Nick & Ernie's/Fix Auto Skokie

5 Cars You Can't Buy in the USA

Car fans in this country, especially wealthy ones, are always looking for the newest and coolest vehicles out there, but what if they can't buy them here in the USA? They have two options--they can do without or they can purchase the vehicle and then have it shipped here. The downside to that plan is it’s costly, due to tariffs, delivery fees and shipping fees, just to name a few. And then what happens when local laws or regulations prohibit you from driving the vehicle here? 

At Nick & Ernie's/Fix Auto Skokie, we see rare exotic cars on the roads here in Skokie, IL all the time, but how many of them were purchased here in this country, we wonder? Here is our list of five vehicles that U.S. drivers would love to have here in the U.S., but unfortunately they are not available for sale in this country:

1.) Land Rover Defender

People in the USA have loved the Land Rover Series since its inception in 1948, and the Defender (first unveiled in 1983) is surely no exception. While the Defender was imported to this country from 1993 to 1997, it was a military-looking version and only a few of them sold. When US Department of Transportation regulations became tougher starting in 1996, Land Rover stopped importing this vehicle.                         

2.) Spyker C8

This sweet little Dutch-made sports car has been in production since 2000, but you can't get one here. Racing versions of this car have competed in a wide range of international races. Spyker does not manufacture many vehicles annually, producing fewer than 300 cars from 2000 to 2010 and cost roughly $200,000 each and that's why you won't see many in the U.S.

3.) Toyota Hilux 

Available in the United States until 1994, when it was replaced with the Tacoma, the Hilux is available in almost every other region of the world, except North America. The Hilux is a heavily-fortified military-looking vehicle and is used extensively in the Middle East for defense purposes.

4.) Holden Ute SS-V

The Holden Ute SS-V is an Australian light truck that is going to stay down under and never make it to the United States. Built by an Australian auxiliary of General Motors, the Ute SS-V offers both a practical cargo bed and a 6-liter aluminum V8 under the hood--but it doesn't matter, because you can't buy it here.

5.)  Aston Martin Lagonda

The new Aston Martin Lagonda is available only to drivers in the UK, Europe and Middle East. A real attention-getter, the Lagonda is only available via invitation from Aston Martin, but if you live in the USA, you're not even invited to the party!

Sources: Drive, CNN and Wikipedia