The Toyota GR Yaris is a rally homologation special powered by a fierce 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine producing 268 horsepower. Despite the more powerful GR Corolla being a thing here, Americans still want to buy the Yaris. That would be easy if the car was sold stateside. It’s not. So why is someone in Connecticut trying to sell one for $69,000, and how did they get it?
We reached out to the representative of the seller who listed the car, but as of writing, he has offered no reply. That being said, there are several avenues that the owner of the car could’ve used to get it here, and perhaps even get it registered. In the listing, the representative of the car’s owner says it’s all kosher. But he would say that.
The particular car is a 2022 GR Yaris Launch Edition with around 11,000 miles on it. In markets outside of the United States, it’s typically sold for between about $30,000-40,000. Clearly, the owner of this car knows what he has and knows it’s special, especially in America.
In the listing posted a few days ago, the seller’s representative wrote: “I will not discuss anything about the title (potential buyer can discuss that with seller), but I will say the car is NOT here illegally.” That could mean a few things. The car could’ve been driven up from Mexico, as some have speculated, and perhaps it’s registered in Vermont. The Green Mountain state allows anyone in the country to get what is effectively a transferrable title from it via mail with little more than a bill of sale. Many allegedly use this to effectively federalize cars that have no right to be legally registered.
Adam Garstka via Facebook
Another law, “Show or Display,” allows vehicles to be imported under certain stringent conditions. That could be at play here, but for a relatively inexpensive car like the GR Yaris, it’s unlikely. Just the same, the car also seems to get driven somewhat regularly, and show or display vehicles are limited to just 500 miles of on-road driving per year.
So, in a nutshell, it’s sketchy. Anyone who buys this car is certainly aware of that, but it’s worth it for some. Clearly, the person who currently owns the car considers it worthwhile, but the bottom line is that the wrong bureaucrat might catch wind of what’s going on, and the car could very well be crushed. If you’re willing to potentially flush $70,000, that might be no problem.
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