Hows it goin. Im new to the forum. Well here are my questions. I am leaving for the navy here in 2 weeks and i plan on saving a lot of the money and purchasing an sti. I was wondering what would be the best way to do this. What countries do you think would sell them the cheapest, the navy has already said they would ship it to the states for free, so im not worried abotu where i have to go to get one for the least amount of money. And also, i figured i would see what should be some of the first mods i should do to it, i want to be more go than show , then when im happy with my go , start workin on show. Thanks for your time

Wow... the government would actually ship it for free?

If you buy it from another country, would it be street legal here in the states?

If it would be street legal here in the states, then if I were you, I'd get mine straight from the source.... Japan!... considering it is left hand driver's side ofcourse.

Makes me wanna join the Navy now.

As far as mods, I'm sure the other STi owners here could give you some input.

Good luck in the Navy pal.... take care.

/\
|
|
|
| How the **** did this guy get my name?:mad: :(

i think he used a 0 instead on an O

If you purchase it in, lets say, Japan its designed for 95RON fuel. Here in the states 91 will be max in a few years. So maybe look into that issue

Yes the Navy will ship it for free, but there's a catch, and I'll use myself as an example: I was stationed in Hawaii, transferring to Japan. Didn't want to take the car, so I sent it home to Ohio. They wouldn't send it there. There are only certain places they'll send it. I had to drive to Baltimore, which was the closest place, to pick it up. Keep that in mind before you buy your car somewhere else.

You can't legally bring a non-US model into the US and register and drive it here. Sure the Navy may ship it for you but once it gets here it has to be either certified to meet DOT/EPA standards, exported back out of the country, or destroyed. Unlike in the "good old days" of the gray market, certification is a cost-prohibitive option for an individual importer, and has to be done by an approved shop of which there are few. Also the particular car has to be on the NHTSA's list of vehicles that can be certified.
If you really want an STi you'll have to buy one in the states, just look around for the best deal. They are already sitting on dealer's lots waiting to be sold so the STi craze is pretty much over, along with the over-MSRP gouging by all but a few greedy dealers. There are also used ones available already as people are selling them for various reasons (can't afford it, had a kid etc.). By the time you get back you should have no problem finding one at a good price.