You could always commute!

That is your best option as all States except for California are 1985 Mini friendly.

Hey Dan,

Trust me, if I could find a job in Canada I would pack up and move there in a minute! I know my fiancee would certainly prefer it...

I've done a bit of looking and it seems that Michigan's registration laws are far "looser" than CA's. (Heck, MOST state's reg laws are looser than CA's.) My folks actually live in Missouri, so that is also an option until I get out of CA. 

Hey Big Al,

Thanks for contacting me!

My fiancee is importing her beloved 85 Mayfair when she immigrates to the US this spring to marry me. Neither she nor I are in the military. We met 4 years ago when I was conducting research in Ontario and Quebec.

The car is legally regsitered in Ontario and has been for the last 10 years. On top of that, she has the original German registration paperwork that features "Ozzy's" build date and VIN.

Any information you could provide that would ease her stress on this matter would be greatly appreciated...!!  

Do the words "seize' and "crush" mean anything to you?

To make her Mini legal for both emmisions and crash-worthiness would be very expensive. It would be cheaper for you both to live in Canada. You'd even qualify eventually for free medical care. Investigate BIG AL's suggestion about registering it in Michigan.

From what you say, you are moving to California ? CA ??

Are you in the military ?.

If you are moving to California, as Dr Mini stated, just forget it, no way to get it thru, referre or not,Even Arnold Swartzenburger couldn't

I would register it in Michigan at a relatives' address, if it is just for 18 months

And no, you don't want to hear of my experiences crossing the border, so don't try using my name or even the infamous Billy Cox's , LOL

Good luck

Big AL

Malsal--

My fiancee will most certainly be with the car when it crosses the border. I'd love to hear a bit about Big Al's experiences importing classic Minis from Canada into the US!

Malsal and DrMini-- 

At the end of the day, neither my fiancee nor I are overly concerned about California's ridiculous registration laws. My posting in CA is only 18 months long. After it's over, the whole family (her, me, and Oswald) will be returning to Michigan which, from what I gather, is Mini friendly. The real question becomes whether or not she can deny the temptation to drive Ozzy until then...!!!

Registering a 1985 Mini in California...now that's just funny I don't care who you are. 

Big Al should chime in he has done a lot of Mini importing from Canada to the States, the best option as i remember is for the owner to be present at the border crossing as this saves a lot of red tape. In California (as i understand it) it is impossible to get a 1985 Mini registered as their system does not recognise anything newer than a 1968 i believe which is when the last Mini's were imported from Austin/Morris. If it could be done through the system you describe the costs would far outweigh any value of the car sentimental included. Good luck with the trip.

Eaaaaaaaasy Spitz! It's not as if I planned it

Hey Se7en,

That's the hope! Both my fiancee and I have surfed the MM forum for a about a year now and we have been impressed by the depth of knowledge displayed by many of the contributors. We look forward to hearing what they have to say.

She's aware that the registration requirements can differ wildly from state-to-state. I think at this point she just wants to make sure she can get Ozzy into the country without any issue. Once that's done we can sort the rest of it.

Interestingly, I was doing a bit of research for her the other day and it looks like there is hope even in extremely mini "unfriendly" states like California! For example, in CA "grey zone" cars like Oswald can undergo a "referee" review process wherethrough they, in effect, have a novel testing procedure developed specificalliy for them. Once this proceedure is in place, the testing technician determines what alterations need to be made to the car for it to run "clean enough", e.g. the installation of a cat. The whole process can take a bit of time and be a bit expensive, but in the end the car can be registered and legally driven in the state. "Hope springs eternal", eh?

.......and stop taking our women

California won't allow it if that's her destination.

There are many knowledgeable historians of the mark here who should comment in coming days. Probably an important aside in all this will be the matter of what state will you want to register the car, as your issue is likely a state issue, not federal one.

Hello everyone! I have a rather odd problem that I was hoping you might be able to help me with.

My fiancée is the VERY (!!!) proud owner of a lovely 1985 Austin Rover Mini Mayfair (known to us as 'Oswald') that she is planning to import into the United States from Canada when she immigrates this spring. She is currently looking for source materials that clearly outline the history of the vehicle and I was hoping that one of you might have a few suggestions or, if not, could put me into contact with someone that might. (She is having some difficulty locating accurate documentation from that era.)

She is particularly interested in source materials that clearly breakdown the VIN numbers of mid- to late-1980s Minis. This is primarily because, when you run the car’s VIN through most modem VIN decoder programs, it suggests that the Oswald is a 2002 Austin Rover Mini! This is, of course, rubbish, especially as no classic minis were produced in 2002, let alone by the Austin Rover group. However, according to the “unofficial” VIN decoder information available on this forum (see: //www.minimania.com/Mini_Chassis_VIN_and_Commission_Numbers__Part_II), the VIN completely checks out!

It should be said that the VIN plate under the bonnet is original and my fiancée has documentation from German (where the car was shipped after it rolled off the line in Longbridge) that confirms both the VIN and the vehicle’s build date. Furthermore, the car has been registered and driven in Canada since the mid-2000s. As such, it has an official Canadian title, insurance, etc.

All of this being the case, she isn’t foreseeing any problems when she brings Ozzy across the border. That said, she would rather be safe than sorry! As such, any information or guidance you could provide on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so very much in advance for your time and assistance! I'm looking forward to hearing from you all.