I am currently living in the Middle East and bought an F150 pick-up that I really like. It is 4 wheel drive and has a 5.8L V-8 so it runs pretty good. I am interested in shipping it to Texas when I relocate there in a year or 2. I was told that the pick-up was built to "Middle East standards" so I assume there is some work that must be done to it before I import it into the USA. Can anybody quantify that for me? I understand that I will most likely need to install a Cadillac converter. The speedometer is in kilometers/hour but it also includes miles/hour.

When I move back I will most likely be working in an office in Houston. I would use this pick-up as a second vehicle for the weekends for fishing and hunting which is pretty much every weekend. I would then get a car as an everyday driver. The reason I would like to answer this question now is that I need new tires. If I will ultimately ship this pick-up home, it would affect what tires I put on it.

I am interested in the costs as well as the logistics required to do this. Could the work be done here in the UAE prior to shipping it home? I see where there is a 2.5% duty payable on automobiles so that isn't too bad considering I didn't pay too much for it to begin with.

EDIT: it's funny what a little initiative will do. I found a company in Houston that is licensed by the EPA to perform the necessary inspection and have contacted them. I also found this document: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-02/documents/420b11015.pdf

TIA!

How old is the truck? If it has the 5.8L, I assume it's a 96 or older.

If it's >25 years old you shouldn't have an issue importing it to Texas.

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticles/ID/3198/Vehicle-Importation-Understanding-the-25-Year-Old-Rule.aspx

5.8L??

drumboy said:

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Will you find me a 90ish Defender 110 to bring back too?

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I saw a lot of these in Italy.. I think. Maybe their local guards and military.

My bad, it has the 6.2 liter V-8. I'm not sure where the 5.8 came from. Year model is 2012.

I am in touch with the EPA licensed importer in Houston. I agree that it may be cost prohibitive but hopefully given the fact that the pick-up was built in the USA, the conversion is quantifiable and not too expensive.

Looking at Ford's middle east website, there don't seem to be many differences (if any) between our F150 & theirs. I'm betting the same holds true for your 2012.

AggieDruggist89 said:

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drumboy said:

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Will you find me a 90ish Defender 110 to bring back too?

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I saw a lot of these in Italy.. I think. Maybe their local guards and military.

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Yeah, I see lots of them whenever I travel but probably cause I have an eye for them. I need to take a trip to Dubai or somewhere that cars don't rust and find one to bring back.

I saw a car hauler carrying 3 defender 110s coming out of Galveston on Friday afternoon. I assume someone was importing them and they came into Galveston.

This one looks nice

http://www.streetdreamstexas.com/hireshow.php?command=showimage&pk=90-4194C

OP, I've imported four Defenders into the US. I've titled three out of the four here already. I'm happy to help you figure it out. A newer car can be easier or more difficult depending on what specs it was built to. You will need a letter from Ford saying the year/model truck meets/met the highway commission standards from that year (I think) for starters. the EPA has it's own check list that I have a copy of somewhere. PM me and i'll send my phone#.

for all those asking about defenders, my last one is for sale here:
https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/d/1991-land-rover-defender-110/6375861983.html

and this one:
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45371405@N07/35847665856/in/dateposted-public/" title="DSC_6955"><img src="" width="2048" height="1530" alt="DSC_6955"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Middle east spec may not have the same spec as US built ones. Regardless of what you are told.

If it was built for export, then you will not have much luck bringing it in.

GCC spec doesnt have the same safety, emissions, and engine calibration as USA based vehicles.

I have looked into these Defenders. They look cool. Why have some of you said a 1990's model? Is it because of the ease of importing an older vehicle or were they made better back then? There are many for sale that are just a couple of years old. I think they 2 door would be like driving and older Jeep.

BTW - the site everybody in the UAE lists used boats and vehicles on is called Dubizzle. Post a link to something you think would be cool to own and I'll have a look.

Hollywood - where are you relocating from?

So many awesome vehicles at that link that we can't get here. Unfortunately they're all too new based in the one's I looked up. I wish we didn't have shuch strict grey market laws here! Laws are supposed to be for the people, who wants vehicle importation restrictions?

Rufneck said:

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I have looked into these Defenders. They look cool. Why have some of you said a 1990's model? Is it because of the ease of importing an older vehicle or were they made better back then?

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Crash test and emissions laws. I believe if it's an engine or emissions configuration that was never offered or certified (federalize) here had to be 21 years old and maybe a chassis with engine has to be 25 years old to be exempt. So if you really like driving slow and want to swap a 4 cylinder diesel you have to get a 21 year or older engine or wait 25 for the whole car

Stuff that was never safety tested is 25 years. The defenders that were sold here are very different compared to the rest of the world with roll bars and exo cages around the windshieldand unique rear bumpers. Even the range rovers and discovery that shared that chassis have some unique features like welded reciever hitches instead of bolt on and these odd nubs welded to the rear cross member for some sort of crash/safety requirements that no other country has

As far as made better, if you're stuck on driving a diesel on the highway the naturally aspirated stuff won't cut it. The 300 tdi is the most modern of the mechanical injection systems and more throttle responsive than the newer ones so it tends to be the most desirable, though my worn out 4.0 v8 felt like a top fuel dragster after driving one of those for a week.

Rufneck said:

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I have looked into these Defenders. They look cool. Why have some of you said a 1990's model? Is it because of the ease of importing an older vehicle or were they made better back then? There are many for sale that are just a couple of years old. I think they 2 door would be like driving and older Jeep.

BTW - the site everybody in the UAE lists used boats and vehicles on is called Dubizzle. Post a link to something you think would be cool to own and I'll have a look.

Hollywood - where are you relocating from?

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Returning from a decade in Australia.

As robertf03 stated, to bring over a Land Rover, it needs to be 25 years old.
Also, the Defender 90s that were sold in the early 1990s in the USA, take a look at what those things are selling for in the US. It's insane.
I could easily pick one up in Australia for less than $10,000.
Even less if you wanted the one without a full roof or one of the military surplus 6x6 models.

https://www.australianfrontlinemachinery.com.au/vehicle-types/land-rovers

I've had my eye out for a Defender but there really hasn't been any on the market other than newer models.

Are you sure are looking for a defender and not a series? They started production in 83 so only 83-92 are available for import right now, not really late model since they used some funky engines,transmissions, and still used wiring connectors straight from the 1960s lucas catalog. Also they werent called defenders until 89 even though most people retroactively apply the name to the entire production timeline so maybe you need to change your search to include 90 110 or 127 in case the importer youre dealing with is a stickler for details.

For a truck that there are roughly 10 brazillion of stateside, I have a really hard time thinking that this makes any financial sense at all...

A Defender just hit the market in Dubai yesterday. 1991 model so it could be imporated into the US. They are asking 55,000 AED which is just under $17,000 US Dollars. What do you guys think? I am not wild about black, but I suppose it could always be repainted if I just couldn't live with it. Tell me, do the hard tops come off of these things so that it is open?

https://dubai.dubizzle.com/motors/used-cars/land-rover/defender/2017/11/4/land-rover-defender-2-2/?back=L21vdG9ycy91c2VkLWNhcnMvbGFuZC1yb3Zlci9kZWZlbmRlci8%2Fa2V5d29yZHM9ZGVmZW5kZXI%3D&pos=0&highlighted_ads=1

I like this one:

https://dubai.dubizzle.com/m/motors/used-cars/land-rover/defender/2017/9/6/land-rover-defender-2-2/?related_ads=1&back=