Serious question: So aside from public transportation (which isn't available in many places), how can we procure a car (electric) without a dealer, given the laws in place to protect them? Many people are not keen to buy a Tesla, and I don't know what other cars are available without dealerships. Or does it just vary in the U.S., state to state? Playing this game, in this rigged system... I just can't stop thinking of Ursula LeGuin's quote about capitalism seeming inevitable, but so did the divine right of kings. Every. Day.

[–] Evilphd666@hexbear.net 3 points 3 weeks ago

porky-happy You will own nothing and be happy.

Have you thought of upgrading your Carvana plus subscription?

[–] came_apart_at_Kmart@hexbear.net 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

i think its a state to state thing. basically, the main problem is getting a car titled by your state so it can get tags and be on the roads, traceable back to you for tickets etc.

so, if you're enterprising enough or know someone who is, you could have whatever you want shipped to you in a shipping container. but then it needs legit tags for you to drive it around.

some states seem to be more chill than others when it comes to titling, because i have legit seen totally weird shit like kei trucks and other not-legal imported cars with the steering column on the wrong side, but they still have the state tags. now, when a cop pulls up the registration for that car, god only knows how its coded. i saw some totally tiny kei van with the steering column on the right that is clearly something for JDM the other day with state tags and what must be fake badges identifying it as a "subaru classic wagon" which it looks nothing like, but probably makes it match whatever make/model they titled it as with state gov.

but frankly, depending on the state and cop, they may not give two shits about your weird magic car when they see it and only care that you paid VAT to title it and keep your registration, licensing, etc current. and aren't driving like an asshole.

also, if you need maintenance repairs, you better have a plan or a cool mechanic lol.

[–] john_brown@hexbear.net 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Kei cars are importable by federal law after 25 years - pretty much everything is. If you see a right hand drive car/truck in the US, it's probably at minimum 25 years old.

[–] came_apart_at_Kmart@hexbear.net 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

since there are no federal car titles, the state you want to get it titled in dominates the legality. some states will not title a kei truck at all. some will require it to have a governor limiting it to 25mph for operation and/or ban it from public roads. lots of people use them as non-public farm vehicles.

also, i have seen far later models than 2000 on public roads with tags in states where they don't really seem to mind.

a big factor is if your state requires you to have current liability insurance on a vehicle before they will title it, which all but screws you unless your insurance company will play ball.

[–] john_brown@hexbear.net 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

State legality is below federal legality, so yeah plenty of states won't plate a kei truck or car unless they explicitly allow it but it's got to be legal to import federally before you can even begin dealing with state issues. The federal 25 year rule is pretty hard as far as I understand. Newer than that and you would need to import enough of the model to go through crash testing, unless something has changed. I think the only exception would be manufacturers.

Fun story, my dad tried to get a new-ish Chang Jiang sidecar motorcycle plated in Texas years ago and got a personal phone call from a state official telling him that it was an illegal import and if the bike was ever caught on the road it would be crushed.

[–] came_apart_at_Kmart@hexbear.net 1 points 3 weeks ago

the point i was trying to make is that once it is in the country, it's not the feds that are going to enforce anything.

the feds do not inspect all imported cargo. all kinds of grey market/black market shit slips through every hour of every day, and as the US continues its global aggression, the customs focus is going to increasingly be on destructive materials, weapons, and illicit drugs. not to mention, things can and will be brought into and papered in canada and find their way across the border. the op was asking about obviously superior and cheaper EVs available to international markets. they are absolutely going to start appearing in the US and it will be the state governments that enforces these de facto bans or lets things slide.

the further the US falls behind in EV market and the more the federal government plays the role of accomplice in propping up combustion engines and fossil fuels, the more enforcement gaps will open up in certain states where they have bigger problems than less-than-kosher titling among a tiny minority of EV enthusiasts that use them for their little commutes.

again, i have already seen vehicles that are not even close to street legal, from overseas domestic markets, manufactured in the last 10 years, crusing around here with plates and very legit looking but 100% fake make/model badges. i currently live in a border state that gives zero fucks about shit like that, and ive seen more of them here on public roads with tags in a year than i saw in a decade in a state where they are total hardcases about it.