimum, he understands that immigrants are a necessary part of the US economy in a way that Trump obviously does not, and he seems to lack the element of cruelty and revenge that is a defining feature of Trump.
See, this is why we need a Control Universe to see which would be worse. Having said this, it seems possible that we are the Control Universe.
Someone take the shift key away from whomever typed that email.
That letter reads like something a pre-teen would write for a school newspaper.
Listen that’s just the cost of winning! South Africa has 63 million people, MURICA only has 340 million! They should definitely be buying as many American goods as we do South African, it makes perfect sense if you’re an idiot! C’mon, join in!
Not buying the same but paying the same tariff amounts is fair. After we stop sending billions on USAID funds for non American activities.
Instead, we’re giving it to the billionaires. We sure aren’t giving it to “regular Americans” as conservatives hate them too. Whenever we try to help regular people the response is “get a job”. Kind of like the new work requirements for medicare. Giving money to corporations and rich people is A-OK though. It’s bizarre.
“I’m paying less for everything” (sure you are) “Just don’t buy a car and save money” (because that’s a solution for everyone, right?). You people carrying water for a corrupt, inept administration is just sad to witness but you’ll surely keep it up.
Good thing you don’t want a new, tariffed Fiat, eh?
It is truly wild to see billionaires say with a straight face that the only people who can solve the problems caused by the billionaires are the billionaires.
It’s a bit like treating cirrhosis with tequila shots.
Cutting USAID, which helps people, and spending more money on military equipment to kill them is a policy supported by inhuman monsters.
I guess you’ve never heard of soft power? Now I agree that some USAID projects were misguided (giving money to LGBTQ organizations in Serbia doesn’t help us in the least and probably undermines LGBTQ rights there, as they are seen as fifth columnists) but this is literally how China is building power and influence across much of the world.
You understand that when other countries become wealthier, they can buy more of the expensive shit we produce, right?
You also understand how, if we can help prevent disease outbreaks elsewhere, we can help prevent the spread of said disease to where you live.
But I doubt you can truthfully answer either of those questions in the affirmative.
I wonder if you could trick them based on the language. No these aren’t key automotive parts, they are kei automotive parts.
Well done, sir; take your smiley.
No do a DT go over there but what you need and bring it back in your carry on luggage. If you book 1st class you probably get space for 2 carry one.
If you can figure out how to ensure one of those Sovereign Citizen types is reviewing your documentation, I think they might be into the idea and let you off the hook.
A $500 Kei truck sounds really fun at on the family farm. Is there a buying and importing Kei trucks for dummies write-up anywhere?
beforward.jp goo-net-exchange.com or carfromjapan.com Pick your favorite, click buy, pay with Paypal and wait about 2 months then go get your car from the port. It’s really that easy.
Yes but a side by side
We have those. They are significantly more expensive than a $500 Kei truck.
I will forever consider all and any Trump voters complete imbeciles for as long as I live. This tariff nonsense is incredibly stupid and it’s baffling that his supporters let Trump throw out different numbers on different industries/materials/countries every day.
It is literally how every country in the world does it.
Nope. Other countries don’t do trade negotiation by late night tweets. They send actual experts inti a room who then negotiate for months or even years to set a policy that then is fixed for years with set periods to review and revise See the original NAFTA deal.
Why isn’t Congress taking their tariff power back?!? Chickenhawks.
They are currently more afraid of Trump than their constituents. I fully expect that to change.
On what grounds do you base this?
Because the opposition pundits (Democrats, never-Trump Republicans, others) have been saying this for over eight years now. It hasn’t changed. It’s gotten worse. Much worse.
Currently, the Congresscritters are more afraid of being primaried by Trump than losing the election to the opposition. As Trump’s bullshit starts to take effect on the general populace, especially the red staters that are his base, I fully expect that fear to swing the other way to their losing the election. And at the end of the day, a Congresscritter’s #1 job is getting re-elected. The mid-terms in 2018 were a bloodbath, even without the nonsense that Trump is doing this time around, and I expect 2026 to be worse. The Republicans already have only a RAZOR thin margin in both houses.
And I don’t for a split second believe that Trump can keep the mid-terms from happening.
The general advice I’m reading lately is “if you don’t need a car, don’t buy a car.”
I could argue that nobody *needs* a kei car/truck, so nobody should buy one.
OTOH, if you’re buying something that has a value of under $500, as Mercedes did, an extra 10-20% doesn’t really amount to a hill of beans.
If you don’t need a anything don’t buy anything is excellent fiscal advice.
The thing about tarriffs is TACO.
I’m considering importing right now and all the importers are still saying 25 years or older will be exempt.
Genuinely, from a business perspective, the best course of action is to wait a year or two.
If the Porsche 911 gets 25% more expensive for 4 years, people will still buy them. – But think of what that’ll do to the resale market in the US!
…well… it is a Tuesday, so…
Yes – so far Trump has Always Chickened Out. How many times have the deadlines been extended after he said they absolutely will not be extended.
That said, it would be nice to have a real trade policy that doesn’t change based on who has been mean to the President lately.
I think Japan is still trying to figure out what kind of bribe Trump is looking for. Needs to be bigger than a 747 to put in his presidential library so he can say his plane is bigger than Reagan’s.
“Either way, this whole thing has been a mess and at times, it has felt nearly impossible to get anything resembling clear information.”
So pretty much like everything else emanating from this odious administration.
Hey let’s be fair, their hypocrisy and gaslighting has been a constant that we can all count on.
Yes because before Trump every thing was clear and concise. Like our borders are secure but 11 million illegals are here and none got a COVID shot that citizens were required to under penalty of law
Or like how we were all supposed to inject ourselves with sunshine? Or was it bleach?
That’s a blatant lie.
Plenty of undocumented people got the Covid vaccine, they aren’t stupid and a lot work in medical care. They generally are at more risk and are more careful than citizens.
Nobody in the US went to jail for not getting themselves vaccinated. Zero.
The penalties, other than dying, were about on the order of not wearing shoes, and people wanting you to stay away from them.
In what jurisdiction were citizens required to get a COVID shot under penalty of law? Please be specific.
Just plan on everything being around 25% more expensive – if you can still get it – and you won’t be disappointed.