In Switzerland, we have stricts emission laws as well… probably even stricter ones. The car is probably already as clean as it can…. And usually, we spend a lot on maintenance to keep our cars well maintained, since we have to do a mandatory and official complete check every two years. Good news it has been saved.
@@AndrewBarsky there's probably more opportunity to make money in the United States than Switzerland. Clearly you're not from the states if you think it's third world nation 😂
Agreed. Ohio does not have safety inspections. Only a few counties have emissions testing. To get an out of state title switched it just needs a tow yard, auto dealer or police to match VIN to paper work. This Swiss guy could have brought the title and registration to Ohio and kept it or sell it with clear ohio title.
It's not legal to have this car ANYWHERE in the United States. Doesn't depend on state emissions testing. When I was stationed overseas, you had to buy or have modified any auto imported into the United States unless you received an exception OR the car was over 25 years old/collectable. C63/AMG CAN be made Federal emissions compliant, but it's really expensive. The C240 comes in an emissions compliant version and that was what was in the shipping paperwork. This used to happen alot back in the 1980s. People would show up at the pickup location only to be told their "baby" was going to be shredded because is couldn't be made emissions compliant.
@@Smithy1789Yep. Additionally, A is for 4-seater convertibles (like A209), R for 2-seater convertibles (like R129), V for LWB models, and X for some SUVs.
I'm sure they made a pretty penny on exporting it if the owner forfeited ownership. It seems like all you'd have to do was pay for 8k shipping back to Europe and pocket the difference on sale price. The average price for S204's are 23k overseas, so there's 15k to play around with (probably closer to 10k for a quick sale).
It would still be required to confirm to federal standards for emissions and safety equipment. Just because it looks like a car sold in the USA doesn't mean it's built the same.
@@michaelbernaski4156 no it doesnt if they dont see it they dont know his biggest mistake was registering it in a shitty ass state, no emission test and that car wouldve never been found
The 25 year rule is such a shame. Ironically in this case, lobbied for by Mercedes themselves back in the day. Imo, really no reason this couldn't be on our roads. Good on you for getting it sold though.
AGREE!!!! The reason is that the American car manufacturing lobby wanted to be protected by the government against imports of hypercars from Europe and others from Japan unless they established a greenfield/brownfield FDI operation in the US! This 25-year rule doesn't make sense anymore with so many US car brands under Stellantis' control.
@youxkio Well in this case the euro brands wanted it as well. Mercedes (and others) were very unhappy with all the grey market imports. At its peak 20% of Mercedes sales were from grey market cars (cars never meant for US sale in the first place) at discounts up to $11k (in the 80s!) Manufacturers as a whole wanted full control of what got sold. And the 25 year rule was born. Until Bill Gates got (bought) the show and display exception lol
@@ConeSpark Yep, but it has nothing but a bit of irony, when brands like Chevrolet, Delorean, AMC, and even Ford had European car parts suppliers for their American cars. On the other hand, European countries imposed strong restrictions on emissions, gas mileage, and block sizes' taxation imports. That is why we saw more Japanese cars than American cars in Europe since the 1960s
@@RedlineRevingVirtualTuning US governmental regulation for domestic automakers market protectionism. post edit: the oil industry is correlated too, so, let's add it.
And yet there are non U.S. market cars under 25 years old driving around the DC area. Not all are diplomatically registered. Some are registered in Virginia to German luftwaffe personnel who work at their facility at Dulles Airport by cargo area. I’ve seen a green W203 C220 CDI wagon and a new VW Polo registered in Virginia that work there. There is also a lot in Ft. Belvoir that has 70 series Land Cruisers, 300 series Land Cruisers, a couple Nissan Patrols, and some Toyota Hilux crew cabs sitting in it. Most are LHD but a few were RHD and some even had US Government license plates on them. There are also some armor conversion companies in the area that have new non US Land Cruisers and Patrols sitting in their lots waiting to be converted.
If you're a foreigner temporarily assigned to an official posting (not diplomatic, necessarily, more akin to SOFA status that DOD employees enjoy overseas) in the USA, you can import a personal vehicle for the duration of your assignment, but the vehicle must be exported or destroyed at the end of the official assignment. There may be exceptions if a vehicle becomes 25 years old while it's in the States, but otherwise, it has to go when your job's finished. The US Government may also stockpile civilian vehicles at a central location for deployment worldwide, explaining a stash of otherwise non-compliant vehicles on an installation in the States.
That is the best part. You can have a car transported for free to the US and a car transported back for free for that deployment. So get a good car that won't pass our safety testing anymore and drive it for three years in the US until the wheels fall off (for German standard) and then crush it and get yourself a cheap used US vehicle and import it free of duty as it is your personell vehicle and have it for half the price local dealers ask for it. Either sell it then for a profit or have fun.
Easiest solution: 1) Open montana LLC. 2) Title and register vehicle under LLC. 3) Since vehicle is over 11 years old its eligible for permanent registration. Montana has no inspection, no emissions, no vin check. Car never has to touch montana territory. Problem solved.
Except it could still be caught at some point, such as by the insurance. Also plenty of states have closed the Montana loophole. Sure, Montana will take your money and register your cars there, but that doesn't mean your state police don't know what you're doing and with deal with you accordingly.
@@metaleggman18 insurance companies don't give a fuck about Montana LLC vehicles as long as you're transparent about where the vehicle will be primarily driven and that the vehicle is registered under an LLC. Depending on your local laws yes it could be illegal however the only way you'd get in trouble is if you have bitch neighbors that snitch on you or live in CA and in some states where they have very strict out of state owned vehicle laws. Otherwise you'll be fine
@@Jaykwan88 depends what type of LLC you open. A holdings company LLC does not generate revenue or file taxes. It simply manages assets ie. businesses, cars, real estate ECT.
@Potatorq i was of the belief that was more considered a Trust if only holding assets and not opersting for profit, in theory wouldn't a holding company need a subsidiary that filed taxes?
Great job on saving it from US's idiotic law. Land of the "free".... i could import brand new american car that never was sold locally in europe and have it legally with no issues... I dont get why noone repelled those idiotic laws that ruin chances to import cars and ruined the car market eradicating such choice to be even offered in the showrooms.... Its ridiculous
Weapons? Drugs? Criminals? All welcome into the US, in fact we even send the army to ensure they come into our coutrny. But a car that wasn't sold here, God forbid, we'll send the ATF, CIA, and IRS at your doorstep.
This was an absolutely legendary save. Words can’t go deep enough to express how sick this machine is IN and OUT. Anyone who believes that crushing this motorized art as the right thing is smoking CRACK. This is a mean-clean mug right here I do hope this vehicle is out there on the road and living its life today in good hands.
@@Enchilada750 not even that. It’s just the government being a dick. There’s exactly nothing wrong with the car, and it doesn’t pose any danger to U.S Citizens
Thank you for saving this. We have a 15 year rule for imports up here in Canada but with branded paperwork like this… I don’t think they would allow it here anymore 😢
Thank goodness that car was saved. Such a beautiful vehicle and I’m sure it’s a reliable Mercedes unlike the crap that’s being made these days assembled here!
Great video. Couple of questions, why does the mover push the car doors with the forks when a car is being crushed ? Is the interior stripped out of the car so it’s just metal being crushed? Thanks.
It's crazy that he wouldn't make sure everything was on the up and up to do this kind of thing because now he's out thousands of dollars😢💔 but surprisingly at least you were able to save the car👍
There's not really an up-and-up way to do anything with this. But the owner should have debaged it and gotten a tuned ECU off of an american c63 amg for inspection.
Why not just export it to Canada and have it sold there instead. Probably cheaper to export it there, plus they got a 15 year rule instead of the 25. So this C63 would be completely legal there.
Reminds me of cars in Singapore, after their COE expires when the car is after 10 years old, they're required by law to be scrapped. Since Singapore has no junkyard, they're exported as "scrap metal" usually to Siberia, Myanmar, or Mongolia
car guys everwhere thankyou for sparing this rare nugget of a vehicle. if i were the owner i would sue the import company - why lie and say its a 240? they dont have any skin in the game
Not a huge Mercedes guy but there was no way we could do this especially when in the future gasoline cars will be a novelty and this will be one of the cars of all time
In Ontario, we no longer do emissions testing on passenger vehicles. He probably could have found a Canadian buyer who would have handled the logistics.
Crazy thing, there was a time in 2022 where they legalized 'carros chocolatè' (cars illegally in Mexico from USA and Canada). With that, this car could've been legalized in Mexico without all the importation costs. Yes your right, someone in Mexico would've paid top dollar for that car. Even with a junk title it should still be possible, but I don't know if that program is still ongoing.
Even as a C240 it wouldn't have been legal as it has to be "substantially similar" ie. Essentially identical to the US market version. Some Canadian market cars fall into this category but I think that's about it.
I don’t understand. Why did it failed emission test? The C63 was sold in the US I believe. And all the other similar American V8 of this era should not be much better emissions-wise. So happy and relieved that you saved this lovely machine.
Swiss guy moved to the “land of the free” to have the government junk his car.
It's okay he's used to being told what to do in his country 😊
In Switzerland, we have stricts emission laws as well… probably even stricter ones. The car is probably already as clean as it can…. And usually, we spend a lot on maintenance to keep our cars well maintained, since we have to do a mandatory and official complete check every two years.
Good news it has been saved.
His mistake for moving from a first world country to the States.
@@AndrewBarsky there's probably more opportunity to make money in the United States than Switzerland. Clearly you're not from the states if you think it's third world nation 😂
One google search could have saved this dude
It's crazy that if he lived in a state without emissions testing, this wouldn't have been an issue.
Agreed. Ohio does not have safety inspections. Only a few counties have emissions testing. To get an out of state title switched it just needs a tow yard, auto dealer or police to match VIN to paper work. This Swiss guy could have brought the title and registration to Ohio and kept it or sell it with clear ohio title.
@@wyattgardner3552 right across the border from them here in Indianna, it’s the same as Ohio. I’m glad he saved that car..
It's not legal to have this car ANYWHERE in the United States. Doesn't depend on state emissions testing. When I was stationed overseas, you had to buy or have modified any auto imported into the United States unless you received an exception OR the car was over 25 years old/collectable. C63/AMG CAN be made Federal emissions compliant, but it's really expensive. The C240 comes in an emissions compliant version and that was what was in the shipping paperwork. This used to happen alot back in the 1980s. People would show up at the pickup location only to be told their "baby" was going to be shredded because is couldn't be made emissions compliant.
Them republicans say they hate regulations. But then have emissions testiing😂
Just shows how corrupt Illinois is fr
Thanks so much for not crushing that beautiful brilliant silver S204 C63 AMG wagon
W204
@@Smithy1789w204 is a sedan. S204 is a wagon, C204 is a coupe 👍
@@seanny88 oh really?
@@Smithy1789Yep. Additionally, A is for 4-seater convertibles (like A209), R for 2-seater convertibles (like R129), V for LWB models, and X for some SUVs.
@@TopiasSalakka interesting
i am glad yall saved it and exported it, i am not a Merc fan but it was a nice wagon.
I'm sure they made a pretty penny on exporting it if the owner forfeited ownership. It seems like all you'd have to do was pay for 8k shipping back to Europe and pocket the difference on sale price. The average price for S204's are 23k overseas, so there's 15k to play around with (probably closer to 10k for a quick sale).
I’m glad that Mercedes Benz didn’t get put through the crusher.
This is like one of those Vinwiki Car Stories.
I'd love to hear this story in Vinwiki 100% 😅. I love that channel and Ed Bolian 👌
@@robwaters8848that would be 10 minutes too long.
Except this story was told in 2 minutes without 3 ad breaks and 2 sponsored ads.
Should of registered it in Minnesota. We have zero emissions testing
It would still be required to confirm to federal standards for emissions and safety equipment. Just because it looks like a car sold in the USA doesn't mean it's built the same.
@michaelbernaski4156 what I was meaning it would of never been caught in my state.
@@michaelbernaski4156 no it doesnt if they dont see it they dont know his biggest mistake was registering it in a shitty ass state, no emission test and that car wouldve never been found
@@michaelbernaski4156People have cars like this all over Florida with no issues. I'd never live in a pinko state with emission testing.
@@michaelbernaski4156 You are right, it's much better.
The 25 year rule is such a shame. Ironically in this case, lobbied for by Mercedes themselves back in the day.
Imo, really no reason this couldn't be on our roads. Good on you for getting it sold though.
AGREE!!!! The reason is that the American car manufacturing lobby wanted to be protected by the government against imports of hypercars from Europe and others from Japan unless they established a greenfield/brownfield FDI operation in the US!
This 25-year rule doesn't make sense anymore with so many US car brands under Stellantis' control.
@youxkio Well in this case the euro brands wanted it as well. Mercedes (and others) were very unhappy with all the grey market imports.
At its peak 20% of Mercedes sales were from grey market cars (cars never meant for US sale in the first place) at discounts up to $11k (in the 80s!)
Manufacturers as a whole wanted full control of what got sold. And the 25 year rule was born. Until Bill Gates got (bought) the show and display exception lol
@@ConeSpark Yep, but it has nothing but a bit of irony, when brands like Chevrolet, Delorean, AMC, and even Ford had European car parts suppliers for their American cars.
On the other hand, European countries imposed strong restrictions on emissions, gas mileage, and block sizes' taxation imports.
That is why we saw more Japanese cars than American cars in Europe since the 1960s
Why must imported cars be over 25?
@@RedlineRevingVirtualTuning US governmental regulation for domestic automakers market protectionism.
post edit: the oil industry is correlated too, so, let's add it.
And yet there are non U.S. market cars under 25 years old driving around the DC area. Not all are diplomatically registered. Some are registered in Virginia to German luftwaffe personnel who work at their facility at Dulles Airport by cargo area. I’ve seen a green W203 C220 CDI wagon and a new VW Polo registered in Virginia that work there. There is also a lot in Ft. Belvoir that has 70 series Land Cruisers, 300 series Land Cruisers, a couple Nissan Patrols, and some Toyota Hilux crew cabs sitting in it. Most are LHD but a few were RHD and some even had US Government license plates on them. There are also some armor conversion companies in the area that have new non US Land Cruisers and Patrols sitting in their lots waiting to be converted.
Interesting you guys have landscruisers and patrols there somehow. Here in Australia they’re everywhere, don’t think twice when I see one lol
If you're a foreigner temporarily assigned to an official posting (not diplomatic, necessarily, more akin to SOFA status that DOD employees enjoy overseas) in the USA, you can import a personal vehicle for the duration of your assignment, but the vehicle must be exported or destroyed at the end of the official assignment. There may be exceptions if a vehicle becomes 25 years old while it's in the States, but otherwise, it has to go when your job's finished. The US Government may also stockpile civilian vehicles at a central location for deployment worldwide, explaining a stash of otherwise non-compliant vehicles on an installation in the States.
Snitch
That is the best part.
You can have a car transported for free to the US and a car transported back for free for that deployment.
So get a good car that won't pass our safety testing anymore and drive it for three years in the US until the wheels fall off (for German standard) and then crush it and get yourself a cheap used US vehicle and import it free of duty as it is your personell vehicle and have it for half the price local dealers ask for it.
Either sell it then for a profit or have fun.
There is no reason to convert RHD to LHD
Please tell me you took this thing for a quick rip around the neighborhood. It’s too awesome not to enjoy for few minutes.
Thank you for not crushing such a beauty.
I was going to say. Sell it to…
Thank goodness. you saved a Legendary Vehicle.
Easiest solution:
1) Open montana LLC.
2) Title and register vehicle under LLC.
3) Since vehicle is over 11 years old its eligible for permanent registration.
Montana has no inspection, no emissions, no vin check. Car never has to touch montana territory.
Problem solved.
Except it could still be caught at some point, such as by the insurance. Also plenty of states have closed the Montana loophole. Sure, Montana will take your money and register your cars there, but that doesn't mean your state police don't know what you're doing and with deal with you accordingly.
@@metaleggman18 insurance companies don't give a fuck about Montana LLC vehicles as long as you're transparent about where the vehicle will be primarily driven and that the vehicle is registered under an LLC. Depending on your local laws yes it could be illegal however the only way you'd get in trouble is if you have bitch neighbors that snitch on you or live in CA and in some states where they have very strict out of state owned vehicle laws. Otherwise you'll be fine
Sounds simple enough but I believe opening an LLC that never operates a for profit business gets you in the muck too.
@@Jaykwan88 depends what type of LLC you open. A holdings company LLC does not generate revenue or file taxes. It simply manages assets ie. businesses, cars, real estate ECT.
@Potatorq i was of the belief that was more considered a Trust if only holding assets and not opersting for profit, in theory wouldn't a holding company need a subsidiary that filed taxes?
Nice save,I was going to be sick
Great job on saving it from US's idiotic law. Land of the "free".... i could import brand new american car that never was sold locally in europe and have it legally with no issues... I dont get why noone repelled those idiotic laws that ruin chances to import cars and ruined the car market eradicating such choice to be even offered in the showrooms.... Its ridiculous
its called lobbying. car manufacturers lobby(bribe) officials to make policies that benefit them(having no competition from foreign cars for 25 years)
Thank you for saving this gem. Emissions laws are crazy.
I wonder if you can get away with this in a non emissions testing county in Idaho?
Weapons? Drugs? Criminals? All welcome into the US, in fact we even send the army to ensure they come into our coutrny. But a car that wasn't sold here, God forbid, we'll send the ATF, CIA, and IRS at your doorstep.
You’re half right, pretty wrong but half right
Here in PA you COULD skirt the law if own a repair business and use your repair business plate or a dealer plate or a salvage operator plate
Not a fan of german cars but that one was definitely worth saving
This was an absolutely legendary save. Words can’t go deep enough to express how sick this machine is IN and OUT. Anyone who believes that crushing this motorized art as the right thing is smoking CRACK. This is a mean-clean mug right here I do hope this vehicle is out there on the road and living its life today in good hands.
Good man fair play to you for saving this beautiful machine.
You guys are truly doing the Lord's work where it comes to cars 👍
thank you for doing your a good service and telling the epa what you really think of them and their dumb laws
This is like a tiger that bit someone and they want to put him down....thank you for saving this beast!
(Except it bit no one, it just happened to exist in the wrong place)
It’s more like if you were to bring an “invasive”species to another country.
@@Enchilada750 not even that. It’s just the government being a dick. There’s exactly nothing wrong with the car, and it doesn’t pose any danger to U.S Citizens
You sir are a legend, that is my dream car and I would be heartbroken if it got crushed. 💔
It would be so sad if a beast like that ends up crushed like some other old rusted car.
Good work! I’m proud of you Auto Parts City!
Thank you for saving this. We have a 15 year rule for imports up here in Canada but with branded paperwork like this… I don’t think they would allow it here anymore 😢
You're a legend. You saved a pretty motor soul there. All respect 🎉
Should have brought it to Kansas. No emissions test or safety inspections
Thank you so much sir🙏🙏🙏
In Canada, it's 15 years for a car to be legally imported. I also never heard of illegally imported cars being crush over here.
Should’ve have it registered in Indiana, and away from the Chicago area
If there is a will there is a way!!😂
Thank goodness that car was saved. Such a beautiful vehicle and I’m sure it’s a reliable Mercedes unlike the crap that’s being made these days assembled here!
I am extremely glad that this car didn't get crushed! ❤️
Youre hiding a c63 amg wagon under the floorboards, no?
Yes officer that's a C200 conversted.
We have a duty not to obey immoral and unjust laws.
And a little bit north, in Canada, this car would almost be eligible for import, at 15 years old, probably just need safety and DRL.
Great video. Couple of questions, why does the mover push the car doors with the forks when a car is being crushed ? Is the interior stripped out of the car so it’s just metal being crushed? Thanks.
thank you for saving that c63 wagon
Heroic Act Guys! Keep up the great work
Sad.. couldve sold it to someone in florida right? Or anywhere with no emissions it wouldve been safe.
Should have stayed out of Illinois that was his first stupid mistake
Glad you guys were able to make a save And now the car has a hell of a story as part of its history
You are the man for this
Could've driven in over to Canada, stored it, and re-imported it with correct info.
It's crazy that he wouldn't make sure everything was on the up and up to do this kind of thing because now he's out thousands of dollars😢💔 but surprisingly at least you were able to save the car👍
There's not really an up-and-up way to do anything with this. But the owner should have debaged it and gotten a tuned ECU off of an american c63 amg for inspection.
Shoulda registered it where there's no emissions
Thank you for saving the car ❤
Why not just export it to Canada and have it sold there instead. Probably cheaper to export it there, plus they got a 15 year rule instead of the 25. So this C63 would be completely legal there.
if that car was built and tuned it would make hellcats cry
Reminds me of cars in Singapore, after their COE expires when the car is after 10 years old, they're required by law to be scrapped. Since Singapore has no junkyard, they're exported as "scrap metal" usually to Siberia, Myanmar, or Mongolia
HEY RUclips! WE SNEAKED A CAR OUT! LOL!
Get a dealer tag and drive it forever
Massive respects to you
Thank you for saving it
Just sad. A perfectly good car gone to waste.
Why not just registered in the state that doesn’t have these stupid EPA laws.
car guys everwhere thankyou for sparing this rare nugget of a vehicle. if i were the owner i would sue the import company - why lie and say its a 240? they dont have any skin in the game
“He brought it here” did you fairly compensate the owner?
The customer is not that smart. He could make a deal with a dealership back home to import it and sell it.
Thank God.. good on you sir. Well done
It can’t be on public roads but no one said anything about the racetrack
Or just bring to to Cali they don’t give a damn about expired tags. I see people driving on 2016 2014 even 2012 tags it’s wild.
Love that ending 🙏
Not a huge Mercedes guy but there was no way we could do this especially when in the future gasoline cars will be a novelty and this will be one of the cars of all time
In Ontario, we no longer do emissions testing on passenger vehicles. He probably could have found a Canadian buyer who would have handled the logistics.
So glad you didn't crush it. It's stupid they wouldn't allow it to be sold to a state without the emission laws.
Why not sell it to Mexico? Where cars like this are rare and in high demand and will sell for high values
Crazy thing, there was a time in 2022 where they legalized 'carros chocolatè' (cars illegally in Mexico from USA and Canada). With that, this car could've been legalized in Mexico without all the importation costs. Yes your right, someone in Mexico would've paid top dollar for that car. Even with a junk title it should still be possible, but I don't know if that program is still ongoing.
Why didn’t he just get a US spec 63 exhaust and put a US tune on it
This is a true museum piece for the track day.
good job saving it guy was willing to throw it away over 8k 😅
Good job man!💯👍
I would think Switzerland would have better emissions than the United States. I didn’t have a clue Illinois has emissions inspection.
I'd rather junk the newest C63 with it's silly 4 cylinder engine
Illinois what a dump there’s literal 💩 boxes driving around but they want to crush that.
I would pay 8000 usd for this car in europe
Even as a C240 it wouldn't have been legal as it has to be "substantially similar" ie. Essentially identical to the US market version. Some Canadian market cars fall into this category but I think that's about it.
Good work!
What a legend. I got so relieved when you told, that the car was imported back to EU. Woulda hurt to see this beauty of machinery completely crushed.
Illinois, enough said
Yea i would never be able to junk that masterpiece
I've seen a Mito registered in DC. Also an S15 Silvia before it was legal but it had tags nonetheless. Why not turn it into a racecar?
Should be illegal to Crush it. I couldnt live somewhere where driving Cars Like that is illegal. Glad you saved it
The weakness of the U.S. car industry
Not all heros wear capes
"We need to be more environmentally conscious"
*Crushes a perfectly functioning car because of paperwork
It could have been imported into Canada. 15 year limit here vs the USA 25 year limit.
Can you pull the motor, transmission and wheels?
I don’t understand. Why did it failed emission test? The C63 was sold in the US I believe. And all the other similar American V8 of this era should not be much better emissions-wise.
So happy and relieved that you saved this lovely machine.
Why not just sell in in a state that doesn’t have emissions testing on cars? Like FL or TN
HELL YEAH YOU SAVED IT!
Imagine trying to pass a c63 for a c240 for a smog test? Im sure he couldnt be that damn naive
Phew happy ending, I was tensing up
Great work beautiful car
This is one of my favorite Mercedes. I would love to have one
I’d love one of those for my work car!!!! I didn’t know they even made a amg c wagon
I relaxed when you said we did not crushed thanks for not wasting a good car