On Tuesday August 13, 2013, US Customs and Border Patrol publicly destroyed a Land Rover Defender which had been imported illegally into the US, but was changed to be an older, legally imported model. In 2011, owners of Nissan Skyline GTR's had their cars seized. In Canada, however, a 15 year old car can be reasonably imported with no modifications.
No one wants to go through the trouble to import a non standard automobile, except enthusiasts and collectors. By opening up the import restrictions to 10 model years it will give consumers a wider range of vehicular choices, especially in today's inflated used car market (no thanks to Cash for Clunkers). Vehicles sold in the UK, EU, and Japan in recent years are generally just as safe and have similar, if not better environmental impacts
