Jeep Wrangler / Large Utility Van imports from the US

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kingdragonfly

7020 posts

Uber Geek

#210574 2-Apr-2017 18:08

As you probably know the USA cars and trucks have steering wheels on the opposite side to New Zealand.

Except for US postal vehicles. They are often "right hand drive", like Kiwi vehicles.

The reason is the postal workers don't want to reach across the vehicle to deliver mail; the right hand side is closest to the curb in the US.

Anyhow, postal vehicles are not a popular resale item in the US because , again, the steering wheels on the "wrong side."

Here's a website selling postal vehicles.

Jeep Wranglers are very popular.

Make sure you look at the interior photos to make sure they haven't removed the passenger seat.

If you have a US friend, you may want to ask about rebuilding the engine before exporting, because it's a lot cheaper than doing it here.

https://www.postalclassified.com/

Search for "RHD"

When getting a quote for a NZ shipper, remember to ask about the 15% GST beforehand, so there's no unpleasant surprise.

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scuwp

3569 posts

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#1753317 2-Apr-2017 18:19

Don't forget to do you due diligence first. There are a LOT of boxes to tick off.

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/importing-a-vehicle/

Always be yourself, unless you can be Batman, then always be the Batman

kingdragonfly

7020 posts

Uber Geek

#1753351 2-Apr-2017 19:11

Some postal vehicle are more interesting than you'd expect.

https://www.postalclassified.com/item/new-rhd-jeep-wrangler-4x4/

Since they usually government owned, and most are reasonably new, I think due diligence won't be too onerous.

I should note I've never imported one, and I'm not associated with the website.

Batman

Mad Scientist
27796 posts

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#1753353 2-Apr-2017 19:27

They use a Jeep Wrangler to deliver mail?

Involuntary autocorrect in operation on mobile device. Apologies in advance.

kingdragonfly

7020 posts

Uber Geek

#1753361 2-Apr-2017 19:38

Usually in rural locations, in particular with places with snow / dirt roads.

It also keeps the employees from going "postal" ;)

Sidestep

984 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1753445 3-Apr-2017 07:52

Be a bit careful with the "postal" imports.
Most of the "factory" RHD postal vehicles used in the US/Canada are RHD market vehicles (usually UK, sometimes Australia), but don't always have the correct compliance for those markets.
Some are greymarket vehicles (that will never achieve compliance)
Some are LHD vehicles that have been converted. Most of those conversions will never achieve compliance in NZ.

kingdragonfly

7020 posts

Uber Geek

#1753448 3-Apr-2017 08:06

From AutoTrader US

http://www.autotrader.com/car-news/you-can-buy-a-new-right-hand-drive-jeep-wrangler-in-the-us-256279

"You Can Buy a New Right-Hand-Drive Jeep Wrangler in the U.S."

"In the United States, we drive left-hand-drive vehicles on the right side of the road, unless you buy a new Jeep Wrangler. Currently, there are more than 400 new Jeep Wranglers featuring right-hand drive (RHD) for sale in the U.S.

That's right, you can buy the Jeep Wrangler in left- or right-hand drive. Allow me to repeat myself: You can walk into a Jeep dealership and choose between driving your Wrangler on the left, like a normal human being, or on the right, like a British person who shipped their Jeep Wrangler to America.

If you think this is incredibly strange, that's because it is.

Of course, Jeep has an explanation for it. Right-hand-drive Wranglers are intended for rural mail deliverers who need to deal with both intense climates (hence the Wrangler) and mailboxes mounted on the passenger side of the vehicle (hence right-hand drive). These postal workers don't drive to one spot in the neighborhood and walk around to all the houses, since each one of their deliveries can sometimes be several miles apart, so they deliver mail directly from their vehicles.

But do we really need this many right-hand-drive Wranglers? Right now, there are 428 new Wranglers listed on Autotrader as RHD. I'm not talking about new models plus a lot of used models that were retired at the end of their long postal careers. These 428 Wranglers are all completely new, undriven, zero-mile, right-hand-drive SUVs, just waiting for the passenger seat to carry a "U.S. POST OFFICE" tub with a Christmas card from Aunt Fran, in which she goes into detail about her foot rash.

Interestingly, you don't have to be a postal worker to buy one of these right-hand-drive Wranglers. If you want one, you can walk into any dealership selling one, pick it out and drive it home. Just ... be careful."

MikeAqua

6820 posts

Uber Geek

#1753560 3-Apr-2017 09:29

We should allow our rural posties to do the same thing. Much safer than driving onto the opposite side of the road to get to the mailboxes on the driver's side of the vehicle.

Mike

Sidestep

984 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1753564 3-Apr-2017 09:34

kingdragonfly: From AutoTrader US

http://www.autotrader.com/car-news/you-can-buy-a-new-right-hand-drive-jeep-wrangler-in-the-us-256279

"You Can Buy a New Right-Hand-Drive Jeep Wrangler in the U.S."

Jeep's got a history of providing niche market RHD postal vehicles in the US, the company's produced RHD vehicles in general for a long time.

Willys (which became Kaiser, which became AMC, which became Chrysler, Daimler-Chrysler, now Fiat-Chrysler) has usually produced RHD versions of vehicles in their Toledo (or Brampton etc) plants.

They offered the Jeep Dispatcher RHD from the 50's on as a Postal vehicle, you still see some of them in the rural US.
And of course the J20's, Gladiators, Cherokees, Rambler Rebels, Ambassadors etc that they sold new in NZ/Aust in the 60's/70's
In the late 80's - nearly bankrupt - they stopped producing RHD Jeeps for a while, got bought out by Chrysler, and started producing RHD again at Toledo.

Except (because of liability issues) these were for "Export only" Stamped right on the vehicle, and in the VIN.
Dealers in the US/Canada got a few of them for customers (but still 'greymarket' vehicles)

There was a market for a while importing RHD Jeeps to the US. A decade ago I sent a 40' container from Australia with RHD vehicles in it.
One was a Grand Cherokee, one a Dodge Ram (converted to RHD by Maracoonda).
Both were insurance write-offs (flooded) and were in theory for parts only, but I know both were registered and used as Rural Route vehicles.
I'd hate to be the person who buys either of them thinking they can be imported to NZ! In fact I'd be wary of any 2nd hand Postal vehicle.

Fiat-Chrysler have obviously made the decision to sell RHD in the US again.
A brand new vehicle - as long as it is fully compliant (with FMVSS etc) - might be OK but you're still going to have to make a bunch of modifications (headlight dip direction etc) to comply it in NZ
May still be better off looking for a RHD Market version.

kingdragonfly

7020 posts

Uber Geek

#1951526 4-Feb-2018 17:38

For extreme mail delivery only. RHD jeep for sale in the US

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/715878491/overview/

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#1951538 4-Feb-2018 18:25

Sidestep:

Be a bit careful with the "postal" imports.
Most of the "factory" RHD postal vehicles used in the US/Canada are RHD market vehicles (usually UK, sometimes Australia), but don't always have the correct compliance for those markets.
Some are greymarket vehicles (that will never achieve compliance)
Some are LHD vehicles that have been converted. Most of those conversions will never achieve compliance in NZ.

LOL - what could possibly go wrong?

though if that's a Jeep, it's probably the best engineered part of it.