Welcome to the forum here. Good luck with your search.
i’ve never seen one of them here. Here’s is a 450 one.

https://www.smartcarofamerica.com/threads/2005-450-smart-fortwo-cdi-for-sale-registered-in-ca.163351/

 

If going for a 451 CDi, do not get the one with DPF filter with burn cycles. I had one a 2009 and it was a disaster, nothing but trouble over 6 years of use. It kept going into limp mode where you could not accelerate. All sorts of fault codes over the years and cost me a lot in repairs to keep it going.

 

Welcome!

If you want to buy one, this belongs in the Marketplace and has been moved accordingly.

451 cdi smarts were never sold in N. America.

 

Thanks guys! yeah im looking for a 450

 

The little diesels are uber cool and get incredible mileage, and I hear they also last a very long time. Unfortunately they were never type certified for the US like the gas engined 450. There were like 1500 - 2000 gas 450s imported to the US but no diesels. Up in Canada, it is the reverse, Penske imported mostly diesels. You will find a diesel 450 here and there in the US that somehow drifted in but technically they can be imported if they are 25 years or older, yeah sucks .... I'm waiting to get a Roadster

 

importers legislated the diesels enough that its now possible to import them without issue as the "legwork" has been done...so they do exist in the us as canadian models that have crossed the boarder

if i were genuinely looking for one..cash in hand id be looking squarely at BC..no salt or rust issues to be worried about..and typicaly low milage

 

@lemsteraak...If you are thinking of getting a Roadster, then make sure you get one that it rain leak free. It could be a good car for the arid Arizona desert LOL.

In the UK I bought one new with two year warranty, and it leaked like a sieve, and had to be returned six times for fixes. but was never solved. It leaked from the front bulkhead causing a new sam unit to be installed, also leaked from the door mirrors and door speakers, the soft top roof leaked, and it leaked into the boot (trunk).

The dampness in the cabin was horrendous, and made me sell the car after the two years were up after the warranty finished. it was a brilliant car, a drivers car, ruined by these faults, and it was common to most of the Roadsters due to poor build quality.

in the UK the Roadsters seemed to have disappeared in Scotland (where i live) and the North of England due to all the rain we get, but there are quite a number in warmer less rainy climes like the south of England.

You may be lucky to find an owner who took the time to solve all these leaks and get a dry one. Good luck. My Roadster below (fun, while i had it)....

 

You are right, the Canadian 450s appears to be eligible to import. VCP-27 is its eligibility number with US NHTSA. Here is the item in the Federal Register Smart 450 Import They don't seem to be addressing the diesel though, so grey area for a grey market car. Please do your research, it is only an opinion.

 

That's pretty cool! I've actually looked at importing one but it costs quite a penny because I was told they have to be modified to meet NHTSA standards, but if they're already certified for importing then they don't have to be modified. I noticed thst it only mentions 2002-2004, what about newer ones, like 2005?

 

I just checked the list and it's anything from 2002-2006. Unfortunately they do need to be modified even though they're on the list, unless they're over 25 years old.

 

Correct. In order to import a 450 that's younger than 25 years old, it has to be converted to US standards. That means DOT approved headlights, interior pillar padding (which stock 450s do not have), corner lamps, and compliant crash beams. Any necessary emissions changes also need to be completed unless the car is at least 21 years old.

Also, this work cannot be carried out by just anyone, but only a handful of Registered Importers. The documents on the Federal Register are parts of the petition to legalize the 450 for America, and in that petition, the conversion companues state all of the things they had to change to make those 1,300 or so 450s legal.

I have a 450 diesel in the United States. I am the third owner since it arrived in the States, and I'm not sure how it was imported. Admittedly, I'm not sure I want to know, either.

 

at this point, depending on state...id wager bringing a 450 over from canada would be simple enough and i doubt anyone would even bat an eye at it unless your in california

 

It's not the state level that matters, but the federal level. If you just attempt to import a 450 diesel like I import JDM cars, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will likely be mad at you. All of what I mentioned above are federal requirements, not state. The states rarely care so long as you have a title.

Now, technically, you can just drive one across the border, and tell border patrol that you're just driving south. I personally know of many cars "imported" that way. It's not legal and, if the feds find out they reserve the right to demand its exportation or to crush the car at your expense, even after the car turns 25. That's because a car isn't automatically legal at 25, you still have to do the importation.

It does happen, sometimes. I know a guy who got a Holden Ute across the border. The feds later found out, and demanded it be exported or crushed. It was exported to Canada. Another guy imported a Suzuki that was of legal age, and it was deemed illegal because it had a paint job similar to the old VW Bus, and VW demanded it be crushed. My friend legit spent $9,000 on nothing.